The canal was one of the last to be built (it opened in 1818), and came about because local farmers wanted more effective means of transporting their goods to the fast-growing towns of West Yorkshire. Today this beautiful rural waterway is one of the country's top canals for wildlife with three Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The canal runs for 9.5 miles between East Cottingwith and Canal Head at Pocklington. A volunteer group (PCAS) has restored a section of the canal so that boat trips are possible, and there is a project to restore another section from the River Derwent to the Melbourne Arm.
As well as wildlife and habitat work, the canal is also great for local history studies as there are some distinctive built features, such as swing bridges and classic hump-backed bridges, as well as restored and unrestored locks.
