Cheddleton to Etruria via Leek Branch

Sat 1^st August  Cheddleton to Caena's Well

 

Tug No 2 and Otter set off around 9am, and we followed half an hour later, presenting Caroline with a New Testament and some leaflets as we passed Additional Cargo.  

 

Leaving Cheddleton past Additional Cargo

Hollybush Inn

 

As we approached the Holly Bush pub, a day boat, Joshua, pulled out in front of us. We followed them slowly through Hazelhurst Aqueduct to the locks. They arrived at the bottom lock where they unloaded about six people to go and learn how to do locks. One of the people was a lady instructor. They were not told about the dangers of leaving the windlass on the spindle, and no-one was despatched to set the next lock. By the time we were in the bottom lock, Additional Cargo  came up behind, and followed us up the locks.

At the top, the day boat turned left onto the Leek Arm, and we soon caught them up, so it was a slow relaxing journey.

 

Hazelhurst Aqueduct

 

Waiting for Top Lock

 

Windlass left on spindle

 

Further instruction

 

Hazelhurst Top Lock

 

Into the Leek Branch

 

The Leek Branch is very scenic, going along the side of a hill with woods and rocks on one side, and a view into the valley on the other. There is a short tunnel towards the end.

 

Woods and rocks

 

Valley view

 

Leek Tunnel

 

We followed them through the tunnel, where the hillside was yellow with Ragwort. At Bridge 9, they continued on, while we turned in the winding hole. It started raining as we began our journey back, so we put up the hood, dropping it down again to go through the tunnel. As we neared the end, we saw it was raining heavily, and we would have stayed in the tunnel, but another boat was waiting for us so we had to emerge and get very wet suddenly.

 

Ragwort

 

The final winding hole

 

Back through the tunnel

 

The rain passed, but more was likely, so we stopped at a mooring with a lovely view a short distance further along.

 

Mooring with a view on the Leek Branch

We followed the online celebration event at New Wine – excellent.

3 locks, 5 miles.  Dep 0930, arr 1305.

 

Sun 2^nd August  Caena’s Well to Endon

It had rained in the night. James went for a walk very early and took lots of pictures.

 

Wet leaves

 

Reflected reeds

 

Misty dawn

 

Early mist

 

The view from the boat

 

Grass art

 

The canal is a bit silted up, and we stirred up mud as we travelled back towards the junction.

 

Stirring up the mud

 

Back across the aqueduct

 

Approaching the junction

 

We had set off hoping to moor up by the facilities before the New Wine morning celebration at 1100. We had forgotten that we had a life group Zoom before that, and we received a message from Jack that the Zoom was at 1020, while we were still travelling. We set up the laptop on the hatch and joined in while we still had half a mile to go.

There was space for us by Bridge 31, so we stopped on bollards, finished the life group chat, and then followed another excellent celebration with New Wine. When that finished, we reversed to the water point, and did what was necessary, including three cassettes.

We moved on and moored by Bridge 28, where we spent the afternoon. We were disturbed by cocks crowing in the poultry farm the other side of the hedge, so we moved on later to the next bridge, where we sat in the bows in the sun with a glass of wine and some olives.

 

Moored by the poultry farm

 

Our later mooring at Endon

 

Sitting in the bows

 

A cyclist came past, paused, took off his mask, and said “Shouldn’t you be wearing masks?” He rode off before we could answer. The question of masks is becoming divisive. We wear them on buses and in shops, but not on our own boat, in the open air, with no-one else around, particularly when we are eating and drinking. We haven’t generally seen cyclists wearing masks, although it would help to keep flies out of their mouths!

James went to explore an old wharf, which used to have a railway swing bridge across the canal. The central island is all that remains of the bridge.

 

Railway swingbridge

 

All that remains now

 

The wharf railway

 

Water art

 

0 locks, 3 miles. Dep 0925 Arr 1035 Br 31. D 1240, A 1300 Br 28. D 1705 A 1715 Br 27a.

  

Mon 3^rd August  Endon to Br 14/15

We waited for a rain shower to pass before we started, and we caught up with a few chores.

When we set off, we passed the old wharf, and we passed the three work boats that had been badly moored earlier. Perhaps someone had read my email, as the boats were now properly secured.

 

Passing the old wharf

 Mooring skills improved

A boat was just leaving Stockton Top Lock as we arrived, and  the rest were all in our favour. When we reached the bottom, another boat was arriving, so the timing was good. We saw two kingfishers as we went down the locks.

 

Stockton Brook Top Lock 

When we arrived at Long Butts Lift Bridge, we discovered that the towpath was closed, and it was difficult to gain access to the bridge. Another boat was coming the other way, and their crew had just beaten us to it, and they let us through.  At Norton Green Lift Bridge the towpath was also closed off, and Hazel had already alighted at the previous bridge to operate it. She had to get a lift on the bows of the boat to get past the barrier to operate the bridge.

 

Norton Green Lift Bridge sealed off

 
Engine Lock was in our favour, and we had some spectators.

 We moored halfway between bridges 15 and 14, after the disused railway bridge. We had piling to hook onto, and we were out of sight of any houses. It was a sunny evening, and Hazel sat out in the bows.

 

Moored before Bridge 14 

6 locks, 4 miles, 2 lift bridges. Dep 1105, arr 1345

 

Tue 4^th August  Br 14/15 to Etruria

This was a very peaceful mooring, but quite a few bikes and dog walkers had been past.

James discovered it had started to rain so he put up the hood at 7.30am. This hadn’t been forecast. We left when we thought that the rain had stopped. We still encountered some slight drizzle.

 

3 miles to Etruria 

We saw three kingfishers, one of which sat on a branch quite close as we passed, but sadly we were without a camera at the ready. Another one flew past us under a bridge, just a few inches from our faces.

We met another boat at the very blind bridge 14, and they got stuck on the mud, and we picked up things on the prop. We had also become stuck on mud here going the other way a few days ago.

Hazel operated Ivy House Lift bridge – it only needs a key (James does the ones involving hard work!), and we proceeded past Emma Bridgewater’s factory and through Hanley Park.

 

Ivy House Lift Bridge

 

Emma Bridgenorth factory

 

Hanley Park 

Planet Lock was mostly in our favour. Soon after that we spotted some juicy blackberries on the offside, and went into reverse to pick some. Instead, we picked up a foam mattress on the prop which stopped the engine. James went down the weed hatch, and managed to clear the prop, although most of the mattress disappeared back into the canal before we could retrieve it. We abandoned the idea of blackberries.

As we approached the staircase locks, we saw that a boat was already on its way up, so we waited for them. When we were starting our descent, another boat appeared at the bottom and tied up to wait for us. Boats going up need to have the top lock full and the bottom lock empty. As soon as we left the top lock he could have started filling it, but he waited until we  were leaving the bottom lock.

 

Staircase Locks

 

Worthy of a literature prize?

There were several boats moored, but we found a mooring right outside the museum. Lots of people walking past, and several boats going up the Caldon, mainly hire boats on their first day. The Canada geese were still here, still being noisy.

 

Moored by the museum

 

3 locks, 3 miles, 1 lift bridge

Next: Down the Stoke Locks to visit Wedgwood and then continue down the Trent and Mersey through Stone towards Great Haywood.