Our Route


In July/August 2018 we walked from Liversedge in Yorkshire to Oxford, where possible, on canal towpaths.

The walk started on greenways in the Spen Valley until Ravensthorpe where we joined our first canal, the Calder and Hebble Navigation to Mirfield. In Mirfield we took a greenway to pick up the Huddersfield Broad Canal, after first getting slightly lost in the Colne Valley. We followed the Huddersfield Broad Canal into Huddersfield.

The next day we joined the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to the Standedge tunnel. As there is no footpath in the tunnel we walked over the Pennines, via the Wessenden Valley, to Diggle and the southern end of the tunnel. We followed the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to Ashton where we joined the Peak Forest Canal.

We followed the Peak Forest Canal to Marple where we turned off onto the Macclesfield Canal. We followed the Macclesfield Canal to Kidsgrove where we joined the Trent and Mersey Canal. Almost immediately we had to leave the Canal, as it entered the Harecastle Tunnel, and follow a modified version of the route taken by draught horses in the early days. We rejoined the towpath at the southern end of the tunnel.

We followed the Trent and Mersey Canal to Fradley where we joined the Coventry Canal which we followed to Fazeley Junction, where we joined the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

We should have left the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal where it passes under the M6 and joined the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal, as we were going through Warwick. However we missed the junction. Even so I thought we could go into central Birmingham and then head East towards Solihull and our accommodation.

We could have corrected our first mistake at Aston Top Lock and turned East on the Digbeth Branch Canal but missed our turn and headed into Birmingham. We almost reached the centre before we realized this second mistake. However from a canal and engineering aspect, the walk into central Birmingham was really interesting. It was a rewarding, if somewhat tiring mistake.

We walked back to the Aston Top Lock and followed the Digbeth branch for a short way to the Grand Union Canal, which was soon joined by the Birmingham and Warwick Canal, which we should have taken in the first place.

We followed the Grand Union Canal all the way to Napton Junction. At Napton Junction we turned south on our final canal, the Oxford Canal, which we followed to its end in Oxford.

We started on Monday, July 16 and finished on Monday, August 13. We walked 248 miles. We travelled for 29 days, with 5 rest days, thus averaging about 10 miles per day on our walking days.


Monday 23 July 2018

Macclesfield to Congleton. 1

We left the Travelodge at 9:10 and walked up to the canal. It was already very warm, too warm for walking. Within 15 minutes we were passing the Macclesfield Marina. Nowhere  near as much activity as yesterday.


The towpath was on the L.H.S. of the canal and 10 minutes further along the canal embankment was built up and reinforced unlike anything we've seen before. Sadly we had no time to investigate.


For the first half hour the surroundings were urban but that was to change markedly. So much so that we found nowhere near the canal to go for refreshment until Congleton!


We learnt one new thing about the canal today. Basically we found out why some bridges were built the way they were. Like the one shown below. The side from which I am taking the photograph is curved similarly to Shiel's side. This cunning construction was so the horses pulling the barges could get from the towpath on one side to the towpath on the other side without the harness having to be removed, when the towpath changed sides.



About an hour further along we came across the first swing bridge on this year's walk. However as it was only a footpath bridge there were no barrier arms to block off traffic. 


A little further on we came across a similar swing bridge across a road. You can see the barrier arms standing vertcally at either side of the canal. These have to be lowered to stop traffic before the swing bridge is opened! We were hoping to cross the bridge to go to a pub called 'Fools Nook' but it was closed. It has been for 3 years!


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