Queues at locks? What queues at locks?

Meaford to Kidsgrove

We've been fortunate with our locks so far. We've had to queue at only two or three locks, and each time it was behind just one boat. That was on the Staffs ands Worcs a couple of days ago. We've seen queues facing us, and boats have queued behind us, but so far we've had a good road.

Stoke Top Lock is one of the deepest we'll do on this trip.

There are few bottle kilns remaining in Stoke-on-Trent, but pottery manufacture still goes on here. Steelite sounds as though it is a metal company, but it makes the sort of things that this area is famous for ...

... as can be seen from the reject skip.

We made good time, stopping for lunch at Westport Lake (just south of Harecastle Tunnel). I made a tour of the lake by bike, photographing a goose behaving as if he owned the place.

And then it was on to Harecastle Tunnel, where we had to wait for only half-an-hour or so.

Shortly after exiting the tunnel we turned left onto the branch which leads to the Macclesfield Canal, and tied up on the 48 hour moorings between Poole Aqueduct and Red Bull Aqueduct. The former takes the canal over the Trent and Mersey main line; the latter over a road.

I knew there was a large Tesco along the road, so I whizzed there on my bike for essential supplies (milk and toothpaste). It was "interesting" getting down the steep bank to the road with the bike. Even more interesting getting up it again!

Tomorrow sees us on the Macc. proper to continue our journey north. Bosley Locks, here we come - woo hoo!