Action Groups - Getting About

The Valley Warp
The road, river, railway and canal are strands that weave along the valley floor, connecting the settlements to each other and to the regional and national networks beyond. The Valley sits in the heart of the country as part of an almost continuous conurbation along the M62 corridor from Liverpool and Manchester in the west and to Hull and the coastal ports in the east. By rail the Valley is only 45 minutes from Manchester and Leeds where there are links to the East and West Coast mainlines.

Recently the Rochdale Canal was restored and reopened. It forms part of the Pennine Ring, linking up with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Aire and Calder Navigation. The source of the River Calder is at Greens Clough in the Pennine Hills and it flows from the Valley across the country and finally into the Humber and North Sea.

The industrialisation of the Valley grew out of the transport revolution. Great feats of civil engineering during the late 18th and early 19th centuries brought the canal and railway to the Valley. The previously isolated Valley was opened up with a transport corridor linking east to west. Improved transportation enabled mills capable of large-scale textile production to be built on the valley floor. The canal brought coal and the river provided water power for the production process. The finished products were transported to the rest of the country, initially by canal, then railway and road.

With the decline of industry in the Valley in the twentieth century, the function of these arteries changed. The canal fell into disuse and was closed, the river became neglected and the railway carried less freight. During the twentieth century the importance of the road grew as car ownership increased and large distribution warehouses and light industry moved into the Valley.

• To improve accessibility within the Valley and beyond by an enhancement of the road, river, canal and railway networks
• To improve the visual appearance of the movement corridors
• To utilise existing assets to promote regeneration opportunities.

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