Our First cruise of the 2022 season begins in Stone on the Trent & Mersey Canal – we’ll have been hidden away (hopefully) plugged in to shoreline for the worst of the winter and ready to burst out of the Marina to begin our travels.

 

 As has been stated at the top of the 2022 cruise schedule, this will be our first season with a dog on board.  The captain is really looking forward to having a pooch again after a long gap.  NO idea what flavour it’ll be as the selection/bonding process can’t begin until the end of the 2021 season.  Rest assured however, it’ll be a nice natured, quiet and odour free model… unlike the Capt.

 

This trip is approximately 1/3 of the 4 Counties ring and we will aim to cruise for around 5 hours each day.  We can adjust this figure so as to facilitate visits to the various attractions along the route such as Lion Salt Works Museum, Middleport Pottery, Etruria Industrial Museum and the Wedgewood factory.  None of these are obligatory and we can simply enjoy the cruise rather  than dash off lest right and centre on tours… it’s entirely up to you.

 

We’ll pull ropes and chug off shortly after our guests arrive about 1.30pm in Stone.  If we’ve got nice weather, we’ll aim for Barlaston or the Wedgewood visitor moorings for our first evening together.  That will facilitate a visit to the Wedgewood Factory the following morning if desired. 

 

Next day (dependent upon what time we’ve left Wedgewood) we’ll aim to moor around Etruria – possibly in time for a quick look around the Industrial museum but if not, we can have a later departure the following morning if our guests wish to visit it.

 

Our journey the following day will take us through Stoke to Middleport Pottery.  We’ll try and stop on the visitor moorings and with a bit of luck be able to get through Harecastle Tunnel and tied up around Hardings wood by the end of the day.  Ahead of us is the Heavily locked area of Heartbreak hill… a lot of locks to do so we might break the journey up and  spend a night at Rode Heath.

 

Middlewich is the next port of call so to speak and knowing the Capt. We may end up having fish and chips for tea (the chippy there is right next to the canal and VERY good). 

 

Over night stopping places suggested are not set in stone – some will be weather dependent given the time of year… April used to be a month  of showers…  thanks to climate change however, EVERY Month now attracts that description and certainly for the last 10 years or so, April has been a lovely and warm month – (famous last words)!

 

Total distance is about 40 miles and 50 locks . There are 12 small aqueducts or underbridges and 1 tunnel (Harecastle Tunnel (2919 yards long)