Manchester's city centre canal
Route facts
Waterways:
Rochdale Canal »
Bridgewater Canal »
Distance: 1.5 miles / 2 km
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Suitable for: Everyone
Circular route from: Manchester Piccadilly station
Discover Manchester's secret canal with this station-to-station walk, which is sure to appeal to all those with an interest in history or industrial archaeology.
The walk follows the line of the 'Rochdale Nine', the flight of locks at the Manchester terminus of the trans-Pennine Rochdale Canal.
Getting there
Parking: Canalside parking is available in the Ancoats area of Manchester, in particular at Ducie Street. Follow road signs.
Public transport: You can return from Castlefields to Manchester Piccadilly station by catching a train from Deansgate station.
Waypoints
1. Manchester Piccadilly station
Walk out of the station and down the Station Approach ramp. Continue along the main road for 100 yards (100 metres) until you cross the canal. Turn left onto the road that runs along the canal, and follow the stairs down to the towpath.
2. Rochdale Canal towpath
Continue walking west, away from Piccadilly. There are seven locks between here and Castlefield - and 84 between here and the eastern terminus of the canal at Sowerby Bridge! The canal threads its way through central Manchester - sometimes in a dramatic cutting with high buildings either side, sometimes at street level. By night, the cafes and bars of Canal Street are the heart of the city's vibrant gay quarter, but are decidedly quieter during daylight hours.
3. Old Manchester & Salford Junction Canal
After three locks, you'll see the remains of a canal arm head off to the north - that is, on the opposite bank from the towpath. This was the Manchester & Salford Junction Canal. A subterranean waterway with four locks in just half a mile, it ran down to the River Irwell, from where boats could navigate to Bury, Bolton and Warrington. It was abandoned in 1936, but its remains are still intact below the Granada TV studios, and tours are very occasionally offered.
4. Dukes Lock 92
Continue under the short Deansgate Tunnel - once almost 400 yards long, but now just a quarter of its original length. By the final lock is an attractive pub, aptly named Dukes 92 - a perfect place to stop for a refreshing drink. Then continue past the lock into the Castlefield complex.
5. Castlefield
This astonishing complex of basins is the heart of two millennia of history, with Roman remains, the pioneering Bridgewater Canal, and the ground-breaking Liverpool to Manchester Railway. Railway viaducts soar above old warehouses reinvented as offices, cafes and hotels. A strong link with the past is maintained by the entertaining Museum of Science & Industry. When you've finished your exploration, head back up to road level, and take a return train from Deansgate station - itself a architectural gem. (Look for the elegant signwriting on its exterior.)
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