Walking the Leeds Liverpool Canal

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Walking along the Leeds Liverpool Canal

The Leeds Liverpool Canal is perfect for walkers. Because it was built as a transport link it shares the same route as railways, motorways and main roads. This means walkers can get to the canal easily and move along it easily. On some stretches it is possible to walk between railway stations.
At Gargrave and East Marton the canal is crossed by the Pennine Way. There are other local ways and trails which can be incorporated into a towpath walk to form a circular walk. Unlike fells or moors there is little chance of getting lost on the towpath. A map isn't necessary but it does make a walk more interesting. The Nicholson guides are my favourite as they have OS maps though the new ones do not fit into a map pocket as well as the old style.

The towpath is generally open to all. It ranges from mud to grass to concrete to cobbles to tarmac. In winter the towpath can be closed for maintenance. You can check the British Waterway website for stoppages. Because the towpath is part of the canal it is relatively flat and therefore easy going. Some sections are better suited to wheel chair access than others. The towpath is being improved so access will be increased for all users.

Towpath walks are pretty easy going. You aren't going to be too far from civilisation. I find walking boots or trainers are the best footwear. I have worn the wrong shoes and had the blisters to show for it. I have worn out many pairs of shoes on the towpaths of the Leeds Liverpool. In summer make sure you have water with you and in winter a spare fleece and waterproofs are a good idea. Be flexible, wear layers and be prepared to carry anything you dont wear.

Some sections of the canal pass through inner cities and may have the same problems associated with those areas. Be aware of your surroundings. The inner city canal can be a isolated place and not everyone on the towpath is there for the bird-spotting.

Downloadable Walking Guides pdf files
I have produced some walking guides in pdf format and will put them online soon They are designed to be printed on both sides of one sheet of A4 You will need a pdf reader, they can be downloaded free.
Start	Finish	Miles	Type	Guides
Gargrave	Gargrave	8 miles	circular
Burscough	Appley bridge	6 miles	station to station

Mile by Mile Guide (below)
This is a guide to the towpath conditions mile by mile. It shows the stretches covered by railways and gives the nearest stations. It only covers the canal I have walked so far, the rest is yet to come. Please note that not all trains stop at every station so check before you travel.
key	railway line	website link
	Merseyrail Northern Line to Southport / Ormskirk	http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/
	Southport to Wigan/Rochdale/Manchester	http://www.northernrail.org/
	Blackburn to Colne	http://www.northernrail.org/
	Skipton to Leeds Airedale Line: Metro	http://www.northernrail.org/ www.wymetro.com/...AiredaleLine.htm

miles	location	Station	Surroundings and Towpath Condition
0-1	Liverpool Vauxhall	Liverpool Moorfields, James Street, Lime Street	Canal warehouses still stand at Pall Mall basin but canal filled in until Eldonian Village. New housing and light industry around canal. Roads around city centre are busy. Old Hall Street is one way.
1-2	Bank Hall	Sandhills (bridge F) Bank Hall (bridge I)	Some C19th canal side warehouses, light industry
2-3	Bootle	Bootle Strand (bridge 2A) Bootle Oriel Road	Light industry and housing
3-4	Bootle	Bootle Strand (bridge 2A, 2C)	Light industry and housing
4-5	Litherland	Seaforth and Litherland (bridge 2I)	Housing light industry scrubland
5-6	Rimrose		nature reserve/housing
6-7			housing parkland
7-8	Netherton		Housing, parks, playing fields
8-9	Aintree	Old Roan (bridge 7D)	Housing and race course
9-10			Housing and fields
10-11			Fields cycle path
11-12	Melling		Fields and Motorways
12-13	Maghull	Maghull (bridge 11B)	Housing and playing fields
13-14	Maghull		Housing, Commerce and playing fields
14-15	Lydiate		Housing and fields
15-16			Fields Grassy towpath
16-17	Downholland		Fields and farms Grassy towpath
17-18	Haskayne		Some housing, fields Grassy towpath, can be poor and muddy in places
18-19	Halsall		Rock Cutting and fields Grassy towpath, can be muddy, some bank collapse, overhanging bushes
19-20			Fields Grassy towpath can be muddy
20-21	Scarisbrick		Caravan sites and woodland Some low branches, muddy, grassy
21-22	Scarisbrick		Fields and Farms Low branches, narrow path, grassy
22-23			Woodyard, fields, farms, canal houses Grassy and muddy
23-24	Burscough	Burscough Bridge Burscough Junction (bridge 32A)	Fields and town with canal warehouses
24-25	Burscough	Burscough Bridge Burscough Junction (bridge 32A)	Town and fields, canal side mill Cobbles, muddy, grassy, uneven
25-26	Hoscar	Hoscar (bridge 34)	Fields Grassy some stretches of good path
26-27			Fields Grassy some stretches of good path
27-28	Parbold	Parbold (bridge 37D)	Fields and Town Okay, muddy
28-29			Fields and Woodland
29-30	Appley Bridge	Appley Bridge (bridge 42)	Countryside and town
30-31	Appley Bridge	Appley Bridge (bridge 42)	Town and countryside
31-32	Gathurst	Gathurst (bridge 46)	Trees and some ruins
32-33	Crooke	Gathurst (bridge 46)	Trees, marina, marsh, fields
33-34	Wigan		Town and fields very good paved towpath
34-35	Wigan Pier	Wigan Wallgate Wigan North Western (bridge 51)	Town light industry, mills, warehouses very good wide paved towpath
35-36	Wigan Locks	Wigan Wallgate Wigan North Western (bridge 51)	Former mining and industry
36-37	Wigan Locks		Former mining and heavy industry now wasteland, housing estate and light industry
37-38	New Springs		Fields and scrubland
38-39	Haigh Hall		Haigh Plantation and Golf Course
39-40	Red Rock		Green fields
40-41			Grazing, trees and the River Douglas
41-42	Adlington	Adlington (bridge 69)	Edge of a town, playing fields
42-43	Adlington	Adlington (bridge 69)	After the marina, green fields, trees
43-44
44-45	Chorley
45-46	Chorley	Chorley (bridge 76, 77)
46-47			Close to the motorway, scrubland and fields
47-48	Johnson's Hillock		Green fields and some old farm buildings
48-49
49-50	Withnell Fold		Nature reserve in old sludge ponds, steep valley sides
50-51			Open fields and big stone bridges
51-52	Riley Green		fields and woodland
52.53	Feniscowles		woodland and large paper mill
53-54	Cherry Tree		suburbs
54-55	Cherry Tree	Cherry Tree (bridge 95)	Industrial buildings and new suburbs Recently improved towpath with end of Blackburn towpath maps
55-56	Blackburn		Old industrial buildings, embankment, some new buildings have replaced old mills
56-57	Blackburn	Blackburn (Eanam Wharf)	Industrial buildings, bridges and locks
57-58	Eanam Wharf		Canalside wharf buildings and mills
58-59	Whitebirk		new industrial reclaimed mining land now green fields, high banks Recently improved towpath with end of Blackburn towpath maps
59-60	Side Beet		fields and pylons
60-61	Rishton		fields and pylons
61-62	Rishton		some light industry, edge of town
62-63	Oswaldtwistle		Old coke ovens, reclaimed mining land
63-64	Church	Church & Oswaldtwistle (nr bridge 111D)	Decaying industrial buildings, halfway point of the canal
64-65	Church
65-66	Clayton-le-Moors
66-67			Ruins
67-68			thick mud when wet
68-69	Hapton	Hapton (bridge 121)	Small northern town
69-70
70-71	Rose Grove	Rose Grove (bridge 126)
71-72	Gannow
72-73	Weavers Triangle	Burnley Manchester Road (Bus station from Embankment)	Lots of industrial architecture in various states of disrepair. probably the best relics of the industrial revolution on the canal
73-74	Burnley	Burnley Central	Embankment high above the city, not many people about and signs of petty crime, good views of terraced houses and the football ground
74-75	Burnley Lane		Park and reclaimed colliery
75-76	Burnley Lane		mills and scrubland
76-77	Brierfield	Brierfield (bridge 137)	mills and terraced houses
77-78	Nelson	Brierfield (bridge 137)	terraced houses and mills
78-79			new light industry and renovated mills
79-80	Barrowford		Barrowford reservoir, fields
80-81	Barrowford		fields, stonewalls, stone bridges
81-82	Foulridge Tunnel		Foulridge Reservoir
82-83
83-84
84-85	Salterforth
85-86	Barnoldswick		Remains of Rain Hall Rock Cut, industry and housing
86-87	Greenberfield
87-88
88-89	East Marton
89-90	East Marton		contour canal, very winding
90-91			contour canal, very winding
91-92	Bank Newton
92-93			Green fields
93-94	Gargrave	Gargrave (bridge 170)	Edge of Gargrave a stone built town
94-95			Open fields
95-96			Green fields and hills, sheep and cows
96-97			Towpath runs alongside a busy road for a short stretch but still keeps country feel
97-98	Skipton	Skipton	Mills, terraced houses and a medieval castle
98-99	Skipton	Skipton	the outskirts of Skipton
99-100	Low Snaygill
100-101	Low Bradley
101-102			The towpath enters a wooded section, don't miss the war memorial at bridge #183
102-103	Kildwick		Kildwick
103-104
104-105	Silsden		The canal passes through the town of Silsden with some well design canalside buildings.
105-106			open farm land
106-107			can be a bit muddy but the towpath is pleasant through the woods
107 -108		Keighley (bridge 197)	very good towpath tarmac or hard compacted gravel views across the Aire Valley