This very popular route goes south from Preston Brook
through 3 tunnels to Anderton (a good first night stop) and then Middlewich on the Trent & Mersey canal.

From Middlewich the canal climbs up the Cheshire locks to Hardings Wood junction and onto Kidsgrove passing through the 1.6 mile Harecastle tunnel to Stoke-on-Trent.  Here, at the junction with the Caldon canal, a detour can be made to Leek and Froghall and one can visit  the Wedgewood potteries and the Gladstone pottery museum.

Continuing south through the beautiful Trent valley, the canal makes a gradual descent to Great Haywood.

Turning right here onto the Stafforshire & Worcester canal we pass through Tixall Wide and on via pleasing countryside and river valleys to Autherley junction on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.

Our route now turns north onto the Shropshire Union canal which passes almost lock free through massive rock cuttings and over high embankments to Tyrley locks and onto the picturesque black and white timbered buildings of Market Drayton.

Further north we come to the Audlem flight of locks taking us down into the Cheshire plain.
At Barbridge junction a right turn takes us to Middlewich via the shortest canal in the country at Wardle lock onto the Trent & Mersey canal and back home to base at Preston Brook.

The round trip takes about 65 hours cruising.