New to Caldon Canal

[LutraSkip]

Ann and I are heading up the Trent & Mersey intending to make our first visit to the Caldon. We will probably be at Etruria Junction early Saturday afternoon. We would be grateful for advice from locals and regular visitors on nice places to moor and, if any, places to avoid mooring. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

 

Richard Holland

[Idunhoe]

Etruria junction itself is not a bad place to moor (CRT facilities and not too far to walk to city centre for shopping etc) After that I personally would avoid stopping in Hanley Park. Milton is worth a stop for local shops. Many of 'us locals' stop above Engine Lock (lock number 4) not much in the way of facilities but peaceful and quiet. There are equally good moorings below engine lock when heading off the Caldon. After two lift bridges (windlass required) and the five locks of Stockton Brook flight virtually anywhere is OK but be warned the edges of the canal are very shallow in places. The only other CRT services are at Park Lane Endon and if you have a pump out the only place to get cards for the machine along the whole of the canal are at the Spar shop at Endon - just a short walk from Post Lane bridge visitor moorings.

Hope you have an enjoyable trip

Edited to add

If your boat is the Lutra listed on Jim Shead's site as having 2' 10" draft you will find the bottom very close to the top in all but the centre of the navigation and many of the bridge holes are seriously in need of dredging.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Idunhoe

[frangar]

We draw 2ft 8in and didn't find it too bad last year.....if you get to consall forge then make sure you go to the Black Lion...ace place plus if its a weekend you can play with steam trains!!

 

Also if you feel brave and your boat fits the gauge there are ace moorings thro froghall tunnel.

 

We loved it up there

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Idunhoe]

Also if you feel brave and your boat fits the gauge there are ace moorings thro froghall tunnel.

We loved it up there

Cheers

Gareth

The gauge below lock 17 is a tad pessimistic so don't be put off if you barely get under it

[frangar]

True...we touched the gauge slightly but made it thro the tunnel unscathed....was fun!!...make sure you top your water tank right up both ways!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Keeping Up]

After leaving Stoke there's also a very good stretch of mooring after bridge 14; deep water with good piling, and lovely views over the valley. It's one of our favourites in the area, and probably the first place I'd stop overnight after leaving Eetruria.

 

Don't forget to visit the end of the Leek arm, and to go to the Hollybush and the Black Lion pubs.

 

I reckon the gauge for Froghall is between 2 & 3 inches pessimistic.

[little duck!]

I personally preferred the Leek branch and there was a great view from the top of the hill above the Leek tunnel, we moored just before the Leek tunnel on one night and opposite a farm on the 2nd! We made it to Froghall but didnt go through the tunnel as we had only just taken ownership of the boat! We topped up with water near the railaway and kilns, can t remember what it was called and havent got the maps to hand, sorry. we found the locks nearest to Froghall a bit awkward , they seemed to leak a lot, we were the only boat in the area that day and the Lock was over half full when we came back to it. Some of the bridges are a tight squeeze on headroom, but it all adds to the fun!

Edited June 6, 2013 by little duck!

[LutraSkip]

Thank you to all of you who have provided such helpful information. We have now completed our visit to the Caldon Canal and have enjoyed it enormously. We have a 2ft 10in draught according to our boat spec, but we managed very well, by staying in the middle as much as possible, though we did find some stony underwater obstructions to bounce along in places! We could see that some of the edges were shallow, but we managed to get in to moor in all the places we chose. The canal is as beautiful as the books say. The arm to Leek is particularly impressive. We spent a night on a lovely mooring with superb open views across the valley. We didn't clear the gauge for the Froghall Tunnel and despite some of the contrary advice didn't have the nerve to go through. We walked it instead. It was good to see so many people enjoying the amenity of the towpath. Other good moorings were found above Engine Lock, below Woods Lock and at the bottom of Stockton Brooks locks. We look forward to a return visit.

 

Richard.

[BruceinSanity]

Very helpful topic: we're doing the Caldon now. I understand that we can't wind 70' before the tunnel and will have to turn at Consall Forge as we'll be too high to get through to the basin.

 

Is that right?

 

TIA

[Paul C]

Yes, the last full-length winding hole is the last but one before the tunnel. The one just before the tunnel (you can turn and reverse onto the moorings if you want to moor there) isn't full length and judging from its size/etc, it is restricted and not just overcautious information.

[stickleback]

Thanks for the advice! We moored by bridge 28 and got lovely eggs, bacon and black pudding from the Fine Feathers Farm shop! And coming back have just moored up not far from bridge 14. I will know by morning hoe we found it!

 

Coming through Milton towards Stoke I saw some kids on a bridge obviously watching the boat carefully so I went to the front to get a better view and saw they had several half bricks on the parapet. One kid lobbed one towards the boat so I promptly got the camera out and started photographing. The kids vanished below the parapet and only reappeared after we had gone under and away from the bridge - waving nicely!! Do they not realise the harm a half brick could do??!!

Edited August 4, 2013 by stickleback

[Biggles]

Last time we were up there (Land based) the moorings around the Hollybush Pub looked quite nice. We rented a cottage next to the pub. This set us on the road for a NB which we did a year or so later.

[tillergirl]

and watch bridges 8 & 9............8 is low, 9 is even lower, take chimney and flower pots off roof - some quick chucking stuff off roof when we went down

 

Fine feathers is closed now.............some nice moorings near there but theres odd bits of "tin" to moor on both branches..............nice and isolated if you like that sort of thing

Edited August 4, 2013 by tillergirl

[Neil2]

This is us just clearing the guage at Froghall.

 

 

......But quite a bit of clearance in the tunnel.

 

 

 

As has been said before, it's not really the height above water but the profile of the cabin that determines whether you can get through. Boats with modest tumblehome will struggle.

 

 

[stickleback]

Tiller girl, Fine Feathers was open on Saturday ...

[Wilkido]

What is the maximum length of boat that can turn at entrance to froghall tunnel?

[RichardH]

I absolutely loved the Caldon and wish it was linked to the Leeds Liverpool at the end of the Springs Branch

 

But that is a dream and we live with reality - the reality for me being to hire a boat like I did last time - it was well worth the trip.

[Paul C]

What is the maximum length of boat that can turn at entrance to froghall tunnel?

 

The 'book' value is 65 foot but I think its a bit silted up, so a 65 footer may struggle to turn here.

[Pete of Ebor]

What is the maximum length of boat that can turn at entrance to froghall tunnel?

 

The warning sign at Flint Mill Lock says 65', or at least it did in 2008

Edited August 7, 2013 by Pete of Ebor