Considered the birthplace of Rugby League, Huddersfield is a charismatic university town at the junction of the Colne and Holme rivers. It’s home to one of Britain’s most famous canal tunnels and the remains of an Iron Age fort and offers easy access to the magnificent natural landscapes of the Marsden Moor Estate.
Things to do in Huddersfield
Spend a day exploring the moorlands, crags and archaeological remains of the Marsden Moor Estate. Stop in at the National Trust Exhibition Room to learn about the history and wildlife of the estate and grab a self-guided walking leaflet to help you discover its pre-Roman ruins and birdlife, including golden plovers and red grouse.
Want the best views of Huddersfield? Head up the slopes of Castle Hill, which is topped by the Victoria Jubilee Tower. Wander amidst the fort earthworks established during the Iron Age and peer into a water well, built as part of a Middle Ages settlement.
Witness Britain’s longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel at the Standedge Tunnel, which lies almost 200 metres beneath the Yorkshire Pennines. Learn about its history in the visitor’s centre in an old storage warehouse and grab a coffee at the Watersedge Cafe, housed within the former lock keeper’s cottage.
Train enthusiasts can ride on the Kirklees Light Railway, which travels along the historic Penistone Line from Huddersfield to Sheffield. Steam locomotives haul the train through the picturesque foothills of the South Pennines and the Shelley Woodhouse Tunnel, as well as the ancient forests of the Blacker Wood.
Getting around Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a one-hour train ride from Manchester Airport or 45 minutes’ drive from Leeds Bradford Airport. Trains make the three-hour journey south to London, while Huddersfield is easy to explore on foot.