Your floating hotel on the Canals and Rivers of the UK

Our guide to the waterways of the UK in detail.

Pictures of the Grand Union Canal,

Norton to Braunston.

The Grand Union is a broad canal, we can take both boats through the locks together, however for most of the canal between locks we are unable to stay breasted up and will work in single file. This was the way that boats used this canal in the days of working boats. The Grand Union canal as we know it today is long, 175 miles, and the main route was made up from the merger of three different canals. It varies from inner city to isolated rural, from heavily locked, 21 in two miles, to several pounds over 10 miles in length. It is so long that we never work it as a single trip, but rather it features in many different cruises. Sometimes a section is cruised on its own, sometimes a small part is used to connect different canals as part of a cruise.

This section was built as part of the Grand Junction canal, which runs from Brentford on the Western edge of London north west to Braunston Northamptonshire. It is nearly 100 miles long, has 100 locks and two of the longest tunnels on the UK canal system as well as several major branches. It is very much an expressway of the canal age. However it does not share the love for speed of modern main routes. Life still moves along at under walking pace and stops completely at locks.

This short stretch of canal has much to see. After leaving Norton junction where the Leicester branch could takes you over to the Rivers Soar and eventually Trent leaves you have an hour's cruise over the rural summit. Then Braunston tunnel, at 2,042 yards very long and very busy. Next come Braunston lock flight. Finally Braunston itself, a major canal centre with always lots to see.

Norton junction.	Over the summit.	Braunston tunnel.
Braunston locks.		Braunston.

More pictures of this canal?

Bull's Bridge to Marsworth / Paddington Arm. / Marsworth to Gayton / Aylesbury Arm

Gayton to Norton / Braunston to Napton /Napton to Warwick / Warwick to Lapworth

Lapworth to Camp Hill. / Camp Hill to Salford / Digbeth Branch.

More information on this canal.

General information.

History of the canals which make up the present Grand Union canal.

The Grand Junction / Warwick to Napton / Warwick to Birmingham

The Grand Union.

Find our information about other canals on the canal index page.

If you have any questions then do ring us on 07977 229103
or email us at martinreed@reedboats.co.uk