Four Counties Ring

Description of the Route

We'll describe a journey anticlockwise around the ring, starting at Autherley Junction.

Staffs & Worcester Canal

We start at Autherley Junction on the summit pound and soon pass through a narrow rock cutting just one boat wide with occasional passing places.

The 12 locks which lower us to Great Haywood Junction are well spaced out as this was one of the first canals to be built and the advantages of building them in flights had not been appreciated.  Gailey Top Lock is the first of these where the unusual round toll keepers house stands next to the lock.

Penkridge is the only settlement of any size along this leg of the route.

Trent & Mersey Canal

The left turn at Great Haywood Junction brings us onto the Trent & Mersey Canal and the climb soon starts with individual locks, then flights of locks to the summit level.

Initially twisting and turning through the countryside there is a very gradual change as the line of the canal becomes straighter and industry comes closer.

The Caldon Canal joins us at Etruria Junction, the start of the 6 mile long Summit Level which includes the Harecastle Tunnel.  The end of the summit level is marked by Hardings Wood Junction where the Hall Green Branch diverges to the left before turning right to pass over us to join the Macclesfield Canal.

The descent to Middlewich Junction includes 31 locks in less than 13 miles and often referred to as Heartbreak Hill, although known to the old boatmen as the Cheshire Locks.  Many of these locks are paired, with two locks side by side, to allow quicker passage through the flight.

Middlewich Arm

The Middlewich Arm starts with the Wardle Canal, the shortest in the country including one bridge, one bend and one lock in its length of less than 50 yards.  It was built by the Trent & Mersey Canal when the Middlewich Arm was being constructed to ensure they could collect high tolls from boats using this route.

The remainder of the arm is part of the Shropshire Union Canal and provides a surprisingly varied and attractive route to Barbridge Junction.

Shropshire Union Canal

This is a broad canal, as far as Nantwich Basin, although with no locks here you will be forgiven for not noticing.  The route passes the end of the Llangollen Canal at Hurleston Junction.

Skirting Nantwich on an embankment the canal takes a direct southerly line towards Autherley Junction.

Being a relatively modern canal this was constructed on a much straighter line with deep cuttings and high embankments to enable this.

The advantages of putting the locks into flights was understood and they are almost all grouped into three flights at Audlem (15), Adderley (5) and Tyrley (5).

The climb up from the Cheshire Plain finishes with the Tyrley Locks just beyond Market Drayton with the 18 mile pound to the single lock at Wheaton Aston.  Passing through several villages we arrive pass through the stop lock at Autherley Junction.

Dimensions and Features

Operator

Links

Boat Hire Companies

• Anglo Welsh  Mill Lane, Great Haywood, Staffordshire, ST16 0RJ
• Canal Cruising Company Crown Street, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8QN
• Crest Narrowboats Festival Park Marina, Etruria
• Countrywide Cruisers  The Wharf, Brewood, Staffordshire ST19 9BG
• Empress Holidays  Basin End, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 8LA
• Teddesley Boat Co  Park Gate Lock, Penkridge, Staffordshire, ST19 5RH

Canal Societies

• Shropshire Union Canal Society
• Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Society