Grand Union Canal

OVERVIEW

Towards the end of the 18th century canal routes had been established that allowed cargo to be moved between the Midlands and London - but the primary route up the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, along the Coventry Canal, down the Oxford Canal, and along the meandering River Thames from Oxford was an unnecessarily long one.

In response the very end and very beginning of the 18th and 19th centuries saw a number of new canals open that sought to reduce the distance needed to be travelled when moving cargo.

Towards Birmingham, the opening of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal in 1799 and the Warwick and Napton Canal in 1800 allowed boats to bypass the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, the Coventry Canal, and the northern end of the Oxford Canal during this trip to London.

Five years later the Grand Junction Canal opened in 1805 (with a branch between Hayes and Paddington opening ahead of this main date in 1801), and this in turn provided a more direct route between Braunston and Brentford - allowing boats to travel a short distance along the Oxford Canal, and then turn onto this new canal - bypassing the southern end of the Oxford Canal and the long stretch of the River Thames between Oxford and Brentford. In all these canals reduced the distance that cargo had to travel by around 100km.

Four years on from this in 1809 construction came to a halt on the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal - which sought to join the Soar Navigation (which in turn connected up to the Trent & Mersey Canal near Long Eaton) with the Great Junction Canal near Northampton - but when construction came to an end in 1809 it had only reached as far as Market Harborough.

But in 1814 a second new canal came along that did link this canal up with the Great Junction Canal, with this canal taking the name of the Grand Union Canal (these days known as the old Grand Union Canal) - and this canal ran between the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal at Foxton and the Grand Junction Canal near Long Buckby Wharf.

In 1894 the Great Junction Canal had bought out the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal and Old Grand Union Canal.

Prior to this date another canal - the Regent's Canal - had been completed in 1820, and in 1928 the Regent's Canal bought the Great Junction Canal, the Warwick and Napton Canal, the Warwick and Birmingham Canal, and the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal (yet another canal, that was built in 1844, providing a short link through Birmingham to the Warick and Birmingham Canal).

This purchase in 1928 brought together what is now known as the Grand Union Canal - with a main route from Brentford up to Birmingham - with notable branches off to Paddington and Leicester, and smaller branches of Avebury, Market Harborough, Northampton, Slough, and Wendover

In 1937 this was followed with a scheme to widen the canals as far as possible - but in time these efforts came to a halt as railway traffic started to win against the canals.

But these days this provides a long canal route that takes a fairly direct route between Birmingham and London - connecting up with a number of other canal routes along the way.

PRACTICALITIES

As with most canals this route passes through urban centres - but it does have stretches where you are more rural, and less able to source accomodation or transport links.

Starting from London the route is very urban, however - and so until Uxbridge the route remains within the wider area of London - after which things continue to be straight-forward as you pass Watford and Hemel Hempstead, with transport and accomodation being available at regular intervals throughout this stretch.

From Hemel Hempstead accomodation can get less plentiful, but the canal and railway run together with train stations at Berkhamsted, Tring and Horton on the way to Leighton Buzzard - with the option of turning off to head to Avebury for both accomodation (right by the canal) or train links.

From Leighton Buzzard it is a short trip up through Milton Keynes (with a number of train stations passes as you head through Milton Keynes) - and it is from here that you start to see the biggest reduction in transport links.

That said you do soon pass a short branch off to Northampton (to accomodation and transport links), after which you have a train station at Long Buckley, and then accomodation at Daventry.

From here you can divert off up the Oxford Canal to Rugby, but otherwise you ideally want to make it across to Leamington Spa as there isn't much else in this rural stretch of the canal (aside from occasional bus services).

But after Leamington Spa the canal immediately passes through Warwick (with a number of train stations sitting right by the canal through this section). After Warick things get more rural once again, but there is Lapworth train station near Kingswood Junction - else you need to get round to Solihull (where there is more accomodation).

From here you once again have an urban section as you take on the final run on through into the centre of Birmingham - and the canal comes to a halt fairly need Moor Street and New Street train stations in Birmingham.

USEFUL LINKS


MAIN STAGES

Brentford to Stockley Park

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Stockley Park to Hemel Hempstead

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Hemel Hempstead to Leighton Buzzard

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Leighton Buzzard to Milton Keynes

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Milton Keynes to Northampton

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Northampton to Long Buckley

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Milton Keynes to Leamington Spa

Planned to walk in 2027...

Leamington Spa to Solihull

Planned to walk in 2027...

Solihull to Birmingham

Planned to walk in 2027...

LIECESTER LINE - The main spur off the main canal

Long Buckley to Crick

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Crick to Foxton Locks

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From Market Harborough the canal meanders round to Foxton, where it passes the turn off to Foxton Locks and the stretch of the Leicester Line that connects up with the main route of the Grand Union Canal. From here the canal heads past Debdale Wharf and through Saddington Tunnel (whilst we go over the top).

Out the other side locks are now being passed at regular intervals as we head past Newton Harcourt and Kilby Bridge before getting round to South Wigston - where we can turn off to catch a train home.

This section totaled 18.5 miles (of which 16.8 miles were on the canal) with limited ascent (despite going over the top of Saddington Tunnel).

South Wigston to Leicester

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ADDITIONAL BRANCHES - Shorter spurs off the main canal

Aylesbury & Wendover Branches

Planned to walk in 2026...

Brentford Branch

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Paddington Branch

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Slough Branch

No plans to walk...

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