A wet day down through Stoke

Yesterday I managed to get my run in first thing in the dry, but by 9 o’clock the rain had set in. We were in “do we, don’t we?“ mood, I broke the impasse by deciding that we do…

I took the rubbish to the skip, noting a boat just about to go down Etruria Lock, so we started up, untied and set off back onto the T&M, expecting to turn onto the lock landing and be next down. But just as we came to the junction a boat appeared coming down from Festival Park.

Leaving from outside the Etruria Industrial Museum, well worth a visit, especially on “steaming weekends”


Pipped at the post

He hung back to let us make the tight turn out of the junction, but there was no way we were going down first!

Dropping down the deep Etruria Lock, aka Stoke Top Lock

I‘m afraid all yesterday’s pics will be gloomy and sometimes blurry. It rained all day, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but continuous.

While we were waiting for our turn at the lock, I realised the boat below, that I’d seen entering the the lock earlier, was NB Trundle, with Dave and Dilys. They knew we were ahead of them and were trying to catch up, unaware that they’d passed us as we lurked at the bottom of the Caldon. I went down to say hello, and we arranged to meet later at Barlaston.

The trip down Stoke Locks was uncomfortable, one or two boats coming up, but locks they filled were used by the two boats ahead of us. 

Filling Cockshutes Lock, the railway line passes over the tail of the lock…

…making the exit from the lock dark and low.

We arrived at the bottom lock, the modern concrete one that takes ages to fill, once again queueing behind the preceding boat. When they were clear I started filling the chamber then went inside for a drink and a banana. Coming out again there was a young man at the lockside with bike and windlass, he said he’d help with the lock.
Now, we’d seen him assisting a couple going up, and those regulars on the Stoke Locks will probably have come across Rob the Lock, a chap who, for a consideration, will work boats up or down the flight. The chap here yesterday turned out to be his son Liam, who is carrying on the tradition.
I’d tried to get hold of Rob when we came up last December when Mags was poorly, but the numbers I had were out of date. I’ve new numbers for both gentlemen now. Liam was helping the crew of a hire boat that was following us down.

So, with the five locks done, Mags went inside to dry out and make a hot drink, and I plodded on, mug in hand, out of town. I always reckon that you’re out of Stoke when you pass the incinerator, and usually take a picture of the plant that appears to straddle the canal.
But this time I resisted the temptation, taking a picture of NB Whitchurch Navigator heading towards us instead…

Huge new warehouses are nearly finished at Sideway-



Distribution centres of some sort, I guess.

We caught up with the preceding boat just outside of Trentham, but held back so we didn’t have to wait long for Trentham Lock. Mags was all warm and dry so I didn’t have the heart to stick her back on the tiller; Meg and I did this one solo.
Then we had another 20 minutes or so, past the Wedgwood factory, and moored behind Dave and Dilys. They came round for a brew and a chat, then later we made an evening of it, having a fantastic time chatting over a few cans and a couple of bottles. Although we’ve known them a while, since they managed Raynsway (now Leicester) Marina, we’d never had the chance for a proper sit-down together before.
They’re heading down the T&M too, back to their home mooring on the Soar, but they travel an awful lot further each day than we do… We’ll be in Stone today, they’ll probably be past Great Haywood!

Locks 6, miles 6 (although it seemed further, must be getting soft!)

Across the summit level.

It was raining first thing this morning when Meg and I went out for a short walk, and it was still raining when we set off. We’d moored on the last rings, closest to the services, so were able to fill with water without moving up. 
A couple of boats came down Red Bull Lock while we were waiting for the tank to fill, so we were pretty sure we’d have a “good road” for the last leg up onto the summit level.

Leaving this morning, the Viking Afloat hire boat has just come down, leaving the lock ready for us.

As we rose up the lock another boat arrived at the top, so I could leave the gate open and carry on to Limekiln Lock.

Limekiln Lock, just beyond Poole Aqueduct carrying the Hall Green Branch back over the canal
The Branch is considered part of the Macclesfield Canal now, but strictly speaking it’s still the T&M, making an end-to-end connection with the Macc at Hall Green Stop Lock.

Up Lock 41, the last on the west side.


The Kidsgrove Gas Light Company was sited next to the canal to be handy for coal deliveries for the coking plant.







The gas works, with two gasometers for storage, was sited between the canal and Liverpool Road East, and the building that carries the sign was an entrance to the works from Hardingswood Road.
Map from National Library of Scotland - http://maps.nls.uk
As you can see from the extract from the 1900 six inch to the mile map, there were also several small collieries in the area, and, to the west, a fustian works. This is a heavy cotton cloth, produced mainly for male clothing. Corduroy is a type of fustian cloth, known for it’s hard wearing properties.

A variation on the punishment of walking the plank…

I guess we’re not going to be on our own through the tunnel today…

Not long to wait though, inside half an hour we were on our way again.

Into the hole under Harecastle Hill.

Even though at least one of the two boats in front of us was crewed by Harecastle virgins, it wasn’t a slow trip through, steady would best describe it.

I nearly missed the obligatory photo this morning…

Towards the halfway point the roof starts to lower, but the change is well  indicated.


Not even Thomas Telford’s exceptional engineering talents have been up to the task of fully supporting the 200 feet of earth and rock above our heads. Then again, I don’t suppose he expected us to still be using the tunnel after nearly 200 years…

The bore is generally fairly dry, but the damp sections have produced some impressive flowstone architecture, varying from pale ivory…


…to a deep, dark, red.



The red staining is caused by iron ore deposits dissolved in the water, and it’s darkened in places by the water running through coal measures in the hill above.

Forty minutes underground and we emerged into the open air again. I would have liked to say sunshine, but that was asking too much. At least it had stopped raining.

There was a 4-boat convoy waiting to head north.

Our tail-end-charlie exits from under the fan-house.

I’ve been waiting for some ebay items to be delivered to the Argos store at Festival Park, and as we came out into daylight my phone erupted into chimes and pings as it received a barrage of emails and text messages. Among them was notification that the last of the packages had arrived, so we decided to aim for Etruria, with a stop near the marina for me to nip up and collect the shopping.

But with Meg having been shut in for an hour, and it approaching lunchtime anyway, we pulled in at Westport Lake for a leg stretch. 

On the way again, passing one of the preserved bottle kilns that are symbolic of the potteries.

I’d been chatting to someone on Shropshire Lad while we were over Wales way. The Lineal Trust is a charity that is based near Ellesmere and takes disabled and disadvantaged people out on cruises. They mentioned that a new boat was due for them this year…
…but I didn’t know she was being built here, at Stoke-on-Trent Boat Building.

Middleport Pottery is still trading and doing well…

…but others are long out of business.


The Burslem Branch left the T&M near Bridge 123

The half-mile branch canal was instrumental in the expansion of the potteries in the 19th century. At the terminus were several wharves bringing raw materials in to and finished goods away from the town of Burslem. The branch was abandoned in the early 1960s following a major breach. There has been a proposal to re-open it, but frankly it’s considered unlikely.

Passing the extensive expanse of cleared ground next to the canal opposite Basford, it’s difficult to imagine the huge steelworks and colliery complex that spread along here all the way up to Etruria.
Festival Park, where Argos is to be found and where I collected my bits and pieces, is on the site of Shelton Colliery.

After my quick visit ashore we set off again, past Festival Basin and the marina there, and along the last stretch of the summit level.


At the end of the straight is Etruria Lock, the top lock of the long, long descent into the Trent Valley. There was a volunteer lockie on and he’d just let a boat out, so I signaled that we were turning left into the entrance to the Caldon Canal and wouldn’t be needing the lock.
It was too late to think about doing the Stoke Locks today anyway, and if we can we like to moor here rather than on the main line as it’s quieter.

So here we are, outside the entrance to the Etruria Industrial Museum, and across the way is a statue of the man himself.

James Brindley (1716-1772), architect of the English canal system
 

The weather looks a bit grim tomorrow, so we’re not sure whether we’ll be dropping down the locks or staying put. We’ll see…

Locks 3, miles 6½

Just a short one.

We intended to move up three locks to just below Red Bull yesterday, but it was such a pleasant day and the walking is better near Church Lawton so we stayed put instead. Meg doesn’t always want to walk far these days, but she does enjoy open fields and splashing in streams and both were on the doorstep there.

This morning we woke to rain, and were reconciled to getting wet as we did what should have been done yesterday, but just before eleven the rain stopped and the sky brightened a bit so we untied and set off.
 

The fresh breeze was a problem though, as we turned left to head east, the southerly caught us side on. No problem in the locks but making it tricky to get off the top lock landings on the first two. On the other hand they were set for us, we'd reached the bottom of the three, Lock 46, just as a boat was leaving.

These three are in their 19th century form, with the paired locks both still operational.
It’s just a shame that those two below, Church Locks, and Red Bull Lock above, are reduced to singles now. The earlier chamber at Red Bull is under the pub garden… Queues can form at the bottlenecks at busy times.

The afternoon has been mainly dry, but there have been a couple of showers later on.

Tomorrow we’ll have three more locks up onto the summit level, then the one-way Harecastle Tunnel to negotiate. Depending on tunnel traffic it could either be a short day or a long one. No problem though, we’re planning to stop at Westport Lake, just a mile the other side of the hill.

Locks 3, miles 1

A “good road”, and not a bad day either.

If all the day’s locks were in their favour the working boatmen used to call it a good road, and so it was for us today. All but two were empty and ready for us, and those two only had a drop of water to let out. All thanks to three boats we met coming down, and no-one going up ahead of us.

And a starter for 10, waiting for a boat coming down the lower of the two Pierpoints Locks

The day started out gloomy, a little damp, but had dried up by the time we got away from Hassall Green.

Into Lock 55, Pierpoints Top Lock

The little tail-bridge is split into two to allow the tow-rope to pass between. Each half is cantilevered out from it’s respective side, supported by decorative iron brackets.

Meg showing off her new svelte look


These cows weren’t confident that it was going to stay dry…

…but their neighbours were a little more optimistic.

Thurlwood Lock has an unusual arrangement, in that there’s one ground paddle and another on the top gate.
It’s probably a legacy from when this was the site of the unique Thurlwood Steel Lock.

I jogged along the towpath from here, up to the village stores in Rode Heath, then Mags picked me up again at Bridge 140.

These must be among the first to hatch this year

There’s a bit of an interlude between locks above Rode Heath, just enough time to grab a quick brew, then there’s the three close together, Lawton Treble Locks.

These are amongst the most attractive on the system…

…but the top paddles could do with a blob of grease.

The earthworks to the right on the previous picture are all that remains of a triple staircase that was the original set-up. But it was a severe bottleneck and was replaced during the Thomas Telford improvements in the 1830s. It was at this time that the locks were duplicated.


Halls Lock is just above the Lawton Treble, then there’s a short pound to the two Church Locks.

On both of the locks the offside (Brindley’s original) chamber is out of use…


…pretty well permanently!

If, like us, you keep the fender up against the cill and gate when filling a lock, you have to be cautious in Lock 47, Church Top.
The ladder-type reinforcing on the cill can snag the fender, holding the fore-end down with potentially dire results. At worst the fender will be ripped off, at worst… well, you don’t want to go there.

Out of the locks and we pulled in on the moorings just around the corner. Pleasant and sunny, there are good walks around here too.
Locks 10, miles 3

A late start but a good move as it turned out…

I collected Meg from Mutleys at around mid-day, Jo had done a good job on quite a difficult subject. Meg gets a bit fidgety if her coat is worked on for any length of time. No photo at this point, it was chucking it down.
But the rain had eased a bit by 1 o’clock, so we decided to make a move. The 2 Wheelock Locks were in sight of the moorings, and a boat had just come down so we knew we had a least one of the paired chambers in our favour.

The two parallel locks chambers are through the bridge arches in the distance. The left-hand one was the empty one.

Mags heading up towards the second pair.

Meg keeping close to her mum.

Nasty dad took left her to be shorn this morning, so she’s having nothing to do with him. We did reconcile a little later, though.

She wasn’t the only one needing a trim, the bow fender seems to be shedding it’s stuffing!
Going up narrow locks Mags holds the bow fender against the skid plate on the top gate. It saves having to try to hold back using the engine, but it does wear out the fender. Still, it’s lasted nearly 11 years…

We worked our way up the flight, through Malkins Bank and past the golf course where we had a glimpse of watery sunshine.

But it was still very dark ahead, as we approached the almost static traffic on the M6.

As we got nearer we could see that there were only two lanes open in each direction, and this may be the reason -

Extra supports have been installed under the bridge, and they’re reducing the weight of vehicles crossing the span.

Up the last two locks at Hassall Green and we pulled in on the moorings there.

We were surprised to see only three other boats heading down the flight. Unfortunately we were following a CRT work-boat up, and he was taking the empty locks. So we had to turn all but three of those we ascended today.

But we still made good time, 2½ hours for the 10 locks. The rain had fizzled out and the last handful of locks were done in fitful sunshine. It’s been dry with hazy sun since we pulled in, so all in all not a bad trip. If we’d had followed our normal practice of cruising in the morning we’d have had rain all the way.

Locks 10, miles 2½