Harnser's Travels: Harecastle Tunnel

Friday 1 April 2022

Harecastle Tunnel

Again we woke to a beautiful bright day, again it was quite cool but a lot less wind. A boat passed a good hour before we left but with little traffic the Trentham lock was against us, it didn’t help they hadn’t fully closed the top paddles.
We chugged along in the sunshine with only dog walkers and cyclists being the only other people about.

Coming through Trentham I assume CRT volunteers have set trees all along the edge of the towpath and built the bug hedges behind them, These hedges can be seen in several places and just consist of brush wood held between upright sticks.

Another first for me are these distance markers, this time I think the Council must be responsible as there is no blue on them, interesting position opposite the waste bin to make a chicane.
Approaching Stoke on Trent the waste incinerator was puffing away nicely, first time I have seen smoke coming from it.

Just over the Trent Aqueduct a new unit is being built, good to see they are using old bricks for the facing unlike the next building along.

We met our first boat at the bottom of Stoke Bottom Lock, as we passed them they seamed to be having great trouble tying up with all three ropes to the lock landing, sill the lock was with us. In the lock I saved this poor fender from being caught in a gate or paddle. Its now repaying me as part of my mooring at Harecastle tunnel.

Would you believe it just after leaving the bottom lock we met another boat so the next lock right as well, well it would have if the top gates hadn’t let so much water in.

As you approach Etruria Flint mill it looks as if someone is about to come through the bridge hole at you, the the motor from a pair moored in front of the mill.

Both these locks were empty although the top one had leaked in a bit. Passinf Festival Park we stopped to chat with a friend and I now have battery/alternator envy. He has 24 volt bank of forklift cells fed by a 450 Amp alternator.
Beyond here there is lots of development going on on both sides of the canal.

There are a couple of vans parked in the frame work of this building and they are just dwarfed by it. one is a Luton style van and it fits in under the first floor and the building is 3 floors high. Next is the new bridge for the new spine road, no sign of this last time we were this way.

I nice interpretation board of Burslem Port lets hope the restoration goes ahead

You can see here on the left hand back where they are cutting away at the hill side.

A little further on on the right bank they have flattened acres of land but they are spreading it on top of a membrane with crushed concrete, a massive job.

We moored at Westport Lake for a bit as I had someone coming to meet us, there were a few spaces but as we plan to go through the tunnel in the morning we we moved on to moor first in line for the morning. Here you can see the rescued fender repaying me for my kindness.