A much easier day to day. After setting off at 8:25 we just had 5 locks and 1 mile until we reached Kidsgrove where we moored an hour and a quarter later to visit the local Tesco, our last chance to shop until Stone. Shopping completed about 1 mile further cruising with one lock took us to highest section of the Trent & Mersey Canal and the entrance of of the 1.75 mile Harecastle Tunnel. It was built by Telford in 1822 to supplement one built some 45 years earlier by Brindley. Telford's tunnel included a towpath (now removed to provide extra headroom required because of mining subsidence) whereas boats had to be "legged" through Brindley's.
The tunnel isnt wide enough for boats to pass and so passage is controlled by C&RT staff. We had to wait an hour with 7 other boats for the tunnel to clear before we were allowed to enter, each boat starting 2 minutes after the previous one to allow diesel fumes to clear and to minimise the chance of collisions. Then a pretty quick 35 minute journey through to the southern end on the outskirts of Stoke on Trent. Much of Stoke is an unattractive city from a canal perspective, but the Westport Lake a mile beyond the tunnel provides very pleasant mooring and gives us a home for the night.
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