From Leeds south on the Aire & Calder t o Castleford, then west to Fall Ing to join the Calder and Hebble.

The C&H has a number of peculiarities including the rather short locks at 57ft6 and the lock gear using a Hand Spike rather than the more usual windlass. Navigating this canal with a 60ft narrowboat is supposedly possible with the tightest locks being the 2 upper locks at Salterhebble.

At the western end of the C&H we join the Rochdale at Sowerby Bridge.

The Rochdale Canal takes us up and over the Pennines to Manchester, but due to water restrictions there are two sections which are limited to 4 boat a day in each direction. These are the 2 locks over the summit and the 19 locks down into Manchester. Passage for these setions starts at 08:30 and has to be pre booked.

The remaining 9 locks of the Rochdale canal take us through Manchester city centre to Castleford junction and onto the Bridgewater

Passing along the Lock free Bridgewater to the junction with the Trent and Mersey at Preston Brook and to Anderton past the famous boat lift connecting the T&M with the River Weaver. The last part of the trip takes us though the salt country around Middlewich and along to Barbridge for a final jouney along the broad Chester arm of the Shropshire Union finishing up at tattenhall on the outskirts of Chester.

Planned Itinary can be seen below (Scroll forward to see the whole trip)