The Grand Union Canal from Leamington Spa via Stockton and Bascote Lock Flights - Napton Junction to Braunston Turn.

Grand Union Canal's Locks, Bridges and other features which can be seen on the Leamington Spa to Braunston Turn stretch of the The Grand Union Canal.

This part of the Grand Union Canal boasts several marvellous series of canal locks and lock flights - namely at Bascote Locks, Calcutt Locks and even more of them at Stockton Lock Flight. As you can imagine, during the Spring and Summer this stretch of the Canal especially around the various locks gets quite busy with people on holiday - particularly on weekends. However if you can visit the area during weekdays everything is much more peaceful and enjoyable. Apart from the really interesting standard canal locks there is also the quite rare opportunity to see a staircase canal lock as well at Bascote (Bascote locks 14 and 15). The Grand Union Canal shares it's route with the Oxford Canal for a short distance when it reaches Napton Junction - this part of the route and the shared canal bridges are shown further down the page.

If you fancy walking the towpath it is in quite good condition throughout (and also is excellent for cyclists). As a guide for anyone wishing to walk this 10 mile stretch we parked up at St Lawrence's Church car park at Napton on the Hill (there is no problem parking there except on Sundays). If you walk through the churchyard there is a path which takes you down into the village. The bus service from the middle of Napton leaves weekdays and Saturdays at 10:14 hours and takes about 50 minutes into the centre of Leamington. If you get out at the Leamington Parish Church stop it's only a short walk down to the Grand Union Canal. Note that when you eventually reach Napton Junction you would need to turn right and go along the Oxford Canal for a short distance to Napton's Bridge and then walk back up to Napton's church car park. (Please check the above times in case of timetable changes)

Bridge 41

Bridge 41

Canal Bridge no.40 and Pipe

Bridge 40

Footbridge no.39

Footbridge 39

Railway Bridge 38a	Railway Bridge 38a	An extinct railway bridge	Grand Union Canal Bridge 38	Bridge 38	Canal Bridge 37a
Bridge 37a	Bridge 37	Canal Bridge 37	Bridge 36	Bridge 36	Barely visible aqueduct
View from below the canal of the aqueduct	Radford Road Bridge 35	Radford Road Bridge 35	Excellent pipebridge near Radford	Bull Bridge no.34	Bull Bridge 34
Radford Bottom Lock 23	Radford Bottom Lock 23	Railway Bridge 33a	Railway Bridge 33a	Grand Union Canal Bridge 33	Canal Bridge 33

Fosse Locks - Lock 22	Fosse Lock Flight Lock 22	Fosse Lock 21	Fosse Lock 21	Fosse Roadbridge 32	Fosse Roadbridge 32

Grand Union Canal Lock 20	Lock 20	Wood Lock 19	Wood Lock 19	Long Hole Bridge 31	Long Hole Bridge 31
Welsh Roadbridge 30	Welsh Road Lock 18	Splash Bridge 29	Splash Bridge 29	Bascote Lock Flight	Bascote Lock 17
Bascote Lock no.17	Bascote Lock 16	Bascote Lock 16	Bascote Lock 15	Bascote Lock no.15	Bascote - Staircase Locks 15 and 14

The Bascote Lock Flight comprises of four locks two of which are staircase locks (14 and 15). Staircase Locks were cheaper to build and can acheive a greater drop in a short space than standard canal locks. These Bascote Staircase Locks share the centre gate - with the upper gate of one lock also being the lower gate of the other. The locks were originally built as singles but were modernised in the 1930s into wide locks however you can still see the location of the original locks.

Bascote Locks	Bascote Lock 14	Toll House Bridge 28	Toll House Bridge 28	Bascote Bridge 27	Bascote Bridge 27
Railway arches by Bridge 26a	Railway Bridge 26a	Railway bridge 26a	Aqueduct bridge	Bickleys Bridge 26	Bickleys Bridge 26
Cuttle Bridge 25	Cuttle Bridge 25	Itchington Bottom Lock 13	Itchington Bottom Lock Cottage	Itchington Bottom Lock no.13	New Bridge no.24
New Bridge 24	Canal Lock no.12	Lock 12	Kayes Arm	Blue Lias Roadbridge 23	Blue Lias Roadbridge 23
Stockton Lock 11	Stockton Lock no.11	Stockton Lock 10	Stockton Lock no.10	Stockton Lock 9	Stockton Lock no 9
Bridge no.22	Stockton Lock 8	Stockton Lock 8	Stockton Lock 7	Stockton Lock 6	Stockton Lock no.6
Stockton Lock 5	Stockton Lock no.5	Stockton TopLock 4	Stockton Top Lock 4	Birdingbury Wharf Bridge 21	Birdingbury Wharf Bridge no.21
Gibraltar Bridge no20	Gibraltar Bridge 20 and PipeBridge	Daventry Road-bridge 19	Daventry Roadbridge 19	Tom Low Footbridge no.18	Tom Low Footbridge 18

As the Grand Union Canal approaches Napton Junction there are now quite a few marinas situated either side of the canal especially a little way after Calcutt Locks and Tom Low Bridge. The Canal meets up with the somewhat older Oxford Canal by the really beautifully shaped Turnover Bridge (Bridge 17) at Napton Junction.

Dismantled Railway Bridge	Ventnor Marina entrance	Ventnor Marina entrance	Calcutt Lock no.3	Calcutt Marina Bridge	Calcutt Lock 3
Calcutt Lock no.2	Calcutt Lock 2	Calcutt Lock 1	Calcutt Lock 3	Napton Juncton Bridge 17	Napton Juncton Bridge 17

The Grand Union Canal shares it's watery passage with the older Oxford Canal between Napton Junction and Braunston Turn - there are no canal locks along this stretch but there are quite a few canal bridges. These bridges naturally show the Oxford Canal's numbering and naming system (Bridges 91 to 108) however they are also allocated bridge numbers in the Grand Union Canal's sequence although these are not displayed on the bridges themselves. Therefore although these canal bridge photos are shown on our Oxford Canal pages, for completeness each of the bridges are also shown below with both bridge numbers indicated.

GU Bridge 016 / Nimrod Bridge 108	GU Bridge 016 / Nimrod Bridge 108	GU Bridge 015 / Garners Bridge 107	GU Bridge 015 / Garners Bridge 107	GU Bridge 014 / Oxford Canal Bridge 105	GU Bridge 014 / Oxford Canal Bridge 105
GU Bridge 013 / Jacksons Bridge 104	GU Bridge 013 / Jacksons Bridge 104	GU Bridge 012 / New Bridge 103	GU Bridge 012 / New Bridge 103	GU Bridge 011 / Flecknoe Road Bridge 102	GU Bridge 011 / Flecknoe Road Bridge 102
GU Bridge 010 / Nethercote Bridge 101	GU Bridge 010 / Nethercote Bridge 101	Dismantled Railway Bridge	GU Bridge 009 / Chambers Bridge 100	GU Bridge 009 / Chambers Bridge 100	GU Bridge 008 / Hargreaves Bridge 99
GU Bridge 008 / Hargreaves Bridge 99	GU Bridge 007 / Ivy Bridge 98	GU Bridge 007 / Ivy Bridge 98	GU Bridge 006 / Oxford Canal Bridge 97	GU Bridge 006 / Oxford Canal Bridge 97	GU Bridge 005 / Oxford Canal Aqueduct 96
GU Bridge 004 / Turnover Bridge 95	GU Bridge 004 / Turnover Bridge 95	GU Bridge 003 / Braunston Turn Bridge 94	GU Bridges 002+003 / Braunston Turn Bridges 93+94	GU Bridge 002 / Braunston Turn Bridge 93	GU Bridge 001 / Castle Bridge 91

Below are listed our Grand Union Canal Topics -

Birmingham (Salford Junction) through to Kingswood
Kingswood Junction via Hatton Locks to Royal Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa - Stockton - Braunston : this page
Braunston-Gayton Junction-Blisworth Tunnel-Stoke Bruerne-Wolverton
Grand Union Canal Wolverton to Horton
Ivinghoe Lock to Kings Langley
Kings Langley to the end of the Grand Union at The Thames

We have picked out a few Books about England - concerning the waterways of England. 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 Nicholoson Guide covering The Grand Union Canal is BOOK 1.)
If the development and history of our English and British Canals is of particular interest consider looking at the Anatomy of Canals series which are really good reading!.