For more detailed information follow the links below. Section of grand union canal through leicester left with almost no water in it.
What is now called the leicester line comprised two canals that were bought by the grand junction canal in 1894.
Leicester canal. Watford staircase or riser locks on the leicester section of the grand union canal. The intention was to link the soar navigation near leicester to the river nene near northampton. The leicestershire northamptonshire union canal and the old grand union canal.
Grand union canal leicester line. Travel on to leicester city where the river soar joins the canal meandering through loughborough and barrow on soar to redhill lock where it meets the river trent. An act was passed 1793 for the leicester and northampton union canal.
On the left of the canal there are extensive garden and public areas which comprises leicester city s abbey park. The canal and river trust has explained what caused the low water levels. The leicester line of the grand union canal runs from norton junction on the main line of the grand union canal to the river soar navigation at west bridge in leicester.
History of the leicester line. Canal river trust. A short cruise upstream on the wide river trent is a fascinating contrast before reaching the trent and mersey canal at the restored inland canal village port of shardlow.
Cross the embankment and through the woods to the locks at watford gap. The leicester ring is a great two week cruise for most boaters and covers some beautiful east midlands countryside using a wide mixture of narrow canal broad canal and river navigations. There are arms to.
Up the buckby flight of seven locks to norton junction and turn right onto the leicester section of the grand union canal. Welford 1 6 miles 2 6 km 1 lock joins at welford junction. Here you will come across your first staircase locks where the bottom gates of one lock form the top gates of the next.
The canal is 41 2 66 5 km miles long and has 41 locks. There are famous canal towns and lots of lock flights tunnels aqueducts and canal heritage to keep all the crew interested. The leicestershire and northamptonshire union canal is a canal in england that is now part of the grand union canal it was authorised by an act of parliament in 1793 to connect leicester to the nene near northampton and to join the projected line of the grand junction canal but by 1809 the canal was only complete from leicester to market harborough in 1810 the connection was completed by the.
As the leicester canal reaches it s end there are still quite a few semi derelict warehouses and mills on one side of it they look really nice with their old battered brickwork windows and the occasional mill or factory chimney. The area around watford locks is quite a transport junction the noisy m1 motorway is very close by as are main railway lines and the old roman road watling street a5 all in contrast to the beautiful set of seven locks four of which are staircase locks. After watford gap there is the.
The river soar had been made navigable up to loughborough by 1780 and the route was extended to leicester in.
