Rochdale Canal The Rochdale Canal runs through Middleton from its start at Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale all the way through to the centre of Manchester, and is 33 miles long. It has a total of 92 locks which is more than any other canal in the UK, to tackle the many naturally occurring rises and falls of the area rising to 600ft at its highest point. Its peak in popularity came at the start of the Victorian period when it was used to transport cargos of: timber, salt, cement, wool, cotton, grain and coal. By 1880, an average of 50 boats per day were travelling along it.