It's not shopping; it's charity

This clever poster, created for Red Cross charity-shops, such as this one in Kidsgrove, summons up brilliantly how a lot of us rationalise our trips to thrift-shops.

Of course I really buy in charity shops because what they sell are bargains, but... it's also all for a good cause!!

The 'old' Harecastle Tunnel

The ‘old’ Harecastle Canal Tunnel, the southern end of which you see here, is no longer in use, even though it was used extensively in the nineteenth century together with the ‘new’ Harecastle Tunnel which it sits alongside.  (One tunnel used to take traffic in one direction, the other in the other).
However, it started to subside, and that was that. 

The curious red stain in the water is because there is iron ore in the hill above the tunnel, and traces of the ore seep in.  The reeds are supposed to filter the colouring out.

Railway niche

There’s a tarmac path that runs behind the town of Kidsgrove. Cyclists use it a lot, as it’s part of the ‘Sustrans’ national cycle network.

It’s actually what’s left of a section of the now dismantled ‘Kidsgrove Loop’ railway line.

Once one realises that, then the purpose of the niches in the side of the embankment wall becomes obvious. Railway workers would scurry into them to get out of the way of any approaching train.
The same concept is applied even in today’s road tunnels. Nothing changes!

Blood red waters

It looks as though blood from a battlefield is being washed away in this stream, but the fact is that the waters around Kidsgrove all go this orange-red colour. It’s due to the iron workings locally, and water is sifting the particles through the ground.

Sometimes the colour can turn a very thick vermilion, particularly near the Harecastle Tunnel on the local canal – and unwary trippers coming through on their narrowboats can look quite apprehensive!