Moorings on the Trent & Mersey Canal

The Trent & Mersey Canal is one of the most important waterways on the English canal network, stretching 151 kilometres from Derwent Mouth on the River Trent in Derbyshire to Preston Brook in Cheshire, where it connects with the Bridgewater Canal. Engineered by James Brindley and opened in 1777, it was one of the earliest and most ambitious canals of the Industrial Revolution, designed to link the Potteries of Staffordshire with the ports of Liverpool and Hull. The canal passes through the heart of the Potteries — Longport, Burslem, and Etruria — and through some of the most beautiful countryside in the Midlands, including the Churnet Valley and the wooded hills of south Cheshire. Key highlights include the Harecastle Tunnel (2.9 km, one of the longest on the network) and the spectacular Anderton Boat Lift, which raises boats 15 metres to the River Weaver.