Caldon 2012 - Hem Heath

Caldon 2012

Leek to Hem Heath

12th October 2012

15 miles - 14 locks - 8 hours

We went to sleep with the rain rattling on the cratch cover but paid it little notice. We were warm and snug in the boat and the drumming of the rain eventually lulled us to sleep.

Mooring at Leek tunnel

Little did we appreciate just how much rain fell last night. The first inkling that something was amiss was when I climbed over the Leek Tunnel to get some photos and discovered streams of water cascading down the path. That and the fact that the water level had risen by about 4 inches.

Flooded Churnet Valley

Last night we had looked down on the meadows with the little Churnet winding it's way from one side to another, but what a difference a night makes. Instead of grass I saw a shimmering lake with a roiling flow tearing along the course of the river and tumbling over the banks into the surrounding flood plain. Roads, fences - everything was gone. I could only guess at the state of the river through Consall Forge, and what a relief that we opted to return upstream yesterday!

The flow can be a bit confusing when viewed from the canal. At the start is was flowing west, alongside the canal and then a mile or so later we were against the current - we had turned a corner and entered a different valley.

Hazelhurst Junction

We had more sun today, and after all the rain the air was clear and offered great views. But this improvement came at a cost as a cold northerly wind picked up and wormed its way through our clothes. 

Stockton Brook locks were against us, indeed as were all of today's 14 locks as it turned out. The route offered good foraging including Blackberries, Rowan Berries and Rose Hips. We has another pause at Milton, visiting the bakery and Abacus Books, plus observing a very youthful and a very full river Trent spilling into the gardens of the riverside houses.

Northwood, offered an amazing shot of a Kingfisher. He swooped into a bush beside the canal and then stayed there as we crept past. Helen steered and I concentrated on shooting a series of images, one of which was satisfyingly crisp and clear. Regular readers have seen it before but its so charming I have posted it again in the context of our trip.

We reached Etruria at 5.00pm having seen just one boat on the move  but with a clear sky overhead we decided to press on into the sunset, reaching Hem Heath in the last wash of evening light.

Caldon 2012 - Consall Forge to Leek

Caldon 2012

Consall Forge to Leek via Froghall

October 2012

12 miles - 12 locks - 6 hours

The day dawned grey and dreary, with rain falling on an off from beginning to end.

Froghall Basin

Rather than turn round and head upstream we decided to spend the morning visiting Froghall and hopefully find some fruit in the grounds of an abandoned farmhouse nearby. 

The river section ends at Flint Mill lock which is being slowly converted into housing. WB, as usual, gave the height barrier a hearty wack  but we know better and set to, stripping everything off the roof to let us squeeze through the diminutive proportions of the Froghall Tunnel, the smallest on the system. 

Froghall Tunnel

I am getting better at the Froghall and ran through with just one light touch. Instead of the usual emptiness of Froghall basin we found two other narrow boats present, but they were both closed up and laying over. In the event the foraging wasn't great, just some blackberries and apples - but it could be worse. The rain eased off as we returned to the tunnel and back to Consall Forge - the only boat moving. We paused at the Black Lion, picking us a couple of pints of take out, and then back up the docile little Churnet.

Caldon Canal near Consall Forge

We found sloes, blackberries and rose hips, but all the pears were in private gardens and beyond reach. Then it was up the Hazelhurst three, finding the paddle to the side pound at the bottom lock firmly and emphatically blocked. No playing with the side pound this time!

 Bolted side pounds and waterspouts

Hazelhurst Top Lock

Then it was round into the very slow but pretty Leek Arm, the trees arching over the channel which expands and contracts like a pair of bellows. We stopped short of the Leek tunnel, mooring in the wide as the rain really started to fall. Its a lovely spot, if a bit shallow.

Caldon 2012 - Consall Forge

Caldon 2012

Etruria to Consall Forge

September 2012

14 miles - 16 locks - 8 hours

For me, this is where the trip really begins - Etruria, gateway to another world.

After all the hustle and bustle of the Trent and Mersey the Caldon is an oasis of tranquility. It always amazes me that at any given time in the autumn the number of moving boats barely scrapes into double figures.

Milton Moorings

I mentioned my plan to visit the Caldon to another boater yesterday and she pulled a face, put off by the unprepossessing start through Hanley and the slow passage along a shallow channel. And I have to admit that whilst the start has  a certain historic charm, it is a far cry from the delights which lie beyond Engine Lock. Like a very good book with a weak first chapter if you like.

 Engine Lock Caldon Canal

Summit pound - Caldon Canal

Lets get that first bit out of the way. I routinely stop at Etruria and have never had any trouble. Its a good, quiet mooring with handy access to a whole range of Trust facilities. Then its a sharp twist up the staircase pair with the Caldon doubling back on the T&M and sees the boat nearly 40ft higher and looking down on the roof of the Etruria Bone and Flint Mill.

The first of several Kingfishers

Next is Planet Lock, squeezed between the heath centre and the local FE college both of which commonly provide an audience who could be described as "quaint". Perhaps the best was the drunken opera singer giving it her all but today it was all quiet. The canal corridor is the focus of a linear redevelopment which is slowly transforming the area, but at the same time wiping away much of its character.

The danger zone is through Northwood to Milton but today it was quiet. For the first time we paused to restock at Milton - the last frontier of civilisation before the Staffordshire moorlands beyond. Its a bit of a characterless town devoid of distinctive buildings but well supplied with shops including an excellent bakers, a Nisa Extra and a Co-Op. Perhaps the big find was Abacus Bookshop which is a real gem with a broad range of new and second hand stock - an unlikely find in such a small town.

 Milton

Then is was on to the deep Engine Lock which I negotiated solo and Helen was jam making continuing on to pass through the two lift bridges at Norton Green, passable solo but only with care and much fancy rope work.

Stockton Brook Locks threw up the only other boats of the day, and a good basket of cooking apples at the pumping station.

Stockton Brook locks

We reached Hazelhurst Junction at 5.00pm and had a decision to make. Carry on to Leek, as we have in the past, or to start down the Churnet valley. We opted to make for the Black Lion at Consall Forge which would let us sample the delights of this most isolated of pubs for the first time. The canal is shallow and slow going but we finally were released onto the river and opened the throttle just for the heck of it, the GPS soaring to a heady 5mph! 

Black Lion - Consall Forge

With the light gone we wasted no time in getting into the pub which was host to a select clientele of five regulars and two dogs. Amazingly they were able to opper us food and we had a good meal served quickly on sizzling platters washed down with pints of Black Hole and Hobgoblin for Helen and an Old Rosie for me.

Caldon 2012 - Etruria

Caldon 2012

Weston on Trent to Etruria

9th October 2012

16 miles - 16 locks - 9 hours

Maybe that mooring just above Weston Lock wasn't the best decision I ever made. The busy A51 wasn't far away and it kicked up quite a bit of road noise overnight - possibly a better choice would have been to stop closer to the Saracens Head.

A prop fouled Spey entering Lock 37 at Stone.

It was a cold night bringing with it on of the first real frosts of the season and ice coating the towpath as we left at 8.30am. The sun was dazzling as it rose behind us and it was quite amusing to see southbound boaters all wearing sunglasses in the frost, but the last laugh was against me. Just beyond Sandon Lock I was astounded to see a boat from the Stafford Boat Club pull out into the channel right in front of me - literally less than a boat length ahead and in no time at all I was all over his stern. I am usually pretty easy going but I was incensed at the rudeness, especially when he had the gall to turn and ask if I wanted a tow! Cheeky bugger.

I was going to post a photo of the offender but on reflection maybe he didn't see me against the glare of the sun. Its probably best for my karma right out if I take this point of view and anyway - he is from a neighbouring boat club and I will be wanting to use their slipway again in the near future.

Our boats became spaced out by Aston Lock and we made gentle progress, picking Sloes from the bushes as we passed - probably about 1.5 kilos which will make good jam.

But my boater troubles were not over. I must have woken with a the words "canal hooligan" tattooed on my forehead. My route into the second lock of the Stone flight was impeded by a boat moored at the waterpoint - his stern well out into the cut by the entrance bridge and a strong flow entering from the bye wash. No matter how careful a touch of metal was inevitable, and for my pains I got more sarcasm! By this time I was starting to doubt my approach to boating.

The rest of the trip into Stoke was uneventful and foraging continues:

Sloes - a steady trickle from lightly fruiting bushes

Crab Apples - loads, even in a bad season there are always lots around

Rose Hips - a steady supply from the lock sides, picked one pocket full at a time.

Water Mint - found, of all places, growing out of a bottom lock gate!

But I had promised apples and they were proving elusive. Then finally I hit the jackpot. On the approach to Stoke near the Brittania Stadium I found a cooker with a good crop leaning right over the canal. I just had to put the boat onto the mud and gather in a bucket full of superb green Bramleys.

The day did offer a final setback. By the time we were approaching Stoke I was working solo and I moored just below lock 37, beyond the low railway bridge which covers the entrance. I walked up and opened the paddles and returned to move the boat in as the lock emptied. Imagine my consternation when the flow out stopped and the lock started to fill again. Yes, you guessed it - a boater had reversed the flow without looking and didn't hear my hooting an account of the headphones he was wearing. At least he had the grace to apologise!

We made it to Etruria at 6.00pm with time to eat, cook up some Elderberries and settle in for an episode of Morse before an early bed. Tomorrow it is the Caldon, one of my favourite canals.

Kingfisher close up

Kingfisher close up
17 October 2012

My apologies for a break in the sequence of posts, I have been insanely busy of late and am very behind with my trip reports, and yet another trip to Istanbul wont make things any better.

We have just returned from a week on the Caldon Canal during which time we saw a number of Kingfishers, usually flashes of blue in the distance but once one of these beautiful birds swooped into a bush beside the canal and remained there whilst we passed.

Helen spotted him and took over steering whilst I tried to get a decent image.

I think this has to be the best Kingfisher photo I am ever likely to get.

Caldon 2011 - Endon to Meaford

Caldon 2011

Endon to Meaford

13th September 2011

The storm blew itself out overnight, the last ragged clouds parting to reveal a haunting full moon which hovered just over the hills to the south.

Bad moon rising

This is a remote area and by the time we got moving at 10.30am we had only seen one boat. We picked our way along the lonely summit pound to the five locks at Stockton Brook but Belle was feeling poorly so I was single handing my way along. I was very relieved to find most of the flight set in our favour and Belle emerged again just in time to steer the boat through the to lift bridges at Norton Green.

Pivot of old swing bridge at Endon

We soon found ourselves at Milton after which the rural landscape gives way to urban sprawl and the final lift bridge at Ivy House. We had a bit of an incident here which just shows  how even well rehearsed manouvers can go wrong. I was on the bank manning the bridge controls and Belle brought Wand'ring Bark through planning to rope up on the Stoke side whilst I closed the bridge. The snag was she got off and she had left the boat in reverse, realising her mistake too late as the boat was powering away from the bank and back towards the bridge. I decided the car drivers could wait, so I legged it down the towpath and managed to jump on the receeding bows at the very last moment. No harm was done but its scary how this sort of thing can happen at any time.

Caldon Canal summit pound

This wasn't the end of the drama. Just ahead a hire boat was tied to the bank and its crew of four were staring solemnly down the weedhatch, as if into a grave. With Wand'ring Bark secured I walked down to see if  could help. They had caught a bladeful of something unknown and after an hour of ineffectual prodding wit the boathook they were calling the hire base for assistance. "Whats down there?" I asked - "Dunno" came the reply. "Have you had a look?" - "We don't fancy the look of the water". It seems a bit unreasonable to get the engineer out without a proper DIY attempt so I laid down into the hatch and soon emerged with a huge pile of polythene. They have clearly never boated on the BCN!

Site of the fire near the gas pumping station at Stockton Green

Planet Lock is the place to meet mad people. Most times I pass through I seem to encounter a mad / drunk / high person. I don't know if its the combined proximity of the big medical centre and the further education college, or what - but the place really attracts them.

Our passage through the rest of Stoke was uneventful, with a steady string of boats rising up and so speeding our passage through the locks.

The traffic ceased as we passed through Hem Heath and thunder clouds gathered above us. Eventually the heavens opened as we entered Trentham Lock, soaking us and the wheelchair bound skipper of nb Shropshire Lass 2 who was loitering in the area whilst his wife has having a broken leg set in the nearby hospital. We were planning to get into Stone for the night and sample the real ale at a recommended pub, but fate decreed otherwise. Just as we were approaching the top of Meaford Locks the bodged repair to the hatch cover (broken in Froghall Tunnel) decided to fail and we were left with an unlockable boat. We therefore stopped and by raiding various bits of the internal fit out were able to effect a decent fix, completing it just as the sun set.

Caldon 2011 - Hazelhurst Locks

Caldon 2011

Hazelhurst Locks

12th September 2011

I mentioned a surprise at Hazelhurst Locks in yesterdays post.

The surprise was a working side pound at lock number three - the bottom lock.

Working paddle gear at Hazelhurst No3 side pound

You can find the remains of side pounds all over the system but in spite of water shortages this simple way of halving water use at locks can be found in very few locations today. I don't really understand why this is so - maybe they are deemed too complicated for boaters to use or maybe they were seen as unnecessary in a time of few boat movements. Today things seem to be different and I detect a subtle change in the turbid waters of the canals.

First drain the side pound...

I am sure that the side pound wasn't working last autumn but as I approached it it paddle gear was well greased and the chamber was nearly full so I flushed the water into the lock lifting Wand'ring Bark halfway up the lock. I then closed the sluice and continued to fill from the pound above. Of course, these side pounds are only as good as the integrity of the sluice and a veritable fountain of water was spraying back as the water made a level.

... then close the paddle and top up the lock from the upper pound.

All this effort was quite futile because the next two side pounds are not operating, the chambers are there but there is no paddle gear to release the water. 

My question is: How many operating side pounds exist today? Hazelhurst No3 is one and the top three of the Droitwich Junction all work as well. Where else can we find these endangered species?

Caldon 2011 Froghall to Endon

Caldon 2011

Froghall to Endon

12th September 2011

9 miles - 8 locks - 5 hours

Today was never about setting any records in terms of distance or time. The objective was to be well placed for a descent into Stoke and on towards Stone tomorrow.

Entering Froghall Tunnel

We woke in the splendid isolation of Froghall Basin, the wind sighing through the trees backed by a tinkle of water going over the weir and a faint him from the nearby industry. We had time to kill this morning as we were being joined by Belle's friend Louise who she hadn't seen for about 30 years so I set off to have a look for the remains of the Uttoxeter Canal - abandoned in the mid 1800's. The start was promising - a clear exit from the basin but with no prior research I soon got lost. I thought I found a canal bed near the River Churnet but a later look on the web showed that I was way off the mark. I had crossed its path several time but there are no tell tale traces in the first half mile or so beyond the A52. It just goes to show the necessity of planning these things in advance.

 Scenes near Froghall on the Caldon Canal

Louise arrived at 10.30 and off we went, filling with water from the tap by the lock and then back through the tunnel making a much better job of it that I did on the way in. Somehow, it is easier going north. Don't ask why but that's the second time I have passed through without touching.

Consall Forge Station

There were gale force wind today and all the trees on the high ground were bending and thrashing. We, however, were tucked away in the depths of the Churnet valley where geography and vegetation took the sting out the wind. There were a number of fallen branches in the cut and we were periodically showered with acorns, clanging off the cabin roof.

 Chedderton Mill

It was too early for a pint at Consall Forge's Black Lion, but our schedule did offer time to pause and saw up a big load of timber which was laying felled on the river bank. Whilst I was wielding my Stihl the Ward's arrived again and we chatted for a while (I think it may have even been bantering) and Brenda left me with six back copies of the Boundary Post for bedtime reading on the way back to Birmingham.

The canal back to the summit pound was very quiet with hardly a boat moving, maybe four or five all day. The wind did play its part, particularly for a hippy boat which was caught in a strong side blast and ended up alongside some moored craft. I didn't see its name - maybe it didn't have one - but those of you from the north Birmingham area will recognise it, the one with a polystyrene skull on the front with a mohecan of feathers over the top.

Louise stayed with us till the Boat where she jumped ship and sought passage back to Froghall by taxi (sorry about the puns!). I was rather surprised to see the Chedderton Flint Mill museum open for business so, with Bell off for a sleep, I wandered over to take a look. There was no one there so I made my own way round, stopping here and there to touch the machinery which was so familiar from my family mill in Norfolk back in the 1960's.

 The Black Horse at Endon

Belle was still asleep when I reached the three Hazelhurst Locks which offered a bit of a surprise (more of that tomorrow).  Beyond the junction we really started to feel the impact of the storm, the boat crabbed its way along the summit pound and we were pleased to moor at Park Lane Wharf at Endon. We fancied a meal out so took a walk along the main road to the Black Horse Inn, an honest and homely pub who served us with a generous portion of burger and chips washed down with a couple of good pints of beer from St Austel Brewery - total bill £23 for the two of us. The pub is clean, the bar staff attentive, the toilets clean but the downside was the Sky Radio station which played away and a general lack of atmosphere. All in all "OK if you want to eat out but dont expect anything very memorable". 

Full moon at Endon

In contrast to a bit of a run of the mill pub, the back end of the Caldon is something special. It has a certain other worldlyness about it like you are stepping back several decades in time. Facilities are few and far between but if it is peace and isolation you like, this is the place for you. This us particularly surprising given its proximity to Stoke - a secluded corner of the canal network which calls us back time and time again.

Caldon 2011 - Leek to Froghall

Caldon 2011

Leek to Froghall

11th September 2011

10 miles - 6 locks - 5 hours

Having got my heart pumping with a brisk eight mile hike before breakfast I returned to Wand'ring Bark famished and thirsty, with Belle just waking up.

Hazelhurst Aqueduct

With a short trip to Froghall Wharf there was no time pressure so when the heavens opened there was no need to press on. We settled down and read the Saturday papers sipping some rather pleasant coffee - boating as it should be. The sun made a welcome return so we set off at 11.30, plodding slowly down the shallow Leek Arm to Hazelhurst and as we crossed the aqueduct I heard a rhythmic roaring from down below. Peering over the balustrade I saw a long chain of beefy blokes pulling a rope which was connected to a telegraph post with wheels at the top and a tub of cement on the other side. Either this is a local sport or its a tug of war team in training.

Tug of War training equipment

Belle has decided that today was the day to find sloes, a foraging objective which had so far eluded us.  We finally found some Sloe bushes by bridge four, its upper branches laden with the little blue fruit. We attacked it with the boat hook and were busy gathering as a couple wandered up bag in hand, clearly also on the foraging trail. The couple were Matt and Em who had just attended a foraging walk and had been tipped off about these trees. There were plenty of fruit so I hung on the hook whilst the three of them picked away. All went well till I discovered the breaking point of sloe branches - and ended up on my bum surrounded by giggling pickers! Matt and Em had never been on a narrowboat so they hopped aboard for a mug of tea and a trip as far as the Boat Inn.

Matt and Em - foragers

I have been down here a couple of times before but have never seen the steam railway working. Today the engine was chuffing its way up and down the valley, the sound of its chirpy whistle carrying for miles. The irritating thing was that whilst I could see glimpses of it through the trees, I couldn't get a decent photo.  Imagine my joy when we pulled away from Consall Forge water point only to see the train pulling out of the station. The photo's were a bit hurried but the driver seemed as pleased to see us as we were to see him.

Steam Train at Consall Forge

The canal narrows after Flint Mill Lock, its channel contained in concrete edging leading to a handful of moored boats just before the tunnel. Several curtains twitched when it became apparent that we had no intention of stopping and were heading through the tunnel - all curious to see if we could make it through.

Froghall Wharf

As before, we gave the height barrier a good clonk as we entered but buoyed by my success last time I went in at a fair lick, and therein lay the seeds of my destruction. Well, maybe destruction is a bit strong - I swerved a bit and caught the hatch on the brickwork, tearing it off the runners and breaking the wooden back stop and showering Belle with chunks of carpentry. Belle maintains that I was like a teenager showing off a motorbike with a wheelie down the street - I don't know what she means.

Froghall Wharf Circa 1900 with limestone bound for the Brunner Mond Works at Sandbach

Froghall Wharf 1910 before its closure in 1920

Having slowed down the remainder of the passage through the tunnel was uneventful, we had a good 1cm of clearance on both sides. 

Finger pontoons at Froghall

I was delighted to discover that the Froghall Wharf, set below the first lock of the Uttoxeter Canal, was unoccupied giving us sole use of this lovely spot. When I visited with Jeff last autumn the basin was very weedy and the jetties were covered with duck poo. There has clearly been some work done as the water was clear and the pontoons as clean as a whistle.

All in all this remains one of my favourite moorings.