Uppermill - Riverside & Centre

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Spy Mission around Uppermill, with Agents tracking Professor Killjoy, who has invented a machine that will turn all musical sounds into a high-pitched squeal, and following the clues to find the de-activation code before the Saddleworth Whit Friday Band Contests.

The operation covers approximately 1.7 miles and should take around 2 hours to complete. You'll start outside Saddleworth Museum, investigate Uppermill village centre, follow pavements, footpaths and canal towpaths, track the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, pass through parkland and slip into the gardens around the Library near the end.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route includes pavements, footpaths, canal towpaths, some sections with no pavement, cobbled areas, steps, a muddy path and stepping stones that may be covered by water and slippery when wet.

Take extra care on the busy main road sections, where visibility is restricted, and anywhere the route has no pavement. Keep Mini Agents close, especially near roads and the stepping stones. If you are not confident about crossing the stepping stones, carry on along the towpath to the bridge, turn left, left again and cross the bridge. In the park, follow the river to the stepping stones.

Getting There

By car: Start your operation outside Saddleworth Museum in Uppermill (OL3 6HS). The recommended parking is the car park in front of Saddleworth Museum (OL3 6HS), which is free for 3 hours. If the museum car park is full, turn left out of it and follow signs to the other free car parks.

By public transport: Make your way to outside Saddleworth Museum in Uppermill to begin the mission. The route is circular and returns to the start area once Professor Killjoy's plans have been tackled.

Need the Loo?

Agents can make a tactical comfort stop at the Civic Hall at Clue 07, where members of the public are allowed to use the toilets.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Agents are welcome on this mission. 🐾

The route includes pavements, footpaths, canal towpaths, cobbled areas, steps, muddy stretches, sections with no pavement and stepping stones that can be slippery when wet. Keep canine recruits close around busy roads, restricted-visibility spots, water and the stepping stones.

Food & Drink Stops

De-activating anti-music machinery is hungry work.

There are refreshments at cafes, pubs and shops at various stages between Clues 4 and 11 and between 15 and the end, so your squad should have opportunities to refuel as the operation unfolds.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Huddersfield Narrow Canal

The mission follows the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, a stretch with a cracking comeback story. It was disused from 1944 before being fully restored and reopened in 2001, and is now heavily used for leisure activities. In the 1960s, there was even a proposal to drain the canal at Uppermill and turn it into a bypass around the village centre - a scheme worthy of Professor Killjoy himself.

Saddleworth Whit Friday Band Contests

The route passes through the setting for the Saddleworth Whit Friday Band Contests, which have been referred to as 'the greatest free show on Earth'. First taking place in 1884, the contests now attract over 100 bands from all over the country, with some even coming from overseas.

Saddleworth Museum

Your mission begins outside Saddleworth Museum, a landmark on the route and easy to find by following brown tourist signs to the museum from all approaches. It is a natural place to anchor your visit before heading into Uppermill on Professor Killjoy's trail.

Pots and Pans

From the canal lock, look to the hilltop on the right to spot a monument and the rocks known as Pots and Pans. No one knows for sure where the name came from: some say the hollows in the rocks were used by Druids to catch blood, while a more likely explanation is that masons from nearby quarries carved them to catch water.

Library gardens

Near the end of the operation, the route slips away into the gardens around the Library. It is a quieter little patch for Agents to slow down, regroup and gather the final pieces of intel before the case is closed.