Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre - Canal & River Trust - Huddersfield

Jeffrey S.

I visited on Friday 27th September 2024, having driven up the night before and stayed at a nearby B&B. Parking at the nearby Marsden Station was free but appeared limited to about 5 bays. No nearer publicly accessible parking was available apart from disabled parking. As it is, it's a 15-minute walk to the Tunnel and Cafe, along the well-signposted canal towpath. As listed elsewhere the Visitor Centre has been converted into a music venue, but the cafe has been taken over by the volunteers who run the canal tunnel boat trips after the previous leaseholders closed the business. I booked my tunnel trip in advance on the website which is a good idea as it lets the volunteers know that there is a paying customer on a scheduled service. As it was there were only 5 of us on the trip but that just meant we had more room to move about. The 2 volunteers who provided commentary during the short incursion into the initial parts of the tunnel (it was three miles long and would take 2 hours to get to the other end) were excellent and the only strange aspect was that you were not allowed to video the trip, but it isn't stated why. The cafe was open and staffed by other volunteers and was excellent. It's worth a visit at any time. I also purchased a lovely quirky bird box made of a teapot made by one of our trip guides (Stuart).

Lin H.

Very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers. Stuart gave us lots of interesting information about the construction of the tunnels during the boat trip. The fruit loaf, from the cafe, was delicious. Thanks!

LM H.

We had a great afternoon at Standedge Tunnel. First we took a barge ride into the tunnel (wrap up warm it's chilly in there). The guide was really knowledgeable explaining the history of the tunnel and making it fun for the younger ones. Afterwards we enjoyed coffee and cake from the lovely little cafe then went round the museum where there were activities to do. There is a park to entertain the kids and a fantastic walk for everyone to enjoy

Elisa W.

A wonderful place to come and explore and learn about the history of the tunnel. The visitors centre provides some interesting information as well as a film being played. There’s also a playground with plenty of benches, and also toilets. It’s dog friendly too!

Carl R. H.

On this occasion I just made a rather quick visit to see The Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre in Marsden. However, as you can see from my photos, this attraction I feel requires a more thorough visit as it looks really interesting! 🙂 I particularly enjoyed the lovely countryside setting and the canal / water / actual tunnel itself. I will hopefully return in the future to further enjoy this really immersive attraction, as I really love Canal Industrial history etc. Thanks. 🙂

Alexandra Z.

Visited on a Saturday in July 2022 early afternoon, below are my impressions (I also have a YouTube video about the experience on my channel "Adventures & Experiences"):

- the parking near Marsden train station is large and free of charge, you can stay up to 72 hours, and you can open your car doors with the peace of mind that you'll have space without feeling cramped/risking of scratching other cars.

- the walk from the car park to the visitor centre is scenic and relaxing, the 15 minutes fly by! There is plenty of space for dogs and prams.

- the visitor centre is small but very informative, we saw examples of tools used back in the days to build the tunnel, and watched a very interesting video about its history.

- the cafe has plenty of seating outside, offering a scenic view and fresh air, whilst inside you have a lot of rustic tables in a relaxed atmosphere. The prices are reasonable and staff are friendly!

- the boat trip experience was great, Stuart had such a great sense of humour and he provided so much interesting information about the tunnel, whilst making things hilarious at the same time. We paid £8 per adult and I found this very reasonable. The boat was in a good condition and we enjoyed the opportunity to sit at the front and take some footage of the tunnel, whilst having the option to go back inside and take a seat when there were sections of water dripping!

- there is a play area for children, with a view to the canal, and you'll be treated to a train passing by every 5-10 minutes! Stunning place.

Overall, I highly recommend coming here for a day out, the kids will enjoy it and you will too! To see what our day was like, I invite you to watch our YouTube video.

Thank you to all the staff at Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre for looking after this gem!

eileen M.

We went on the Spooktacula Boat trip and Absolutely LOVED it. The staff all dressed up and made it a great trip. Fantastic for the kids! We will keep our eyes out for future events. Thank You. Thank You Very Much

Ze N.

Wow, this is an amazing place to visit. The guides were incredible, they made the whole experience so memorable. We were extremely lucky to be able to make the tour.
This is a must for anyone visiting the area. I cannot recommend Standedge Tunnel tour enough.
Thank you for an informative, engaging and interesting tour.