Temperatures are expected to climb to 35 °C across southern England today, with the Met Office issuing heat warnings and Wimbledon spectators braced for a 34 °C scorcher in London. Further north, Greater Manchester will still feel “very warm and humid”, making the region’s tree-lined waterside paths an inviting way to stay cool while the mercury rises.

Rochdale’s Healey Dell, two miles from the town centre, offers a shaded two-mile circuit beneath a thick canopy of oak and beech. The River Spodden tumbles over the Fairies Pool waterfall and beneath tiny stone bridges before passing the 100-ft viaduct that once carried cotton to the valley’s silent mills. Walkers can break for Victorian-themed tea at the Healey Dell Heritage Centre, Healey Corner, off Whitworth Road, OL12 6BG.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal between Uppermill and Diggle threads past Saddleworth Moor with postcard views of locks, footbridges and dry-stone walls. Starting at Ward Lane, visitors can follow the towpath south to Diggle, pausing at Grandpa Greene’s canalside ice-cream parlour for award-winning scoops of raspberry pavlova or Lotus biscuit. A free car park sits on Huddersfield Road, OL3 5NT.

In Stockport, the mile-long flight of 16 working locks at Marple climbs one of Britain’s steepest canal stretches. The adjacent Marple Aqueduct—England’s highest—lofts the Peak Forest Canal 90 ft above the River Goyt in a sweep of stone arches that frame the parallel Victorian railway viaduct. Paths radiate from the locks into Brabyns Park and Etherow Country Park, while nearby Marple Bridge supplies cafés, pubs and delis for post-walk refreshment.

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