Guide to the Aylesbury Canal Arm in England.

Aylesbury Canal Photos and Information about the towpath, bridges and locks on the Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal in Buckinghamshire, England.

The Aylesbury Arm starts off from the Grand Union Canal at Marsworth Junction and runs for 10 kilometres across the countryside to arrive in the centre of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Completed in 1815 the intention was to use the Aylesbury Canal Arm as part of a through connection between the Grand Union Canal and the River Thames at Abingdon - and thus ultimately create a possible route through to the Kennet and Avon Canal and Wilts and Berks Canal. These plans were argued over for around 17 years before the Arm was started - one of the biggest issues was the scarcity of water and as the Aylesbury Arm would have required water from another source i.e. The River Thames (Aylesbury lies in a hollow) - in the end this through connection never did happen.

The Aylesbury Arm drops a total of 95 feet on it's way to Aylesbury with most of it's 16 narrow 7 feet locks situated at the Marsworth end of the canal. The Arm was used commercially for transport of grain, timber, coal and building materials until the 1960s. The first locks are right at the start of the Canal as you leave Marsworth Basin - these two canal locks are staircase locks where the middle gate joins the top and bottom locks - this type of lock is unique on the Grand Union Canal's Southern Waterway.

Marsworth Junction

Marsworth No. 1 Lock (staircase lock)

Marsworth No.2 Lock

Marsworth Lock no.2
and Bridge no.1

Bridge No.1 - Aylesbury Arm.

Marsworth No.3 Lock

Black Jacks Lock No.4

The Aylesbury Arm, Lock No.5

Aylesbury Arm Lock6

Pipe Bridge near Bridge no2

Dixons Gap Bridge No.2

Lock No.7

Jefferies Lock No.8

Wilstone Bridge No.3

Footbridge No.4

Lock No.9

Aylesbury Arm - Bridge No.5

Canal Bridge no.6

Puttenham TopLock No.10

Puttenham TopLock
Lock Gates

Puttenham BottomLock No.11

Bridge No.7

Aylesbury Arm - Bridge No.8

Buckland Lock No.12

Buckland Lock Gates
near Aylesbury

Although the Waterways Authorities are keen to promote themselves as encouraging various leisure activities on their canals the fact is that the Aylesbury Arm's towpath is in a pretty bad condition in various places. We last walked the towpath in December 2011 and there were really poor areas with bank collapse and deep mud filled holes. In at least two locations the bank had collapsed sufficiently to cause the canal to leak across the towpath into adjacent field ditches. So if you add to this leakage problem some wet weather and a subsequently very soggy towpath it's evident that walking becomes quite difficult to say the least and for cyclists pretty hazardous.

Red House Lock No.13

Canal Bridge no.9

Bridge No.10

Aylesbury Arm - Canal Bridge 11

Bridge no 12

Bridge No.13

Bridge No.14

Broughton Lock No.14

Bridge No.15

2 excellent Pipe Bridges on the Aylesbury Arm

Bridge No.16

ugly concrete Aylesbury roadbridge

Osier Bed Lock No.15

Bear Brook diving under the Aylesbury Arm

Hills Partridge Lock
No.16

Pipe Bridge next
to Bridge 17

Bridge No.17

Bridge No.18

Iron Footbridge

Aylesbury Basin

The Aylesbury Arm is a very popular venue for fishermen - unlike our rivers which have a close season you can of course fish all the year round on the canal - and at least the towpath is generally wide enough to give everyone room for their pursuits. For narrowboats the canal is quite straight in direction and generally wide enough for passing although it is very silted in some places with reeds protruding well out into the stream. There are turning points at Marsworth, another at Bridge 9 and one at the Arm's end in Aylesbury (this latter turnpoint is quite congested due to quite a few moored canal narrow boats). There is also another short canal arm leaving the Grand Union Canal nearbye by which is the Wendover Arm - this is a truly beautiful mostly tree-lined canal packed with wildlife and so far only navigable for narrowboats for a short distance.

We have picked out a few Books about England - Churches, Canals and Rivers as well as walks in England and English Nature. The Nicholsons Waterways Guides are a "must take" for anyone going on a Canal Barge or Narrowboat holiday (as well as anyone visiting the canals) as they are packed with really useful information. (The relevant Nicholson Guide covering The Aylesbury Arm is BOOK 1.) If the development and history of our Canals is of particular interest consider the Anatomy of Canals series of books which are really good reading!.