The Standedge Tunnel, on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, is the longest (5 km), deepest (under the Pennines) and highest (above sea level) canal tunnel in Britain. There is nothing remotely like it in Ireland, where the only canal tunnel was a miserable effort on the Ulster Canal in Monaghan town.
The western entrance to the Standedge Tunnel: the Diggle portal
Inside the tunnel (2005)
Light at the end of the … (2005)
The eastern end at Standedge, a short walk from Marsden
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Slaithwaite, downstream from Marsden
The “large village” of Marsden (home to the Riverhead Brewery) is close to the Standedge portal. It runs an annual jazz festival and, in 2017, it had the Norwegian cellist and composer Maya Bugge create, perform and record in the Standedge Tunnel.
The recording, No Exit, is now available on Bandcamp for a mere STG£10 (digital) or £12 (CD). There are five tracks:
- Lullaby for Standedge Tunnel
- Legging
- Passage
- Boat
- No Exit.
Highly recommended.
Irish waterways history 