How to get there - From Junction 16 on the M6 head east on the A800.After 4 miles turn left onto the A34 and follow this for three and a half miles to Scholar Green. After passing the Co-operative store on the right turn right into Cinder Hill Lane for about half a mile, passing Drenfell Road on the left. Shortly There will be a track over a bridge on the right and in a further 30 yards an entrance to the canal through the hedge. Park roadside where convenient.
For those with SatNav a nearby postcode is ST73HR
Get a map with driving directions to
start (enter the postcode of your starting point at A)
Suggested Launch Site - Launch over the bank.
General
Description - A return trip to Kidsgrove and the Harecastle Tunnels is about four and a half miles.
Paddle south (right) for a little under a mile to the stop lock (a fall of around a foot). This is formally the junction of the macclesfield Canal with the Trent & Mersey and this lock was built to prevent one canal "stealing" the others water. In a further half mile where you will pass over the Trent and Mersey Canal before turning sharp left. In a further half mile, at Harding`s Wood Junction Junction, the canal joins the Trent & Mersey. Turn right for a further half mile to the tunnel entrances. The first tunnel was built by James brindley between 1770 and 1777 . At the time of its construction it was twice the length of any other tunnel in the world at 2880 yards long. Over time subsidence and the constrains of the tunnel size resulted in the construction of a new tunnel , engineered by Thomas Telford and completed in 1827. A series of smaller tunnels connect direct to local coal mines. The distinctive rusty colour of the water comes from iron deposits in the tunnel.
Unfortunately British Waterways regulations mean the tunnel is a no go zone for canoes.
If you need refreshment before returning, try the Blue Bell at Harding`s Wood Junction.
