The Four Counties Ring Canal Companion was the first guide Pearson’s published and has gone through nine editions since first appearing in print in 1982. Its core route is a 109 mile / 94 lock circuit through the counties of Staffordshire, West Midlands, Shropshire and Cheshire; especially popular with hire boaters. The guide includes full coverage of the famous Trent & Mersey Canal, stretching 92 miles from Preston Brook, near Runcorn, to Shardlow, near Derby.
Two other waterways of contrasting character are also included: the Caldon Canal, which runs from the Potteries up into the Staffordshire Moorlands; and the Weaver Navigation, a former inland shipping route which pivots on the legendary Anderton Lift; one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways.
