Weather for ducks

Today's the day ...................... to go through the tunnel

It was raining cats and dogs today - and even the ducks seemed fed up with it. So it was a good day to navigate the Harecastle Tunnel, one of the engineering masterpieces of its time, built in the 1820's by Thomas Telford.

There is not enough space for boats to pass each other and so there is a controlled entry and exit system with alternate one-way traffic. At 2,919 yards in length, it takes about 45 minutes to travel through it. For quite a while you cannot see either end and it feels like a strange, lost world.

The water really was that colour too - a bit like - 'strong tea' - caused by iron deposits in the water ...................