20 Attractions to Explore Near Rochdale Canal

Touchstones Rochdale is the award-winning arts and heritage centre in Rochdale, Lancashire. See a wide variety of exhibitions in the art gallery's four spaces, including curated exhibitions from the permanent collection and changing shows of contemporary art. The fine art collections comprise some 1,500 works, predominantly paintings, drawings and prints.

Hollingworth Lake is a man-made lake which spans 118 acres. It was originally built as the main water source for the Rochdale Canal during the 19th century. The lake was originally built as the main water source for the Rochdale Canal, but developed as a tourist resort from the 1860s, and became known as the Weighver's Seaport.

Healey Dell is a beauty spot and wildlife sanctuary rich in industrial archaeology, 2 miles from Rochdale town centre on the way to Whitworth and Bacup. The River Spodden has carved its way through the woodlands down thousands of years, creating delightful scenery and spectacular waterfalls which once powered ancient corn, wool and cotton mills.

Gallery Oldham provides a wide range of exhibitions and activities targeted at different audiences of all ages. With no permanent displays and four temporary galleries to fill, Gallery Oldham has one of the busiest exhibition programs in the region. Exhibitions mix touring shows with work from the gallery's own collection of art, social history, and natural history.

Blackstone Edge is a gritstone escarpment rising to 1549 feet above sea level in the South Pennine hills, surrounded by moorland on the boundary between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire in northern England. With a summit peaking at 349m, Blackstone Edge is ideally situated to capture the winds that blow across the Pennines, and the three turbines generate enough electricity to power an estimated 4,544 homes.

Heaton Park is a historic area on the edge of Manchester with all the attractions offering a full day out for all ages. Visit the play areas, cafes, Animal Centre, Tram Museum, bowling greens, golf course, boating lake, and try your hand at horse riding. contains an 18-hole golf course, a boating lake, an animal farm, a pitch and putt course, a golf driving range, woodlands, ornamental gardens, an observatory, an adventure playground, a Papal monument, and a volunteer-run tram system and museum,

Bury Market is an open-air market in the town of Bury, Lancashire, England. The market is one of the largest and most popular in Greater Manchester and home to the Bury delicacy of black pudding. Featuring a meat and fish hall and an indoor and outdoor market, it was named best in the country in 2006 and regularly wins awards. It attracts an estimated 250,000 shoppers a week.

The Fusilier Museum is home to the collections of the XX Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The museum is housed in a building originally built as officers' quarters. Its collection including 12 Victoria Cross Medals won by the Regiment, the uniform and bearskin of King George V and an Eagle Standard of the 82nd Regiment of the French Line captured by the Royal Fusiliers during the Napoleonic Wars.

The Art Museum and Sculpture Centre is based in the centre of Bury on the corner of Manchester Road and Moss Street. The museum collections include artifacts which are arranged into regularly changing thematic displays that cover a variety of topics with a focus on local and social history. The collection includes works by Turner, Constable, and Landseer.

The East Lancashire Railway is a 12 1⁄2-mile (20 km) heritage railway line in north-west England which runs between Heywood in Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. It was set in a beautiful location and is attracted by a lot of tourists.

Burrs Country Park lies on the River Irwell covering an area of 36 hectares of scenic countryside, one mile north west of Bury town centre. Burrs has been awarded a Green Flag. The park owes part of its existence to Bury's industrial past and Burrs was one of area's earliest mill sites, many remnants of which still exist today. Burrs is also home to some of the most impressive works on the ever-evolving Irwell Sculpture Trail, which runs from Salford to the West Pennine Moors.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal scales the Pennines and its summit is the highest stretch of canal in Britain. It is one of those places you HAVE to paddle if you’re into dramatic scenery. Cutting through the rugged hills of the pennies, and weaving through wooded countryside and past historic mills. The canal is a ‘must’ for canal boaters and should be for paddlers too.

Daisy Nook Country Park is 40 hectares of varied landscape in the heart of the Medlock Valley. The park is a great habitat for wildlife and bird-spotting - with an abundance of creatures from great-spotted woodpeckers and owls, to foxes and squirrels. During the Victorian period, Daisy Nook Country Park was a popular spot for families and couples to enjoy canal-side walks, boat rides and picnics by the river.

Standedge Tunnel is the longest, highest and deepest canal tunnel in Britain! Situated midway along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, the tunnel takes the canal under the high Pennine spine of Northern England between Marsden in the Colne Valley and Diggle in Saddleworth. A highlight of a visit to Tunnel End is a boat ride into the tunnel. The rides start from Tunnel End Cottages at the tunnel mouth and go about 500 metres into the tunnel.

Stoodley Pike is a 402 m high elevation in the southern Pennines in the northern English county of West Yorkshire. The exposed hill carries the widely visible Stoodley Pike Monument, a 37 m high obelisk with a viewing platform. The foothills, which are not too conspicuous themselves, have become famous primarily for the striking monument on its northern tip. At first, it was just called Stoodley Pike, just like the hill; later the official name of the monument was changed to Stoodley Pike Monume

The Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester aims to preserve and promote the public transport heritage of Greater Manchester in North West England, it is in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester. The museum holds a sizeable collection, including around 80 buses, one of the largest collections of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Marsden Moor is a stunning, windswept upland moor that is home to a variety of birds and wildlife. It is looked after by the National Trust. The estate covers 2,429 ha (5,685 acres) of unenclosed common moorland and almost surrounds Marsden.

Dovestone Reservoir lies at the convergence of the valleys of the Greenfield and Chew Brooks above the village of Greenfield, on Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester, England. The reservoir is on the western edge of the Peak District National Park. It supplies drinking water to the surrounding area and is a tourist attraction, providing several walks amongst picturesque landscapes.

The Wessenden Valley is a moorland valley nestled amidst the Dark Peak, immediately south of the large village of Marsden in the English county of West Yorkshire. The valley was formed by retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age and continues to be cut by the Wessenden Brook, a tributary of the River Colne. The valley is occupied by four reservoirs, namely Wessenden Head, Wessenden, Blakeley, and Butterley, the largest.

Portland Basin Museum is housed within the restored nineteenth century Ashton Canal Warehouse in Ashton-under-Lyne. The museum combines a lively modern interior with a peaceful canal side setting. It is an exciting family friendly museum, with something for all the family. The Museum takes full advantage of its position, with boat trips starting from the Museum waterfront, and mooring for visiting boats. including restored wooden narrow boats.