since the demise of commercial carrying in 1981, the navigation has only been used by leisure boaters, to whom it represents both an attractive cruising ground, passing through beautiful countryside and traditional yorkshire industrial areas. for many years it was effectively a cul-de-sac, with the only access from the aire and calder navigation at the eastern end. however, the growth of the restoration movement resulted in the reopening of the rochdale canal, to which connection was made in 1996 with the opening of tuel lane lock, just beyond sowerby bridge, and it is now possible to reach rochdale and manchester. the canal always provided access to the huddersfield broad canal at cooper bridge junction, but this was another short cul-de-sac, until it was reconnected to the trans-pennine huddersfield narrow canal, restoration of which was completed in 2001. this links the far end of the broad canal to ashton-under-lyne, and onwards to the midlands and wales. from the eastern end, the aire and calder navigation provides links to lancashire via leeds and the leeds and liverpool canal in the west, and to selby, york, goole and the humber, keadby and the river trent, and sheffield, rotherham and doncaster in the east. the reopening of the rochdale and huddersfield narrow canals mean that the navigation now forms part of three cruising rings, the south pennine ring, the north pennine ring and the outer pennine ring.