Yorkshire's Standedge Tunnel set for bumper summer o...
West Yorkshire’s Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre – the highest, deepest and longest canal tunnel in the country and one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the British Waterways’ – is set for a bumper summer of events this year.
Over the course of the school holidays, visitors to the 200-year-old, Grade II-listed tunnel, set in gorgeous Pennine countryside outside the West Yorkshire town of Marsden, will be able to see performances celebrating the anniversary of a historic Morris dancing troupe, take part in junior activities, or chill out at the very first Huddersfield Yoga & Wellbeing Festival.
The summer events include:
The 65th Anniversary of the White Rose Morris Men
Originally formed in 1953, the Huddersfield-based White Rose Morris Men will be celebrating their 65th anniversary at Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre on Saturday July 21. The troupe will be performing an hour of traditional English dances, while visitors soak up the sun in the site’s picturesque picnic area with spectacular views of the surrounding Pennines and Standedge Tunnel itself. The tunnel’s 30-minute boat trips will also be running on the day.
Saturday July 21, 2018, 10.30am to 11.30am, free
Canal & River Trust Explorers education events
Calling all young Explorers! Throughout the month of August, young visitors will be able to spend fun-filled days with the Standedge Tunnel education team who will be offering a packed schedule of events and activities. Taking place on the first four Wednesdays of the month from 11am to 3pm, activities will be drawn from a selection including face painting, nature walks, animal trails, arts & crafts, pond dipping and more. Activities will vary each week, so guests are advised to check the Standedge Facebook page before visiting.
Wednesday August 1, 8, 15 and 22, 11am to 3pm, free
Huddersfield Yoga & Wellbeing Festival
The very first Huddersfield Yoga & Wellbeing Festival on Saturday August 11 will celebrate all things yoga, fitness, mindfulness, health and wellbeing in the beautiful surroundings of the Standedge Tunnel. The festival will include more than 60 sessions of yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, circuits, nutrition talks, meditation, dance and Zumba, as well as mindful walks and forest bathing. Food will be available from vegan and vegetarian food vendors, while there will also be a punch bar, a tapas bar and coffee shops. Stalls will also offer health products, yoga clothing, and arts and crafts.
Saturday August 11, 11am to 9pm, £5 adv/£7 on the door/under-16s free, see http://www.yorkshireyogi.com/ for tickets.
Standedge Tunnel 30-minute boat trips
For those wishing to venture into Standedge Tunnel and see this marvel of the waterways up close and personal, 30-minute boat trips will be running daily from July 23. The trips offer guests the chance to see inside the tunnel but do not go ‘all the way’.
30-minute trips are daily from July 23 to September 3, 11am to 3pm on weekdays/11 to 4pm on weekends, £5.50 adults/£5 concs/£4.50 children 5 to 15 years/under-5s free
Standedge Tunnel Full Length and Over & Under boat trips
Visitors wishing to traverse the whole tunnel can take a two-hour, one-way journey through the tunnel. Trips go from either Standedge to Diggle or Diggle to Standedge and include a return taxi ride to either start. Those with more time and who wish to see some of the surrounding countryside can return with a fairly demanding guided National Trust walk over the surrounding moors.
Full Length and Over & Under trips are available on Sunday August 5 and Sunday September 2 at 10am (from Standedge) and 1pm (from Diggle). £22.50 per person.