Travel By Canal - The Leicester Ring
Greenery Along The Oxford Canal
There was not much chance of mooring up anywhere along this section of canal due to the heavy growth of these plants. Not sure if that is the intention or whether they have just grown naturally and dominated this section of towpath. I thought they made this a very attractive section of canal.
towpath plantscanal greeneryboating on the oxford canalblack and whitemonochromenarrowboatingcanal and river trustoxford canalanstyfoliage on the canal
Train And Narrowboat Passing
As I crawl along at about 2mph a Virgin train hurtles past at about 100mph transporting people at speed the length and width of the country. I don't miss busy trains full of people all staring at their mobile phones or talking loudly without any consideration for other people. I prefer the sound of birds singing, the wind in the trees, the sounds of raindrops on a canvas cover or the trickle of water running down a stream.
virgin traincanal boatoxford canaltrain and boat passing each otherslow lane fast laneslow life fast lifeblack and whitetravel by narrowboat
Passing Under An M6 Motorway Bridge
As I pass under the M6 on the Oxford canal I can hear the traffic thundering past with everyone going about their daily travels totally unaware of my little boat crawling along at 2mph on the peaceful and picturesque canal that runs beneath. These modern motorway bridges are built for practicality and longevity rather than attractive appearance hence the concrete pillars and industrial appearance as opposed to the more ornate stone or brick canal bridges.
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Church At Brinklow
This church was beautifully lit up at night and I couldn't resist the photo opportunity even though I didn't have my tripod with me. Sometimes you just got to do what you can in the circumstances rather than miss the opportunity
Braunston Canal Navigation Sign
Typical canal finger sign in the heart of Braunston
direction finger signcanal sign postbraunstoncoventrylondonbirminghamoxfordblack and whitemonochrome
Boats Moored At Braunston
A couple of narrowboats situated outside the Boat House pub in Braunston,
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Braunston Marina
Boats and canal side machinery at Braunston marina
Dog On Bridge At Braunston
Lola taking a moment to watching the passing boats and people from the vantage point of the bridge
Bridge Number 1 At Braunston
The start of the Grand union Canal at the popular and busy hub of canal activity in Braunston
grand union canalbraunstonbridge number 1narrowboats on the canalblack and whitemonochrome
Rusty Old Boat
A very solid heavy steel boat showing signs of age and could probably do with a restoration.
Braunston Boat Yard
Large boatyard shed in Braunston on the Grand Union Canal.
braunston boat yardboat shedboating services brainstongrand union canal
Braunston Pumping Station
Old brick pumping station next to the canal at Braunston originally built in 1805 and then rebuilt in 1897.
braunston pumping stationpump househistoric brick buildingcanal buildingbraunston iconic sitesvisiting braunstonblack and whitemonochrometrees
Braunston Dry Dock
A couple sit outside on the bench next to Braunston Dry Dock building
Man Without A Dog
A man sitting on a bench next to a dog bowl
man sitting on benchBraunstondog bowlbenchmanblack and white
Dealing With Locks At Braunston
Narrowboats often double up when going through large locks as this helps conserve water and saves a lot of time preventing queues building up at the locks.
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Moored Up In Braunston
A canal boat moored next to the towpath on the Grand Union Canal in Braunston
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Admiral Nelson Pub In Braunston
A lovely welcoming dog friendly pub situated next to Lock 3 on the canal in Braunston. The serve excellent food and drink and I spent a very pleasant and quiet afternoon in the comfortable and relaxing pub.
admiral nelson pub braunstonpub in braunstontowpath pubsblack and whitepeaceful pubrelaxing pubgood food and drink in braunstontravelling with a dogdog friendly pub braunston
Estrela Mountain Dog Resting By The Canal
It was a hot sunny day as we walked along the canal at Braunston and struggling with the heat my dog decided she was going to take a rest. There's not a lot you can do when a 40kg dog decides it is going to have a rest apart from wait patiently until they are ready to move again.
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Locks At Braunston
A picturesque scene from the canals at Braunston.
lock keepers cottagelocks at braunstonbraunston canalgrand union canal at braunstonblack and whitepretty scene at braunston
The Stop House Braunston
This is the place where historically tolls were collected from passing boats. Now we just have Canal & River Trust collecting a huge toll each year with the licence fees but fortunately these days it is a much more automated process with direct debit and card payments. I wonder what happened back in the day if the boaters didn't have the toll fee. There was no fall back option like credit and debit cards, it would have all been cash on demand.
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The Stop House Braunston
Details of the plaque on the Stop House at Braunston.
stop house informationtransport historycanalsbraunston stop housebraunston toll housetoll collection black and white
The Boat House
Marstons brewery canalside pub in Braunston next to the Grand Union Canal. We didn't manage to call into this place as when we walked past it looked a bit too busy for my liking although this probably means it's a fairly decent pub as it appears very popular.
marstons brewerythe boat house pubthe boat house braunstoncanalside pubgrand union canalblack and whitemonochrome photography
A Scene At Braunston Village
After a short walk up a hill from the canal we came to Braunston church and then the village of Braunston which had some attractive cottages and buildings.
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Entrance To Braunston Tunnel East Side
Having completed the journey through the tunnel, we moored up a short distance further up the canal and walked back to take this photo of the East side entrance to the tunnel just as a boat was entering and heading towards Braunston.
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Dog Looking At Tunnel
My dog looks back on the tunnel we have just travelled through. An impressive piece of engineering and a fascinating experience travelling through such a long, dark and narrow tunnel.
Braunston Tunnelcanalblack and whitedog looking at tunneltravel by canalthe Leicester ringsignwatermonochrome
House At Norton Junction
This quaint little house is extremely beautiful and very unique. You would definitely need to love the canals and boats if you lived here because that's all the residents will see going past all day long.
quaint housepicturesquecanal side cottageblack and whitebeautiful housebridge over canalhouse surrounded by waterNorton junctioncanalsscenic
Grand Union Canal Leicester Branch
Some boats moored up next to the towpath on an extremely hot day.
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Locks At Watford Gap
Entering one of the very deep locks at the staircase of locks. Fortunately the very kind and helpful CRT lock keepers were on duty and made it a pleasant and stress free experience.
Watford gap staircase locksboatnarrowboat in lockdeep lockwaterlock gatesstaircase lockgrand union canal
Lock Keeper At Watford Gap
Entering one of the very deep locks at the staircase of locks. Fortunately the very kind and helpful CRT lock keepers were on duty and made it a pleasant and stress free experience. The lock keeper in this image can be seen operating the lock.
Watford gap staircase locksboatnarrowboat in lockdeep lockwaterlock gatesstaircase lockgrand union canalcrtcanal and river trust volunteerlock operator
Watford Gap Staircase Locks
Entering one of the very deep locks at the staircase of locks. Fortunately the very kind and helpful CRT lock keepers were on duty and made it a pleasant and stress free experience.
Watford gap staircase locksboatnarrowboat in lockdeep lockwaterlock gatesstaircase lockgrand union canal
Inside A Staircase Lock
Entering one of the very deep locks at the staircase of locks. Fortunately the very kind and helpful CRT lock keepers were on duty and made it a pleasant and stress free experience.
Watford gap staircase locksboatnarrowboat in lockdeep lockwaterlock gatesstaircase lockgrand union canal
Watford Lock Flight Sign
Information sign at the top of the staircase locks at Watford Gap on the Grand Union Canal
information signWatford gapstaircase lockslife ringsafetyflotation devicetop lockgrand union canalcrtblack and white
Approach To Crick Tunnel
The Crick tunnel is another long but straight tunnel allowing you to see the tiny dot of white light at the end of the tunnel which seems to take forever to reach.
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Entering Crick Tunnel
The Crick tunnel is another long but straight tunnel allowing you to see the tiny dot of white light at the end of the tunnel which seems to take forever to reach.
crick tunneltravelling on the canallight at the end of the tunnelgrand union canalblack and whitenarrowboatwatertowpathdark tunnellong tunnelnarrow tunnel
Inside Crick Tunnel
A view from inside Crick Tunnel looking behind me. The light soon diminishes into a dark and damp lonely tunnel which can be a little unsettling for someone with claustrophobia or a fear of dark, damp and spooky tunnels.
crick tunneltravelling on the canallight at the end of the tunnelgrand union canalblack and whitenarrowboatwatertowpathdark tunnellong tunnelnarrow tunnelinside the tunnel
Crick Jubilee Wood
I spent a few days here because this little piece of woodland was absolutely stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed walking my dog around and sitting down and just listening to nature and smelling the beautiful smell of the plants and trees in the air.
jubilee woodcrickcanal journeysthe Leicester circuitbeautiful places to visitblack and whiteinformation signestrela mountain dogdog walkpeaceful location
View From Jubilee Wood At Crick
I spent a few days here because this little piece of woodland was absolutely stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed walking my dog around and sitting down and just listening to nature and smelling the beautiful smell of the plants and trees in the air.
jubilee woodcrickcanal journeysthe Leicester circuitbeautiful places to visitblack and whiteinformation signestrela mountain dogdog walkpeaceful location
Silhouette Of Dog
As the sun went down, I took this photo as we were on our final walk of the day around Jubilee Wood
The Red Lion At Crick
A lovely dog friendly pub with friendly staff doing great food at reasonable prices. I spent a few hours each day here for a couple of day on the row and tried a few different meals from the menu. Good simple pub food.
the red lioncrickgood pubnice foodold pubcharacter pubfriendly pub
Picturesque Countryside By Crick
There are plenty of stunning walks around the countryside and woodlands near Crick.
My Dog Enjoying The View
A great way to spend time in a relaxing calm environment watching the world just pass you by as you cruise along at 2mph.
canal boatrelaxingwatching the world pass byestrela mountain dogcalmpeacefulwatercanaltranquilnarrowboatdog and boatdog watchingblack and white
Travelling Narrow Stretches Of Canal
Gently trailing behind a leading boat we navigate our way through a narrow stretch of canal
Canalside Distance Marker
26 miles to go until we reach Leicester. Well that's a good few days away for me at the speed I travel.
Dog Next To The Canal
An unused section of canal near Foxton Locks with heavy plant growth in the water
Foxton Locks Inn
A nice air conditioned pub serving decent food and dog friendly too which was a bonus.
A View From Near The Bottom Of Foxton Lock Flight
The intimidating and impressive lock flight at Foxton. Fortunately there were lock keepers to help boats through but for a single boater it is a daunting sight.
