Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Grand Union Canal: Buckby to Blisworth
Very much a rural section of the canal but looks can be deceptive.
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Whilst the scenery is stunning the close proximity to the M1 motorway and the West Coast rail line, the ears are assaulted throughout this stretch. At times either is only a few metres from the canal side.
Section Length: 13.42 miles (21.59 km)
Time Taken: 4 hrs 40 mins
Date Walked: 24th April 2017
Weather conditions: Generally overcast with a couple of light showers, temperature between 8°c and 11°c
Logistics: Train to Long Buckby station (three trains an hour each direction) then a bus to the start of the canal to avoid the 1.2 mile walk.
At end of walk, bus from Blisworth. Half hourly services to Northampton and Towcester, hourly service to Milton Keynes.
Re-joining the canal at the second lock of the flight we are now, well and truly, heading south.
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Be careful at a couple of the locks as they have bridges immediately after them and headroom can get very tight.
This stretch of the canal is quite a contradiction as it has some stunning, spellbinding scenery, yet at the same time your ears will be assaulted. The first two miles of this section is immediately next to the M1 motorway, at times a couple of hundred yards away, yet at other times close enough you can see the whites of the driver’s eyes.
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As if that isn’t enough, on the other side of the canal, for almost the entire thirteen miles, the West Coast rail line follows the canal with trains, at times, passing every 90 seconds.
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That said you can still hear birdsong but the all pervading drone of traffic and trains cannot be ignored.
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Once you clear the final lock of the Buckby flight you reach the stretch of the canal where the motorway and railway are at their most intrusive, although after about a mile the motorway and canal finally go their separate ways.
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Bridges 17 and 18 have signs inviting you to visit the Heart Of The Shires Shopping Village, a typical set up of craft shops and a tearoom. If you are tempted then best go from bridge 18, it’s not quite as far to walk.
Next up is Weedon Bec, a small town with the usual marina and wharf but, again nowhere obvious to get something to eat or drink.
This seems to be a very popular area with dog walkers – positively busy by canal standards.
You’re soon out in open country again, although there are some quite impressive houses to gawk at as you leave Weedon.
Nether Hayford, why do some English village names just want to make you giggle, is the next settlement and, yes, it has a marina and a pub in the village, a few minutes walk from the canal.
The marinas seem to come thick and fast along this stretch before reaching Bugbrooke and a rarity, a canal side bench, where you can sit and eat lunch, or just rest your weary feet ….. although The Wharf pub opposite does look inviting.
From here we’re back in open countryside again with rolling fields and in April looking resplendent in yellow as the rape blooms.
Gayton junction is next, this is where the Northampton Arm of the canal heads off to, well, Northampton and the River Nene, however we will continue west reaching the village of Blisworth a further mile away.
Blisworth is very much a canal village with a busy wharf and a magnificent restored warehouse building, however it is best known for its eponymous tunnel. At 3,076 yards (2,813 m) it is the third longest navigable canal in the UK and the ninth longest in the world.
Previous: Leamington Spa - Buckby
Next: Stoke Bruerne - Fenny
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