The Beautiful Leicester Canal Branch - Foxton to The River Soar.

This follows The Leicester Canal Section from Foxton to it's end at Birstall just north of Leicester City - bridges, locks and other Leicester Canal features.

Once through Foxton Locks and the Market Harborough Junction the Leicester canal again enters really beautiful and - at least until it nears the City of Leicester - quite remote countryside. Another feature is that the canal locks starting from Kibworth Top Lock (Lock 18) are double lockss - i.e. they able to accommodate two barges at a time.
Please see our Leicester Canal topic for all the canal's features between Norton Junction right up to Gumley Road Bridge and down Foxton Locks or our Market Harborough topic for loads of information about a walk along it's Arm and also please see our Foxton Locks topic covering a lot more information and pictures about Foxton.

Market Harborough Arm Leaves	Rainbow Bridge 62	Rainbow Bridge 62	Footbridge 63	Footbridge 63	Pat's Bridge 64
Pat's Bridge 64	Debdale Wharf Bridge 65	Debdale Wharf Bridge 65	Debdale Wharf	Missing bridge 66	Missing bridge 66
Binley's Bridge 67	Binley's Bridge 67	Bridge 68	Bridge 68	Gumley Bridge 69	Gumley Bridge 69
Long Hill Bridge 70	Long Hill Bridge 70	Bridge 71	Bridge 71	Saddington Feeder Arm	Smeeton Aqueduct
Smeeton Aqueduct	Smeeton Aqueduct track	Smeeton Roadbridge 72	Smeeton Roadbridge 72	Saddington Tunnel SE end	Saddington Tunnel NW end

Saddington Tunnel. This slightly crooked tunnel was built in 1797 and is 808 metres long and available for two way working for boats of 3.96 metres or less beam and maximum of 2.13 metres high. The tunnel does not have an internal towpath - if walking the Leicester canal's route simply follow the marked route which goes up and over the hillside directly following the tunnel's route.

Saddington Tunnel NW end	Fleckney Bridge 73	Fleckney Bridge 73	Ross Bridge 74	Ross Bridge 74	Kibworth Top Lock 18
Kibworth Top Lock 18	Pipe Bridge - Kibworth	Pipebridge at Kibworth	Kibworth Second Lock 19	Kibworth Second Lock 19	Taylor's Turnover Lock 20
Taylor's Turnover Lock 20	Kibworth Bridge 75	Kibworth Bridge 75	Pywell's Lock 21	Pywell's Lock 21	Pywell Syphon
Sluice brickwork	Sluice	Glen Aqueduct	Crane's Lock 22	Crane's Lock 22	Crane's Bridge 76
Crane's Bridge 76	Aqueduct	Canal goes over a small stream	Canal aqueduct	Bowden Roadbridge 77	Bowden Roadbridge 77

From Crane's Bridge there is a nice path which slightly dog-legs as it crosses several fields and then heads almost directly back into Fleckney - it takes around 30 minutes to walk. At Fleckney there is a small supermarket and several nice pubs which might be of interest if laying up at Crane's Lock whilst on a boating holiday. The Leicester canal itself continues it's trip towards the City of Leicester travelling through some really beautiful countryside via really nice canal locks and some excellently bricked canal bridges. The towpath is fine for walking as it's generally in good condition all the way into the City - sometimes it's grassy but quite often it has been levelled and gravelled so also generally confortable for anyone wanting to cycle it - however there are one or two very minor collapses to watch for if cycling but it's nothing like the mess which exists around Braunston between the locks and the tunnel for instance.

Ivy Bridge 78	Ivy Bridge 78	High Bridge 79	High Bridge 79	Newton Bridge 80	Newton Bridge
Newton Top Lock 23	Newton Top Lock Gates	Spinney Lock 24	Spinney Lock - Gates	Spinney Lock - 24	Wain Bridge - 81
Pipe Bridge + Wain Bridge	Top Half Mile Lock	Top Half Mile Lock 25	Lock Gates - Top Half Mile Lock	Bottom Half Mile Gates	Turnover Lock - 27
Turnover Lock	Turnover Bridge 82	Turnover Bridge 82	Tythorn Lock Gates	Tythorn Lock - 28	Bumble Bee Lock - 29
Bumble Bee Lock	Tythorn Bridge 84	Tythorn Bridge - 84	Clifton bridge - 85	Clifton Bridge - 85	Elis's Bridge - 86
Ellis's Bridge 86	Kilby Canal Bridge 87	Kilby Canal Bridge 87	Kilby Lock	Kilby Lock 30	Kilby Lock Bridge - 88
Taylor's Bridge 89	Taylor's Bridge - 89	Double Rail Lock	Double Rail Lock 31	Knight Bridge - 90	Knight Bridge - 90
Pochin's Bridge	Pochin's Bridge - 91	Ervine's Lock - 32	Ervines Lock	Crow Mills Bridge	Crow Mills Bridge - 92
Vice's Bridge	Vice's Bridge :-93	Bush Lock 33	Bush Lock	Little Glen Bridge	Footbridge + Bridge 94
Knight's Bridge 95	Knight's Bridge: 95	Simpkin's Bridge: 96	Simpkin's Bridge	Railway Bridge 96a	Railway Bridge 96a
Dunn's Lock	Dunn's Lock 34 - gates	Blaby Bridge - 98	Blaby Bridge	Whetstone Lane Lock 35	Whetstone Lane Lock
Whetstone Lane Bridge 99	Whetstone Lane Bridge	Bridge 99a	Bridge 99a	Demolished Railway Bridge	Demolished Railway Bridge
Handford Bridge	Handford Bridge - 100	Gees Lock - 36	Gees Lock	Gees Lock	Gees Bridge 101
Gees Bridge	Blue Bank Bridge	Blue Bank Bridge 102	Blue Bank Lock 37	Blue Bank Lock	Lock Gates - Blue Bank Lock
Soar Valley Roadbridge 103a	Soar Valley Roadbridge	Kings Lock	Kings Lock + Bridge	King's Lock38	Kings Lock Bridge 104

Leicester Section - Pack Horse Bridges. Aylestone boasts a really beautiful example of a canal pack horse bridge - it can easily be seen and walked over from canal bridge 105 which also bears the same name i.e. Packhorse Bridge no:105. Aylestone's packhorse bridge (numbered Leicester County no:10) was thought to have been built in the 15th Century and creates a dry route across boggy ground and the River Soar - there are eleven small stone and granite arches in all.

Just a little further along towards Leicester you reach St Mary's Mill Lock and also St Mary's Mill itself - the mill is still in quite intact condition and has really beautiful brickwork. Continue along just a little further and the Leicester canal passes under some excellent arches which belong to Twelve Arches Railway Bridge.

Aylestone Pack Horse Bridge - 10	Canal Packhorse Bridge	Aylestone Pack Horse Bridge	(Canal) Packhorse Bridge 105	Aylestone Pack Horse Bridge	Side Bridge
Railway Bridge 105c	Railway Bridge - 105c	Canal Towpath at Freestone Bridge	Freestone Bridge no 106	Freestone Bridge 106	Parson's Bridge 107
Parson's Bridge	Aylestone Mill Lock	Aylestone Mill Lock 39	Aylestone Mill Bridge	Aylestone Mill Bridge 108	Pipe Bridges
Pipe Bridges	St Mary's Towpath	St Mary's Mill Lock 40	St Mary's Mill	Lock Gates - Lock 40	Side Bridge 108c
Twelve Arches Railway Bridge	Twelve Arches Bridge 108d	Freeman's Meadow Lock 41	Freeman's Meadow Lock	Freeman's Meadow Lock	Side-Bridge
Sidebridge	Sidebridge	Walnut Bridge 109	Walnut Bridge	Swan Bridge 109a	Swan Bridge
Mill Lane Bridge	Mill Lane Bridge 110	Newarke Roadbridge 111	Newarke Road Bridge	Footbridge 111a	Footbridge 111a

The Leicester Section has now managed to get itself well into the City of Leicester however you would hardly know this as there is a great deal of parkland around. The canal has quite a few trees and so on and the whole stretch is a pleasure to walk through as it's generally very peaceful with little traffic noise etc. On one side of the canal you do find quite a few old buildings and warehouses etc. which have been re-furbished i.e. converted into flats and so on - also there are one or two old brick chimneys still in existence. Leicester City authorities have gone to some trouble to keep the canal looking like a canal - an example of this is where they have had to put strong concrete bridges over the canal for traffic reasons yet they have adorned and painted up these bridges with nice ornamental metal work.
West Bridge is dual numbered - with the canal's sequence ending at 112 and the other side of the bridge numbered as Bridge 1 i.e. starting off the River Soar's sequence. Despite this numbering this is not in reality the end of the Leicester Section since at Evan's Weir the River Soar goes off to the left and the canal continues bearing right via old warehouses. This diversion was built in the late 1800s as part of flood prevention schemes.

West Bridge 112	West Bridge 112	West Bridge - 1	Sidebridge	Evan's Weir	Evan's weir sluice gates
River Soar Bridge	Evan's Weir	Soar Lane Bridge 3	Soar Lane Bridge	Hitchock's Weir Bridge 4	Hitchock's Weir Bridge
Sidebridge	Hitchcock's Weir Bridges	North Lock 42	North Lock	North Bridge 5	North Bridge 5

There are several weirs and ornamental side bridges along this stretch where the Leicester canal and the River Soar keep briefly meeting - Hitchcock's Weir is particularly interesting and full of wildlife such as swans, herons and of course plump ducks.

Abbey Lane Bridge 6	Abbey Lane Bridge	Friday Street Bridge	Friday Street Bridge - 7	Chimneys + warehouses - Leicester	Pipebridge
Pipebridge	Memory Lane Wharf	Lime Kiln Lock	Lime Kiln Lock 43	Wharf near Abbey Park	Abbey Park Roadbridge
Abbey Park Roadbridge 9	Pipe Bridge	Pipe Bridge	Swan's Nest Bridge - 10	Swan's Nest Bridge	Belgrave Lock

As the Leicester canal reaches it's end there are still quite a few semi-derelict warehouses and mills on one side of it - they look really nice with their brickwork, windows and the occasional mill or factory chimney. On the left of the canal there are extensive garden and public areas which comprises Leicester City's Abbey Park. The canal and River Soar then re-join at Swan's Nest Weir and Belgrave Lock - from here onwards the navigation is the River Soar. Ultimately the River Soar (now known as The Grand Union - River Soar) ends up at a "canal crossroads" - meeting the Erewash Canal, The River Trent itself and the Trent and Mersey Canal at Trent Lock which is located south of Long Eaton, Derbyshire.

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. If the development and history of our Canals is of particular interest consider the Anatomy of Canals series - really good reading!. (The relevant Nicholoson Guide covering The Grand Union's Leicester Section is BOOK 3.)