Cool canals Guides & Waterways Directory

Tunnel Travel

A water-borne journey to the centre of a mountain, or high hill, and back out the other end, is no ordinary day out...

Before you let yourself embark on such a journey into the darkness, you first have to admire the outdoor contours of the landscape to fully appreciate the historic, pre-JCB, feat of engineering that you are about to experience.

Canal tunnels vary in length from just a few metres up to the mighty 5,029-metre Standedge Tunnel on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (It takes about 3 hours in a boat!). Some are hewn through mighty hills in glorious countryside, while others are in the centre of cities with restaurants built over them! Many tunnels are only passable by water, single file in a narrowboat, while others have a towpath running through them allowing walkers too. Either way, the voyage is thrilling.

Tunnels without a towpath were so tight that the original working boats had to walk their horses over the hill outside whilst the crew 'legged' the narrowboat through - a claustrophobic exhausting practice of lying on their backs on top of a narrowboat with legs against the tunnels arch to 'walk' the boat through...

Your day trip is for fun but, be warned, anyone of squeamish disposition should be armed with a hat and be prepared to cheerily submit to a darkness pierced by watchful bats that hang around, and always be ready to enjoy the charms of a tunnel dripping with spiders and their webs... (Luckily most trip boats have glass roofs for the squeamish!)

Tunnels are unconventionally beautiful, an awesome day trip out of the norm.

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Longest canal tunnels still in use:

• Standedge Tunnel (5,029m or 3¼ miles), Huddersfield Narrow Canal
• Dudley Tunnel (2884m or just over 1¾ miles), Dudley No.1 Canal
• Blisworth Tunnel (2795m or 1¾ miles), Grand Union Canal
• Netherton Tunnel (2768m or just under 1¾ miles), Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN)
• Harecastle Tunnel (2675m or just over 1½ miles), Trent & Mersey Canal
• Wast Hills Tunnel (2492m or 1½ miles), Worcester & Birmingham Canal
• Braunston Tunnel (1887m or 1¼ miles), Grand Union Canal

Ways to go:

Trip boats:

Standedge Tunnel - Guided glass-roofed boat trips into the tunnel
1015, 1100, 1145, 1300, 1345, 1430, 1515 and 1600 Tues-Sun March to 2 November
T:01484 844298 - info@standedge.co.uk - www.standedge.co.uk
Through trips for boat owners & hikers (or those wanting to experience whole tunnel trip, approx 3hrs) Wed & Fri Pre-book one-way tickets 3 days in advance T:0113 2816860 enquiries.yorkshire@britishwaterways.co.uk

Hire a narrowboat for the day from marinas near tunnels:
ABC Leisure Group T:0845 1264098 info@ukboathire.com
They have bases in Alvechurch, near Wast Hills Tunnel, and Wrenbury Mill, near Harecastle Tunnel
Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays T:0117 3041122 bookings@anglowelsh.co.uk
They have bases in Tardebigge, near Wast Hills Tunnel, and North Kilworth, near Braunston Tunnel
Black Prince Narrowboat Holidays T:01527 575115 enquiry@black-prince.com
They have a base in Stoke-on-Trent, near Harecastle Tunnel
Shire Cruisers T:01422 832712 info@shirecruisers.co.uk
They are based in Sowerby Bridge, near Standedge Tunnel

On foot:
Only one of the longest tunnels has a towpath to allow you to walk through:

Netherton Tunnel

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Themed visits:

Halloween 'ghost tunnel' trips:

• Dudley Tunnel - Enjoy an hour-long trip through the network of caverns with ghost stories brought to life by Dudley Little Theatre
• (Not suitable for children under 12)
  T:01384 236275 info@dudleycanaltrust.org.uk www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk
• Standedge Tunnel - A trip into the tunnel to hear stories of its ghostly past
• T:01484 844298 info@standedge.co.uk www.standedge.co.uk
• 31 Oct: Special extended guided boat trips & a haunting experience in the Tunnel on Halloween night itself with famous ghosthunter, David Vee. Afterwards venture into the Visitor Centre to see what's lurking if you dare! 2100-0300 £40.00 Pre-booking required T:0113 2816822

• Dudley Tunnel - A magical 45-minute trip through Dudley's illuminated caverns.
• Christmas carols, children's gifts, mince pies and hot punch for adults.
  T:01384 236275 info@dudleycanaltrust.org.uk www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk

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