As our previous trip ends at Westport lake, we'll have taken  a brief cruise  back to Etruria after re-stocking the boat in the days since our last guests left us.

 

Departure for this cruise will be from  Etruria Industrial Museum at  around 1.30pm

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We'll aim to get a few miles under our belts this first night - passing through  the less salubrious beginnings of the Caldon canal before we tie up for the evening.

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We were last here in Spring 2018 and it will be lovely to explore again - this time, with leaves on the trees  in full summer splendor.  Hopefully, life will be back to some kind of normal after the Covid Pandemic - certainly everyone in the UK will have been vaccinated by then and hopefully our overseas visitors too. 

 

Ideally,  Flint Mill  will  be  open and  perhaps the Churnet Valley Railway  too - and pubs available again... if not, we'll make the best of it anyway.

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Our plan will be to go up to Leek terminus first so our guests can explore on foot if they like and then head back down to Hazleurst Junction and make our way down to Froghall.

 

Ellis is a bit too high to fit through the tunnel to the basin but it's only a short walk on foot. to the Lime-kilns and we'll back the boat up once we've winded.

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As for overnight mooring spots, we'll  look at the map as we chug along and decide upon the best places to tie up dependent on the weather conditions and depth - from memory, it was quite shallow in places.

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We'll aim to spend our final night moored back on the Trent and Mersey mainline near Etruria - so we can perhaps have a visit to "The Holy Inadequate" ... surely the best pub name ever!

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Assuming we've not partaken of TOO many libations at the aforementioned establishment, we'll say goodbye to our guests after breakfast around 9.30 on our final morning.

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