The Grand Junction Canal was built to Braunston and then a short section of the Oxford canal took the waterway to Napton and further canals led in to Birmingham through Warwick. It was as a result of the “union” in 1929 that they were renamed as part of the Grand Union and sections were improved to provide navigation for wide-beam boats to allow greater use of the waterways for moving freight.
From Leighton Buzzard, the canal winds north around Milton Keynes and on to the picturesque village of Stoke Bruerne pictured above, with its Canal Museum and shortly afterwards is Blisworth Tunnel, 3057 yards long and wide enough for to narrowboats to pass. The Northampton arm is just after bridge 48 and the canal turns West through open countryside to Weedon and, with a main railway line on one side and the M1 motorway on the other, proceeds to its junction with the Leicester section before turning west for quieter surroundings.
Braunston is a renowned canal centre and the village is worth a visit before proceeding again through open countryside to Napton Junction and on through Leamington Spa and Warwick. The 21 Hatton Locks may prove a challenge but there follows a reasonable lock-free section until Knowle and the canal continues through Solihull and into the centre of Birmingham.
The Leicester Section
From Norton Junction , where the main line of the Grand Union Canal turns West , to its junction with the River Trent, the canal covers just over 66 miles, with 59 locks, and the River Soar constitutes the canal from the outskirts of Leicester to the Trent. There were several waterways that formed the navigation in Leicestershire and they were brought together by the Grand Union Canal Company to form a through route from the Trent to London.
From Norton Junction, the canal runs close to the M1 and the mainline railway to Watford Locks and passes under the motorway and on to Crick Tunnel, 1528 yards long. The canal follows a winding route past Yelvertoft through open countryside and passes the short Welford Arm continuing through an unpopulated area to Foxton where there are two sets of five staircase locks. This was also the site of the inclined plane and there is a visitor centre and a museum here. Just past the locks is the 5 ½ mile arm into Market Harborough while the canal continues North towards Leicester skirting round its suburbs to the West. As with all built-up areas some care should be taken if you plan to moor here.
At Aylestone, the canal meets the River Soar and continues North towards Loughborough – an opportunity to do some exploring and stock up – and onwards to the Trent – look out for low-flying aircraft approaching East Midlands Airport or whatever it’s called these days. |
