ONE thing about the Caldon Canal—up to Leek at least—it is a dog walker's paradise, with multiple walks along its whole length.
Where we were moored on the lake at the entrance to the tunnel there were tracks, fields, woods and even a disused railway all within striking distance.
The walk
We discovered all these after She Who Must etc., etc. decreed we were to do not less than a two miles walk with Rusty, Thomas's Ridgeback, so set off down the path away from the canal where she espied a bridge across a field, complete with two rabbits, with Rusty dead in favour of all this. This led to a railway line that we tramped along, with though the rails still in place it was obviously disused and taken over as a walk. Then she decided the steep climb through a wood was the way back, following the course of the line until a path took us back down the wood and across the line and back.
I noticed that there was now very good access on the path over the tunnel for those swarms of visitors, and though we waited a while, alas, we were not able to catch one for the picture, which shows the extend of the spending. I have to ask do steps really have to be that wide?
Tie it properly
It was the next morning and we had battled back over the very shallow sections just reaching that long straight with Jan giving the 'slow down' command the same time as a fellow on the bank gave the same as we were about to pass his moored boat, but Thomas was unable to resist pointing to its rear rope that was so slack it was actually in the water! Surely the fella is not that thick that he cannot realise that with his boat so tied everything at whatever speed, is going to move it. Perhaps he is.
So far a very easy cruise back, with most of the five locks in our favour until we espied no less than six dog walks by the old railway bridge 14A, where having no itinerary for once we decided to stay. I reckon all of us will be a great deal fitter after this jaunt. And again a mass of most attractive bluebells on the path by the side of the canal.
Breach in the making
It was along one of these walks, one below the waterway, where we saw a breach in the making with water pouring from the canal down the bank, with quite a large pond having been created, and not only from one hole in the bank but from a smaller one a few yards along. There is little doubt that the bank is now porous, and it indeed could be the beginnings of a breach, or should that now be 'leak'?
It was in the past that this disused railway bridge was a haunt of yobs, dropping stones and even bricks onto boats passing underneath, and I well remember one actually hitting a visitor to the country on the head putting him in hospital.
Bandits
But from the old days of a great deal of such activity and even a section in narrowboatworld devoted to 'Bandits', things have certainly improved, with ourselves having no problems for quite a few years. Perhaps all those computer games are responsible, as 'bandits' seem to be a thing of the past. Or are we just lucky?
Then it was a very wet one, but this bottom part of the Caldon was better dredged than the Leek Branch, so we made good progress and a raising of spirits when with saw the refuge of a factory shop, so loved by She Who Must, but who was 'very aggrieved' to learn our 7am start had resulted in our being there over an hour before opening time.
Things on poles
Then it was the Trent & Mersey again to Stoke, whose first lock down has now sprouted a dragonfly on a pole. I hope that this is not the latest crack-pot idea from Cart of decorating its locks, as we all know there is not the money to waste. But when did that ever make a difference?
Or perhaps it signifies something or other, that alas, is something I do not know, but no doubt someone thinks it does.
We had a bit of trouble when we entered the second lock down from the junction, Lock 39 by the museum, on the way up. One of those 'traditional' wrecks being moored across the channel, missing it with inches lining up for the lock, but it caused even more trouble going down stuck out as it was not allowing us a clear way. I now understand the complaint is of others who have told about it, especially with longer boats.