Caldon Canal 6th to 9th June
With Stoke dropping behind, we were soon out in the greenery. Been a really good year for buttercups. Passed a couple of homages to the industrial past of the area. And a ghost of when water management was a highly valued matter. Yes, that's a former water works. The Caldon Canal is so named because it uses the eponymous river for part of its course, and has two destinations, Leek and Uttoxeter, neither of which reached by the canal these days. At the fork in the way, the Uttoxeter route immediately drops three locks, while the Leek arm travels alongside and then crosses over on an aqueduct a little further on. Here's the junction. Both ends are IWA Silver Propellor locations. The canal gets quite close to Leek, through a tunnel and a winding hole beyond. Having spun, we then reversed up the Arm for a lovely mooring spot. Leek itself is an elegant town with a surprisingly large shopping area and plenty of independent shops, plu...