Grand Union Canal - The Leicester Line

The Leicester Line

Grand Union Canal - Leicester Line
Legend
River Soar Navigation to
Loughborough and River Trent
Lakeside Marina
Watermead Way Bridge
Belgrave Lock
Abbey Park
Evans Weir
Soar Lane Bridge
West Bridge, Leicester
Leicester moorings
Upperton Road Arm (dis)
Leicester City Football Club
St Mary's Mills
Aylestone Road Arm
Great Central Railway (cycle path)
Junction of River Soar Navigation
King's Lock & Café
Kilby Bridge
Saddington Tunnel (880 yd)
Debdale Wharf & Marina
GU Market Harborough Arm
Foxton Locks (10) & Inclined Plane
Market Harborough Basin
summit
Husbands Bosworth Tunnel (1166 yd)
Welford Junction
Welford basin
Crick Marina
Crick Tunnel (1528 yd)
summit
Watford Locks (7)
Norton Junction
Grand Union Canal main line

† Diagram not to scale. Selected features.

Formed by amalgamations of once-independent canals, the 'Leicester Line' of the Grand Union Canal runs north from Norton Junction for about 35 miles (56 km) until it reaches Leicester, where it joins the River Soar to provide a link to the River Trent and to the Trent and Mersey Canal. It includes notable tunnels south of Crick 1528 yd (1397 m) and north of Husbands Bosworth 1166 yd (1066 m) The village of Crick is home to a popular annual boat show.

The stretch of the canal which passes through the centre of Leicester known as the 'Mile Straight' is home to Leicester Rowing Club, a rowing and sculling club formed in 1882. The club hosts their annual regattas on the River Soar, typically held in mid-April which sees competitors from all over the UK race over a 770-yard (700 m) course. The club insignia is based on the mythical Wyvern and rowers compete in the club's colours of black and white.

Also on this section are the well-known features of Foxton Locks and Watford Locks, both of which feature staircase locks. Beside Foxton locks is the site of a long-abandoned inclined plane boat lift. This was constructed as part of a project to create a wide-beam canal route to connect the northern and southern parts of the canal system, something which does not exist to this day. Funding to deal with the narrow locks at Watford was not forthcoming and the scheme was aborted. The canal north of Foxton Junction is wide-beam to Leicester and onwards. It was originally intended to build a canal at this width all the way to the River Nene at Northampton. However that canal never went further than the basin at Market Harborough.

The Leicester Line continues along the River Soar Navigation, and reaches the River Trent at Soar Mouth, north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar. It is possible to continue to the Trent and Mersey Canal, Coventry Canal and North Oxford Canal, to complete a circuit known as the Leicester Ring.

Read more about this topic:  Grand Union Canal

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