The Grand Union Canal - Leamington Spa to the Braunston Turn.
Features of The Grand Union Canal from Leamington Spa via Bascote Lock and Staircase Locks and Stockton Lock Flight then Napton Junction to Braunston Turn.
This part of the Grand Union 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 no.38a

an ex railway bridge

Canal Bridge 38

Grand Union Canal Bridge 38

Canal bridge 37a

Bridge 37a

Bridge no37 - Grand Union Canal

Bridge 37

Leamington to Braunston - Bridge 36

Bridge 36

Aqueduct - Grand Union Canal

Grand Union Canal - Aqueduct

Radford Roadbridge

Radford Roadbridge no.35

Pipe Bridge

Bridge 34 - Bull Bridge

Bull Bridge 34

Radford Bottom Lock 23

Radford Bottom Lock 23

Bridge 33a

Bridge 33a (railway)

Grand Union Canal
Bridge 33

Canal Bridge 33

Fosse Locks - Lock 22

Fosse Lock no.22

Fosse Lock no.21

Fosse Lock no.21

Fosse Roadbridge 32

Fosse Roadbridge no.32

Grand Union Canal
Lock 20

Canal Lock no.20

Grand Union Canal -
Wood Lock no.19

Wood Lock 19

Long Hole Bridge 31

Long Hole Canal
Bridge no.31

Welsh Roadbridge 30

Welsh Road Lock 18

Splash Bridge no.29

Grand Union Canal -
Splash Bridge 29

Flight of locks at Bascote

Bascote Lock no.17

Bascote Lock no.17

Bascote Lock no.16

Bascote Lock no.16

Bascote Lock no.15

Bascote Lock no.15

Bascote Staircase Locks gates for 15+14

Bascote Lock Flight - Grand Union Canal

Bascote Lock no.14
The Bascote Lock Flight comprises of four locks two of which are Grand Union Canal staircase locks (numbers 14 and 15).
Canal stair case 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.

Toll House Bridge no.28

Toll House Bridge 28

Bascote Bridge 27

Grand Union Canal - Bascote Bridge 27

Railway arches

Railway Bridge no.26a

Railway bridge no.26a

Grand Union Canal Aqueduct Bridge

Bickleys Bridge no.26

Bickleys Bridge no.26

Cuttle Canal Bridge 25

Cuttle Bridge 25

Itchington Bottom Lock no.13

Itchington Bottom Lock Cottage

Itchington Bottom Lock no.13

New Bridge no.24

New Bridge no.24

Grand Union Canal Lock no.12

Canal Lock no.12

Kayes Arm

Blue Lias Roadbridge no.23

Blue Lias Roadbridge 23

Stockton Lock no.11

Grand Union Canal - Stockton Lock no.11

Stockton Lock no.10

Stockton Lock no.10 - Grand Union Canal

Stockton Lock no.9

Stockton Lock no.9

Grand Union Canal
Bridge no.22

Stockton Lock no.8

Stockton Lock no.7

Stockton Lock no.7

Stockton Lock no.6

Grand Union Canal - Stockton Lock 6

Stockton Lock 5

Grand Union Canal - Stockton Lock no.5

Stockton Top Lock no.4 - Grand Union Canal

Stockton TopLock 4

Birdingbury Wharf
Bridge no.21

Birdingbury Wharf
Bridge 21

Gibraltar Bridge no.20

Gibraltar Bridge no.20
and it's Pipe Bridge

Daventry Road
Bridge no.19

Daventry Road
Bridge no.19

Tom Low Footbridge
no.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 Grand Union Canal meets up with the somewhat older Oxford Canal by the really beautifully shaped Turnover Bridge (Grand
Union Canal Bridge 17) at Napton Junction.

Tom Low Foot-bridge 18

Site of a dsmantled
railway bridge

One of Ventnor Marina entrance points

Ventnor Marina Entry point - Grand Union Canal

Calcutt Lock no.3

The side bridge leading
into Calcutt Marina

Grand Union Canal Locks - Calcutt Lock no.3

Calcutt Lock no.2

Calcutt Lock no.2 -
Grand Union Canal.

Calcutt Lock no.1

Calcutt Lock 1

View of Napton Junction Bridge as seen from the Grand Union Canal itself

This is Napton Junction Bridge as seen from the Oxford Canal

Canal Bridges - Nimrod Bridge 108

Nimrod Bridge 108 on the Oxford Canal
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 shared stretch of water 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.

Garners Bridge 107

Oxford Canal - Garners Bridge 107

Bridge 105 on
the Oxford Canal

Oxford Canal Bridge 105

Jacksons Bridge 104

Canal bridges - Jacksons Bridge 104

Oxford Canal -
New Bridge 103

New Bridge 103 - Oxford Canal

Flecknoe Road
Bridge 102

Oxford Canal - Flecknoe Road Bridge 102

Oxford Canal England - Nethercote Bridge 101

Nethercote Bridge 101

dismantled railway bridge
at the Oxford Canal

Chambers Bridge 100

Oxford Canal -
Chambers Bridge 100

Hargreaves Canal Bridge no 99

Hargreaves Bridge 99

Ivy bridge 98 -
Oxford Canal England

Ivy Bridge 98 -
Oxford Canal

Oxford Canal Bridge 97

Bridge 97 on the Oxford Canal

Oxford Canal Aqueduct 96
GU Bridge 004Turnover Bridge 95
GU Bridge 004Turnover Bridge 95
GU Bridge 003Braunston Turn Bridge 94
GU Bridges 002+003Braunston Turn Bridges 93+94
GU Bridge 002Braunston Turn Bridge 93
GU Bridge 001Castle Bridge 91
Our topics about the Grand Union Canal - from it's start in Birmingham south to where it meets The Thames in London:
Grand Union Canal in Birmingham
Grand Union Canal - Camp Hill Locks and Knowle Locks
Grand Union Canal Lapworth - Hatton Locks
The Grand Union Canal Fosse Locks and Napton - this page
Grand Union Canal Braunston area
Grand Union Canal around Stoke Bruerne
Wolverton - Horton on the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal Ivinghoe - Kings Langley
Grand Union Canal - Denham area
&
Grand Union Canal on into London
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