Caldon Canal Heritage Walk

Standing on the canal towpath with the Holly Bush pub behind you, turn to the right and walk along the Caldon Canal towpath. Look out for the replica milepost, replaced in the 1980s by the then Caldon Canal Society (now Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust). 

As the canal starts to turn to the right, you will see straight ahead of you the bottom of the staircase flight of locks which was the middle of the 3 arrangements of the canal in this area.  There is often an historic narrow boat moored half way into the lock chamber, which is all that remains in water. 

The woods beyond are Hazelhurst Wood, an ancient woodland which gave its name to the original staircase and hence the modern replacements further on the walk.

Continue along the towpath to Hazelhurst Bottom Lock and the site of Bridge 37. Sadly the bridge had to be demolished in 2020 after it became unsafe. As it is Listed and in a Conservation Area the local IWA branch is hopeful that its replacement will be appropriate. In the meantime a rather unsightly scaffold bridge provides private access to the moorings on the offside. Below the bottom lock is a good example of a recently restored traditional wrought iron split bridge.  

At the third and top lock, cross over the black and white 1842 cast iron bridge to join the towpath of the Leek Arm of the canal (signposted Leek on the fingerpost).  As well as connecting the town of Leek to the canal system, the arm was built in 1801 to supply water from the newly built Rudyard Reservoir to the summit of the Caldon Canal.  As part of these works the summit level of the original 1778 canal was extended along the valley to Hazelhurst and a staircase of 3 locks built to replace the original locks towards Endon. 

The canal skirts what remains of Hazelhurst Wood (and the quarry where stone for building the embankment came from), and then takes a left hand turn under a bridge (taking the towpath over the canal).  This was a T junction during the middle arrangement of the canal, with the original line (the now filled-in 1801 staircase) continuing straight ahead (you can see the stonework of the top lock entrance under the decking in the garden of the original lock keeper’s cottage).  

Continuing on along the Leek Arm takes you over two more aqueducts. The embankment built in 1801 to carry the Leek Arm and the water from Rudyard Reservoir is pierced three times, but only one of them dates from when it was built.  This is the culvert which carries the Endon Brook on its way to join the River Churnet. The second piercing was the 1841 canal aqueduct, and the latest, and third that you will walk over, was built in 1863 when an iron trough was added to carry the canal over the new North Staffordshire Railway branch line to Leek.  The row of cottages just beyond once included a pub. 

The towpath joins a canal-side track for a while, and when you get to Bridge 4 there is another opportunity for a short cut back to the Holly Bush by walking down the road.  Otherwise, continue along the towpath as the Leek Arm heads along the side of the valley. There are a number of delightful properties with canalside gardens to enjoy.

Passing under Bridge 5 there is a good view down the valley, including the Victorian brick water tower of the former St Edward’s Hospital at Cheddleton.  The canal widens out into a huge winding hole just before Bridge 6.  This was apparently dug out deeper than the rest of the canal to create a sump into which sediment in the water coming down the feeder could fall, to reduce dredging requirements further down the canal.  The brick overflow weir takes excess water from the canal and puts it into the Endon Brook via a culvert.

At this point you have the option of a 1.75 mile detour around Deep Hayes Country Park.  Instead of going down on to the towpath, cross over the canal towards the Country Park entrance.   

The site of the former Wall Grange brickworks is ahead of you.  The manager’s house (to the left of the bridge with gardens going down to the canal) is all that remains of the various kilns, buildings, tramways and the 100ft high chimney that the brickworks comprised.  The quarry can be explored as a small detour to the left as you turn right into the entrance to the country park. A brick-laid path goes up to the top of the quarry and another small detour can be taken by following this path to the end of the brick surface and taking a flight of steps back down to the country park visitor centre.  

Once in the country park you can follow the path up one side of the three pools and back down the other, with two crossing points in between if you want a slightly shorter detour.  Deep Hayes pools were once a drinking water reservoir until it was drained and made into 3 separate pools in the 1970s.   

The reservoir was built by the Staffordshire Potteries Waterways Company, along with a pumping station a little further down the valley, to provide clean drinking water to the people of Stoke-on-Trent.  The original dam of the reservoir was at the site of the car park and visitor centre and was originally 15 metres high and 125 feet long.

A bit further along on the other side of the canal you can look up the valley of the Westwood Brook – this is the stream that was dammed to create Deep Hayes Reservoir.  The stream passes under the canal to join the Endon Brook.  Keep following the towpath along you will pass the narrows of a former lift bridge