Top tunnels to navigate on a canal boat holiday
There are over 50 tunnels on Britain’s canal network
Drifters has published a guide to the top tunnels to navigate on a canal boat holiday in England and Wales.
There are over 50 canal tunnels, ranging from just 23 metres to over 3 miles.
Some are narrow with only room for one-way traffic, while others are wide enough for two boats to pass. You can check for instructions, entry times or traffic lights at the tunnel entrance.
If it’s a one-way tunnel, make sure there’s no boat inside. Switch on your headlight and some interior lights. It can be cold and damp in tunnels, so put on warm clothes and waterproofs.
We’ve published a guide to the top tunnels to navigate on a narrow boat holiday:
1. The Standedge Tunnel (5,210 metres/5,698 yards)
Tunnelling for 3.24 miles beneath the Pennines, this incredible feat of 18th and 19th century engineering is the longest, highest and deepest tunnel on the canal system. Cutting through solid rock, it took the navvies 16 years to build and opened in 1811. In the 20th century, the Huddersfield Canal fell into disrepair, becoming un-navigable by 1948, but after a long restoration programme, both the canal and tunnel were reopened in 2001. It takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes to navigate through Standedge Tunnel. Narrowboat holiday-makers need to book their passage though with a Canal & River Trust chaperone. Our nearest base is at Sowerby Bridge, 20 miles and 65 locks away. The journey to Standedge takes around 21 hours (3 days).
2. Blisworth Tunnel (2,794 metres/3,056 yards)
At 1.74 miles long, Blisworth Tunnel on the Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire is the second longest navigable tunnel on the canal system. Construction began in 1793, and it was opened in 1805. It’s wide enough to accommodate two narrowboats, so it’s not necessary to book a passage through it. From Gayton it takes around 38 minutes to reach the northern entrance of the Blisworth Tunnel.
3. Netherton Tunnel (2,768 metres/3,027 yards)
Tunnelling for 1.72 miles, Netherton Tunnel is on the Birmingham Canal Navigations Netherton Branch in Birmingham. It was the last tunnel constructed during the canal age, and was built with towpaths on both sides. From Alvechurch, it takes around 8 hours to reach Netherton Tunnel.
4. Harecastle Tunnel (2,676 metres/2,926 yards)
Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent & Mersey Canal is 1.65 miles long and it takes around 30 minutes to navigate through. Designed by Thomas Telford, it was completed in 1827. Passage through the tunnel is in a single direction at a time, because only one of the two original Harecastle Tunnels is in operation. Access is controlled by the Canal & River Trust’s Tunnel keeper team, allowing groups of boats to pass through in convoy, before reversing the flow of traffic. Our nearest base is at Stoke on Trent. From there it takes around 1.5 hours to reach the southern entrance of Harecastle Tunnel.
5. Wast Hills Tunnel (2,493 metres/2,726 yards)
At 1.55 miles long, it takes around 37 minutes to navigate through Wast Hills Tunnel, on the Worcestershire & Birmingham Canal. Designed by Thomas Cartwright and completed in 1796, Wast Hills is wide enough to accommodate two narrowboats, so it’s not necessary to book a passage through it. From Alvechurch it takes about 1.5 hours to cruise to the southern entrance of Wast Hills Tunnel.
6. Braunston Tunnel (1,867 metres/2,042 yards)
Braunston Tunnel on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire is 1.17 miles long and was completed in 1796. It takes around 20 minutes to navigate and it’s wide enough to accommodate passing narrowboats, so there’s no need to book a passage. Our Braunston base is 1.5 hours away.
7. Chirk Tunnel (421 metres/460 yards)
Chirk Tunnel on the Llangollen Canal in Wales is one of the longest tunnels on the waterways system to have a towpath running through it. This tunnel is next to the magnficent Chirk Aqueduct, which carries the canal across the English/Welsh border. Chirk Tunnel’s north portal is just over a mile from our base at Chirk Marina.
