Boat hire—Grand Union Canal - Foxton to Norton Junction

Boat hire—Grand Union Canal. Foxton to Norton Junction
FROM Foxton to Norton Junction is an entirely different experience, with the famous Foxton Staircase, and then 20 miles lock free until a further lock flight at Watford. Unlike the rest of the Grand Union, the flights are narrow locks, but help is at hand for boat hirers, as both lock flights have their resident lock keeper.

The paddles of these staircases have to be operated in strict order as they use side ponds to control and save water, needing extra paddles, so new holiday makers should not attempt to operate on their own, but should first contact the lock keeper.

An experience

Rising up the 75 feet through the flight of ten locks is quite an experience at Foxton, and on a pleasant day there will be many spectators to view your progress—another reason for you to do it right! By the side of the locks is the site of an inclined plane, that was built for transporting boats in a caisson up and down the hill to speed up boat movement, but it was abandoned when the use of the canal declined. The actual site can be seen in the centre of the above photograph, and there is currently an effort to restore it.

After Foxton the canal meanders through the undulating, and very scenic, countryside of Leicestershire, with plenty of stopping places for mooring, but no real shopping by the waterway.  However there are a few marinas along the way offering boat services.

Worth the climb

By Crick Marina is Cracks Hill, which is well worth the climb to the top as it gives an uninterrupted view for many miles, seeing the waterway meandering in the far distance, and there are moorings by the handy Bridge 16 over the canal for access.

By Bridge 37 are more moorings with rings, allowing an attractive view across the countryside, and for you boaters with dogs there is the nearby wooded Hallfield Spinney, that they would appreciate.

Market town

The attractions of this stretch of the Grand Union Canal include the arms off the waterway. There is a five mile arm that is lock free to Market Harborough, which is a flourishing market town with lots of shops and a large supermarket, though the moorings are some distance away, with boaters usually walking down into the town then coming back up the hill by taxi. There are two swing bridges on this section.

Though mooring is not allowed in the basin pictured above, there are rings on the canal leading to it.

Welford, at the end of the Welford Arm, is little more than a village with pubs, and there is a single lock on the less than two miles arm.

The 20 miles between the two staircases has two tunnels, but though both flights comprise of narrow locks the two tunnels are broad, so allow two boats to pass.

Watford Staircase

The Watford Staircase is another that needs care, though this, unlike Foxton locks is in sections. but again boaters must report to the resident lock keeper before proceeding, especially as the whole flight cannot be seen from either the top or the bottom it being on a curve. Boaters must not therefore enter the locks without permission in case another boat is coming the opposite way.

Below Watford Staircase is Watford Gap motorway services, and all it offers, with a handy path through the hedge on the towpath side. After this at Norton Junction the waterway meets the main line of the Grand Union Canal with the choice of southwards to the Thames or westwards on the main line to Birmingham and then North or South on the Oxford Canal.

Very easy

This section of the Grand Union Canal is very easy for hire boaters, with only the two staircases to negotiate, and both having a regular lock keeper. The advantage of having a regular lock keeper is that he/she makes sure both paddles and gates are well maintained and thus easy to operate.

The waterway from Foxton to Norton Junction is 23 miles, with two flights and two tunnels.

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