Four Counties Ring Canal - holiday and piccies

Photos will follow when I've taken them off the camera.

Two weeks holiday doing the Four Counties Ring
We did an alternative version, going backwards around it, doing the heartbreak hill locks first and having an easier time back. We also missed off out the awful Birmingham full stop. A place I won't go back to, such was the worst and biggest shithole and the drunks are not to be messed with around the farmers flight locks. Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and West Midlands were the areas we went though.


Starting, from Fradley Junction we headed up through, Colwich & Rugeley, upto Shrugborough hall (Great Haywood) then on towards and up through Stoke on Trent.

Stoke, the home of the drugged and depressed hundogs ever to be seen. Sorry Gaz, that ws the bits I saw oalong the towpath, so meloncholic and the place had a Suicidal feel to it, not a life spark even hinting. Defo well worn out, troubled people and druggies everywhere. I renamed one set of locks 'weed central' as the place reeked of it. I got high pasing though and so young are the druggies and alcholics, such a shame and a real eye opener

Up to Kiddeminister and throught the world famous 2670 metre Harecastle Tunnel. Saw the bogart too and nice chat with the equally very nice Tunnel keeper. Up to Middewich, across to Chester, and down through, Market Drayton, down through Penkridge, and back out to Little Haywood and back to Fradley and home.


We didn't detour up the Caldon as we're too big and can only go so far up it..Same applied to the Llangollen as that was heaving with hireboaters. Tow path talk works fine for communication on such titbits.

The canals we cruised are:

The Staffordshire and Worcester Canal;between Autherley Junction, Wolverhampton in the West Midlands to Haywood Junction, Great Haywood, in Staffordshire

Trent and Mersey Canal; between Haywood Junction and Middlewich in Cheshire.

Middlewich Arm of the Shropshire Union Canal; between Middlewich and Barbridge Junction, Wardle in Cheshire.

Shropshire Union Canal; between Barbridge Junction, Wardle, Cheshire and Autherley Junction, in West Midlands. Passing briefly through Shropshire.

Coventry canal to get back to the marina.


The ring is mainly through remote and scenic countryside, with exception through the urban and industrial areas around the potteries of Stoke and Stafford. There are a few towns and villages that the cruise touches or passes through, such as: Stone, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Nantwich, Market Drayton, Penkridge and Wolverhampton being the main ones - Wheaton Aston being one of the villages. Trent and Mersey Canal; between Haywood Junction and Middlewich in Cheshire.

The 4 county ring canal cruise covers approx 110 miles and has roughly counted... 130 locks. Plus one tunnel just under 2 miles long and a couple of short ones that you forget you went though. 31 locks alone cover the Middlewich ‘Heartbreak Hill’ strtch and belive me they were the worst I had endured I sprained mys houlder fighting to get my boat inot hte lock agasintsht force of the tide coming out tof the alongisde weirs. The Shroppie was also shallow which made no sense going byt he weirs gushing water out. 2 boats got pinned tothe side of the canal through the force of the weirs on their way out of the lock.I was flat out trying to get in and bashed the front up considerably fighting against the current.My language bluer than blue as was my mood.

I was banned from taking pictures of ducks(oops one slipped in) one legged moorhens, peoples pants on their boasts, dead fish and some other things. Such is the order directive from im indoors.

My boat before she was signwritten up.




On hols some photos from my phone.

These were taken inside the boat. the swan kept leaping up and tapping the window until I fed him some bread. Quite a fright seeing a beak suddenly loom up while your cooking tea.

Short video of what it feels and sounds like cruisng the canal in a narrowboat. Peaceful and relaxing and makes you want to pee. Well it does me.

Gaznandi wrote:

Out with it. You know you want to says something other than I need a wee wee.

I forgot to let you know, that we were coming through your neck of the woods. So you could se a witchy afloat.

Not sure how close you are to any of the canal? To be honest I'd worry myself silly you and Andi having to wade through the weedlife that cluttered around the towpath. It was bad and on the same par as Farmers Fight locks in Birmingham and that had the same problem with an air of agression you were well made aware of.

looks like a nice trip except for all them 130 locks :)

Women do the locks, so never arm wrestle a woman off of a narrowboat, unless it is me as 'im indoors does that part, while I float around like a ping pong ball inside the lock. Unless he is trying to see if I'm a witch by drowning me in a lock as the numpty left one of the rear paddles open.Which sucked me down and back against the lock gate which was chucking water everywhere. One drowned me one engine bay complete with its own swimming pool and language bluer than I've enver uttered. But this witchy floated thanks to the baked beans she had for lunch prior to that. One 'im indoors grovelling forgivness for being a numpty.


I jest but I can say hand onheart I was scared shitless and was doing to unpin myself not realising the paddle was open as I can't see it inside the lock. One thing I don't want to ever go through.

drowning is one way i would not like to go ... or anything similar what would have me lacking my breath
ive walked along the canals a few times up thurmaston and seen boats going through and the power
of the water there is quite scary