Travelling through Staffordshire

Giant Tea Set!

Well Monday saw us have a safe transit through Harecastle Tunnel. The tunnel is 2926 yards long.  It is one way traffic with the entry to the tunnel controlled by CRT.  There are big extraction fans to remove the exhaust fumes from the tunnel.  It isn't quite straight so when you start out you can't see the end!  When we got there it hadn't long shut in the southerly direction so we had about an hour to wait before the boats from the northerly traveling boats to appear.  This was good as it gave us chance to have some lunch!
Yesterday we traveled down through Stoke on Trent.  Some very old building along the canal with the pottery kilns and warehouses.

Josiah Wedgwood mosaic made with plates

Unfortunately some of them are quite derelict.  We were definitely traveling down as we worked thorough 5 locks before mooring at Trentham for the night.  This morning we worked 1 more lock then moored by the Wedgwood Factory.  Although we have passed through here several times we have never visited.  So as this is probably the last time we will be in the area we decided to visit.  You pay for a factory visit but the museum is free!  We had a very nice lunch there.  Definitely worth a visit.  So much to look at.
Will be moving on again tomorrow towards Stone.  Hoping to be there for market day on Saturday.