Short but Sweet.

 The cliffhanger I left you with on the last blog was which way we will go. Well the reason we made the decision was due to another cliffhanger. Our original plan was to head for Froghall, down the Hazelhurst Locks, but we realised that we would then be down in a valley and it would be difficult perhaps to obtain a TV picture and of course last night was the end of the current series of 'Line of Duty', and we didn't want to miss it. I am not a box set watcher as a rule, and the trend now is to show the first of a series and release it on Iplayer, or equivalent, but 'Line of Duty' have only shown them week by week, and I certainly think it adds to the drama, as maybe the viewing figures show.

We turned to the right and passed the cross over bridge, iron lattice bridge, white cottage and sign post all making a nice little set. However this is what was here originally when the canal opened in 1778. The original line of the canal left the route just at the end of the Park Lane services and descended to Denford by three spaced locks. The route was roughly where the railway line is today. It was in 1797 that a further Act of Parliament was passed to allow the building of a canal to Leek and the making of Rudyard Reservoir. The canal would then also act as a feeder. This was completed in 1801 with an embankment over the valley with a small aqueduct over each of the stream and the canal and a triple staircase down to the old level. In 1841 the staircase was replaced with three separate locks with side pounds, and then through the embankment and the current aqueduct was constructed.

In 1997 the embankment above the locks was leaking and a concrete culvert was laid for the canal to run in and solve the leaks. The turn onto the aqueduct is blind but with the bridge and cottage the scene is quite photogenic.

The original canal bridges were largely brick built, but the new section from park lane were constructed by John Rennie who preferred stone. The later are more appealing in the long term it seems.

The aqueduct is not the highest, grandest, longest etc, but its solidity seems to fit well in the landscape. We will see more on the way to Froghall.

Over the canal below, and now over the railway line that is not so grand. The Leek Arm is pretty narrow over much of its length and is not the waterway for speeding along.

The canal follows the edge of the valley side with steeply wooded banks on one side. At bridge No.6 the gentle turn is more open and the land drops away to the tow path side giving views.

The middle section of the Leek Arm has a certain grandeur about it and I have a fancy I am cruising through the Black Forest in Germany.

Hollinhay Wood on the offside has no access which is a shame at this time of the year as there bluebells everywhere. You have to make the most of them from the tow path or canal.

Tixall Wide it is not, but the pool before the tunnel is more fairy like due to its small size. One day I will moor here.

Leek Tunnel seems too small until you get close. It is very obviously one way only, but it is nice and high along its 130 yards length. The Rennie constructed tunnel required major refurbishment in 1984 and it was deemed easier to remove the earth from the top than any other way. Inside you can see various types of wall that have been used.

The Leek Arm was abandoned in 1944 and in 1957 the Leek Urban District Council bought the section from the Churnet Valley aqueduct, seen above, to the terminal basin and filled it in!! It did cross the Churnet and made a straight line to a terminal basin. Where the B&M and Morrison's are today was where the station and sidings were. The house at the junction of Barnfields Road and the main road is called the Wharf House showing that the basin was that side of the road.

We went for a walk into Leek, but as it was after 16:00 it was pretty quiet. The weather was still good when we arrived back at the boat. It looks like we have it to ourselves, but a little further round the corner at two more boats.

The Leek Arm ends with a bit of a reverse, is narrow and shallow and only about 3 miles long. It is still a good walk into the town and the supermarket is still a good walk from the moorings, but it is one of those lengths of canal that shouldn't be missed. Another like the very top of the Chesterfield, with all the locks, to the current head of navigation.