Armchair explorers will soon be able to make virtual voyages along Huddersfield’s most fascinating waterways.
The Standedge Tunnel and other sections of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal have been selected for a project between internet giant Google and The Canal and River Trust.
Following the success of Google Street View, which enables users to make virtual journeys on road networks across the globe, the online corporation is taking to the water.
Rather than use a car equipped with cameras as was used for Street View, Google is training Canal and River Trust (CRT) staff to use a high-tech Google Trekker backpack.
The 4ft, 40lb backpack is fitted with a 15-angle lens camera to take 360-degree pictures every 2.5 seconds in public places that the Street View cars and tricycles cannot reach.
CRT staff will capture routes by walking with the backpack along towpaths or – in the case of the Standedge Tunnel which has no towpath – by riding a barge.
All images will be added to Street View as part of a worldwide Google project to capture routes which are only accessible on foot.
Routes include the Grand Canyon, USA.
There is some concern about problems capturing images in the unlit Standedge Tunnel, which opened in 1811 linking Marsden to Diggle.
But Google and CRT are hoping to capture the full 3.25-mile tunnel early next month.
Other areas popular with tourists may also be captured, including a section of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Slaithwaite.
CRT partnerships manager Wendy Hawk said: “We’re delighted to be the first people in the UK to get the Trekker on our backs – it’s fantastic that our 200-year old network is being given a different lease of life thanks to cutting-edge 21st century technology.
“The footage we get will allow millions of people from all over the world to see our canals, rivers and towpaths and will hopefully encourage some people to make a trip to see them.”
The news was also welcomed by Bob Gough, of Huddersfield Canal Society.
Dr Gough said: “I think it’s a terrific idea, especially for non-boaters. The public can go through (Standedge Tunnel) on boat trips but normally they wouldn’t get the opportunity to see such a remarkable feat of engineering.”
