Manchester to Leeds - 80miles, 4 canals and no beer )-:

[wiggydiggy]

Hey All,

Did Manchester to Leeds via canals yesterday. Clocked in at 80 miles door to door, the canals were:

Rochdale Canal
Calder and Hebble
Aire and Calder
Leeds/Liverpool

The Good - It didnt rain
The Bad - Relying on A4 printouts from Google maps can serious dent your sense of direction
The Ugly - British Waterways don't mention how much of the C+H navigation is marked 'no cycling'


View from the train at (guess!) looking at the Pennines

Start at Manchester Basin, I chose the one day the damn thing is closed lol

Opposite view, that lock leads basically below Manc through 'The Rochdale 9' which is a series of locks leading not to Rochdale but to Castefield. More info here:http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rochdale/rc9.htm

Disused basin and warehouse in Manc

Its a pretty slow start as the first mile or so is wonderfully preserved but pants for cycling lol!

Various works ATM British Waterways often close locks in winter for maintenance

No idea what this is, someone from Manc can tell me?

Lots of overspill weirs on this canal

When the M60 was built the canal was cut although it was routed through a tunnel

As you can see, no towpath so I had to swim here. Only joking there is path further back.

Grimshaw Lane lift bridge, built in 2002 it causes wonderful problems for road traffic if a boat wants to go through at peak time hahaha

 

[wiggydiggy]

This is supposed to be a wide shot of the 'Irk River' viaduct which was breached quite spectacularly in 2005, but it hasnt come out well.

Better pics here:

And a google maps image, which proves BTW google maps arn't always accurate lol (this pic must be at least 6 years old for the breach to be showing) chadderton - Google Maps

Going under the A664

The canal was split when they built the M62, this is looking back with the new route to the left and the old to the right.

Better view of the route, this is effectively a pond now and not accesible

Last shot of the split

New lock being fitted, think this is north of mosley

Approaching the north side of the pennines now and the gap the canal goes through

Long view of the valley

 

[wiggydiggy]

Very nice Triumph Herald from 1970ish

Summit

This is only about 20miles in, although at the top of the Rochdale I had 3 more canals to go yet

Gauxholme Railway viaduct at Walsden

The most impressive part of the viaduct:

Gets more impressive - The Great Wall of Tod!
At todmorden, said to contain 4 million bricks and holds back the railway

Lock 19 at Todmorden is now a guillotine lock

And sorry, thats your lot.

Clumsy oaf that I am I think I sat on my camera as the screen was broken next picture I went to take.....

 

[wiggydiggy]

I loved this ride from Manchester to Brighouse, its what I'd call a classic cycling canal (and marked as NCN66). Its more than suitable for anything say 28c tyre or better, indeed a smooth/commuter 26" would be fine as well as its a little wider. Only say completely smooth 28c or thinner tyres would struggle.

Theres some great views on that section, and a great sense of industrial heritage. Indeed on the first 15 miles the number of closed (or at least closed looking) factories and warehouse was almost depressing.

Plenty of pubs on the route even though I didnt quite raise the pace enough to visit them, I'd say the 40 miler from Manc to Brig could be quite a nice pub ride. The section from say past rochdale to brighouse is wonderfully scenic through the pennines and you share the valley with the railway for a good sense of the past and the future of transport (if you lived in the late 1800s lol!)

The problems start after Brighouse and continued to Wakefield, I'd checked as much as I could beforehand and I knew parts of that ride would be gnarly but what British Waterways and Pennine Waterways websites failed to tell me was that there were 2 long sections that were marked 'No Cycling'

Normally I wouldnt but lacking a map to go around and not being sure how far they stretched I cycled them (sorry!) Kinda obvious they weren't as it was fairly rough but by no means unpassable. Still obv for next time I know and will plan a different route. The other disadvantage was that being hard going it sapped my energy and the last 20 miles was a real struggle. More long rides needed I think!

Overall its a good route but will need to be improved with a diferent route with Brighouse>Huddersfield>Dewsbury>Wakefield being the most obvious I have seen.

 

[DCLane]

Overall its a good route but will need to be improved with a diferent route with Brighouse>Huddersfield>Dewsbury>Wakefield being the most obvious I have seen.

That's my area. Next time ... ask!

Huddersfield-Mirfield is possible by the Calder Valley Greenway. You then go on-road to Ravensthorpe and pick it up again to Dewsbury. From there you go back on road for 1/2 a mile to Sands Lane and can pick upthe greenway and canal path again to Wakefield.

There will be a greenway built from Dewsbury - Ossett, which goes then to Wakefield later this year.

 

[colly]

Nice ride Wiggydiggy. What time did you set off?

 

[The Brewer]

Shame the camera broke as I was enjoying that trip report

 

[wiggydiggy]

Hehe The research I did showed it was gnarly but nowhere told me of the 'no cycling' which kinda threw me. To be fair there were sections of that navigation which were quite nice but the rougher bits and the kinda messed up entry into wakey put me off kilter a bit. That and my dissapointment at missing a pint at 'The Navigation' haha!

 

[wiggydiggy]

Nice ride Wiggydiggy. What time did you set off?

0845 from piccadilly, only really got into my stride by 0930 ish as there are some tight locks that meant more walking that I wanted at the start.... Got back home at 1800, I reckon about 7-8 hours cycing not inc breaks for sausage rolls and getting lost!

Shame the camera broke as I was enjoying that trip report

Luckily its my old digital one, I have a newer one which I'll invest in a small bag for. Jersey jackets arent that protective lol

 

[colly]

That's pretty good going for canal paths. I have ridden some and find the constant stop start and avoiding anglers stuff and walkers a bit of a pain tbh.
Maybe I should persevere.

 

[wiggydiggy]

It was fairly quiet mind, it was what looked like a wet day but I gambled it would be dry and was ok. Between say Sowerby Bridge and Brighouse were the only real busiest sections as they are tarmacked > popular with tourists so I wouldnt want to do it in summer say.

Depends on the canal IMO Some parts could be considered narrow but Manc>Brighouse is a continous stretch. Only an unexpected closure meant I got a little lost for 1/2 mile but otherwise was ok.

 

[The Brewer]

Oh and why no beer?

I have a strict rule not to have a beer further than 10miles from home and the second must be within 3miles. If I fancy a third Its under an hour walk

 

[growingvegetables]

Nice one - I've never done them as one route. Means the beer rule can be interpreted flexibly

 

[wiggydiggy]

Oh and why no beer?

I have a strict rule not to have a beer further than 10miles from home and the second must be within 3miles. If I fancy a third Its under an hour walk

I was holding out for one pub as my allocated pit stop > I wanted to get 45-50 miles under my belt before stopping. Unfortunately some time lost due to a combination of things meant I didnt get to stop . Next time I know that 30 mins earlier, and not getting lost, will mean I can stop and hopefully twice

Nice one - I've never done them as one route. Means the beer rule can be interpreted flexibly

It caught my eye as I was reading up that its the 10th year anniversary this year of the Rochdale re-opening, and (on paper at least) it seems to form a continuous link to Leeds. As DCLane points out though a diversion away from the canal is advised at Brighouse. I fancied doing it as I've done Blackburn>Leeds before, this would be the second of the three Pennine canal crossings. Unfortunately I won't get the hat-trick ias the Huddersfield Narrow is marked as 'not suitable for cycling' which is a shame as I fancied visiting the Standedge Tunnel.

 

[DCLane]

You missed the Leggers Inn at Dewsbury - well recommended pub and is on the start of the canal route from Dewsbury-Wakefield. Instead of turning left onto the canal from the greenway you turn right and it's about 100 yards on.