Adjacent to the sad lock was a wonderful cast-iron aqueduct where a branch of the Old Main Line crosses the New Line to an enginehouse.
Below on the new main line was a toll island where boats were measured so that the weight of the cargo they were carrying could be read from markings on the sides – like the Plimsoll Line on modern sea-going vessels.
Once we were through the Summit Tunnel – which appears to have been relined with reinforced concrete, very different from another tunnel later in the week – we were out in the countryside again. In most places the canal is very murky – you can’t see the bottom even if it’s only a few feet deep. However here the water was incredibly clear – we could see the bottom, the weeds and, occasionally, the fish!
Day 5: 13.1 miles, 3 locks
Click on the maps below to see a larger version with the GPS track overlaid:
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