Caldon Canal

About

The Caldon Canal is seen as one of the most interesting waterways in the country and was built between Etruria and Froghall in 1776  to carry limestone from the quarries at Cauldon Lowe to Stoke-on-Trent.  There are 17 locks over the course of the Caldon Canal, the first being The Etruria Staircase, encountered directly after the junction at Etruria and the industrial museum located at the canalside. Along the canal there are short tunnels at Froghall, at 70 metres long and the 120 metre long Leek Tunnel, with the added bonus of the 3 mile long Leek Arm which stops some way short of the centre of Leek!

The latter stages of the canal are not just quiet and rich in wildlife but are accompanied by the Churnet Valley Railway whose steam trains make a very welcome appearance alongside the canal to the delight of walkers who find hiking along the grassy towpath beside the Caldon to be one of the best canal walks in the country.