Caldon Canal

Aqueduct at Great Haywood Junction

Leaving the excitement of Great Haywood behind the canal continues in a north westerly direction towards Stone and Stoke-On-Trent. It was a gentle run as the locks were broadly spaced and we enjoyed the tranquillity of the passing countryside. The canal wound it way through quiet meadows in the Trent valley and since it was so peaceful, we moored for the night before Stone, near Aston lock.

Stone clearly embraces, and has a strong association with the canal that passes through the town. There are good facilities (water, ablutions, elsan and rubbish disposal) close to the locks as well as shopping amenities. A replica portion of a working boat (the boatman cabin) is even used as a signpost where the canal meets the road network...

.."and at each end of the village limits is a welcome sign - for canal users!










Passing through Stone, we meandered our way towards Stoke-On-Trent, the home of the potteries. We moored opposite the Wedgwood factory determined to spend a full day 'doing' the factory tour but sadly we found the factory and museum closed for refurbishment.

So we continued on our way and just around the bend was the signpost for Stoke-On-Trent. This swan wasn't sure where he was either and as we rounded the corner it appeared as if he was reading the sign! Perhaps he was looking for a place to stop for the night or just looking for the address of his nest..





We wondered whether it was worth making our way down the Caldon branch of the Trent & Mersey canal but after a straw pole taken on the Narrowboat User Group on Facebook where it was highly recommended, we decided to go. I must admit, we were not disappointed.

The Caldon branch was built as an outlet for the peak district limestone quarries near Froghall and was originally opened in 1779. Almost two decades later the owners of the Trent & Mersey decided to build a secondary branch that terminated at Leek. Designed to provide a feeder from the new reservoir at Rudyard, the secondary branch joins the main branch at the summit, therefore negating the necessity for locks on that section. All things were stacking up to make this a good trip.

James Brindely

We turned onto the Caldon branch of the Trent & Mersey canal at Etruria top lock and moored opposite a statue of James Brindley.

But before that, while working our way through the Stoke flight, I was joined at the lock side by Rob, a local boy  who happily gave us some valuable information with regard to mooring, facilities and shopping and by the time we moored at Etruria , he was on hand to help us tie up. Rob is apparently well known along the Trent & Mersey between Stoke-On-Trent and Barlaston. For the sheer love of the canal, he takes up his trusty windlass and helps out wherever he can. Thank you Rob!

The first few miles of the Caldon Branch are very industrial and we were advised not to stop between Etruria and Milton (four miles from the junction) it wasn't long before we saw the wisdom of that advice Although there was good mooring at Hanley, we continued on our way and once past Milton we were rewarded when urbanisation gave way to beautiful countryside known locally as Staffordshire's "Little Switzerland". We could have been in another world!

This contour canal, James Brindley's trademark design, hugs the hillside contour where possible rather than making use of bridges, aqueducts and locks. The benefit of this design is an extremely picturesque outlook. The downside is the many tight turns as it winds it way through the beautiful countryside. We had to take things very slowly.
An added drawback to the Caldon canal is that the bottom was too close to the top (in other words the Caldon canal is quite shallow) but there must be worse things in life to worry about!

Mooring just short of Engine lock we had an amazing view from the swan hatch. In the evening the Canada Geese brought their goslings for our approval and in the morning we were greeted by a pony taking an early morning drink. Perfect!








At Hazelhurst locks the canal divides. The main line falls through three locks before following the Churnet River, while the secondary (Leek) branch follows the hillside contour before crossing over the main branch on a large aqueduct. Talk about spaghetti junction!

We followed the main branch and moored for the night close to the Flint Mill outside Cheddleton. Sadly, this superbly restored mill was closed (which was a little surprising since it was the start of the May Bank Holiday) but that didn't stop us taking a good look around before we walked into the village of Cheddleton.

Through Cheddleton, the canal side was dominated by a galvanised steel works until we reached the station on the edge of the village. The station, closed by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1988 was purchased by enthusiasts who re-opened the line in 1996 to run a steam-operated passenger train. This superb line, the Churnet Valley Railway, is operated between Leekbrook and Froghall by volunteers who are members of the North Staffordshire Railway.

We met up with friends Rob, Geri and daughter Lucy on Saturday morning (Ian's birthday). It has been a long time since we last  saw the Howell family, Lucy was a little more than a baby and their elder daughter Becky was a teenager at the time.  Little wonder we called Lucy "Becky" all weekend. sorry Lucy, will do better next time!

Before we set off down the canal we could hear the tooting of the steam train in the background. The theme was 'Barney Buffers' that weekend and I couldn't resist getting a photo of Barney although our granddaughter Hollie would probably tell me that he looks like Percy!

A few miles down the canal in the beautiful Churnet Valley we moored near the Black Lion Pub at Consall Forge. As it was Geri's birthday a few days before, we had a double celebration so we indulged with a sumptuous meal at the pub and finished it off with a beautiful chocolate cake that our daughter Tanya and husband David had sent with Rob and Geri. The setting couldn't have been prettier. Although I didn't get a photo of the steam train puffing its way through the valley, I did get this photo of an old diesel engine, crossing the canal at Consall Forge.

Sadly, Rob, Geri and Lucy had to return home on Sunday which made their time with us very short - not nearly enough time to show them how relaxing the canal system can really be.

However Monday was a holiday and the steam train was still running so we bought a day ticket and rode the tracks between Leekbrook and Frogall, hopping off at the various stations along the way and sampling cakes and scones in the tearooms of each station. Decadent but wonderful!

It was also lovely to see the canal boats from a different perspective, and we respectfully but regally waved to the canal boats as we steamed passed by on the train.




We finished Ian's birthday weekend with a bottle of bubbly (compliments of David and Tanya) on the front deck of  'Winedown' while watching the sun set over the valley.

North Portal of the Leek branch

Our next stop was Leek, where James Brindley originally set up a wheelwright business before he made a name for himself.

James Brindley, an English engineer born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century. At the age of 17, Brindley was apprenticed to a millwright in Sutton, Macclesfield and once he completed his apprenticeship he set up a wheelwright business in Leek. His abilities soon brought him to the attention of the Duke of Bridgewater who later commissioned Brindley as the consulting engineer to construct the Bridgewater canal.

Brindley's reputation soon spread and he was commissioned to build more canals. In total, throughout his life he built 365 miles of canals, among which are the Staffordshire & Worcester, the Coventry and the Oxford canals, all of which we have travelled along and enjoyed in our time on the canals.

We spent a few days in Leek and although Brindley is revered, we were a little disappointed that we couldn't get to the Brindley Water Museum and Watermill. We were also a little disappointed that we didn't see much evidence of the silk trade that originally put Leek on the map.

Nevertheless, it was time to move on again so we pulled up the mooring pins and set off once more down the Leek branch of the Caldon contour canal

Passing through the locks at Stockton Brooks, it was interesting to see the stone masons marks on the cut-stone of the lock walls.
Stone masons of the time were paid by the number of stones that they hand cut, therefore each has his own unique mark and these could still be clearly seen as the water flowed out of the lock and the boat was slowly lowered.

Besides the remains of the once splendid  Victorian waterworks, and built in more recent times is this sculpture, depicting  many elements that are iconic in Staffordshire and some that gave rise to this part of the canal network.

Remnants of the old limekilns; bolts from the railway tracks; picks used to build the canal and used in the nearby mines; and pottery from Wedgewood, Spode, Doulton and Moorcroft all sat alongside the iconic emblems of Staffordshire: An image of a spitfire, the iconic plane that contributed to the victory of World War II  - honouring locally born Reginald Mitchell's design and the factory at Burslem; an image of birds, reflecting the unspoiled countryside, and  the Stafford knot which was once used on the heraldic shield of Lord Stafford - 1583 - Stepfather to Henry Tudor (husband of Henry's mother Margaret Beaufort) and still appears today on many road signs, army berets, police badges, as well as pottery and football club crests.

On our return along the canal, we moored once again near Engine lock (so named because of a huge beam engine that used to be housed nearby to pump water from the mining works) and were amazed to see how quickly the goslings had grown in these ten short days.

In Stock-On-Trent once again, we turned our attention to the potteries and pottery museum. Since this unique city is affectionately known as The Potteries and with its rich industrial heritage, has claimed the title of World Capital of Ceramics, we found it hard to ignore.  The skyline was once dominated by thousands of smoky bottle-shaped brick kilns used for firing pottery, Probably as many as four thousand would have been built in the pottery heyday, most of them have been demolished but the 47 that remain are now being preserved.

The Emma Bridgewater factory is alongside the Caldon canal, so we made that our first stop, however the shear number of potteries and factory shops make it impractical to try to visit them all.

We signed up for the factory tour at Emma Bridgewater and enjoyed a cup of tea in the café while we waited for the tour to start. The tour, which lasted nearly an hour, was very interesting and we were able to meet a number of the workers and watch the intricacies of hand painting some of the choice items. Unfortunately we were unable to take photos inside the decoration shop because they have already started their Christmas collection.

After the factory tour we walked to the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and spent the rest of the day immersed in the history and heritage of the fascinating displays. The following day we picked up the ceramics trail once again and visited the Middleport factory as well as the Doulton and Wedgewood factory outlet before our weary feet dictated that we return to the boat, bringing an end to our Caldon Canal experience.