Standedge Tunnel: Longest tunnel restoration celebrated with spooktacular trips into the dark
The UK’s longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel may also be the spookiest, according the charity that maintains it.
Canal & River Trust (CRT) is marking 25 years since the restoration of Standedge Tunnel with a family-fun Halloween event it promises will “scare even the most intrepid ghost hunter”.
The charity has also started a crowdfunding appeal to support the construction of a new, purpose-built trip boat for the tunnel, on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which runs for three-and-a-half-miles between Marsden in West Yorkshire and Diggle in Greater Manchester.
It took more than 17 years to dig by hand when it was completed in 1811 and has been described as one of the seven wonders of Britain’s waterways.
Visitors and staff have reported seeing strange lights, hearing unexplained sounds and there are rumours of a mysterious robed figure, according to the CRT.
Groups of enthusiasts have also undertaken a paranormal investigation inside the tunnel.
The Halloween event and new appeal are happening as the tunnel celebrates 25 years since what was described as “the impossible restoration” which brought the structure back into use.
CRT said that, since the canal’s restoration in 2001, thousands of visitors, school groups and families have travelled through the tunnel on the charity’s trip boat.
The vessel, though, has reached the end of its working life and the charity is asking for the public’s help to replace it.
As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations, CRT is organising a special Halloween boat trip into the darkness of the tunnel for spook-spotting activities on October 30 and 31.
The charity is also organising a series of other family ghost-busting activities along with Huddersfield Canal Society and the Friends of Standedge.
Catherine Clayton, area operations manager at CRT, said: “A trip through Standedge Tunnel is at the heart of the visitor experience, whether you’re joining us for a special event like Halloween or visiting at any other time of year.
“Without a replacement trip boat, future generations might not have a similar opportunity to experience this remarkable experience beneath the Pennines, which is why we’re asking for the public’s support.”
Tickets for the boat trips are available either in advance from canalrivertrust.org.uk or on the day from Canal & River Trust’s tunnel office in Marsden.