Three ways to get through Froghall Tunnel

We left our lovely quiet - once the geese had stopped honking - pontoon mooring in the basin at Froghall and came up the lock. There we topped up with water and observed a man get into his inflatable craft.

Brian told me he had driven from Derby with his folding bike, now stowed on board with two large bags. He was off up the Churnet to Cheddleton. He would be a lot quicker through Froghall Tunnel than us ...

... as would this paddle boarder.

On leaving the lock we turned right, away from the tunnel, to go to the very end of navigation.

And here's a shot looking back at the wharf buildings, now Hetty's Tearoom.

At about 1230, as arranged, Nev and Rachel (and Leia the dog) arrived to help guide us through the tunnel. As before, they were in the bow and I was at the stern. This time I had loaded the boat even more, with some logs I cut from a fallen branch and some pieces of broken concrete tidied from amongst the trees. I believe the boat didn't touch the tunnel brickwork at all.

Cherry Eye Bridge doesn't look too healthy.

We dropped off Nev and co at the next lock and we had an excellent cruise to Cheddleton/Denford. This really is a superb canal. This is Oakmeadowford Lift Bridge, the only one I didn't photograph on the way down.

Tomorrow we should at least get up the three Hazlehurst Locks before the worst of the weather hits. We will aim for the services at Endon and then, perhaps, stay put for a day.

Froghall Tunnel: would we get through?

Read on to find out how we got on with Froghall Tunnel. This morning we walked up the hill to get a paper. On the way we passed Cheddleton Flint Mill. It and the surrounding buildinngs make a picturesque scene.

Before saying goodbye to our mooring neighbours Jane and John I got them to pose with their recently won trophy from the AWCC.

John and Jane edit the BCF magazine to a very high standard - the award is well deserved.

I guess the covered area before the bridge must have been for loading from the mill. Other boats would have had to wait, I suppose.

I didn't spot Cheddleton Station but there was plenty of rolling stock on the Churnet Valley Railway, which accompanied us all the way to Froghall.

At Oakmeadowford Lock we joined the River Churnet for a fast glide through the trees. There were many pheasants around here (and, disconcertingly, a brace of dead ones under a balance beam at the lock).

We took on water from the high pressure water point by the lime kilns at Consall Forge; below Flint Mill Lock we met up with Nev and Rachel, with Leia the dog, who delivered some post to us. They accepted the invitation of a cup of tea; it didn't take much persuasion for them to climb into the bow to see if we could get through the tunnel, about a mile further on.

And so we arrived.  As before, when my brother and I took Lee Swallow through in 2005, I switched off the engine so we could inch through by hand.
 

Jan took this photo of Nev guiding us through...

... and this of me looking after the back end.

We made it to the other side with very little damage, despite the extreme lack of clearance most of the way along.  A brass centreline fairlead got slightly scraped, and I shall have to touch up a handrail at one point. Oh, and my leather hat looks a bit rougher now. But it was worth it, and we couldn't have done it without Nev and Rachel's help, so thank you. (And we'll see you tomorrow when you return to help us through the other way.)

So tonight's mooring is down the lock onto the "Uttoxeter Canal" and tied up to a pontoon.

The bonus is that we have mobile phone signal here and I was able to watch F1 qualifying on the laptop!

Uttoxeter Branch Canal

We drove to Froghall yesterday so that I could try to find the Uttoxeter Branch of the Caldon Canal. Well, I found the basin below the first lock all right - we winded here in 2005 a week after it opened - but the rest of the canal was rather more elusive.

The canal looks as though it should continue beyond the footbridge, but the undergrowth looked impenetrable, especially as I was wearing shorts and trainers.

We gave up temporarily, and walked up the route of the tramway which led to Cauldon Lowe (more about this anon).

When we got back to Froghall we walked round to the railway station, where little was happening, and had a good cup of tea at the Railway Inn next door. Then Jan went back to the car to rest her weary head while I set off by myself along the Churnet Valley Way footpath hoping to find traces of the canal.

It wasn't until I reached Oakamoor that I eventually found what I was looking for. An interpretation board drew my attention to the road next to the Cricketers Arms pub: the arch of a bridge over the canal was just visible.

On the other side of the road, full of trees, was a bit of actual canal - just.

The OS map indicates that there are a couple of short lengths in water further south, between Alton Towers and Alton vilage, but we'd run out of time and we were hungry. Jan drove to Oakamoor and we ate in the Lord Nelson pub before returning to Hartington.

Today we're off to visit Andrew and Bekka in Sheffield.