This spectacular ride of about 15 miles each way takes us from the Potteries to the Staffordshire Moorlands by way of the Caldon Canal which is an offshoot of the Trent and Mersey Canal.
The Caldon Canal is close by Stoke railway station and there is a good rail service from Derby, costing around £8 for a return ticket if you have a Railcard.
An unremarkable start below the busy streets of Stoke.
In fact pretty grim looking concrete locks further desecrated by mindless graffiti, but stick with it - it gets better as we go on.
Improving .............................
....... but we're a long way from Derbyshire.
Lots of industrial buildings alongside the canal to remind us of busier times.
The tall locks remind us that we are heading to a higher landscape.
In fact the canal rises by 150 feet by the time we get to Leek.
We are following Route 550 of the National Cycle Network.
Etruria where there is an industrial museum alongside the canal.
Yet more locks!
And more industrial buildings.
Note that the path has an excellent surface and this continues for most of the way.
Passing Hanley Park. There are public toilets here, but not of a high standard. (Pretty grim in fact).
And bottle kilns, a reminder of the area's industrial heritage.
Now this is more like.
Nice gardens at these houses.
Approaching the flight of locks at Stockton Brook.
Unusual sculpture alongside the locks.
Above this lock we cross on the road bridge to the left side of the canal.
Into open country ............................
Canada geese with lots of goslings.
Here the canal divides, with the left branch going on towards Uttoxeter and the right branch going to Leek by way of an aquaduct.
The Uttoxeter branch drops down at these locks to pass beneath the Leek branch.
Only a grass towpath here for a short distance.
A sharp left turn here as we cross this bridge to access the aquaduct.
This is the aquaduct............
.........with the Uttoxeter branch below.
Back to the right bank again.
Some lovely places to live out here.
Here the entrance to the Leek tunnel, less than 400 yards long but no towpath, and whilst boats get through in only 3 minutes, land transport has to go over the hill.
...by way of these steps, which fortunately have a bike wheeling ramp alongside.
In the days of horse drawn barges the animals would have been led over the hill on a bridleway path, which still exists.
Looking back down the steps we see the large lagoon where boats wait their turn to pass through the tunnel.
No steps on the other side, instead a very steep path down to water level. We are now almost in Leek and no doubt ready for refreshment.
Two recommendations -
Morrison's supermarket, just through the industrial estate.
And Wetherspoons which is the Green Dragon in St.Edward Street.
And a video of the first part of the cycle ride from Leek to the Tunnel
And a video of the locks at Stockton Brook
That’s very simple to follow thank you, I will pass this on, and the great thing about photo editing is there is more than one way to go about it!
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