Boat hire—Grand Union Canal

Published: Sunday, 20 February 2011

CONTINUING with our Waterways Hire Guide is the Grand Union Canal. Besides being the longest in the country it is also the most varied for the holiday maker as it winds its way from Birmingham to the Thames, with a section from the Trent.

Birmingham to Norton Junction

Starting at its Birmingham end, the Grand Union Canal leaves Salford Junction at its terminus with the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal under Spaghetti motorway junction. This part is hardly a favourite with the hire boater, with the waterway very soon hemmed in by boarded-up factories, old housing and seemingly endless graffiti, hardly conducive to a pleasant narrowboat holiday. The razor wire topping the walls by the towpath is not very conducive to peace of mind, and there are no moored boats to be seen anywhere along this entire stretch through Birmingham

Two short flights

However, after two short flights of narrow locks, it is lock free for quite a while, but with druggies under the many bridges,  and still no moored boats, it is wise not to leave a boat unattended in the area or moor overnight until reaching Catherine De Barnes, which is a relief, though there is a strong possibility of something being wrapped around the prop shaft, as can be seen.

The waterway is scenic after Catherine De Barnes, but then the locks become broad with the short flight of five Knowle Locks, that however can present the problem of an empty pound (that has occurred on two occasions when we cruised). Like others on this section the paddle gear is unusual, being worm and screw to prevent the old boatmen dropping them, but needing many turns to get water through.  However the locks are set in delightful countryside, and from the top lock there are extensive views.

Hatton Flight

Before long the canal reaches Kingswood Junction and the Stratford-on-Avon Canal, but soon after there is the Hatton Flight of 21 broad locks, all with the slow paddle gear. It is here a holiday maker should attempt to share the locks with another boat, to make progress much easier.

The only town on this section after leaving Birmingham is Warwick, with the only supermarkets. Between the locks and the town is the short Saltisford Arm with services, and a short walk to a supermarket, though there is one by the side of the canal in the town.

More countryside

There is more countryside but then comes another flight of broad locks, this time Stockton Locks, though only 10 this time, then the Grand Union Canal shares its course with the Oxford Canal to Braunston then the Braunston Tunnel to Norwood Junction where it joins the Leicester Section.

The Grand Union Canal out of Birmingham is most depressing for boaters, and it would be particularly so for holiday makers, which is why most boaters tend to use the Stratford-on-Avon Canal out of Birmingham.

Even in the country, with its multitude of rather difficult broad locks it is far from ideal for a lone boat with a crew of two,  the 'candlestick' gate paddles (pictured) and often heavy gates, posing a problem, unless well crewed or sharing. Mooring too is not recommended in Birmingham, though there is plenty elsewhere that is safe. The only supermarket by the waterway is in Warwick, there are plenty of boat services.

The Grand Union Canal from Salford to Norton junction is 39 miles with 67 locks, including a two locks staircase and two swing bridges.

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Grand Union Canal. Trent to Foxton

THE first part of the  Grand Union Canal from the Trent through Leicester is the Leicester Section, with this most northern part taking advantage of the Soar from its meeting with the Trent at Trent Lock to Leicester, with many canalised sections.

There is of course a flow, which in times of heavy rain can be quite fierce, but as quickly as it can rise it can also fall, not being such a long river, and should pose no problem for the holiday maker, in its main being a placid river.

Difficult to move

The locks are broad on this Leicester section, with some gates quite difficult to move, needing a lot of effort, paddle gear too is sometimes stiff. Being a river, mooring on the whole is limited to its canalised sections, where often rings are provided.

The Soar though is a very pleasant river to cruise, with both wooded banks and open views, though care has to be taken at the many blind bends, and being a river the sometimes fierce bywashes at locks can be somewhat disconcerting for the beginner hirer though with a little common sense they can usually be avoided.

Shopping limited

Supermarket shopping however is limited to Loughborough, though the villages by the river do have their own sometimes sparse shopping facilities, often no more than a short walk away.

There are a couple of small shops by the waterway by the 'straight mile' (pictured) in Leicester itself. With many boatyards and marinas at its lower reaches, there are plenty of boater facilities along the waterway.

Though there are bollards along most of the straight mile, we have never seen any boats moored there during the numerous times we have gone through.

A recent problem however has been the rapid growth of Pennywort, which can spread virtually across the river, leaving small channels, as well as choking up the locks. This of course gets itself wrapped around the stern shaft and propeller.

In Leicester the waterway leaves the Soar and becomes a normal canal as it passes its centre, with once again plenty of moorings by its side.

Vandal activity

It has long been accepted that the waterway through Leicester is a hive of vandal activity, which is why you will meet very few boats, and rarely any boats moored overnight anywhere through the city.

Knowledgeable hire boaters going South either moor overnight at Birstall, or those wanting the countryside, by the attractive lakes just beforehand, and those heading North invariably moor at Kilby Bridge (pictured) where there are facilities. It is then a matter of a very early start and getting through the city. Around Aylestone is pretty bad, with often the large amount of empty beer cans in the lock giving some idea of the activity.

Secure moorings

Secure moorings were built in the centre of the city by the university off-side, as seen in Alan Tilbury's picture, but a handy footbridge over the moorings, useful for dropping objects, was not taken into consideration, so they seem to be rarely used, except for the end away from the bridge.

Even through many paddles are locked, vandals still seem to  manage to open them with the result being  a flooded towpath below locks and often a near empty pound above.

Many boaters, ourselves included, will not venture through Leicester at a weekend under any circumstances. But it must be mentioned that there is now a ranger who patrols the area on a motorbike. It is a great pity about the vandal activity, for there is some most interesting cruising through Leicester, with delightful lengths of waterway including Aylestone Park (pictured) but the mass of empty beer cans shows its other side.

Attractive farmland

After the city it is a matter of working the often heavy broad lock gates for mile after mile.  It is attractive remote farmland though, but with few facilities except for the odd marina. Boaters should take little notice of distant shops listed in boating guides in this area, for many of them are now closed, as unlucky boaters (ourselves included) have discovered to their dismay after a long tramp.

This area of the Grand Union Canal from the Trent to Foxton really needs a fairly strong crew, and one capable of undertaking the distance to safety through Leicester and its many locks.

From the Trent to Foxton is 43 miles with 43 broad locks and a single tunnel.

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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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Boat hire—Grand Union Canal. Norton Junction to Bulls Bridge

OFF the Leicester Section, the Grand Union Canal again becomes a broad canal with the broad locks of the seven Buckby Locks down from Norton Junction being old with thick beams and can prove hard work for hire boaters.

As can be seen, many of the lock gates need two people to move, so holiday hire boaters really need a strong crew.

Very noisy

This section from Norton Junction is very noisy, with the M1 motorway on one side and a railway on the other, and though the motorway is replaced by less busy roads, the railway accompanies the waterway as far as Gayton Junction where a flight of narrow locks come off the main line to drop the waterway down to eventually meet the Nene. There are all facilities at the marina at the junction.

For those making for the river, there is a flight of 12 closely packed locks, then five more well spaced out to the Nene in Northampton. The area after the motorway bridge into the town is prone to vandals, and is shallow, so is liable to give trouble to deep draughted boats.

Waterway museum

Below Gayton Junction comes the long Stoke Bruerne Tunnel, followed by the waterways museum,  (pictured) that is worth a visit. There are more locks below Stoke Bruerne, which again are a little difficult, with the added problem of sometimes an empty pound.

Then it is very easy with many miles virtually lock free, including going around Milton Keynes. Yet the town hardly encroaches on the waterway. It is here that it is eventually hoped to join the Grand Union Canal to the River Great Ouse, to give access to and from the river.

It is then open country until Leighton Buzzard is reached, with a handy supermarket.

Aylesbury Arm

After miles of open countryside the Aylesbury Arm is reached. The arm is unusual in that it is a narrow canal with 16 narrow locks, which are quite easy to operate. A pleasure after the work of the broad locks. The first two locks are combined as a staircase, pictured above.

The waterway is very scenic, passing its entire length through open countryside.

Another unusual feature is that the Aylesbury Arm is very straight, but a problem is that rushes encroach from both sides of the waterway for a long length, so it is very advisable not to meet another boat coming in the opposite direction.

There is a basin at the end of the arm, and just before this is a large canal-side supermarket with moorings.

Wendover Arm

After the Aylesbury Arm through seven broad locks by Marsworth Reservoir, comes the short mile long Wendover Arm, restored to a pleasant moorings at its end, which is a very attractive detour taking boaters to the far end of Marsworth Reservoir. The canal however is rather shallow.

Once again the Grand Union Canal is scenic with few locks until it reaches the outskirts of Berkhamsted, with its famous totem pole, when it  changes character completely, passing through town upon town with broad locks in profusion.

Not helped, should you be cruising the 'wrong' way by the local habit of leaving lock gates open. From Berkhamsted down to Rickmansworth there is a total of 40 locks in 14 miles and a swing bridge thrown in.

Canal-side supermarkets

Though the section from Norton Junction, even through Milton Keynes, has little in the way of shopping, from Berkhamsted and below most towns have canal-side supermarkets, all with moorings, so stocking-up is no problem. With boatyards and marinas, boating facilities too are plentiful. the above picture shows the Tesco supermarket at Bulls Bridge Junction.

The attractions are mostly found in the many towns, with little more than scenery in the rural sections. Moorings are somewhat restricted, for though plentiful in the country, they  should be avoided in the towns overnight in view of vandal activity.

Healthy crew

With an abundance of broad locks that are often difficult to operate, this section should only be attempted by a fairly large or healthy crew, and is not recommended for holiday makers of a more fragile nature. It is better if two boats are cruising together to combine crews to work the locks.

At Rickmansworth the canal runs alongside reservoirs to Uxbridge, and then it is mostly a built-up area as the waterway enters the London conurbation. At Cowley Peachy Junction there is the Slough Arm, but as we have not cruised this arm no comment can be offered.

The section from Norton Junction to Bulls Bridge is 95 miles with 84 broads locks, one tunnel and two swing bridges.

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Boat hire—Grand Union Canal. Bulls Bridge to Thames

AFTER the junction at Bull's Bridge, the waterway heads for the Thames at Brentford, but before reaching this it drops down through the difficult Norwood Locks, difficult as it seems they have little use so both paddles and gates are stiff to operate.  There is also the problem that it is the residents of a certain creed living above the locks that demand when eating a certain food, its remains must be thrown into water—usually the  canal, and complete with wrappings.

In between the locks are Three Bridges, one of the very few waterway attractions on this stretch, a rail bridge at the bottom with the canal over, then a road bridge over the waterway.

Finally, then, through a great deal of new development onto the tidal Thames, with access of course strictly limited depending on the tide. Hire boaters tend to use this as a route to and from the non-tidal Thames at Teddington.

Paddington Arm/Regent's Canal
Leaving the main line of the Grand Union Canal at Bull's Bridge, and the handy canal-side supermarket, the canal sweeps through Southall and the North of London, though all is not built-up during this early section, with parks and golf courses.

Then there is the famous Kensal Green Cemetery, with a Sainsbury's canal-side. Though there are visitor moorings at Little Venice, these are mostly taken up, no matter what time of day, but there are safe moorings  in Paddington Basin, right by Paddington Station, with security guards patrolling.

Regent's Park Zoo

Then the boater is on the Regent's Canal through Maida Vale Tunnel and the attraction of Regents Park and its zoo, with an aviary by the side of the waterway as a free attraction.

Camden Town locks are surrounded by bars, so it is advised to  steer clear during the evenings, but there is the famous market that is always of interest.

Battlebridge Basin is the home of the London Boat Museum, with visitor moorings outside. This boasts an original ice well where ice cream was stored, as well as many waterway artefacts, and is well worth a visit.  There are many arms off the Regent's Canal, but none offer visitor moorings as mooring space is extremely expensive  in the city, so is used for permanent moorings.

After the rail terminus around St Pancras Station the waterway becomes closed-in by its ever growing high developments and is somewhat oppressive, but locks are few and far between as the waterway drops through Tower Hamlets and eventually into Limehouse Basin with its sea-going yachts and the tidal Thames.

Gain access

Limehouse Basin is on the tidal Thames, and is normally used by narrowboaters to gain access to the river through London to gain entry to either the Grand Union at Brentford or the non-tidal Thames at Teddington. Hire companies do not usually allow their boats on this part of the river however.

Along the route there is plenty of shopping, with canal-side supermarkets, and others just off the waterway. There are many interesting buildings along the way, and some attractive Regency houses around Maida Vale. Leaving the boat moored is a risky business unless at designated moorings, and these are usually full. Paddington Basin (pictured) is the most likely.

Through route

Though the Paddington Arm posses little problems for hire boaters, the Regent's Canal is not really recommended as many vandal activities and robberies have been reported, even stabbings.  However it could be used as a through route to the Lee Navigation.

There is a tendency to leave lock gates open on the Regent's canal, that can be somewhat of  a problem. There is normally very little boat traffic unless there is an event such as the Little Venice Boat Rally.

From it junction with the main line of the Grand Union Canal to Limehouse the waterway is 21 miles and 13 locks. There are two tunnels.

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The more black stars the better.