
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.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 2012 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.
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.