This is the third of eighteen individual trails, which combine to create a coast to coast route for paddlers. Enjoy a winding stretch of canal lined with many pubs and restaurants.
The coast to coast route is made up of a series of eighteen trails. It’s designed to be travelled west to east, across the country; the recommended direction of travel considering prevailing wind direction and river flows.
The trails combine the Leeds Liverpool Canal and Aire and Calder Navigations to create a route stretching 162 miles across the north of England. Passing through villages, towns and cities that played a major part in the industrial revolution and textile industries, as well as enjoying the stunning scenery as you travel over the Pennines in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The Leeds Liverpool Canal and Aire and Calder Navigation offer different paddling experiences. The Leeds Liverpool wanders gently, connecting its two two major namesake cities. It recently celebrated its bicentenary and is enjoyed by boaters and paddlers alike.
The Aire and Calder is a commercial waterway, transporting goods and materials between the town of Goole and the city of Leeds. The navigation brings its own challenges, combining canalised navigation and river sections with large locks and high walls.
PLEASE NOTE: It’s recommended that only more experienced paddlers or groups of paddlers with experienced coaches or leaders paddle on the river sections of the Aire and Calder Navigation. This trail The Martin Mere Wetland Centre is well worth a visit while you’re in the area for this trail. Not only is the centre home to a wide array of native and migratory species, it also has some more exotic residents. Pop along to visit their flamingo flock or be delighted by the Asian short clawed otters. Are you saying it right? Scarisbrick is actually pronounced Scazebrick. As you pass Scarisbrick Marina on your left, Mill Brow Water Treatment works are on the other side of the canal. A young John Lennon worked here in 1959, before he found fame with The Beatles.
