Huddersfield Canal Society

MARSDEN SHUTTLE BOAT TRIPS

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IF WE ARE RUNNING TODAY

With our two boats we run a regular shuttle service between the lock by Marsden Station and the Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre.

The trip lasts 12 to 15 minutes each way. No timetable, but we leave Marsden Station (Lock 42) or the Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre around every 30 minutes. We rely on volunteers to run the service, so please check the hours above before you leave home, to ensure the boat is running that day.

We carry up to 12 passengers. No fares, we just ask for a donation into the on board bucket. Be as generous as you like – it all helps to keep the boat running! You can also donate online.

We run every day during local school half terms & holidays and every weekend between Easter and the end of October. (We are closed during the winter holiday.)

This year we are trialling also running weekends between the end of the spring school holiday and Easter, but only when the weather is good and crew have volunteered. Use the above ‘check if we are running today’ link to see if we are!

See this map of where the trip starts.

Current activities (February 2023):

Huddersfield Narrow mainly closed for winter maintenance work

After the long water shortage it is pleasing to hear that reservoir levels are back to normal. The exception is Hill Top at Slaithwaite which is being held at 1.5m below full to enable essential work to be done on the spillway.

There has been a comprehensive list of winter stoppages on both east and west sides mainly involving grouting and other measures to reduce water loss. Still in progress are the major wash-wall works at Slaithwaite between locks 23E and 24E. A new sheet pile wall is being installed to strengthen the busy roadway. Work is ahead of programme and should be finished by early March 2023. On the west side work is currently concentrated on reducing leakage on the Diggle flight,

NB The Marsden Shuttle is NOT AFFECTED by this closure – the top pound is full of water – although our regular season has now finished.  Follow this link to our site on Google Maps to see how to get there and check it is running.

Marsden e-Shuttle

After the fantastic public reception on 2nd May, training of crew has continued so that the new electric craft can operate most services on the programme.

We’re retaining the original craft, now nicknamed the d-Shuttle, for the time being and indeed it will be giving trips to the public at the Stalybridge Festival on 25th and 26th June.

Please check our online trip calendar for dates when the boat is running.

 

In addition:

• The Maintenance team is continuing to work on east side vegetation clearance every Friday fortnight.

• It is some time since our last e-newsletter has been issued to members and another will be published soon. 

• The office is now unattended so the best way to contact us is by email. 

**  Best wishes to all our members, supporters and friends  **

220 Club News:

The results of our 35th Quarterly Draw  are:

£72.00 1st Prize to John Donnelly
£36.00 2nd Prize to John Donnelly

Congratulations to the prize winner!

(If you want to join in – details are in the Members’ Area.)

Ensuring the viability and promotion of the Huddersfield Narrow and Broad Canals as navigable waterways within the overall network in perpetuity.

The Huddersfield Canal Society was formed in 1974 by a group of enthusiasts with the ambitious aim of restoring the then derelict Huddersfield Narrow Canal to through navigation and improving the Broad Canal.

After 27 years of campaigning and restoration, led by Canal Society volunteers, the Narrow Canal was re-opened in May 2001 and gained Royal approval with an official ceremony by HRH Prince of Wales in the September that year.

Funding for removal of the final set of major blockages, amounting to £30 million, was received from the Millennium Lottery Fund and English Partnerships, with contributions from the Society, Tameside, Oldham and Kirklees Councils and the former British Waterways.  Click here to download Keith Gibson’s historical summary of the restoration and follow this link to see how the major blockages were removed.

Society's offices in Transhipment Warehouse

Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, Oldham, OL3 5QR

The Society’s members and volunteers help protect and promote the canals so the years of hard work and investment can continued to be enjoyed by all.

The Society’s offices are idyllically located at Wool Road, Dobcross, in a former Lime Shed constructed by the Huddersfield Canal Company in 1820.  It was saved from dereliction by the Saddleworth Historical Society during 1979 and refurbished by the Canal Society in 1993, winning environmental awards for the work.  The Society acquired the premises in 2006, where its staff are based.
The offices are no longer staffed. If you would like to come and see us, please email hcs@huddersfieldcanal.org.uk to
make an appointment.  The nearest railway station is Greenfield and bus services from Manchester and Huddersfield pass by.  There is a free car park on the opposite side of the canal to our building.  Walk out of the car park, turn left, cross the road bridge and turn left down the signed track.  Or come by boat!

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