Canal visitors promised deeper understanding of giant tunnel

At 3.2 miles, Standedge Tunnel at Marsden near Huddersfield, remains the longest canal tunnel in the country over 200 years after it was built. Now visitors can now take longer trips into the heart of the darkness.

Starting yesterday, the 11am and 2pm daily tunnel boat trips on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Standedge will be 50 minutes long, going a further 500 metres into the tunnel – doubling the length that visitors are usually able to see. The normal 30-minute short trips will continue to run at 12pm, 1pm and 3pm daily. The 50-minute trip will allow a more detailed look at how the tunnel was built.

James Dean, visitor centre manager for Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre, said: “The new 50-minute trips not only offer a thrilling experience but also an educational one, as visitors will learn the history of the tunnel – why it was built and its different uses from its start through to the present day, as well as having the opportunity to see it up close.”

The cost of the new trips will be £8 and £6 concessions. For the more adventurous, a one way trip all the way through the tunnel is available on October 19, November 2 and November 16.

The tunnel will close on November 17 and reopen in March.