NCN66 / Rochdale Canal

[amasidlover]

I'm taking my son camping / cycling this weekend and we're using NCN66 to get from Brighouse back to near Manchester.

I can't work out from the sustrans maps or Googling why NCN66 departs the canal just south of Todmorden and then rejoins later; the heatmap on Suunto Movescount is showing me that it seems to be well cycled.

Also, the green route next to Rochdale canal on the sustrans map just seems to stop near Stanycliffe and then start again north of Middleton the towpath and the right of way, based on my reading of the O/S map, seem to continue...

Does anyone with some local knowledge know why NCN66 departs and rejoins the canal at the points it does and whether there is any reason we can't just stay on the canal towpath, potentially to Failsworth?

 

[ColinJ]

You have a bigger problem than that ... the towpath was badly damaged in the local Boxing Day floods and is still closed for repairs in various places between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, and last time I tried - also the stretch leaving Todmorden towards Littleborough. Google for details of the current situation.

The answer to your question is that the cycle route detours off the towpath through Tod round the back of Tod market and bus station, up past the railway station down through some woods and then back to the towpath. It is quite a nice diversion and I suspect it is to get cyclists away from the busiest part of the towpath. It does mean crossing the A646 twice though. I would normally leave the towpath through a gate to Lidl's car park and use the pedestrian crossing in front of the store. There is a bridge over the river down some backstreets but unfortunately that is also closed for repairs! You could walk the bikes round the side of the market to a second pedestrian crossing by the bus station.

The towpath passes under the A6033 via a tiny arch so you could stay on the towpath if you were very careful, maybe walking under there.

Anyway, things unfortunately are currently not as simple as they normally are - sorry!

 

[Starchivore]

I wish they could hurry it along some. I want to be able to walk along the canal from Hebden to my Mum’s house in Tod without having to come off every few hundred meters and go back to the road. And my girlfriend is going to re-learn how to cycle and we want to use the towpath for that too.

I know it must be a big job but it’s late July now!

 

[amasidlover]

Thanks guys! I've been relying on the sustrans site which has a number of warnings about sections passable with care and one that requires a diversion. Looks like we're going to be in for an exciting weekend... Too late to cancel now so we'll just have to make the best of it.

 

[Starchivore]

Should be fine anyway, most of the canal will be open and should be a good ride- hope you both have a great time.

 

[ColinJ]

I discovered that the section from Brighouse towards Halifax is a very nice tarmac surface when I rode along it a few years back.

I've just checked where the route officially leaves the towpath (though I am not sure if you would be able to get that far because of the closures). It crosses the A646 on the bend by the petrol station. It goes along a path on the far side of the river so you wouldn't have to worry about the closure of the bridge near the market.

 

[amasidlover]

I've plotted an alternate route from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden that goes up some bridleways and uses the Pennine way (all looks reasonable from the satellite view and o/s map) - however it does involve quite a bit of climbing for a 7 year old (and for me with 15-20kg of kit!) We'll see how we're doing when we get to Hebden Bridge and decide whether we want a climb and some potentially spectacular scenery or lots of walking...

 

[Starchivore]

I've plotted an alternate route from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden that goes up some bridleways and uses the Pennine way (all looks reasonable from the satellite view and o/s map) - however it does involve quite a bit of climbing for a 7 year old (and for me with 15-20kg of kit!) We'll see how we're doing when we get to Hebden Bridge and decide whether we want a climb and some potentially spectacular scenery or lots of walking...

Last time I went along the canal to Tod from Hebden I just had to come off the canal a couple of times and walk along the pavement/main road for a bit. There were two points I think that you just get to and there are barriers- but positioned next to somewhere where you can come off the canal, so you aren't having to double back or anything. And then you can come back on a few hundred meters later, just by keeping your eye out to your left for the next access to the canal.

That was about a month ago but I've had a look online and looks like the situation is the same. So you could use the canal, and then just come off it when you reach the barriered sections, and then back on at the earliest opportunity each time.

 

[ColinJ]

I've plotted an alternate route from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden that goes up some bridleways and uses the Pennine way (all looks reasonable from the satellite view and o/s map) - however it does involve quite a bit of climbing for a 7 year old (and for me with 15-20kg of kit!) We'll see how we're doing when we get to Hebden Bridge and decide whether we want a climb and some potentially spectacular scenery or lots of walking...

The floods affected that section of the Pennine Bridleway too!

(That is normally a well-surfaced stretch of bridleway but a mudslide came down from the hillside and swamped it!)

Actually, only a short section of it, and it is passable, with care. It is a nice route but it is a tough climb to get up to it and there is quite a long rocky downhill stretch before that which you and your son would have to take great care on.


It must have been a heck of a storm because some of the retaining walls on the roads leading up there were also washed away and have yet to be repaired.

 

[amasidlover]

We're back! We made it from Brighouse to Manchester Picadilly - there were actually only a couple of diversions between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden; and the Todmorden Littleborough section is now completely open. The diversions weren't terribly well signed which I don't really understand but we figured it out! We had to do a few road sections on the trip, but nothing worse than Ben is used to from the school run. But fabulous weather and great scenery!

In the end we actually ignored the official NCN66 route out of Todmorden and used Rochdale Canal until it became NCN66 again at which point we then continued on Rochdale Canal right through to within 1 mile of Manchester Picadilly (to answer my original question).

 

[ColinJ]

Brilliant ... and well done, Ben!

I reckon about 10 miles was my limit when I was his age.

 

[Starchivore]

Smashing, glad you both had a good time and the route wasn't too badly disrupted.

 

[Richard Fairhurst]

Brilliant. That's probably my favourite stretch of canal in Britain: boated it a few years ago and yes, it was hard work, but worth it.