A Leek Loop – A 30 Mile Cycling Loop Using 2 Canals and 2 Railway trails

In this cracker of a ride we cycle from Stoke up the Caldon Canal towards Leek. We cross Leek and use the disused Churnet Valley Railway to make our way to Rudyard, once used for a Top Gear Challenge! From Rudyard we cycle alongside the Rudyard lake railway, before skirting the Peak District, enjoying some cracking views. We then use the Macclesfield Canal to make it to Congleton before finally using the Biddulph Valley way to complete the loop.

Route file can be found here:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/307928851

https://www.komoot.com/tour/1893007230?share_token=a2knLQGerO3CClV0FpGyxrofYcJ8S1ZfJUaox8vICy8xgqp8bZ&ref=wtd

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hello and welcome to bridge number 15 over the Cen canal in Stoke on Trent we have a cracking ride in store today we’re going to head up the Cen Canal to leak where we will jump onto a disused railway line and head past a reservoir that once featured in a Top Gear Challenge we’ll then skirt past the pig District onto the mfield canal and then another disused rail line to make our way back to our start point in Stoke on Tren [Music] our start point for the ride is right next to Birch’s head Academy but with this being a loop your start Point could be anywhere on the ride so let’s get going and start to make our way up the Cen Canal we’re going to be on the Cen Canal for just under 9 miles today and the section of canal that runs through stoon Trent has this fantastic tarmac tow path which you could definitely ride on a road bike however we are going to be hitting some rougher Terrain later on in the ride so I’m riding my trusty gravel bike with its 40 mm tires this first part of the Cen Canal makes up part of Route 550 of the national cycle Network and this is why it’s got such a good Surface after passing under the modern a53 Road Bridge which is the main road to leak we carry on a little further along the canal and come across an Old Railway Bridge this is the old Stoke to leak line which opened in 1867 much like the canal that we using it was built to transport Limestone from the Cen quaries down to the potteries and the industrial Midlands further south with Limestone being an important part of pottery and steel production Freight traffic continued on the line right up until 1988 long after passenger Services had ceased the line was never officially closed just mothballed the tracks were never ripped up and so if you on top of the bridge you can still see the tracks crossing over the canal and Beyond in 2023 the conservative government of the time announced this line would be reopened but unfortunately since then the new labor government has decided that this won’t be happening as the canal starts to snake its way around badly green it feels very rural even though we are still technically in the city of St on Trent this certainly would’t be a bad place to Mo up that Roar will Fu but close to the city amenities at Norton lamores we come across the first of six locks that we’ll be making our way up today good thanks you the path does get a little steep here but it’s perfectly ridable just make sure you’re in a low gear although the main purpose of the Cen Canal was to transport Limestone it also had a secondary purpose and that was to supply water from the Peak District down to the Trent and Mery Canal which it connects to at utuia in Stoke on Trent and as we pass by this lock you can hear the vast amount of water heading down the spillway at the side making its way down to the Trenton Mery Canal there’s a few lift Bridges along the length of the Cen canal and this first one that we pass provides Farm access and is still in use but the second one we pass here is permanently open no longer being needed not far after passing by that unused lift bridge we head up lock number two and come to the rather Grand looking stockt and Brook Waterworks this was built in 1884 by the Stafford sh potteries Waterworks company in order to supply clean drinking water to the North staffire Area steam engines were used to pump water from up to 300 ft below the surface the steam engines were replaced with electric pumps in 1936 and the building was eventually decommissioned by 7even Trent water in 2004 it’s currently under restoration to use as a public facility moving on from the Waterworks the remaining four locks come thick and fast and we also pass under a few Bridges here again we pass under the old Stoke to leak branch and then up lock number four of this ride and then we head towards the a53 which we pass under again for the second time this this ride and it’s at this point we hit the natural habitat of my bike a gravel surface with the tarmac ending here we then head up lock number five and not long after that we head up lock number six of the ride our final one and straight after that lock we come to Stanley Road here the toe path switches sides so we need to cross over the road and use the foot bridge to go over here we leave the village of Stockton Brook and head out into the countryside from here the canal is very rural so we’ll start to see less people about as we carry on up this lovely gravel surface which makes for very enjoyable riding the canal between Stockton PR and enden is really quite straight so with a good view ahead and a good service we can make good time and we’re soon at enden Warf which is now the home of the stoon Trent boat club the warf here was built by the north Staffordshire Railway company in 1905 so a relatively new addition to the canal it was built so cargo could be transferred between boats and trains with the stok to leak Line running just to the west of the WARF in 1966 the warf was bought by the sto cont Trent boat club and it served as their headquarters ever since the boat club along with the inland waterways Association were instrumental in bringing the Cen Canal Back to Life by the 1960s the canal had become virtually unnavigable due to Freight traffic deserting the canal in favor of the Railway thanks to the efforts of members of the boat club as well as the inland waterways Association and other volunteers the canal was brought back to life in 1974 and reopened in its current form although the Cen Canal was in itself a branch line of the Trenton Mery Canal it actually had two Branch lines of its own one of them running to leak which we’ll be using today and the other one running down to utox and that is why when you go down the canal you’ll see the distance markers are actually marked from utuia where the canal meets to Trenton Mery to utox the furthest point that you used to be able to travel to these days the main line of the canal ends at frog hall there’s a little bit of time AC again as we approach the canal and River trust facilities at enden but then after we pass these facilities we’re back again onto a wonderful gravel surface and with a good surface and not many people about it’s not long before we reach Hazelhurst Junction where the leak branch which we’ll be using branches off the main Canal [Applause] line to carry on to leak we simply need to cross over the bridge over the main line which carries on towards frog Hall down a set of three locks immediately after heading onto the leak Branch you can see that the quality of the toe path really has gone down in fact it turns to just grass not far from The Junction but with my 40 mm tires on this gravel bike it still wasn’t an issue I had to slow down a bit but it was still able to make decent progress along here the surface of the toe path stays like this until the canal makes a 9 ° turn to the left and we cross over to the other side of the canal to carry on along the toe path quite a steep bridge this one so do take a bit of care and then we’re on to some cobbles which is a little bit bumpy now the reason for that tight left turn and this bumpy surface is actually because we’re passing over an aqueduct here as the league Branch initially runs parallel with the main line of the Cen Canal before taking this left turn and crossing over the main line of the canal on an aqueduct quite strange to see another the canal boat passing beneath us as we’re on a canal and also we can see the toe path there carrying on into the distance as it heads towards frog hole the toe path does improve a bit here you can see this is a much better surface than the first part of this leak Branch we pass over the enden brook and then we pass over the top of the Stoke to leak Railway the third and final time and we cross paths with this Old Branch line after the aqueduct the surface of the toe path continues to be a little bit bumpy until we pass under Sutherland Road where the surface suddenly improves and we get a lovely gravel path again as we wind our way the final couple of Miles towards the outskirts of leak you’ll notice that there’s not many straight sections of canal here it twists and turns and follows the Contours of the land and that is because this is known as a contour Canal the route of which was surveyed by James Brindley the famous canal engineer whose statu stands proud at the entrance to the Cen canal in Stoke on Trent while surveying the route of this canal in 1772 he was caught in a heavy rain shower and was drenched through he was aable to dry off quickly and caught a chill sadly he fell ill and his condition deteriorated until he passed away in his home in Stoke on Trent on the 27th of September 1772 we soon reach one of the biggest engineering achievements of the Cen Canal the leak tunnel this is 120 M long but unfortunately it doesn’t have a toe path so we need to go up and over the top on the path provided it’s a bit of a climb over the top of the tunnel and it does involve some steps on this side but they have provided this little gutter to run your bike up as you walk up the steps once at the top we passed through a couple of gates and we’re back on a cyclable tow path again this is where the horses would have walked over the top of the tunnel while the boats were legged through there’s quite a nice view at the top of the hills in the distance before we make our way down and rejoin the tow path at the side of the canal and from here it really isn’t very long at all until we reach the outskirts of leak where currently the leak branch of the Cen Canal terminates there there is a Feeder Canal which runs up to Rudyard reservoir from here but it’s not navigable by boat and it doesn’t have a tow path so we’re going to have to find another way there as Rudyard is our next destination we cross over what was the aqueduct over the river churnet and head into this industrial area of leak the canal did previously reach a little bit further into Leak with its Terminus being just south of the old leak railway station which if you know the area is now the Morrison’s we now have a bit of Road riding to do as we make our way through leak it’s about 1 mile of road riding from here until we join a disused rail line to carry on our journey we first have to pass through this industrialist State on the edge of leak before heading through some quieter residential streets although the streets are quite quiet here it’s not the easiest riding as we have quite a steep hill to make our way over but what goes up must come down and we’re quickly over the top of the hill and enjoying the Descent down the other side with the help of gravity we’re quickly down to the disu rail line that we’re going to be using for the next 5 miles of our cycle as we join this cycle track there is a sign to let us know left to rou yard and right to leak although if you were to turn right to go towards leak the track doesn’t go on for very long as not far from here the railway entered a tunnel which you no longer can get into that went under leak Center and came out near the Morrison where the train station used to be the track was quite busy on the edge of leak with lots of people enjoying the sunshine and walking their dogs but the further away from leak I got the quieter that this dissu Railway became the service of the track is really good it’s pretty much the perfect habitat for the gravel bike this disused line that we’re cycling on previously ran from mfield down to utox it was known as The chernet Valley Line and it was built by the north Staffordshire Railway company in 1847 with construction being completed in 1849 passenger numbers began to dwindle in the ‘ 50s and in 19 60 the north part of the line between leak and mfield stopped providing passenger services with the line being completely closed in 1964 so this section that we’re cycling on hasn’t seen a train in 60 years the South part of the line between leak and utox did last a little bit longer with parts of it being used for Freight up until 1988 some parts of the line have been saved as Heritage Railways the the first being the chernet valley Railway that runs between cheddleton and frog Hall and the second being the Rudyard Lake Railway whose southernmost station Rudyard station we’re now coming to this isn’t a fullsize Heritage Railway but a Naro Railway running on a 10.25 in gauge it runs from here at the south side of rard reservoir to about halfway up the reservoir moving on from the station we carry on along the old track bed but at this point we are sharing get with the narrow gaug Railway it’s quite strange to cycle up alongside these very small tracks during the school summer months the trains do run every day but as the school holidays are now over the trains only run at the weekends so we’re not going to get the pleasure of having one of these little steam trains chug past us from Woodyard station it’s not far until we meet the dam station which strangely enough is next to the dam which holds back the water at Woodyard the dam here was constructed by the engineer John reny for the Trenton Mery Canal company and it was completed in 1798 with its purpose to store and Supply water to the Cen Canal which in turn would Supply water to the Trenton Mery Canal which before the construction of this Reservoir and the Cen Canal used to suffer from water shortages during the summer months it’s worth taking a small detour across the dam over the other side you’ll find toilets and a small te- room if you’re looking for refreshment you will also get great views of this Reservoir where the parents of rouard kiplin met in 1863 and like the place so much that they Nam their son after it you can also get a great view of the water rushing out making its way over to leak where it joins the Cen canal and heads down to the Trenton Mery canal and for me there was time to reminisce about an old TV show that visited here back in 2006 [Music] before leaving Rood Glide Lake I think there’s time for one for the road that’s enough reminiscent for now but if you want to watch that whole episode series 8 episode 3 right time to carry on up the old churnet Valley Line which runs alongside Woodard reservoir for the full 2 mies of its length and if you want to make sure that you’re staying on track and you’re going in the right direction the Kut and Garmin Connect links to this route are in the description of this video if you enjoying this video please do give it a like and if you want to help keep the channel on track please do subscribe it’s absolutely free and it makes a massive difference for the channel and if you’re really really enjoying the video you can buy me a beer to say thank you or a beer to say thank you for the root and you’ll find the link to do that in the video description as we carry on our journey up the side of rouard reservoir we get some great views of the water and of the valley through the trees on the left this section of track alongside the reservoir being so beautiful does attract a lot of dog walkers and a lot of people so do take care and make sure you’ve got a bell the surface is generally pretty good and again a perfect habitat for my gravel bike although there are some muddy spots and I can imagine in Winter things might be a little more difficult in places it’s not long before we’re coming to the final station on the rouard lake Railway although not the final station will’ll be passing on the churnet valley Railway today this is hunt house wood where the small Narrow Gauge trains come to the far end of their Journey turn around and head back towards Woodyard but we’re going to carry on continuing along the old track bed of the churnet valley Railway for this final mile down the side of the lake there is some access to cars down this track but it is very limited and I only saw a few cars parked up but the bonus of this having car access down here is that the surface of the track is really good and as we’re further away from the main Rood yard car park there’s less pedestrians on this section as well so we can make some really good progress as we go down the last bit of the lake and it’s not long before we’re passing under this bridge and heading past the rouard lake North car park we can continue up the chernet Valley Line by taking a right and heading up this track now as you can see the surface here is worse than the track with just been on and I can imagine that in winter again this could get a little bit difficult in places but at this time of year at the end of September it was perfectly fine and I really enjoyed coming down here on my gravel bike the trail brings us out at the small village of rushon Spencer next to the not in there’s also another car park here for Walkers and more importantly the trail brings us out onto station Lane and we have a fantastic example of a Victorian train station to look at at the end of this track this is rushon Spencer train station opened in 1849 as part of the churnet Valley Line which we’ve been cycling down and closed in 1960 when passenger Services were withdrawn from the north part of the line it is now a private residence we’re now going to leave the route of the chernet valley Railway and do a bit of Road riding along these wonderful quiet lanes for just under 5 miles the churner Valley Railway Trail does carry on a little bit further from here but comes to a dead end just as it crosses the river Dane next to the sewage works so we’re going to use the road Network here to make our way to the mville canal so we are currently here at rush and Spencer and we’re going to ride along the roads until we get to the mville canal which will join here the roads are all very quiet single track Lanes like this one however and this may be good or bad news depending on whether you like climbing we do have quite a hill in front of us to make it over the top of before we get to the mville canal the worst part of the climb comes after a gentle descent that luls you into a false sense of security thinking that you may have made it over the top of the climb pulling my stone weight up this final steep incline really was a challenge but once we make it to this final right hand turn here we really are past the worst of it and we just have half a mile of gentle Ascent until we reach the summit of this climb if you do hear gunshots on the way up don’t be too concerned as there is a shooting ground that we pass by and it’s called cloudside because the hill that we’re coming over here is called the cloud and at the peak of this climb at nearly 1,000 ft up we get a fantastic view of the Peak District on the other side of the Valley from this Viewpoint we have almost two miles of downhill and it’s all on these small single track Lanes so do be careful cuz the view ahead is not always great and the first part of it is particularly steep I think this is the first really big descent that have taken my gravel bike down and it was really reassuring to have the hydraulic disc brakes as well as the slightly wider tires than you find on a road bike if you do most of your riding on flat roads you probably wouldn’t see the need for hydraulic disc brakes on a drop bar bike but it’s times like this on a bigger descent where you really can pick up some speed that having that extra power in the brakes is really confidence inspiring and with the gravel bike having the extra width on the tire is even more confidence inspiring I really did enjoy this descent we soon cross over the West Coast Mainline before getting to the point where we join the mfield canal We join the mfi canal as it passes under the a54 this is a fairly busy Road and we do need to use the road to cross over the canal to be able to join the toe path on the correct side and there’s also a few steps to contend with as we make our way down to the toe path but we are soon on our way along this quiet stretch of canal the canal will take us to the edge of congleton where we’ll join the bidle alleyway to W our way South back to the Cen canal in Stoke on Trent the top path surface is pretty good at first but it does quickly deteriorate at some point just been grass but it’s never bad enough that you can’t cycle at a decent pace we’re on the Maas field Canal for about 2 miles here the surface is quite changeable but it generally gets better the further along that we get as you can see this section is really well graveled and we’re really able to make some good Pro progress if you’re lucky you may run into this gagle of geese to keep you company and if we look back we can see the cloud the peak that we just skirted around which gave us the lovely descent down to the canal the macville canal was designed to give a more direct link between the Midlands the potteries and Manchester construction began in 1826 quite late in terms of canals and by 1831 it was complete you might notice that this canal is much straighter than the Cen Canal that we started on this is because it was built by the cut and fill method using large embankments and deep cuttings where it can to allow the canal to take the most direct route possible and to cut down on the amount of locks that are used in the 26 mile length of the mvi canal it has only one single flight of 12 locks not far from congleton we again cross paths with the West Coast Mainline and then it’s time to pass over the top of the bidoff alleyway the toe path of this Aqueduct is quite bumpy with it being cobbled but it doesn’t last for very long after passing over the top of the aqueduct we take a right turn and head down the steps to the bidle Valley Way once at the bottom of the steps we take a right to carry on under the mville canal and South towards Stoke on Trent I have covered the bidoff alleyway in a couple of other videos so I won’t get into too much detail on this but this is an Old Railway line that ran from sto on Trent to congleton known as the bolf Valley Line hence the name the bidol Valley Way construction began in 1858 and it was built by the North staffire railway company the same company that built the Stoke to leak line which we passed a few times on the Cen Canal The Stoke to leak line actually uses part of the bidle Valley Line as it passes through sto on Trent it had stations at Ford green small Thorn Black Bull and here at bidol we’re passing the old station now which is now a private house you can see the old platform on on the left we’re going to be on the vid Alleyway for 9 miles today as we make our way from the outskirts of congleton to the Birch’s head area of stoke on Trent the majority of the surface is gravel until we reach the Chell area of sto on Trent and cross over this bridge from here down to Birch’s head we have a Tarmac surface which is pretty good most of the way apart from a couple of areas where tree roots have made the path a little bit bumpy the route forms part of Route 55 of the national cycle Network and is well signposted but if you need any additional help finding your way again the links to the route are in the description of the video we soon come into The Birches head area of stoon Trent and the end of the bidoff alleyway from here we turn left and head over what was the level crossing and cross over Bridge number 15 of the Cen Canal to come back to our start Point thus completing our 30m Loop up to leak Rudyard congleton and then back to stoke on Trent we’ve used two canals and two dissu Rail lines as well as some gorgeous Lanes skirting the edge of the Peak District thank you very much for watching this video I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed doing the ride if you have please give it a like and please consider subscribing to the channel it’s completely free and really does help keep it a float if you’d like to say thank you for the video or thank you for the root file you can do that by buying me a beer via the link in the description thank you very much for watching and happy cycling [Music]