Duration: 7
TOTAL LOCKS: 46
CRUISING TIME PER DAY: 6
TOTAL CRUISING TIME: 39
Maps & Guides for this route: N3, N4, P1, P5, | Click here buy maps
Cast off and head north through the lovely countryside from Kings Orchard Marina. After about an hour and a half, you’ll reach Fradley Junction, where the 200-year-old Swan Inn is canalside, affectionately known as the ‘Mucky Duck’. Turn left here to join the Trent & Mersey Canal.
After going through 3 locks, you’ve got a relaxing 4 hours of lock-free cruising before arriving at Little Haywood and then Great Haywood. If you moor near Haywood Lock you can walk to Shugborough Hall, a Georgian mansion house and walled garden.
Leaving Great Haywood, continue north through a broad valley towards Stone and Stoke on Trent. You are accompanied by the A51 for a short stretch, but then it veers away, leaving you to enjoy the peace and quiet before reaching the pretty village of Weston-upon-Trent which has a few pubs and shops scattered around this mostly residential area.
Continuing past the village of Burston, look out for the 100-year-old tower of Aston Church, heralding your approach to Stone, a pleasant market town with strong associations with the canal due to being the site where the lengendary engineer James Brindley was appointed as Surveyor General of the canals in 1766.
The historic ‘Potteries’ now starts to beckon you – just after passing the village of Barlaston, you can moor near Trentham Lock and visit the World of Wedgwood, an award-winning tourist destination offering exhibitions, a tearoom, retail outlets and of course, a souvenir shop.
Onward to Stoke on Trent, passing Stoke City FC on your right, before arriving in the centre of the pottery industry. There are visitor moorings and a winding hole at Etruria, where the Etruria Industrial Museum is canalside. The museum is only open on Fridays generally, but if your visit doesn’t fall on a Friday, you can also go to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and the Gladstone Pottery Museum. If you fancy something more light-hearted, buses run from the city centre to Alton Towers, with its array of fairground rides and attractions.
Time to turn your trust boat around and wend your way back to Kings Orchard Marina. We hope you had a fabulous time!
Starting with easy cruising through beautiful countryside before visiting the wonderful City of Birmingham with attractions galore!
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