The Leeds - Liverpool Canal is Britain's longest inland waterway (127 miles) and was constructed between 1770 and 1816. It links the north west seaport of Liverpool with the Aire and Calder Navigation at Leeds, forming a through route between the Irish Sea and the North sea. The canal rapidly became one of the most prosperous canals in the country and played a major part in bringing industry to the towns through which it past.

The canal cuts right through the centre of Skipton, and at the canal basin there is a junction with the Springs Branch (Lord Thanet’s) Canal. This branch is only half a mile long but is a beautiful stretch of canal that winds around the back of Skipton Castle, acting as a moat, and until 1946 was used to transport limestone from a quarry higher up the hill. The old chute where the stone was loaded into the barges can still be seen.

The Burnley section of the canal features one of the 'Seven Wonders of the British Canal System' - the 'Straight Mile'. This impressive embankment carries the canal 60 feet above the town, and was internationally acclaimed as an engineering marvel when it first opened.

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