A paddle through the pennines! The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is one of those places you HAVE to paddle if you’re into dramatic scenery. Cutting through the rugged hills of the pennies, and weaving through wooded countryside and past historic mills. The canal is a ‘must’ for canal boaters and should be for paddlers too.
There is a minor downside to this dramatic scenery though and it comes at a cost… in the form of 74 locks along this 19 mile stretch! As long as you don’t mind a portage or two, the scenery more than makes up for it. If you want to avoid most of the locks, begin your paddle at Ashton-under-Lyne as although there are still locks to portage, you will avoid the majority of them.
Tunnels are the other thing to be aware of on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Standedge Tunnel is the longest, deepest and highest tunnel in the country but should only be paddled if you’ve received prior permission from the Canal & River Trust.