Ulverston canal is 1 mile long, and is the deepest and widest canal in England. Completed in 1796 the canal once provided the town with a link to Liverpool, Scotland and London, and allowed local businessmen to transport goods from Morecambe Bay to the town centre . The busy port was once a starting point for passenger steamers, as well as a busy cargo port of local goods such as slate and cotton. The canal closed permanently in the 1940s, and Ulverston Urban District Council took over responsibility of the area. In the 1970's the canal was sold to Glaxosmithkline, allowing the company to use the water as a reserve reservoir in case of an emergency, although this has yet to happen.

The canal is Ulverston's promenade. On the weekends it is always busy with families and dog walkers, who feed the ducks and swans under the shadow of the GSK factory structures.