Cliffe House is an outdoor residential and day visit centre set in 11 acres of mature woodland. The centre is operated by Kirklees Council and has done so for over 70 years. We offer a range of outdoor learning opportunities from woodland and pond studies to caving, climbing and canoe.
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…
The Huddersfield Broad Canal is a 3.7 mile stretch of canal maintained by the Canal & River Trust. The canal has a total of 9 locks along the route. At one end it links the Calder and Hebble Navigation to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. From there it then continues through…
Once a key cog in the industrial revolution wheel, the now rural, peaceful Calder & Hebble Navigation is a real northern treat. The navigation connects the towns of Sowerby Bridge and Brighouse with the city of Wakefield. No longer commercial, this mainly rural canal is open to everyone to enjoy…
Restored and reopened by volunteers in 2002, the Rochdale canal links Manchester to Sowerby Bridge on a cross-Pennine route. The canal stretches 32 miles in total, with a whopping 91 locks on the stretch… but the steep climb of the canal is worth it for the views, so we’re told!…
As with many canals, the Aire and Calder navigation has a strong industrial heritage. This once heavily commercial waterway running from Leeds to Goole was once a hustling bustling industrial revolution super-highway. Flowing to the River Ouse at Google, the canal once carried millions of tonnes of cloth, coal and…
Grade: 1-3 A popular river in Yorkshire, the River Don has much to offer recreational paddlers and white water lovers. Parts of the river are flat, some parts steady grade 1’s and other sections grade 2-3+. It’s a 70 mile stretch that has something to offer whatever you fancy. The…
Grade: 1-3 The River Derwent in Derbyshire is a beautifully scenic river cutting right through the heart of the Peak District. It drops down through the World Heritage site of the Derwent Valley, through Matlock and Cromford. From here it flows through to Derby before joining the River Trent further…
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire. Further past Leeds it actually becomes the Aire & Calder Navigation, another lovely spot to paddle. From start to finish the river measures 92 miles in length. Due to its meandering nature, it creates quite a fun paddle as you weave…
One of the most successful canals of its time, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was very much used as a cargo carrying canal right up until its last haul in 1972. Because of this, the canal is in pretty good nick when it comes to paddling along it. It stretches…
The Sheffield and Tinsley Canal has a very special claim to fame. If you’ve seen the Full Monty, you’ll know exactly what we mean. The canal was used for the opening scenes if you remember, where Gaz and Dave are trying to instruct Nathan in how to get a piece…
Travelling right to the heart of Manchester, this stretch of the Ashton Canal climbs 18 locks along it’s 6.8 miles from Ashton-under-Lyne to the city centre. A largely industrial stretch, it’s a wonder you can paddle along it at all. In fact, if a group of volunteers hadn’t clubbed together…
Described as one of the most scenic canals in the country, the Peak Forest canal is 15 miles of paddle-heaven. It flows past mill workers cottages, lush woodland and open meadows. The canal is a route popular with nature lovers for its variety of flora and fauna along the route.…
A mostly green, lush, rural canal, the Macclesfield canal runs for 26 miles connecting the Peak Forest Canal to the Trent & Mersey Canal. Be aware! If you’re planning to connect to the Peak Forest Canal as you’ll be met with the flight of locks known as Marple Lock. 16…
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