Four Counties Ring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Four Counties Ring |
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Passage from the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Wardle Canal passes under the bridge on the left.
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| Specifications | |
| Length | 110 miles (180 km) |
| Locks | 94 |
| Status | Canal ring |
| Navigation authority | British Waterways |
The Four Counties Ring is a special canal ring in England. It connects four different counties: Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, and the West Midlands. A canal ring is a circular route that boats can travel without having to turn around. It's a very popular journey for people on narrowboat holidays!
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Exploring the Four Counties Ring
This amazing canal route is 110 miles long. It includes 94 locks, which are like water elevators for boats. The journey takes you through beautiful countryside and past interesting towns. You can see everything from old industrial areas to peaceful farmlands.
Most people who go on this trip take about two weeks. This gives them plenty of time to explore and relax. If you're really energetic, you might be able to do it in one week.
The Four Counties Ring uses parts of five different canals. If you travel anti-clockwise from Middlewich Junction, you will pass through:
- Wardle Canal
- Shropshire Union (Middlewich Branch)
- Shropshire Union Canal
- Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
- Trent and Mersey Canal
Wardle Canal: A Short Link
The Wardle Canal is very short, only about 100 meters long. It has one lock and a bridge at its start. This canal was built in 1829. It helped the Trent and Mersey Canal company keep control over the junction. Today, it's usually seen as part of the Middlewich Branch.
Middlewich Branch: Through Farmland and Woods
After leaving Middlewich, the Middlewich Branch canal goes over two aqueducts. These bridges carry the canal over the A530 road and the River Wheelock. The canal then becomes very rural, passing through farms and woods.
You will go through Stanthorne Lock. Then, the West Coast Main Line railway crosses over the canal. Near the railway, you can see the River Weaver and a large lake called Winsford Top Flash. This lake formed because of salt mining in the area. The canal also passes Church Minshull, a village made famous by writer Tom Rolt. Finally, it crosses the River Weaver on another aqueduct.
The Middlewich Branch has three locks, plus the one on the Wardle Canal. It is about 10 miles long. It ends at Barbridge Junction, where it meets the main Shropshire Union Canal.
Shropshire Union Canal: Locks and Embankments
At Barbridge Junction, the Four Counties Ring turns left onto the main Shropshire Union Canal. This part of the canal was originally built in the 1770s as the Chester Canal. Over time, it became part of the larger Shropshire Union network.
The canal here was built for wider boats, but the locks further along are narrower. Near Nantwich, another branch of the Shropshire Union system turns off. This is the Llangollen Canal, which goes through four locks right near the junction.
The section of the canal built in 1835 is quite straight. It has groups of locks, rather than single ones. It crosses the A534 road near Nantwich. You will go through two locks at Hack Green. At Audlem, there are 15 locks that raise the canal by 93 feet! Another five locks at Adderley raise it by 31 feet.
The canal passes through the town of Market Drayton. Here, the old wharf has been made new again. You will also cross two more aqueducts over a small road and the River Tern. Then, five Tyrley Locks raise the canal by another 33 feet.
The builders of this canal were very skilled. You can see this at the high Shebdon Embankment. The canal then goes through Grub Street Cutting. Beyond that is Norbury Junction. It's not a working junction anymore, but part of the old Shrewsbury Canal here is now used for boat moorings.
Further south is Shelmore Embankment. This part was very difficult to build and took over five years! It has special flood gates at each end. These gates protect the rest of the canal if the embankment ever has problems.
At Gnosall, the canal goes under an old railway line and the A518 road. It then enters a short tunnel called Cowley Tunnel, which is 81 yards long. After the tunnel, the canal continues through deep cuttings. It reaches Wheaton Aston, where there is one lock.
The Stretton Aqueduct is a cool cast-iron bridge that carries the canal over the A5 road. This road follows the old Roman Watling Street. Near here is Belvide Reservoir, which is the main water supply for the canal. The canal stays level as it goes under the M54 motorway. It finally reaches Autherley Junction, where there is a stop lock. From Barbridge to Autherley Junction, the route is 42.1 miles long and has 29 locks.
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal: Winding Through the Landscape
At Autherley Junction, the route turns left again onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. This canal opened in 1772. It's a "contour canal," which means it winds around the hills and valleys. Locks on this canal are usually found one at a time, not in groups.
The first 7.8 miles of this canal are level. It crosses major roads like the M54 motorway and the A449. It also goes under the railway line between Wolverhampton and Stafford. Near the A5 road, you can see where the Hatherton Branch used to be. There are plans to restore this branch, which is now called the Hatherton Canal.
The canal goes through the town of Penkridge, where there are two locks. After two more locks and the village of Acton Trussell, the canal becomes very peaceful. It crosses a small river that has been nearby since Penkridge.
The canal then turns southeast and follows the Sow Valley. It crosses the River Trent on an aqueduct just before Great Haywood Junction. This section from Autherley Junction is 20.5 miles long and has 12 locks.
Trent and Mersey Canal: Through the Potteries and Tunnels
At Great Haywood Junction, the ring turns left again onto the Trent and Mersey Canal. This canal follows the Trent Valley, just like the A51 road and the railway. The first few locks are spread out. In Stone, there are four more deep locks, each raising the canal by about 10 feet.
After the Meaford locks and Trentham Lock, the countryside turns into urban areas. On the edge of Stoke-on-Trent, the canal crosses the River Trent on an aqueduct. There are five more locks before you reach the junction with the Caldon Canal. This canal was once a branch of the Trent and Mersey, but now it's considered a separate canal. A large statue of James Brindley, the engineer who built the canal, stands near this junction. This junction is also the start of the highest point of the canal ring.
The canal then goes past Westport Park Lake. It heads straight for the southern entrance of Harecastle Tunnel. There are actually two tunnels here. The first one, built by James Brindley in 1777, was very narrow and had no towpath. Boats had to be "legged" through, meaning people would lie on their backs and push off the tunnel walls with their feet! This caused big traffic jams.
So, Thomas Telford designed a second, parallel tunnel. It was finished in 1827 and included a towpath. Telford's tunnel is 2,926 yards long. For a while, an electric tug boat was used to pull boats through it faster. Brindley's older tunnel was closed in the 20th century because of mining damage.
Just beyond the northern end of the tunnel, the Macclesfield Canal turns off. The main canal then drops through two locks. The Macclesfield Canal crosses over the main line on an aqueduct and heads north.
The main canal continues northwest, and locks become more frequent. It passes under the M6 motorway at Hassall Green. It also goes under the railway line from Crewe to Stockport. Locks continue to lower the canal's level. Kings Lock in Middlewich is just before the junction with the Wardle Canal, bringing you back to the start of the ring. This part of the Trent and Mersey Canal is 37.4 miles long and has 49 locks.
