When I took Granny Buttons over the Huddersfield Canal last year, it was one of three boats in the convoy through Standedge Tunnel. One of the boats had a dog aboard, and dogs aren't allowed in the tunnel, so the affectionate owners elected to travel by minibus with the dog over Standedge Moor instead.
The upshot - a passenger module capable of taking twenty people had a passenger complement of four - myself, and the crew of the Shire Cruisers boat Surrey. (scene pictured, I'm the guy in front)
I remember mentioning at the time how extravagant this was - must have cost BW about £200 a boat to tow us through - and why didn't they sell simply 'ferry' tickets for the spare seats? Only jobsworth regulations, I was told. Well, the word used was 'safety', not jobsworth.
But now you can buy a through ticket. They are calling it a 'hiker' ticket, but a better name would perhaps be hitchhiker. Except hitchhikers normally don't pay, and a hiker ticket will cost you £6. In terms of time versus entertainment it's perhaps on a par with a cinema ticket, except its far more realistic and you'll have to provide your own drinks and popcorn. Save the popcorn until after you've hiked the 3+ miles back across Standedge Moor. Or hitched.
Says the BW announcement:
For those for whom a 500 yard trip simply is not enough, ‘hiker’ tickets can be booked for trips through the entire tunnel. Costing £6, the hiker ticket is available whenever boats are passing through the tunnel on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The through trip takes around three hours, which visitors spend aboard the glass-roofed viewing boat. Advance booking is essential for hiker tickets; call 01977 554351 for details.
The short boat trips are run on weekends and bank holidays until 25 September. The boat leaves at 11.00am, 11.45am, 12.30pm, 1.45pm, 2.30pm and 3.15pm. Charges are £2 for adults, £1 for children (free for under 5s) and £1.50 for seniors. The free interpretation centre is open on all weekends and bank holidays, and daily from 18 July to 2 September from 10.00am to 4.30pm. The water taxi runs subject to availability of volunteers.
Incidentally, Nick White and his parents on Surrey were on a one-way trip from Portland Basin to Sowerby Bridge. Shire Cruisers offers these one-way cruises, and they are probably the best way of doing a one-week hire trip of the Huddersfield Canal.
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