Monday April 23rd, Westport Lakes - Rode Heath

After a relaxing day yesterday, we both wanted to be up and at ‘em today as we could now get down to a more realistic cruising mode rather than the stop-start, essentially very slow progress we have made over the last couple of weeks.

Harecastle Tunnel southern portal

It is just a mile to the tunnel moorings, mainly in straight lines passing the huge works of Johnson’s Tiles. The sides of the canal start to rise signalling the nearness of the tunnel.

There was already one boat waiting at the moorings, they had apparently stayed there overnight. As no boats were coming the other way, we were soon on our way into the tunnel’s mouth. Elaine, as is her wont, dived inside the boat ready to get the bathroom gleaming, and to do other sundry chores. She doesn’t do long tunnels, bless her!

To my surprise the tunnel was largely dry with only a couple of places with minor drips from the ceiling. Given the torrential rain we have had over the last week or so, I would have expected more. According to Nicholson’s, the tunnel is 2926 yards long, and is awkward in that the ceiling varies in height above you all the way through, and for a short distance near the centre, the steerer has to crouch Quasimodo style if he is to keep a head on his shoulders.

Harecastle Tunnel north portal

However, after 35 minutes we emerged at the Kidsgrove end, the boat now afloat in water that looks more akin to Heinz Tomato Soup. The colouration is caused by iron oxide leaching from the former mines under Harecastle Hill and it discolours the water on both sides of the tunnel (but particularly the north) for some distance. There were plans to eliminate the leaching some years ago on the rather spurious grounds of pollution, but as it has been like it for 250-odd years without any undue effects, and a huge outcry of protest, the plans seem to have been dropped.

Harding's Wood Junction

Once through the tunnel, the canal passes through a rather dismal section past Harding’s Wood Junction where the Macclesfield Canal bears off to the west, before the Trent & Mersey starts the descent of Heartbreak Hill.

The reason for the Macc to bear off the “wrong way” is made clear after the T&M has dropped down the first two locks as it crosses the T&M on a low aqueduct  having double back on itself.

The first six locks are called the Red Bull Flight and just after the pub that originally gave the flight its name, we pulled in at the Red Bull maintenance yard to empty the loo & get rid of the rubbish.

Then it was a case of pressing on down the remaining locks of the day before we got to our mooring at Rode Heath. Heartbreak Hill is so named as there is a rise (or fall) of 250 feet or so over 7 miles which includes 26 locks. During the canal’s heyday all but two of the locks were duplicated and most of the twin locks are still operable. There is a popular campaign headed by the Stoke on Trent branch of the IWA and the T&M Canal Society to reinstate the 9 “missing” duplicate locks.

Once past the maintenance yard at Red Bull, the urban surroundings that have been a feature for us for several days are over as almost immediately you pass through some of the most pleasing countryside on the network.

Church Locks

As the locks drop you down towards the Cheshire Plain, an enticing landscape emerges of ploughed fields and green pastures interspersed with small copses of trees. The ground swoops and dives in little hillocks and hollows – all very enticing and popular with dog walkers.

We had a great run down the locks with all of them full or virtually so. We were helped as well by four boats ascending the flight and at two of the locks the top gate was already open, as if to welcome us with open arms.

Eventually we reached the bottom of Lawton Treble Locks and we were on the home straight now with one of the longest pounds between the locks before we reached our mooring destination of Rode Heath where we just managed to squeeze between two boats into the last remaining space.

God, it’s good to be really moving again (even if we still tie up before lunch time)!