South Pennine Ring

The concept of a canal ring was created in 1965, as part of a campaign by the Inland Waterways Association to prevent the complete closure of the Rochdale Canal. Initially the canal was described as part of the "Cheshire Canal Ring", which was soon shortened to the "Cheshire Ring". It described a series of interconnecting canals which could be navigated, usually in a week or two, without having to cover any section twice, and has subsequently been applied to several other such routes. The South Pennine Ring is a recent addition, as it was only with the restoration of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (dubbed the impossible restoration) and the Rochdale Canal in 2001-2002 that the ring became a…