Wasn't the railway built over the canal?
Yes in places this is true, but generally the railway took a more direct route than the canal, which had to stick to the contours of the land. In most cases, sections of canal are lost on bends, as shown in this map of the Crumpwood area. The railway was laid over the canal at the top left and bottom right of the map but not in between:
Where will funding for restoration come from?
At this stage, our focus is to see what the size of the whole task is, then to break it down into smaller projects. In each area we will look at what can be done by volunteers and then to look at opportunities to achieve external funding for other works.
The top priority is to protect the line of the canal from unsympathetic development. Restoration of specific parts of the canal may happen over short or long time scales depending on opportunities identified in that location at a specific time.
What about restoration of the Churnet Valley Railway?
The Trust welcomes the opportunties presented by the ongoing restoration of the railway. The recent Feasibility Study notes that this "presents the opportunity for reducing costs to both projects through carrying out combined site planning and construction work" and we look forward to discussing these opportunities as the railway company develops its own plans.
The canal and railway together have proved to be a great attraction for visitors in the Churnet Valley from Cheddleton to Froghall and we see no reason why this would not continue down the valley towards Alton, and indeed back towards Stoke when Moorlands & City Railways recently announced plans to reopen this line for both commercial and passenger traffic come to fruition.
The railway may also prove to be very important as canal restoration is tackled in the Froghall to Oakamoor area as it is presently the only route in and out of more remote parts of the Churnet Valley. Again we look forward to discussing mutually beneficial opportunities with the railway company.
When will I be able to bring my boat onto the Uttoxeter Canal?
If your boat will fit through Froghall Tunnel, you can come straight away! The lock and basin at Froghall are the first of the Uttoxeter Canal, not the last part of the Caldon Canal.
At this stage it is way too early to estimate when any other parts of the canal will be available for navigation. It should not be assumed that restoration will begin at Froghall and work down the line from there. Indeed experience from other canal restorations suggests that it is quite likely that opportunities to restore disconnected sections will come along from time to time.
If you have other questions, please contact us.