Author Archives: Huddersfield Canal Society

We are joining in with the Marsden Jazz Festival again this year. On Saturday 10th October our boat will be transformed into The Jazz Boat with the Boba Swing band playing on board for trips between Standedge Tunnel & Marsden. Come along and take a ride with them or walk alongside on the towpath and soak up the music. We hope to have the band on board from around 11 until 1 o’clock.

The Marsden Shuttle will be running for the Jazz Festival all day on Saturday 10 & Sunday 11.

Take a look at them playing on our boat a few years ago by following this link

Based on a piece by in the Saddlewort Independent by Gemma Carter October 23, 2025

A SPOOKY Saddleworth favourite is back on the water this Halloween – and it promises fun for the whole family.

The Little Blue Boat, run by volunteers from the Huddersfield Canal Society, will be transformed into a ghostly galleon for two days of eerie adventures along the canal.

Trips will run on Friday 30 & Saturday 31 October (Halloween itself), setting off from behind Saddleworth Museum between 11am and 4pm.

Halloween is coming to Uppermill courtesy of the Little Blue Boat

Each journey lasts around 15 minutes and offers a light-hearted spooky experience as the boat and crew – suitably dressed for the occasion – take passengers on a short round trip.

There’s no set fare, but donations are encouraged, with all proceeds supporting the work of the Huddersfield Canal Society, a registered charity that helps maintain and promote the historic waterway.

Families, children and even friendly dogs are welcome aboard, though children must be accompanied by an adult. Pushchairs can also be brought along.

Organisers say the Halloween sailings offer “something a little different” from the usual seasonal events – a chance to enjoy a frightfully fun trip in a truly unique Saddleworth setting.

Halloween events at Standedge Tunnel on Friday 30th & Saturday 31st October

Our Spooky boat will take you from the lock by Marsden railway station on a very scary trip to Standedge Tunnel. The boat crew will be in Halloween garb (no set fare but donate what you are able to our charity). The boat runs the short trip all day long, backwards and forwards. A very?? Scary (slightly) Trips Starts 11am until approx 4pm

On reaching Tunnel End spot the scary room.

The Standedge Tunnel, the wonkiest in the world, will be the setting for the Underworld, with the Canal and River Trust’s trip boat making frequent journeys along the River Styx, ferrying lost souls to their maker.

For those who return – and those who are too afraid to sample the dark – there is the Watersedge Café. Here, the volunteers work overtime to satiate the hunger and thirst of the massed throngs.

On site there will be a graveyard trail, pizzas at the North of England Centre for Music & Arts, face painting, and other activities.

Halloween events at Standedge Tunnel are jointly promoted by the Huddersfield Canal Society, Friends Of Standedge, North of England Centre for Music & Arts and Canal & River Trust

Huddersfield Narrow Canal – September 2026.

An appeal through Northern Canals Association for possible venues for the Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club to have a bi-annual cruise, led to the Huddersfield Canal Society suggesting the Huddersfield Narrow Canal as one of its events to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the canal’s re-opening.

In Spring of 2026 one Yorkshire member with his trailer tested the canal’s slipway at the foot of the Diggle flight, which had not been used for 25 years and arrange trailer parking at a nearby caravan site.

In September eight club boats used the slipway to launch and spend the first night at Uppermill with a film show and talk by our chairman at the Civic Hall on the “Restoration”.

The next day found the boats going west to Roaches for a lunch at the canalside hostelry. Sunday, with the assistance of CRT volunteer lock-keepers, the ascent of the Diggle flight to the summit, at 645 feet above sea level the highest canal in Britain, followed by another talk on the Standedge Tunnels by Trevor Ellis.

Monday was the highlight with a complete transit of the longest and deepest canal tunnel in Britain – the “Everest of Canals” – in CRT’s 20 seater tunnel trip boat with commentary all the way. A return was made on the top deck of a double decker bus from where the top of many tunnel shafts were pointed out.

The last day, Tuesday saw the descent of the Diggle flight to the recovery of the boats up the slipway and home to find yet another adventure on their 23 foot trailboats.

Keith W Sykes
Huddersfield Canal Society.

Crowds flocked to the 25th Anniversary celebrations at the weekend, 1st & 2nd August. There were many stalls offering a selection of food including pizzas and jacket potatoes. Mike Bull, in a spectacular shirt, entertained the kids with Hook-a-duck. Another stall showed the craft of rope making.

There was circus skills available and axe throwing. Visitors enjoyed music at the Watersedge Cafe and at the North of England Centre for Music and Arts (NECMA).

A highlight of the day was the attendance of canal boat celebrity Robbie Cumming, famous as the presenter of Canal Boat Diaries. Robbie steered the electric boat and took the CRT boat into the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel trip he cut the ribbon to echo Prince now King Charles doing the same thing 25 years previously. In the evening Robbie entertained a packed house at the NECMA.

Draw 47             1^st – John Donnelly   £68.80

                                2^nd – Sylvia Womersley   £34.40

Draw 48             1^st – Yvonne Woulds   £67.20

                                2^nd – Heather Harden   £33.60

Draw 49             1^st – David Barnwell   £67.20

                                2^nd – Andrew Shepher £33.60

Congratulations to all our winners

Cheers

Alan

We are now running our regular trips once again! Every weekend & bank holidays to the end of October subject to the weather & availability of volunteers. During the local school holidays we hope to run daily.

We keep the times on Google up to date so please check we are running before making a special trip.

Marsden Shuttle boat trips

Please follow this link to our Google maps site to see what time the boat is running and for directions on where to find us.

Trips on our little blue boat in Uppermill

Please follow this link to our Google maps site to see what time the boat is running and for directions on where to find us.