Scout Tunnel lies between Stalybridge and Mossley, on the west side of the Pennines, between Locks 11W and 12W. It is 615 feet long (188m) and has a tow path running through it.
It became an English Heritage
Grade II listed building in 1986. "Tunnel entrance. Between 1794 and 1797. Benjamin Outram engineer. Hammer-dressed stone. Elliptical arch. Band and rounded coping to parapet/retaining wall which is curved in plan and has square terminating piers."
This tunnel has a mixture of lined and unlined sections and during the restoration some of the sections were reinforced with steel mesh and rock bolts. This
Pennine Waterways website has a series of pictures taken during the canal restoration.
The canal tow path is fully open including through this tunnel. There is a handrail through the tunnel and it is possible to walk through it without a torch, but I recommend that you do use one as it is quite dark in the middle. There is a warning sign warning of low headroom and cyclists should dismount before entering the tunnel.
If you don't want to walk through the tunnel there is a footpath round / over the hill on the western side of the canal.
A recently erected sign states that this is the north east portal, which is surprising as this tunnel entrance is definitely at the southern end.
There are three signs at the entrance as follows.
Information Sign
Scout Tunnel
North East Portal
Tunnel Length:
188m
Method of working:
Two way traffic
Maximum craft size:
2.7m Beam
2.6m Maximum headroom
Approximate travel time
through the tunnel:
2 mins
You are strongly advised to wear a
buoyamcy aid / life jacket when
travelling through the tunnel
Canoes and other unpowered craft:
Before entering this tunnel you MUST:
Check the tunel is clear of other craft before entering
Ensure you have a forward-facing bright white light
CRT emergency contact:
T 0800 4799947
Grid ref
397465 401163
Canal & River Trust
--------------------------------
Warning Sign for canal boats
Caution low headroom
Cyclists please dismount
Ensure tunnel is clear before proceeding
Remain inside the boat profile
Extinguish all naked lights except pilot lights
Do not smoke
Do not use cooking appliances
Switch on your headlight
Turn off your engine if you have to stop for any reason
T 0303 040 4040
--------------------------------
Yellow pedestrians and cyclists warning sign
Caution
Low headroom
Pedestrians need to
keep close to hand
rail and cyclists
must dismount
Canal & River Trust
--------------------------------
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal
This canal is one of three that crosses the Pennine Hills and built to provide transport between Huddersfield in Yorkshire and Ashton-Under-Lyne in Lancashire.
As the name suggest it is a narrow canal that although was cheaper to build had less carrying capacity compared to the other two broad canals.
Work started on it in 1794 and partly due to the need to construct the longest canal tunnel in the United Kingdom it was completed 17 years later in 1811.
The canal is only 20 miles long and due to the nature of the terrain has 74 locks even though the summit tunnel reduced the required number of locks. The canal climbs 436 feet from Huddersfield and descends 334 feet to Ashton-Under-Lyne.
In theory having a summit tunnel to reduce the number of locks means that the journey times should be relatively short. However the tunnel does not have a tow path and when it was first opened it was necessary to lead the horses over the moor to the other end of the tunnel. Meanwhile it was necessary to leg the boat through the tunnel. This involved specialist workers who lay on their backs and used their legs with their feet against the tunnel wall to leg the boat through.
Competition from the railways led to the closure of the canal in 1944.
During the 1970s leisure boating in the U.K. had become popular and there were various campaigns to re-open canals that had lain derelict for a number of years.
Work on restoring this canal started in 1981 and the whole canal was finally reopened by 2001. These days the canal is only open to leisure boaters and with the re-opening of other connecting canals it is possible to travel far and wide.
However boats are restricted to maximum width of 6 feet 10 inches and a draught of 3 feet 3 inches which does restrict some boats that are used on the broad canals.