Narrow boat holiday routes in Yorkshire

Out and back holiday routes exploring the Pennine canals.

NARROWBOAT HIRE ON YORKSHIRE CANALS

HOME

HOLIDAYS

ROUTES

BOATS

PRICES

AVAILABILITY

FAQs

BOOKING

BROCHURE

CONTACT US

SEARCH

One Week Out & Back Boats

Leeds & Liverpool Routes

Short Break Routes

Longer Out & Back Routes

One Way Routes

Ring Routes

Things to do

Places to go

Pubs

Home > Routes > Narrow boat holiday routes

NARROW BOAT HOLIDAY ROUTES ONE WEEK OUT & BACK HOLIDAYS These narrow boat holidays give you the freedom to roam as you please, following one of our suggested routes or your own inclinations. Boats for these routes start on Friday, Saturday or Monday at 2pm and return to Sowerby Bridge 9am. Mileages are for the return trip to Sowerby Bridge. Times are for guidance. New for 2010 - out and back trips on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. We also have some rewarding Rings, but none of these can be done in a week. Slideshow of Out & Back routes up the Calder Valley on the Rochdale Canal Slideshow of Out & Back routes down the valley on the Calder & Hebble Navigation
AIRE & CALDER NAVIGATION 9. Selby 96 miles 68 locks 40 hours Sail down the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation past Brighouse, and through wide river sections and narrow cuttings to Wakefield, where there are good moorings not too far from the bright lights. Then on to Stanley Ferry to see the famous aqueducts and two very convenient and contrasting pubs. You are now on the Aire & Calder, which is still a thriving commercial waterway, though there are now many more pleasure boats than barges. Electric locks and a wide channel help you speed to Castleford; keep on the main line of the Aire & Calder Navigation towards Knottingley. This section briefly passes through an industrial hinterland, but is full of interest because much water-borne freight comes through - in barges, push-tows and tankers. At Bank Dole you leave the main line and its electric locks, to drop into the Aire as it winds through farmland, stopping occasionally at pretty brick-built villages. And so to Selby, where you can explore the ancient Abbey and market, before taking the train to York – you could have time for a full day there. Navigation notes: This return trip is relatively easy. ROCHDALE CANAL 4. Todmorden & Brighouse 32 miles 52 locks 25 hours Leaving our historic canal basin, your journey begins with the excitement of a new tunnel and the deepest lock in the country. The canal gradually climbs through woods, fields and small stone towns to Hebden Bridge. This old mill town nestles in a fork in the hills, houses piled tier upon tier. Hebden has excellent shops and is full of surprises - everything from horsey clothing to hand-made pottery. Untie, and go on up the valley, its sides closing in with crags and trees and views of the moors high above. A stream runs alongside, and the locks are set among woods or stone cottages. The Pennine Way crosses at Callis. So to Todmorden, completely untouristy yet with much to enjoy - fine Victorian buildings, especially the Town Hall, a lively market and many places to eat and drink, all dominated by a curving railway viaduct. Return to Sowerby Bridge and on down the Calder Valley through the woods to Brighouse. Good shopping, including a Sainsbury's with its own moorings, plentiful pubs and time to relax. Finally, make your way back to base. 5. Warland & Brighouse 37 miles 76 locks 30 hours Go to Todmorden (Route 4). From here the going gets serious – more Alpine than Pennine. Pass the Great Wall of Todmorden, go under a splendidly overdone Gothic railway bridge, then stop at the Cross Keys (much recommended). Turn below Lock 33. On your return trip, go down to Brighouse, where there's a Sainsbury's with its own moorings. *Navigation note:* BW ask boats to turn at Lock 33 unless they are going at least to Littleborough, in order to control the amount of water sent down from the summit. 6. Rochdale 42 miles 98 locks 45 hours This enables you to cross the summit, the second highest (just) in England at 600’. Take Routes 4 & 5 to above Todmorden, and go on to the summit. Pause at the Summit Inn, your first in Lancashire, before making the steep drop into Littleborough, 12 locks in 2 miles. Turn near the railway station, or possibly go on past Clegg Hall (a Grade 1 listed ruin) and through the edge of Rochdale - already surprisingly sylvan - and to its centre. Turn just below Lock No. 50. Navigation notes: This journey is recommended for experienced crews only. The western half of the Rochdale Canal is not yet in as good condition as other canals and you may experience difficulty or delays. Some of the locks can be hard work. Passage between Locks 36 and 37 (the summit) must be booked (7 days). We will give further details in the Notes posted to you in good time before your holiday. Lock 50 is the practical limit for an out and back trip of a week.	HUDDERSFIELD NARROW CANAL 7. Marsden (bottom of flight) 39 miles 108 locks 40 hours Sail down the Calder & Hebble Navigation past Brighouse, with a short river section to Cooper Bridge, where you take the right turn into the bottom lock of the Huddersfield Broad. This leads you up through the outskirts of Huddersfield right into the City centre. Go through the University, a weird but satisfying juxtaposition of sixties high-rise and nineties mill conversion, then dive under another mill (this one real) into the first of two new tunnels which lead directly into new locks. As you emerge, a steel-truss railway viaduct frames the start of your journey up the Colne valley into the hills. At Slaithwaite the canal has been put back on its original track. You will enjoy exploring the village. Then go on up the valley. Leave your boat at Lock 31E, the bottom of Marsden flight, and walk up to see Marsden itself. The Mechanics Institute is the home of Mikron Theatre (though they will be away touring). Walk on to the summit, 644’ 9” above sea level, where a very short pool makes the entrance into Standedge Tunnel all the more dramatic by its understatement. The Standedge Visitor Centre gives an insight into the lives of the tunnellers who blasted their way under the Pennines, the packhorse teams who preceded them over the top, and the leggers who took the boats through 3 ¼ miles of pitch dark. You can take a short trip into the tunnel in an electric boat, before returning to your own and heading back. Navigation notes: This route is recommended for experienced crews only. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is not yet in as good condition as other canals and you may experience difficulty or delays. Some of the locks can be hard work. We will give further details in the Notes posted to you in good time before your holiday. Lincoln cannot go above Lock 31E on the HNC (slightly too wide!). LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL 8. Bingley 5-rise 110 miles 118 locks 55 hours Sail down the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation past Brighouse, and through wide river sections and narrow cuttings to Wakefield, where there are good moorings not too far from the bright lights. Then on to Stanley Ferry to see the famous aqueducts and two very convenient and contrasting pubs. You are now on the Aire & Calder, which is still a thriving commercial waterway, though there are now many more pleasure boats than barges. Electric locks and a wide channel help you speed (relatively) round to Leeds, where you sail past the regenerated waterfront. Then join the Leeds & Liverpool Canal which quickly escapes along its own way through fields and woods, with spectacular views of old West Riding industry - particularly Sir Titus Salt's Italianate mills and model town at Saltaire, with its Hockney museum. There are several staircase locks along the way, which culminate in the Five Rise Locks at Bingley, one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways and a fitting climax to your journey. Return the same way. Navigation notes: This is a very energetic trip for crews with some experience.	Brighouse, CHN, Routes 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
		Hebden Bridge, RC, Routes 4, 5, 6
		Bingley 5 Rise, L&L, Route 8
		Long Lees Lock, CHN, Routes 4, 5, 7, 8, 9

Yorkshire narrowboat holidays with Shire Cruisers, The Wharf, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire HX6 2AG, England
tel: 01422 832712 - Overseas tel: + 44 1422 832712 fax: 01422 839565
narrow boat holiday routes | narrowboat hire | Pennine canals | Rochdale Canal | Huddersfield Narrow Canal | Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Narrow boat holiday routes in Yorkshire

NARROW BOAT HOLIDAY ROUTES