As the canal emerges from the Standedge Tunnel, which was a major engineering feat when it was carved from beneath the Pennine Hills, one is greeted by the canal basin at Tunnel End, some 0.5 miles west of the village of Marsden itself.

There is a lot of renovation work still being carried out at Tunnel End as a former warehouse is converted into a visitor centre and the area surrounding the former tunnel workers cottages is prepared for the anticipated tourist influx once the canal is reopened for navigation in April, 2001.

Over £30 million has been spent to make the Huddersfield Narrow Canal a major tourist attraction in the area and, as can be seen from the following pages, it has been money well spent.

We suggest that the visitor starts their journey at Tunnel End and walks along the canal towpath the 8 miles to Aspley Basin adjacent to Huddersfield town centre.
Marsden is well connected to Huddersfield via the A62 Huddersfield/Oldham road and the railway, so there will be no problems getting back to Tunnel End at the end of your walk.

The canal follows the valley of the River Colne through the Pennine foothills, as does the major road and rail networks, making the villages along the canal important manufacturing centres over the years.

Along the way you will be delighted with the West Yorkshire countryside and marvel at the engineering of the canal and the industrial heritage of the Colne Valley.
Many of the former textile mills have been demolished but there are still some fine examples of 19th Century industrial architecture which still function as either commercial centres or have been carefully restored and converted into residential dwellings.