Bring back

Hi All, Just to let you know, we completed the ring. Hard going a few very long days, but great fun. I've two questions that I hope someone can help me with :- We did the ring Anti clockwise and the last lock we encountered was the top of the Stoke flight just before the junction with the Caldon Canal. This lock is very very deep and after all the locks we had done, the rate at which the water filled the lock took us very much by surprise. So much so, that boat shot forward and thumped rather heavily into the gates. On reflection this was bound to happen due to the great difference in water levels, but wasn't so obvious at the time My first question is, does anyone know the actual rise of this lock ? Nicholson's and Pearson both say the flight rises in total 50'0' but I wondered if anyone knew anything specific to this individual lock. My second question is, is this lock the biggest rise on the four counties ring ? many thanks in advance

Many thanks for the replies. We are indeed picking our boat up from Etruria but I doubt we'll be able get it before 4.00pm We'll probably go anti-clockwise and get the tunnel completed at the very beginning istead of the very end, even if that does mean a very short first day and a stay on the southisde overnight.

Hello All, Many thanks for your replies re Four Counties / Cheshire Ring. I've looked up the estimated daylight hours and in Sept it's about 6.45am to 7.00pm. The others I'm going with have no problems with 12hr days so we should, in theory, be ok. My next question, assuming we pick up the boat at 4.00pm from Stoke, is, should we go clockwise or anti clockwise around the ring. ? If we go anti-cw then it'll be mooring at the South side of the Harecastle tunnel for the night. After looking at previous threads, no real problem except we'd lose a couple of hours possible crusing time. Many thanks

Hi All, I wonder if any of you can help, although I bet you've been asked this loads of time. Hiring a boat in Sept from Stoke. Would you recommend the us to do the Four Counties Ring or the Cheshire Ring. There are four of us on the boat and we have all been on the canals before. I was tempted to go for the Fourt Counties now I'm not so sure. Please help, I'm so undecided or am I , yes I am, no I'm not . . . . .