FACT FILE
Anderton Boat Lift
The Anderton Boat Lift is impressive enough from the ground but you can enjoy a 30-minute boat trip and get a boat’s eye view from inside the lift. The Edwin Clarke is a glass-topped trip boat taking you 50ft down from the River Weaver to the Trent & Mersey Canal above. One of the seven wonders of the waterways. www.andertonboatlift.co.uk
World of Wedgwood
On a huge site in Barlaston bordering the canal, the factory moved here in the early 1930s from its site in Stokeon-Trent where it had been since the 1700s. The V&A Collection ranges through from the mid-1700s to the present day, including some of the world’s finest ceramic examples. It also houses an archive of more than 75,000 manuscripts. There are opportunities to see craftsmen at work and even try your own hand at some of the skills on show. www.worldofwedgwood.com
Trent & Mersey mileposts
Canal mileposts normally measure the miles from the start of a canal to the end. The cast-iron mileposts on the Trent & Mersey Canal unusually start counting from Shardlow village rather than from the start of the canal
by the first lock at Derwent Mouth. The mileposts were removed during the Second World War in a bid to confuse any potential invaders, but the Trent & Mersey Canal Society spent several years in the late 1970s restoring and replacing all 94 mileposts along the entire canal. All original mileposts are now Grade II-listed.
Location
Trent & Mersey Canal
Navigable length: 93½ miles
OS Grid refs: SK441302 (Derwent Mouth Lock) & SJ570799 (Preston Brook)
How to get there
By train
Nearest mainline train stations are at Willington, Burton upon Trent, Rugeley, Stone, Stoke-on-Trent (various), Kidsgrove, Sandbach and Northwich.
National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 By bus
Traveline 0871 200 2233
By car
Roadside near the canal or public car parks (charge).
On foot or bicycle
The towpath is extremely popular with both walkers and cyclists. Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 5 follows the canal towpath from Barlaston to Kidsgrove. The Cheshire Ring Canal Walk (total trail 97 miles) follows the canal towpath from
Kidsgrove to Preston Brook.
By boat
Nearest boat hire:
ABC Boat Hire, Anderton www. abcboathire.com
Andersen Boats, Middlewich www. andersenboats.com
Anglo Welsh, Great Haywood (Staffs & Worcs Canal) www.anglowelsh.co.uk Aqua Narrowboats, Barton-underNeedwood www.aquanarrowboats. co.uk
Black Prince Narrowboat Holidays, Acton Bridge & Etruria www.blackprince.com
Canal Cruising Co., Stone www. canalcruising.co.uk
Mercia Marina, Willington www. merciamarina.co.uk
Moorings
Visitor moorings are available all along the Trent & Mersey Canal
Local Tourist info
Tourist info www.visitcheshire.com www.enjoystaffordshire.com www.visitpeakdistrict.com
Trent & Mersey Canal Society www. trentandmerseycanalsociety. org.uk
Stoke-on-Trent Museums www.stokemuseums.org.uk
Canal & River Trust
Use the Canal & River Trust website to find specific local information. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk