Westport Lake (Trent & Mersey) to Milton (Caldon Canal)

Middleport Pottery

Onto the Caldon we go!

It was sunny again today as we set off from Westport Lake, down into Stoke on Trent and past the Middleport Pottery with kilns right by the canal and to the junction with the Caldon canal and up there we went.  We stopped at the services to fill up with water.  Right opposite is a statue of James Brindley who built the Trent & Mersey canal. 

James Brindley Statue

In the staircase

We chugged off up around the corner to the staircase locks, they are quite deep at just over 9 and a half feet each, through there to the next lock which is a baby at only 3ft 10ins, it is called Planet Lock, Kev called it Planet Rock after the radio station he listens to! On up the canal through Hanley Park, not that nice around here as it is very built up.   

Nearly up the staircase

In Planet Rock, sorry Lock!

Bridge 8 is low and Bridge 9 is even lower, just squeezed through.  

Ivy House Lift Bridge

We then came to Ivy House Lift Bridge, it is an electric lift bridge, boater operated!!  We both went up to the bridge to see what to do.  Put my key in the slot and opened the lid, we then had to put the barriers down, Kev did one and I did the other and he went back to the boat.  I then had to keep my finger on the open button and up went the bridge.  Kev  came through and then I closed it again and put the barriers back up.  We only held up one car and a few walkers.  After there, you soon leave Stoke on Trent behind and are out in open countryside, much nicer! 

This is a really nice canal, but quite narrow and windy.  We moored at Milton a nice small village.

Walked up to the shops, there are quite a few and varied ones.  Had a coffee in the nice café there, then walked back down and went in the butchers.  We bought some nice middle bacon which the lady had just cut from a large piece, can’t get better than that!

Moored at Milton

We are staying here tonight and may stay here tomorrow as well and get a bus back to Stoke as we were going to stop there today, but nowhere on the canal around there looked very inviting!

Church Lawton to Hardings Wood and Hardings Wood to Westport Lake (Trent & Mersey)

 Thursday 27th August

Passing Red Bull Pub

Up we go, down they go!

Leaving last lock of the day

It was dry and sunny as we set off from Church Lawton, around the bend and to the locks, went through the first three locks and stopped at the Red Bull Services for water, etc.  Up the next lock where the Red Bull pub is overlooking the lock and through the next lock, then moored up at Hardings Wood, Kidsgrove just before the last lock and the Canal Tavern. 

 

Moored at Hardings Wood

Walked up the road to the Tesco to do some shopping, much to Kev’s disgust, but had to go there this time as the Aldi was up a steep hill quite some distance away.  Sue and Shaun on Whisper, the boat we were moored with yesterday had moved down the canal as well and were moored at the start of the Macclesfield Canal which joins the Trent & Mersey.  We met them on our way back from Tesco and they said they were also going to the Red Bulll for some food, so we said we would see them there.

Barn Owl

My new friend!

We walked back up to the Red Bull pub, but found unfortunately they had stopped serving food and would start again at 6pm, it was only about 2.30ish, so we had a drink, then Sue and Shaun joined us and we spent a lovely afternoon sat in the pub’s garden drinking and chatting and before we knew it, it was 6pm, so we went inside and had a really nice meal.  It is a lovely pub and well worth a visit.  When we were in the pub garden in the afternoon, a chap came for a drink and he had a pet Barn Owl, what a beautiful creature, he has several different owls and often brings them to the pub with him.  He brought the owl over to us and he gave me the glove and the owl to hold, she was lovely and she snuggled into her owner like a little cat, she was very sweet. 

The pub was very busy in the evening and most of the tables were full, when somone’s phone started ringing and no one answered it, everyone was looking around including us and people were saying including Kev wish someone would answer that phone, I said to Kev are you sure it’s not yours and he said no, it then stopped ringing and Kev got his phone out of his pocket and guess what it had been his phone, he did apologise to everyone in the pub amidst our laughter!  It was very funny.  He then got a text as well.  It was from our friends Pat and Patrick on Diligent Too, they had been on their trip and had come back down and were on the Macclesfield Canal and going through the tunnel tomorrow.  Patrick had taken Poochie for a walk earlier and saw our boat moored.  We all left the pub and we walked up onto the Macclesfield canal to see Pat and Patrick.  It was so nice to see them again, had a drink and a chat with them and said we would either see them at the tunnel tomorrow or at the other end at West Port Lake where we were mooring.  Said bye bye to Shaun and Sue who were also moored there, it was so lovely to meet them, they are great people and we all got on so well, we are going to keep in touch and will definitely see them in two years  time when we are doing the Macclesfield canal as their mooring is by Bridge 13, but hopefully before

Walked  back to the boat, it was nearly dark.  We had a really nice day, we made some new friends Shaun and Sue and had seen our lovely friends Pat and Patrick again.  The Tunnel now beckons!!

 

Friday 28th August

The two tunnels

Today we are off through Harecastle Tunnel, it is 2,926 yards long.  There are in fact two tunnels, the first was built by James Brindley and was completed in 1777. As the tunnel caused a bottle neck for canal boats, Thomas Telford built a second tunnel in 1822 alongside the first one. Each tunnel then became one way, but in the 20^th C Brindley’s tunnel had sunk so much, it had to be closed, but the entrance of that tunnel can still be seen today.  So the tunnel we are going through today was the second tunnel to be built. 

 

Into the tunnel we go

Going through the tunnel

I can see the end!

Out we go into the Sunshine

We got to the entrance and went to see the tunnel keeper, he said that four boats had just gone through, one of them was Diligent Too, so they had beaten us to it, but hopefully we would meet up with them the other side.  There was then three boats to come the other way, then it would be our turn.  Another boat turned up, so there would be two of us going through.  After a bit, the three boats came out, then it was our turn, lights on and in we went.  I stayed in side as I am not that keen but Kev does a good job, although he is not that keen on tunnels either, but as we have done this one before, it wasn’t so bad.  They have doors at the end of the tunnel with the extractor fans on, so when you get near, there is a light and a big sign saying STOP, you just hope they open!!  and sure enough they did and out we went into the sunshine, it had taken 35 minutes. 

We went on a mile down the canal to Westport Lake and moored up behind Pat and Patrick.  We all had a cup  of tea together and a chat, then they headed off. We are going different ways for a bit, but in a few weeks, we will be around the same area again, so hopefully we will bump into them again as they are lovely and we enjoy their company.

Westport Lake

We walked up over the bridge and up to the Aldi which is about a 15 minute walk away up a hill, but at least its downhill on the way back!!  There was a heavy rain shower when we were in Aldi but the sun was out again by the time we were walking back.

Westport Lake is really nice, there is a lovely lake with ducks and geese and you can walk all the way around and there is a café overlooking the lake.  We went down to the café for a coffee, then walked around the lake.  You can’t believe that you are on the outskirts of Stoke on Trent as it is so peaceful and lovely here.  We are staying here tonight then off up the Caldon canal tomorrow, that should be fun as it will be new territory for us.

Moored at Westport Lake

Hassall Green to Church Lawton (Trent & Mersey)

 Monday 25^th August

The weather forecast wasn’t great today, so we decided to stay put.  It did rain on and off throughout the day, there was a gap in the middle of the day when it brightened up for a few hours, but by that time, we coiuldn’t be bothered to move, so just chilled out for the day.  Will chug off tomorrow.

Tuesday 26th August

Working through Rode Heath Locks

Up and out another paired lock

It was a bit overcast as we set off to the locks, the first two were very close together and was set for us, so we didn’t take long to go through.  On through Rode Heath and on up the canal to the next locks, we were very lucky as every lock except one was set for us and at a lot of them a boat was just coming out, so even the gates were open, it was just the last one I had to set.   

Nearly at the last lock for today!

We moored up at Church Lawton. We have done 10 locks today and 3 miles!

We were the only boat moored there for a bit, then a boat called Whisper moored up in front of us, we had seen it moored at Rode Heath as we went  by this morning and that is only about a mile away, so there some people that travel less than us in a day!

We chilled out for while, then went for a walk up the canal to Kidsgrove, about 2 miles away and then walked onto Harecastle tunnel.  Walked up the road to the shops and found an Aldi which is up a big hill and a big Tesco near the canal and railway station.  Walked back along the canal and there is a pub on one of the locks called The Red Bull. We stopped in there for a drink and the people from the boat Whisper were sat in the garden with their three doggies, we got chatting, they are called Susan and Shaun and moor on the Macclesfield canal. They are really nice people, we had a drink together then we all walked back down the canal to where we were moored. Tomorrow, we are only going as far as Kidsgrove as we need to do some food shopping and we will probably eat At The Red Bull as it looked really nice.  We shall then get ready to go through the Tunnel on Thursday.

Moored at Church Lawton

Paddys Wood to Wheelock, visit to Sandbach and Wheelock to Hassal Green

Saturday 23^rd August – Paddys Wood to Wheelock and Visit to Sandbach

We decided to move down the canal about a mile and a half to fill up with water at Wheelock services and then moor on the visitor moorings and walk to Sandbach.  It had been raining earlier but had eased off, so we set out along the canal, we pulled in just before the services and I walked down to see if there was a space for us as it looked busy.  There was a space, just, one boat was getting water, the other two had just moored up in the water point to wait for the rain to go over.

so  Kev brought the boat down and then the heavens opened and we both got drenched.  Moored up, got water and in between the heavy showers, we got to the visitor moorings and tied up there.

 

Sandbach

Sandbach

After a while, the rain stopped and the sun came out, so we headed off up the road to Sandbach.  It is about a mile and a half and an easy walk.  Got to Sandbach in the sunshine and it was dry all afternoon.  Sandbach is a really nice market town with a nice cobbled square.  On Saturdays the market hall is open which has lots of stalls selling all sorts of things.  There is a also a lovely deli shop on the square and we bought several things from there.  Had a walk around, then made our way back to the boat. 

Chilled out for a bit, then had a walk along the canal and up the locks to see where we will be going tomorrow.  When we got to lock 64, there was a couple there with three cavalier dogs, the couple were very disdraught as they had come into the far side paired lock and as they were going down, the boat had got caught on the sill and they just managed to get the dogs off and themselves before the front end went under the water, the worst thing was they had borrowed the boat from a friend.  The Canal and River Trust (CRT) had come out and had a look, but told them they couldn’t do anything as they were paired locks and so it wasn’t blocking the canal and they just gave them some emergency numbers to ring and went away.  The couple tried all the numbers and it was just answer phones, it was awful as they were just left with no help and had no idea what to do, they also couldn’t get hold of the friend whose boat it was.  They live about an hours drive away, so we waited with them until their daughter arrived, then we walked back to our boat, made some coffee in a flask and got some water for the dogs and walked back up to where they were.  About three hours had gone past by this time and CRT eventually came back and tied the boat up and put barriers around, why they didn’t do it when they first turned up escapes us, but they still didn’t give the couple any advice as to what to do.  Once CRT had gone, the couple and their daughter left to go back home and see their friend and sort out phoning the insurance company.   We felt really sorry for them as they were so upset about it all and no one seemed to help them. 

Boat caught on cill in lock

You need to be so careful in locks as this is what can happen if you take your eye off the ball or don’t take things steady. It was very scarey seeing that boat in the lock like that, really brings it home what dangerous places locks are!  We will be extra careful tomorrow, although we are going up, so it is much safer as there is no cill to get caught on. 

Sunday 24th August
 

Working up the Wheelock Flight

Stuck in the pound!

At the top of the Wheelock Flight

When we got up, the sun was shining today and as we wanted to get up through the locks so we are moored up by lunchtime to watch the Grand Prix, we set off at 8.15am!!  Most of these locks are paired locks, single locks side by side but not all of them are working, so through the first lock we went, there were two boats behind us, but nothing coming down.  We got up to the lock where the boat got caught on the cill yesterday and River, Canal Rescue (RCR) were there and they had refloated the boat and were going to get it out the lock and moor it up on the side, then the insurance company would take over, they said there wasn’t a lot of damage, so that was lucky.  I went onto the next lock to get it set, the pound between the locks was really down and Kev got stuck in the middle, so I had to open all the paddles and let some water through, eventually the pound filled up enough and Kev got into the lock, our first experience of low water in the pounds.  

 

Leaving Hassall Green Locks

Coming into Hassall Green Locks

 The chap on the boat behind us was really helpful and kept coming up and giving us a hand, some people are so nice.  Went through the rest of the locks with no hitches and moored at Hassall Green. We only travelled two miles today, but we did do 10 locks!! Staying here tonight and maybe tomorrow if the forecast is correct and its raining, we shall see!

Moored at Hassall Green