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The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is the longest canal in Northern England at 127 miles long. The first of the trans-Pennine canals it took 46 years to build at a cost of five times the original budget, mainly because of the length and complexity of the route. It passes through 91 locks with a summit level of 487 feet at Foulridge near Nelson and Colne. It was originally conceived in the 18th century to carry woollen goods from Leeds and Bradford and limestone from Skipton but in its 19th century heyday it carried stone, coal and many other goods. The impact of the railways was not as great as with other canals and commercial traffic continued along the main canal until 1964. Regular work stopped in 1972 when the movement of coal to Wigan Power Station ceased. In the latter part of the 20th century the leisure potential of the canal was developed and it is now a popular destination for cruising, fishing, walking and cycling. See Link for detailed information.

The Lancaster Canal was originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in South Cumbria. The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never completed.The southern part, from Johnson's Hillock to Wigan Top Lock, remains navigable as part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The planned continuation to Westhoughton was never built.

The Lancaster canal is currently only open to navigation for 42 miles from Preston to Tewitfield near Carnforth. The northern terminus at Kendal can no longer be reached; the canal north of Tewitfield having been severed in three places by the construction of the M6 motorway, and by the A590 road near Kendal in the 1960s

Link Canal Junction
Link Wikipedia
Link Lancaster Canal Trust