Canalside Walk, Alrewas

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At more than 90 miles in length, the Trent and Mersey Canal clearly stretches too far to navigate in its entirety - unless you happen to be in a canal-boat.



So for those of us looking to explore on two legs, it is probably advisable to choose a less daunting challenge and concentrate on just a short stretch of this inland waterway that passes through the Midlands and North West England.



So it was that I found myself in the attractive Staffordshire village of Alrewas, which also has the added attraction of the River Trent alongside parts of the canal, and no shortage of excellent pubs to enjoy regardless of the weather.



The Trent and Mersey Canal, built to link the River Trent to the River Mersey, runs from Shardlow in Derbyshire to Preston Brook in Cheshire, with Alrewas situated some 23 miles from the Shardlow end.

The 10 mile stretch that takes in Alrewas passes between Burton upon Trent and Fradley Junction, which is also where the Trent and Mersey Canal meets up with the Coventry Canal.



Although originally built to transport freight, the only craft seen on the canal nowadays are pleasure boats, of which plenty are regularly moored at Alrewas, perhaps attracted by the pubs or possibly the numerous old houses and 14th century church.



Parking up in the centre of Alrewas, I decided to join the canal towpath close to the impressive parish church after enjoying a brief stroll through the older part of the village.



I headed off in the direction of Preston Brook, but had more limited goals in mind rather than the near 70 mile distance to Cheshire.

The mile or so stretch takes you past the back gardens of houses bordering the canal, and there is also a lock just outside the village - with a couple of benches from which to enjoy any passing water traffic.



Further along is a pedestrian bridge which passes over the river and where you can look for birds among the vegetation along the riverbank.



And a little further beyond that was a cordoned-off weir ensuring that boats steered left to both avoid the danger and continue their journey north to Cheshire.

It also seemed an appropriate place to turn round and head back to Alrewas and one of those welcoming pubs.

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