Previous which Year : 2024 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2026

2025 - The Leek & Caldon Canals.

Crew : Pete W, Stan, Pete M & Dave (BTS1)

Boat : "Phoenix"

Route : Great Haywood > Stone > Etruria > Hanley > Stockton Brook > Somewhere near Leek > Consall Forge > Cheddleton > Hanley > Etruria > Barlaston > Stone (delayed by canal closure) > Great Haywood.

Coverage : 74 miles and 68 Locks.

Notes : Following Alan's sudden death last year, we decided to keep the crew at six this year rather than recruit any new Bona Boaters. Whilst it would make the boat a bit more expensive, it would also give us a little more space. The initial crew of six was to have included John & Chris, however, John was suddenly scheduled to have an operation shortly before this trip meaning he would be unable to walk, and Chris (...living up to her nickname - "Nursie"...) would have to stay at home with him and nurse him back to health. This left a crew of only four on the boat. Furthermore, Pete M would have to leave the boat on Wednesday to go on a Morris trip to Germany with his other Morris team [Lincoln & Micklebarrow Morris Men] thus leaving a crew of only three on a 70 foot, 10 berth boat - but at least there would be plenty of space !

The original plan had been to go from Great Haywood > Leek > Froghall > Wind at the winding hole just before Froghall Tunnel, then back to Great Haywood by Friday Lunch, and on to Colwich for Friday Evening. We were advised by the boatyard not to go past Flint Mill Lock (Lock 17) as the winding hole by Frogall Tunnel was now badly silted up, and we would not be able to wind.

Yet again we were to be inconvenienced by C&RT's inability to maintain the canal system. We were initially delayed by very low water levels on The Trent & Mersey Canal between Great Haywood & Stone - and particularly through Stone itself, where many boats were running aground. This resulted in a three day closure of Yard Lock (Lock 28) in Stone. Luckily, having the extra half-day to Colwich built into the original plan, this did not affect us too much in the end.

Furthermore, the Caldon Canal seems to have become almost un-navigable in places, especially for a full length boat negotiating (..or attempting to negotiate..) some of the very tight and silted-up bends - not to mention the silted-up winding hole at Froghall. It really didn't seem this difficult on our previous visits. I wonder when it was last properly dredged ?

C&RT has shown yet again that it is incapable of maintaining the canal system

and is therefore not fit for purpose.

Saturday 17th May

Morning : We arrived at the boatyard at about 12:30 to find that the boat was ready. We loaded up, had the obligatory walk-through, and had departed by about 13:15, bound for Stone.

Afternoon : At the first lock after leaving the boatyard - Hoo Mill Lock (Lock 23), we unexpectedly found ourselves fourth in the queue for the lock. This resulted in a delay of about an hour to pass through. Oddly, we didn't have to queue as long at any other lock that afternoon.

Evening : Stone. After an unexpectedly slow passage due to generally low water levels, we eventually reached Stone, and were moored up on the visitor moorings below Star Lock (Lock 27) by 18:30. We repaired to The Swan Inn for a little light refreshment before making our way to The Crown of India for an excellent, if somewhat "red" curry - everything seemed to have been coloured red - even the cauliflower in the cauliflower bhaji was bright red ! After the otherwise excellent curry, we repaired to Bod for some more beer. Bod is one of a chain of modern cafe-bar style pubs owned by Titanic Brewery. Not the sort of place we would normally choose to go, but it is next door to the curry house and it does serve the range of Titanic Brewery beers. Pete W & Stan had both visited it previously, albeit fairly early on a Bank Holiday Monday morning during Bargecade 2022 and it was OK then. On a Saturday night however, it was a different story - it was busy, very loud and hot - though the beer was still OK. After one beer here, we decided to retire to the boat for Port & Stilton.

Sunday 18th May

Morning : We had an early start at about 08:00 and headed for Etruria Junction. The going was still quite slow in places. Canalplan reckoned on about 6:15 for the journey. Despite our usually running somewhat quicker than Canalplan's standard estimates, we still took over 6½ hours for the journey, arriving at the junction at about 14:40.

Lunch : Etruria. We arrived at Etruria Junction, made tight the turn on to The Caldon Canal, then reversed out on to the visitor moorings opposite. We moored up and repaired to The Holy Inadequate for several pints of their excellent Etruscan Dark Mild.

Evening : Hanley. As it was a relatively short run from Etruria to Hanley, we left Etruria at about 17:00. We successfully ascended the Staircase Locks and were moored on the visitor mooring by Lichfield Street Bridge (Bridge 8) by about 18:30. After a short snooze, we went to The Coachmakers Arms for several pints of excellent Draught Bass, followed by a somewhat bland curry in The Jaflong Curry next door before returning to The Coachmakers for several more pints of Bass.

Monday 19th May

Morning : Pete W received a call from the boatyard telling us that Yard Lock (Lock 28) in Stone was to be shut for two days - Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd. Assuming that it were to reopen on the Thursday as expected, then it would not affect our original plan, so we decided to continue with it.

Lunch : Stockton Brook. After an 08:30 start, we headed for Stockton Brook. We arrived at Bridge 25 (the nearest bridge to the pub) a bit early, so we climbed the remaining locks, moored and walked back to The Sportsman arriving there at about 12:15. It had Bombardier & Pedigree on. Not having seen Bombardier for some time, we duly ordered three pints of it only to find it well on the turn - it could almost have been used on chips ! Having sent it back, a new cask of Courage Directors was put on and that was absolutely fine. Several pints of Directors later, we set off for Leek.

Afternoon : Pete W received another call from the boatyard telling us that the stoppage in Stone was now to be extended into a third day, and that the lock was not now scheduled to reopen until 4pm on Friday 23rd. This would now affect our plan - we would have to scrap the final day's trip to Colwich, and just try to get back to Great Haywood by Friday evening. If the lock didn't open until 4pm and we were also at the back of a long queue of boats waiting to use it, then we could end up stuck somewhere well short of Great Haywood on Friday night, and possibly even be late getting the boat back on the Saturday Morning. We'd have to wait and see what happens when we get to Stone...

Evening : Somewhere near Leek. After struggling to Leek, we passed through Leek Tunnel and winded at the winding hole below the feeder from Rudyard Lake. Unfortunately, the feeder arm was already completely full of boats leaving us nowhere there to moor, so we had to set off back along the canal to try to find a mooring spot. The length of canal between the tunnel and the winding hole does not have a well defined edge and is overgrown with reeds in many places. By 19:30, we had eventually managed to find a spot where we could just about get close enough in to be able to use the plank. As this was about half a mile further from the mooring - and the mooring itself is at least a mile from the town centre, we decided it was too far to walk back into Leek, so we stayed on the boat. Stan rustled up some sausage sandwiches which were washed down with red wine, followed by a relatively early night.

Tuesday 20th May

Morning : We left the spot near Leek at about 08:50 heading for the winding hole above Flint Mill Lock (Lock 17) near Consall Forge. The original plan had been to go past Flint Mill Lock down to Froghall Tunnel and wind there, however the boatyard had advised us not to do this as the winding hole before Froghall Tunnel is now somewhat silted up - as it seems is much of the rest of The Caldon Canal - and we might not be able to turn. We therefore decided to wind at Flint Mill Lock instead.

Lunch : Consall Forge. We had hoped to go to The Black Lion at Consall Forge, but the CAMRA GBG app suggested that it would be closed on a Tuesday. As we passed by the pub before winding, there appeared to be some activity, so we sent a runner just to check that it was actually shut, and it wasn't - it was open ! It now closes on a Monday instead. We winded and returned to Consall Forge to find another boat just arriving on the mooring. Luckily, we just managed to squeeze onto the remaining bit of the mooring. We repaired to The Black Lion for several pints of refreshment - unusually including rhubarb cider and pineapple cider. We left Consall Forge at about 16:00 heading for Cheddleton.

Evening : Cheddleton. After leaving Consall Forge, we headed for Cheddleton. There are some moorings near The Boat Inn in Cheddleton, but they were all full when we passed, so we decided to climb Cheddleton Locks and stop on the visitor moorings near Cheddleton Flint Mill. We were moored up by about 19:00, and we repaired to the "other" The Black Lion where we ate. Pete W, Pete M & BTS1 all had rather good Steak & Kidney puddings - and they were proper puddings too - not just a stew in a pot with a lid on ! These were washed down with several pints of excellent Draught Bass. We left the pub at about 22:00 and returned to the boat.

Wednesday 21st May

Morning : We left Cheddleton at about 09:00 and took water at Park Lane Services near Endon.

Lunch : Stockton Brook. After taking water at Endon, we descended Stockton Brook Locks and moored below Stockton Brook Bottom Lock (Lock 5). We then walked back up the Locks to The Sportsman again. This was where Pete M would have to leave us as he was going to Germany with Lincoln & Micklebarrow Morris. We said our goodbyes, Pete went for his bus, and we settled down to several pints of Courage Directors. We finally left the pub about 15:30.

Evening : Hanley - Everyone failed ! After leaving Stockton Brook, we headed for Hanley. Having arrived and moored by Bridge 8 in Hanley by about 18:45, we decided it was a bit too early to go to the pub, so we decided to rest our eyes for an hour or so... When Pete W woke up at 21:00, he decided that he had failed and went to bed. Stan decided to follow suit shortly after, and he too went to bed. When Dave finally woke up and realised that both Pete W & Stan had failed, he too retired. No one went anywhere on Wednesday evening - no evening meal was had, no beer was drunk, no port was drunk and no Stilton (or Wensleydale) was eaten - that has to be a first !

Thursday 22nd May

Morning : As we realised that we would now be delayed by the lock closure in Stone, the original plan was dropped. Originally, we were to have been at Great Haywood on Friday Lunchtime and Colwich on Friday Evening. Due to the lock closure, we could not now reach Great Haywood by Friday Lunch, so there was no point rushing on. Instead, we decided to stop at Etruria and have another session in The Holy Inadequate.

Lunch : None ! As it was not far to Etruria from Hanley, we decided to have breakfast while still moored. Dave took the opportunity to go to the local Lidl for some extra provisions - namely bread, lard & crackers - yes Gromit, we forgot the crackers ! We then had a leisurely breakfast before setting off for Etruria. On arrival at the junction, we took water. Instead of the rather awkward wind and reverse, we instead turned towards Harecastle and winded by The Toby Carvery half a mile further on. We then moored on the visitor moorings near Bridge 117 (the A53) and attempted to repair to The Holy Inadequate - however, this was found to be shut on arrival. The only other pub nearby was the Toby Carvery opposite where we had just winded, but the GBG app implied that this would not be open either. Unrefreshed, we decided to push on to Barlaston for the evening.

Evening : Barlaston. We left Etruria and headed for Barlaston, and arrived at The Plume of Feathers at about 16:20. There was only one space left on the moorings, and it was only just long enough for us, and it was right outside the pub - and that doesn't happen often. We moored up and had several pints of rather nice Bass, but this soon ran out and was replaced by Timothy Taylor's Landlord. Not the best Landlord ever, but OK. We had some excellent meals, and finally left the pub at about 22:00 for Port & Stilton... and Wensleydale.

Friday 23rd May

Morning : This was going to be the make-or-break day as to whether or not we could get the boat back to Great Haywood in time. We left Barlaston for Stone with some little trepidation as to what we might find. On arrival at Meaford Top Lock (Lock 34), we found all the paddles were up and water being run down. We stopped here while Pete W walked down to see if anyone knew what was going on. He met a nice young lady from C&RT who said she had been refilling the pounds, but that we were OK continue. We passed down through Meaford Locks and stopped just after Meaford Bottom Lock (Lock 31). Pete W then walked down to Lock 28 (which was the closed lock) to find it open and in use. The same C&RT lady was there again, and she said that we could go on through Lock 28, but that Aston Lock (Lock 26) would now be closed until 4pm to allow water levels to rise. This was OK for us, as it meant that we could have lunchtime in Stone and still make it back to Great Haywood by Friday night. Result !

Lunch : Stone. Having finally managed to get past the lock closure, we moored below Stone Bottom, aka Star Lock (Lock 27) by 12:00. We intended to go to The Swan Inn again, but found that it would not be open until 13:00. We had a quick pint in The Star Inn by Lock 27 before repairing to The Swan Inn just after 13:00. Several excellent pints and some pork scratchings with a ginger dip ensued.

Evening : Great Haywood. We left Stone at about 15:30 heading for Great Haywood. At Sandon Lock (Lock 25) we met a boat coming the other way. There were a couple of lads by the lockside who had been paddling an inflatable canoe towards Stone. Unfortunately, they had suffered a puncture. Don't ask me how you get a puncture in a canal ! The chap in the other boat had decided that he would help them, so while his boat was in the lock, he went looking for a puncture repair kit... he looked and looked... meanwhile, his wife had opened the gates and we were sat waiting for him to leave the lock so that we could enter. Eventually, his wife told him to get his boat out as she realised the we were still waiting to come in... but he seemed totally oblivious. After about 10 mins waiting, he eventually left the lock, we got in and were able to continue towards Great Haywood.

On arrival at Great Haywood, we could find nowhere to moor, so we went a couple of boat-lengths past the junction and moored on the Visitor Moorings. We knew that this would entail a short reverse in the morning. It seemed like a good idea at the time. With hindsight, it would have been better to have turned right towards Tixall Wide and to have moored on the Staffs & Worcester instead - Hindsight would be a wonderful thing if only you could have it beforehand !

We moored and went to The Clifford Arms where we ate. The pub was very busy, very noisy and very warm, but on the plus side, the Wye Valley Butty Bach was very good. The pub-style curries on the other hand were only so-so. After a few more pints, we returned to the boat. As we walked back, there was a hint of drizzle in the air, which later became light rain as we arrived back at the boat. Later in the night, this became torrential rain with lightning, but apparently only BTS1 saw it.

Saturday 24th May

Morning : By 08:45, we were ready to make the short reverse to the Junction. We had only just set off when the chap from the boatyard appeared. He had come to do the reverse for us, but as the boat was now away from the bank, he could not get on. Stan eventually managed to get close enough to another boat for its occupant to let the boatyard man jump on from there, and he then reversed it back to the yard for us. He managed in 5 mins what probably would have taken us 20 mins and three attempts !

After unloading, we reported the breakages - one small plate and one wine glass, while they checked the fuel. Surprisingly, we actually received a fuel refund of £7.30 as we had paid a £110 fuel deposit with the booking, but had only used £102.70 worth.

After leaving the boatyard, we took the 09:47 to York calling at Bradford Neal Street and York, and made the obligatory stop at The Karachi for 'breakfast'.

Previous Year : 2024 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2026