Middlewich

Middlewich is a busy location on the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Middlewich Branch from the Shropshire Union Canal arrives in the town from the west, so a visit to Middlewich forms part of many people's routes. There are two hire boat bases here and the town is a popular stop for boaters.

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Heartbreak Hill

Lock 65 seen from Lock 66 of the Trent and Mersey Canal just east of Wheelock in Cheshire. These locks form part of the lock flight known as "Heartbreak Hill".

Lock 66 is the bottom lock (or rather, pair of locks) of the flight. The "Heartbreak Hill" locks were doubled to relieve congestion on the canal, although some of the duplicate locks are no longer used and a few are filled in.

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Chester

The Dee Locks Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal at Chester provides a link between the canal system and the tidal River Dee. The sea lock is operated by British Waterways staff by prior booking.

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Northwich

One of the two swing bridges that carry roads across the River Weaver at Northwich in Cheshire. Many of the buildings in Northwich resemble the tudor style. This is because the salt mining in the area causes as great deal of subsidence, so many of the buildings are of timber frame construction, with brick panels. The buildings have jacking points and their alignment can be adjusted to compensate for any ground movement, so that the buildings remain level.

Boats can reach the River Weaver from the parallel Trent and Mersey Canal by means of Anderton Lift.

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Vale Royal Locks

Looking across the locks at Vale Royal on the River Weaver in Cheshire. The larger lock (furthest from camera) was constructed to allow sea-going vessels to reach the salt mines alongside the river near Winsford.

The River Weaver is accessed from the Trent and Mersey Canal via the Anderton Lift.

The photo was taken before the wall below the nearer lock collapsed, making the lock too dangerous to use. The aerial image shows the wall collapse and also the long-disused third lock.

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Lymm

Lymm Bridge in the village of Lymm, Cheshire, just 5 miles east of Warrington. Lymm is a favourite stop for boaters on the Bridgewater Canal.

[Photo contributed by Richard Carpenter]
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Marple Junction

Marple Junction on the Peak Forest Canal. The 16 Marple Locks descend to the right. The Macclesfield Canal joins from below the bridge to the left.

This junction is on a 23-mile level between Bugsworth Basin and Bosley Locks, being, at 518 feet above sea level, the third highest canal summit level in Britain.

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Hall Green

The first photo in this series is of Hall Green Stop Lock.

This shallow lock is historically the junction between the Macclesfield Canal (this side) and the Trent and Mersey beyond. There is a difference in level of just a few inches between the two canals.

When the lock was first built it had four sets of gates, with each canal company having its own lock to guard against loss of water on either canal. The Hall Green branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal is a short spur from Hardings Wood Junction, Kidsgrove, to meet the Macclesfield Canal here at Hall Green. The Macclesfield was built in 1831 and was one of the last narrow canals to be built in Britain.

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