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So yesterday I cycled from Manchester to Hebden Bridge and back in the canal. When I got home I found out there is another canal called Huddersfield narrow canal which turns into the Ashton canal back into Manchester.
So, has anyone cycled on this? I'm hoping it might be the perfect circular canal route?
I've seen a long tunnel near Marsden which would result in a road section.
Thanks
Tunnels often have a "horse path" over the top, and are often ridable (as designed for horses). May cut out some road?
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/huddersfield-narrow-canal
Technically cycling isn't allowed on it, but I don't know of anyone that's been stopped.
It's a pleasant ride, and the tunnel is interesting. The road is awful to ride - big, fast and busy. The way I would do it from the Manchester side would be to take the mountain bike and from Diggle, take the Standedge Trail bridleway up to the car park at Brun Moor, then take the footpath along Millstone Edge (the Oldham Way) to the A640, then almost double back on yourself to take the bridleway that descends Willykay Clough and brings you out right at the mouth of the tunnel on the Marsden side. Then ride as far as you like along the canal to a station - Marsden, Slaithwaite, even Huddersfield if you want to see the whole thing - and catch the train back to Diggle or wherever your starting point is.
You'll not achieve that on a gravel bike, the trails are pretty meaty, but it'd be a bloody good day out.
And, if you really wanted to go nuts, that's effectively the route of the Rail Ale route on the train- almost every station on the line, which follows the canal, has a pub in it or opposite it. You could, if you did it when the pubs are back open, get totally slaughtered doing it.
Technically cycling isn’t allowed on it
What? There's a cycle route on it 🙂 Part of it's been re-surfaced for bikes too!
Last time I went on it however, it was a muddy mess in most places - and certainly not as pleasant in terms of scenery as the calder valley IMO.
I guess I would like to do a circular from Manchester- Rochdale- Hebden Bridge and then work out if its possible to get onto the narrow canal back down to Manchester?
Carry on to Brighouse, follow thew towpath out of Brighouse (watch out for the grumpy lockkeeper - push your bike past his house!) towards Cooper Bridge, then you can pick up the greenway into Huddersfield. Back on the canal, out past the marina towards the university then you can pick up the narrow canal to Marsden. You'll have to figure out a way to get over the Standedge tunnel, but then you're on towards Diggle and the Ashton canal
It is doable, but wouldn't be as pleasant with that big A road stretch in the middle. The route I suggested wouldn't really work in reverse.
Could you go up Old Mount Road from Marsden, then drop down in to Standedge. Pick up the PBW to Diggle and back on the canal?
If you go right to the visitor center & across the dam above it, you're 2/3rds of the way up the hill anyway, but it is a crap climb after.
Alternatively, you could turn left in Marsden, up to Butterley, across the dam & then up Mount road then onto the Standedge trail up to the cutting.
my friend did the majority of it about a month ago on a gravel bike 122km 873m (moving time 6hr20) holmfirth to brighouse then canal to manchester, ashton canal back to greenfield then up past dove stones on isle of sky back to holmfirth.
total elevation is low for a ride around these parts..
his main tip was to get a Bell. 5% of walkers and dog walkers are inconsiderate with one guy going out of his way to block his route.
i've ridden the canal mirfield/cooper_bridge to brighouse and also to marsden and vice versa, this time of year, you will be soaked through to the bone in wet gritty muck.. puddle after puddle.
fun like.. if you can stay warm
There is a small part near the start (i.e. by the university) where there is no canal path at all, but I assume you can get around that.
Panda
I did a route a few weeks ago on gravel bike. From Holmfirth I rode to brig house then got on the canal towards hebden bridge, todmorden upto littleborough and in towards Manchester on the Rochdale canal. I then jumped off and went into the Ethiad campus area and jumped onto the Ashton canal network upto uppermill/Diggle then rode back over to Holmfirth. 80 miles all in. A great ride at about 6 hours.
Only around 11 miles on the road.
Thanks, that sounds like the route...was the road section to bypass the tunnel?
Really got me interested in other canal routes. Might do the Leeds (from worsley)to Liverpool and back too