One way canal routes in Yorkshire

ONE-WAY CANAL ROUTES

We give you a choice of three one-way canal routes: by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, or the Rochdale Canal. All are suitable only for crews with experience of locks. These canal holidays are available for one and two weeks.

We cannot tell you the start point till the week before your canal holiday. We arrange minibus transfer, at extra cost. It is not possible to book two one-way boats at once. You must tell us your intended route when you book.

We also have some rewarding Rings, from 11 to 21 nights.

Mileages are for the one way trip from or to Sowerby Bridge. Times are for guidance.

Slideshow of One-way route by the Leeds & Liverpool

Slideshow of One-way route by the Huddersfield

Slideshow of One-way route by the Rochdale

"I just wanted to tell you what a lovely holiday we had on Somerset over Easter.  We have done many canal holidays over the years but never in this part of Yorkshire.  We were blown away by the stunning scenery, the lack of queues, availability of moorings and the plethora of welcoming canalside inns.  I cannot imagine why we have never tried this area before, but we will certainly try it again, and sooner rather than later.  We found the boat to be very comfortable, practical and un-fussy with a good quality fit-out, great shower, lots of piping hot water, good central heating, comfy beds and lots of storage.  The galley was well set out and roomy.  The boat handled extremely well, which is a plus on a contour canal such as the L& L, and the engine was very quiet and with none of the traditional vibration.  We really enjoyed the one-way itinerary, as it allows you to do so much more in a week.  Very few operators have this option so well-done for providing the facility which must be quite difficult to organise.  It is also to your credit that you allow dogs on your boats, as very few operators do this.  Our dog, who is new to canalling, had a wonderful time and it was fun to watch him come to terms with the new challenges on offer.  Our daughter enjoyed the holiday so much more because we had our beloved pet with us.   We thought the holiday was very good value and would happily recommend your company to others.  Many Thanks"

Phil and Joy, Wirral

Seven-night One Way Trips

LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL
15. Between Sowerby Bridge and Foulridge, via Leeds by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. 82 miles 79 locks 45 hours
One of the great canal journeys, this takes you across the backbone of England and through the heart of the West Riding, in scenery varying from the timeless calm of the L&L summit to the hubbub of just-built waterfront Leeds.
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.
Carry on past the Five Rise and discover some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere on the canals, with extensive views of the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Skipton makes a splendid place to moor while you explore the Dales by bus or on foot. Then the canal wanders through the moors before the last three locks lift you to the summit pool and so bring you to your mooring by Foulridge Tunnel - 1640 yards driven through the top of the Pennines.
Navigation notes: You require an active crew; the L & L has many swing bridges as well as those locks! At least one of the crew must have adequate experience (you need to know how to pace yourselves, and we cannot give lock instruction to those who chance to start from Foulridge).
Transfer arrangements for Foulridge:
Your direction of travel will be advised the week before you start: it depends on that taken by previous crews. Your Information Pack has all details for both directions.
You will come first to Sowerby Bridge whichever way the boat is going. All cars are parked at Sowerby Bridge. The easy 20-mile transfer by minibus or taxi to or from Foulridge will accordingly be at either the beginning (for the whole party) or the end (for the whole party or just the drivers) of your holiday. Cost about £40. Full information is sent to you in good time and details are discussed with you. Those travelling entirely by train can get to Foulridge (Colne station, taxi required) and Sowerby Bridge from main line trains at Manchester or Preston.
This one-way trip is available only on Dorset or Gloucester. Saturday start.

HUDDERSFIELD NARROW CANAL
16. Huddersfield Pioneers. 33 miles 97 locks 40 hours
This trip has been a real wow with our intrepid pioneers, who have been thrilled by the scenery and the atmosphere.
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 towards the summit, past Marsden, whose Mechanics Institute is the home of Mikron Theatre (though they will be away touring). So at last you come 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 unforgettable 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. The 21st century way is by having your boat pulled through by an electric tug, while you ride in a glass-sided passenger boat allowing you to see the work of the original miners and of their modern successors.
After the tunnel, the canal descends quickly through the Diggle flight, then into the Saddleworth villages, with weavers’ cottages, and genuine charm as well as craft shops. The centre of Stalybridge has been transformed by the construction of a new canal.
You enter Ashton by passing under an ASDA, to be compared with the Sainsbury’s you passed at Huddersfield several days (and 74 locks) ago. Our base is at Bridge 24 on the Ashton, a little past the Industrial Museum at Portland Basin.
Navigation notes: You require an active crew; the Huddersfield Narrow Canal has many locks. At least one of the crew must have adequate experience (you need to know how to pace yourselves, and we may not be able to give lock instruction to those who start from Ashton).
This journey 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. Passage through Standedge is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (the days that suit you). Dogs are allowed through the tunnel. We will book passage for you with Canal & River Trust (British Waterways). We will give further details in the Route Companion posted to you in good time before your holiday.
Transfer arrangements for Ashton:
Your direction of travel will be advised the week before you start. It depends on that taken by previous crews. Your Information Pack has all details for both directions.
You will come first to Sowerby Bridge whichever way the boat is going. All cars are parked at Sowerby Bridge. The easy 20-mile transfer by minibus or taxi to or from Ashton will accordingly be at either the beginning (for the whole party) or the end (for the whole party or just the drivers) of your holiday. Cost about £40. Full information is sent to you in good time and details are discussed with you. Those travelling entirely by train can get to Ashton (Guide Bridge station) and Sowerby Bridge from main line trains at Manchester or Preston.
This one-way trip is available only on Cornwall. Monday start.
Note: The HNC will be closed in Huddersfield for major works until 31 March 2012.

ROCHDALE CANAL
17. Rochdale Pioneers. 38 miles 100 locks 40 hours
There are real contrasts between the urban Manchester end, some newly regenerated, and some waiting for that; and the Pennine crossing, which has some of the most striking scenery on the system.
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. From here the going gets serious – more Alpine than Pennine. Another 18 locks in just three miles bring you breathless but exhilarated to the summit, at 600' the second highest you can scale in England. You will have earned a drink at the Summit Inn.
From here, you drop down into Littleborough. Pass Clegg Hall, a Grade 2* listed building dating from 1618, which was long a ruin but has now been restored. Soon you come to Rochdale itself, where some of the biggest restoration projects have been tackled, including the M62, which for so long seemed permanently to block the canal. Now you go under it by a short but ingenious deviation of the canal. Then descend through town and country, transformed by the restoration of the canal, right to the centre of Manchester. Pubs and restaurants welcome boaters, and the city is full of life and things to do. Finally, follow the Ashton to base.
Navigation notes: You require an active crew; the Rochdale Canal has many wide locks. At least one of the crew must have adequate experience (you need to know how to pace yourselves, and we may not be able to give lock instruction to those who start from Ashton).
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 66 and 81 must be pre-booked with Canal & River Trust (British Waterways) (01782 785703) and is available only for a limited number of boats each morning (except Wednesdays). Passage between Locks 36 and 37 (the summit) must also be booked (7 days). We will give further details in the Route Companion posted to you in good time before your holiday. You must tell us at the time of booking that you intend to do this route.
Transfer arrangements for Ashton: as for Route 16.
This one-way trip is available only on Cornwall. Monday start.

Fourteen-night One Way Trips

LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL
18. Between Sowerby Bridge and Foulridge, via Leeds by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, with extensions of your choice. Minimum 82 miles 79 locks 45 hours
This gives you the chance to explore more widely as well as making the one-way trip via the Leeds & Liverpool – westward from Foulridge, up the Rochdale or any of the branches to Selby, Goole, Marsden etc.
Your direction of travel will be advised the week before you start. See Route 15 for important details and transfer system for Foulridge.
This one-way trip is available only on Dorset or Gloucester.

HUDDERSFIELD NARROW CANAL & LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL
19. Between Sowerby Bridge and Foulridge, via Manchester by the Huddersfield Narrow. 107 miles 169 locks 85 hours
This is a very serious journey, only for the committed; but unforgettable. Travel by the Huddersfield Narrow (Route 16), arriving in the centre of Manchester with its new canalside night-life. Leave the city by dropping under a skyscraper and taking the last nine locks of the Rochdale to Castlefield, junction with the Bridgewater Canal. Pass the Trafford Centre and turn onto the Leigh Branch. Go to Worsley, and stop to see the birthplace of the canals. Transfer seamlessly to the other Leigh Branch (you will have to look this up). This takes you through to Wigan, where you join the L&L just above the bottom of the famous 21. Pause to explore the covered market. BW will supervise your passage to the top, with splendid views back over the town. Then you are back in the country, with locks at Johnson's Hill, where the Lancaster Canal never got joined to the L&L. And so through countryside, with views of the Calder Valley (that's the Lancashire Calder), interspersed with old mill towns like Blackburn, you get to Foulridge, where you finish at the old wharf.
Navigation notes: This journey is recommended for experienced crews only. The Huddersfield Narrow 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 through Standedge is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Dogs are now allowed through the tunnel. You should pre-book passage with British Waterways (01782 785703). We will give further details in the Route Companion posted to you in good time before your holiday. You must tell us at the time of booking that you intend to do this route.
Your direction of travel will be advised the week before you start: it depends on that taken by previous crews. Your Information Pack has all details for both directions. You will come first to Sowerby Bridge whichever way the boat is going. All cars are parked at Sowerby Bridge. The easy 20-mile transfer by minibus or taxi to or from Foulridge will accordingly be at either the beginning (for the whole party) or the end (for the whole party or just the drivers) of your holiday. Cost about £40. Full information is sent to you in good time and details are discussed with you. Those travelling entirely by train can get to Foulridge (Colne station, taxi required) and Sowerby Bridge from main line trains at Manchester or Preston.
This one-way trip is only available on Dorset or Gloucester. Saturday start.

ROCHDALE CANAL & LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL
20. Between Sowerby Bridge and Foulridge, via Manchester by the Rochdale Canal. 100 miles 136 locks 65 hours
This is an equally serious journey. Take the Rochdale (Route 17) to Manchester, then join Route 19 through to Foulridge.
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 66 and 81 must be pre-booked with Canal & River Trust (British Waterways) (01782 785703) and is available only for a limited number of boats each morning (except Wednesdays). Passage between Locks 36 and 37 (the summit) must also be booked (7 days). We will give further details in the Route Companion posted to you in good time before your holiday. You must tell us at the time of booking that you intend to do this route.
Your direction of travel will be advised the week before you start. See Route 15 for important details and transfer system for Foulridge.
This one-way trip is only available on Dorset or Gloucester. Saturday start.

21. Pennines and Peaks. Minimum 33 miles 97 locks 40 hours
As well as crossing the Huddersfield Narrow Canal or Rochdale Canal, you can spend a week exploring the Peak Forest and Macclesfield. A certain amount of organising ability will be required to make the most of this and hit your times to get through Standedge – or Locks 66 to 83 on the Rochdale. You need to plan so that you do the exploring bit either before or after your Pennine crossing, according to where your boat turns out to start from.
Your direction of travel will be advised the week before you start. See Routes 16 & 17 for important details and transfer system.
This one-way trip is available only on Cornwall, and must start and finish at the normal bases for this boat. Monday start.

22. The Cheshire Question Mark.
123 miles 155 locks 80 hours (via Rochdale, excluding the Ashton)
128 miles 188 locks 90 hours (via Huddersfield, including the Ashton)
This gives a very long route in which you are always going outward. It joins a one way trip (Route 16 or 17) with a circuit of the Cheshire Ring, hence the question mark in the title. There are actually four possibilities, depending on whether you take the Huddersfield or the Rochdale, and in which direction of rotation you take the Cheshire Ring. This obviously needs planning , but is a terrific trip.
Your direction of travel over the Huddersfield/Rochdale will be advised the week before you start. See Routes 16 & 17 for important details and transfer system.
This one-way trip is available only on Cornwall, and must start and finish at the normal bases for this boat. Monday start.