Great Canal Journeys

The Rochdale (1x2)

Air date: Mar 17, 2014

Prunella and Tim travel the Rochdale canal, past once mighty mills, the epic beauty of the Pennines and the longest and highest canal tunnel in Britain. The Rochdale was a main artery for the textile industry at the height of industrial revolution. Beginning in Sowerby Bridge, Tim and Pru head west through Mytholmroyd (the birthplace of Ted Hughes) and past the once mighty textile mills at Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, before journeying up over the Pennines to more than 600 feet above sea level. It's the most physically demanding canal journey they have ever taken, with the second deepest lock in the country, vandalised bridges and ancient lock gates to negotiate. But it's also one of the most stunning, with the epic beauty of the Pennine hills. To help them along the way they are joined for part of the journey by their son Sam, himself a successful actor. Along the way, Tim and Pru meet some of the fascinating characters that live and work on the Rochdale; recite Ted Hughes poetry in the exact spot where he found inspiration; and pass on some thespian guidance to the cast of a local playhouse.