127 miles
Free towpath walks along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
The longest canal in the country on a single line, crossing the Pennines from Liverpool to Leeds through East Lancashire and the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
11 free walks across 11 towns, in the order they sit along the water.
- 01
Ormskirk
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Towpath through farmland west of the town with narrowboats.
- 02
Wigan
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Towpath through the town with canal basin, locks and industrial heritage views.
- 03
Chorley
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Towpath through the town with locks, aqueduct views and narrowboats.
Leeds & Liverpool Canal Towpath
Flat towpath through the town with narrowboats and industrial heritage.
Leeds & Liverpool Canal Towpath
Towpath along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal with narrowboats and mill heritage.
- 06
Burnley
Weavers' Triangle Canal Walk
Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath past old mill warehouses and the Straight Mile embankment.
- 07
Nelson
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Towpath through the mill valleys with locks and aqueducts.
- 08
Colne
Leeds-Liverpool Canal Walk
Canal towpath through the town.
Leeds-Liverpool Canal Walk
Summit-level canal towpath.
- 10
Skipton
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Towpath through the gateway to the Dales with narrowboats and the castle backdrop.
- 11
Bingley
Bingley Five Rise Locks
Leeds-Liverpool canal staircase — free towpath.
Who looks after this canal
The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is managed by the Canal & River Trust. Towpath surfaces, gradients and closures are their call, not ours — check with them before committing to a long walk.
Walk a different canal from the waterways map, or try the London Tube map of free things to do.