Hotel Narrowboats day 3/5
Once onto the Caldon Canal, we almost immediately turned into a 'staircase lock', which seemed unbelievably complex to those with no prior canal experience, and which was an amazing piece of ingenuity dating back several decades, yet still very much in use now and to be used in the future. The view from the top looking down the staircase was fantastic. It was rather scary to watch Henry scurrying around so close to the top of the lock. Luckily, he is very sure- footed! Once we were at the top of the locks, we quickly passed through the industrial parts of Hanley and then into the main canal, so lush and green . Like the Macclesfield, we were soon only surrounded by woodland and ferns, just so easy on the eyes, and again, such solitude and silence. There were areas of allotments, with gardens brimming with vegetables, sloping down to the waters below. What a gorgeous canal this was. If I ever do another canalcruise, and I think I will, I would choose the rural ones. It doesn...