The Northampton Canal Arm - English Canals

The Northampton Canal Arm - England.

Guide for The Northampton Canal Arm - Bridges, Locks and Features.

The Northampton Canal Arm was opened in 1815 and created a link between The Grand Central Canal system at Gayton Junction and - via the navigable River Nene - Peterborough and The Wash.

The Northampton Canal Arm starts (or ends) at Cotton End Wharf at Lock 17 on the southern edge of Northampton where it connects with the River Nene and then proceeds on it's fairly short 4 3/4 mile course to link up with the Grand Union Canal at Gayton Junction. Around Lock 17 the canal is somewhat scruffy with some litter and so on lying about but once you get past the first railway bridge things improve a lot. Brewery by the Northants Canal The Northants Canal Arm As is sadly the case these days the first few bridges have been painted on with ugly graffitti but again this stupidity disappears quite soon once you are a little way along. There are some lovely old bridges to be seen and sadly two modern concrete things (the lack of any attempt at design on modern bridges especially where they have to go anywhere near our lovely canals is disgusting - the attitude seems to be let's just poor a mass of concrete over the poor canal and that will do.). Some of the missing lift bridges (or drawbridges) are being re-instated and these look pretty good - they are fixed open however.
Note: When walked the Arm in April 2008 there was a closure of the towpath where the ugly m1's concrete mess of a so-called bridge crosses the canal near Rothersthorpe Lock 13. The diversion on offer is appalling and the actual area of work is probably only about 45 yards - there are some barriers which are apparently meant to block the towpath.

Cotton End Lock 17 Northampton Canal - Cotton End Lock no.17 Pipe Bridge - Northampton Canal Bridge 17 Railway Bridge 16 Northampton Canal
Cotton End Lock 17 Cotton End Lock 17 Pipe Bridge at Cotton End Bridge 17 Railway Bridge 16
Northampton Canal feature ? Railway bridge 15 Pipe Bridge-Northampton Canal Lock 16 on the Northampton Canal Northampton Canal - Lock 16 and a Pipe bridge
Unknown ? Railway Bridge 15 Pipe Bridge Lock 16 Lock 16 and PipeBridge
Briar Hill Bridge 14 Briar Hill Bridge 14 - Northampton Canal Bridge 13 and a nearbye Pipe bridge Northampton Canal - Bridge 13 Northampton Canal's Hardingstone Lock no.15
Briar Hill Bridge 14 Briar Hill Bridge 14 Bridge 13 and PipeBridge Bridge 13 Hardingstone Lock 15

The towpath is in an excellent condition throughout the entire Northampton Canal Arm - easy to both walk and cycle on and good enough for a comfortable wander along using for instance a pushchair. There is a thriving community of ducks (fat ducks of course) plus moorhens, coot etc. living their lives happily all along the canal's route - also lots of reeds, trees and other foliage to be enjoyed - making a walk really enjoyable. Perhaps the only real drawback is the constant traffic noise from the A34 road which accompanies the canal for quite some distance.

Hardingstone Lock 15 A45 Roadbridge no.9b - Northampton Canal Northampton Canal Bridge Possible site of a missing drawbridge on the Northampton Canal Banbury Lane Bridge no.9
Hardingstone Lock 15 A45 Roadbridge 9b Canal Bridge Missing Drawbridge ? Banbury Lane Bridge 9
Northampton Canal - Banbury Lane Bridge no.9 Wootton Lock Gates - Lock 14 Northampton Canal - Wootton Lock no.14 Northampton Canal Aqueduct Aqueduct - the Northampton Canal
Banbury Lane Bridge 9 Wootton Lock Gates 14 Wootton Lock 14 Aqueduct Aqueduct
Northampton Canal Drawbridge no.7 Rothersthorpe Bottom Lock 13 Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Bottom Lock 13 Northampton Canal - M1 sliproad Bridge M1 roadbridge crossing the Northampton Canal
Drawbridge 7 Rothersthorpe Bottom Lock 13 Rothersthorpe Bottom Lock 13 M1 sliproad Bridge M1 roadbridge
Rothersthorpe Lock 12 Northampton Canal - M1 sliproad bridge Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Lock 11 Rothersthorpe Lock 11 Drawbridge no.6 on the Northampton Canal
Rothersthorpe Lock 12 M1 sliproad Bridge Rothersthorpe Lock 11 Rothersthorpe Lock 11 Drawbridge 6

The maximum size for canal boats travelling on the Arm is:
Length 72feet, Beam 7 feet, Height 7 feet 6 inches and a maximum draught of 3 feet. The canal features a flight of 17 single locks - you can see most of them from the top of the flight at Rothersthorpe Top Lock (no.1). In the summer and particularly on weekends this area is extremely popular with visitors on holiday in England - you can see the locks in a much more peaceful way during weekdays of course.

Rothersthorpe Lock 10 Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Lock 9 Rothersthorpe Lock no.9 Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Lock 8 Rothersthorpe Lock no.8
Rothersthorpe Lock 10 Rothersthorpe Lock 9 Rothersthorpe Lock 9 Rothersthorpe Lock 8 Rothersthorpe Lock 8
Rothersthorpe Lock 7 Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Lock 7 Rothersthorpe Lock no.6 Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Lock no.6 Drawbridge no.5 on the Northampton Canal, England
Rothersthorpe Lock 7 Rothersthorpe Lock 7 Rothersthorpe Lock 6 Rothersthorpe Lock 6 Drawbridge 5
Rothersthorpe Lock 5 Rothersthorpe Lock no.5 Rothersthorpe Lock 4 Rothersthorpe Lock no.4 Northampton Canal Arm - Rothersthorpe Lock 3
Rothersthorpe Lock 5 Rothersthorpe Lock 5 Rothersthorpe Lock 4 Rothersthorpe Lock 4 Rothersthorpe Lock 3
Rothersthorpe Lock no.3 on the Northampton Canal Northampton Canal Arm - Bridge no.4 and Pipe Bridge Bridge no.4 on the Northampton Canal Arm Northampton Canal Arm - Rothersthorpe Lock 2 Rothersthorpe Lock 2
Rothersthorpe Lock 3 Bridge 4 and PipeBridge Bridge 4 Rothersthorpe Lock 2 Rothersthorpe Lock 2
Northampton Canal - Rothersthorpe Top Lock 1 Rothersthorpe Top Lock no.1 Sand Landing Bridge no.3 on the Northampton Canal Northampton Canal Arm - Sand Landing Bridge no.3 Arm End Bridge no2 and Pipes on the Northampton Canal
Rothersthorpe Top Lock 1 Rothersthorpe Top Lock 1 Sand Landing Bridge 3 Sand Landing Bridge 3 Arm End Bridge 2 and Pipes

Northampton Canal Arm - Arm End Bridge no.2 Northampton Canal Arm and the Grand Union Canal - Gayton Junction The Photos on the left are of Arm End Bridge (bridge 2) and then Gayton Junction and the Grand Union Canal. We walked the canal (and part of the Grand Union) between Northampton and Stoke Bruerne in April 2008. As we are also currently photographing all of the Grand Union Canal's locks and bridges the idea was to park at Stoke Bruerne and take some photos etc along that canal on the same walk. We therefore parked in Stoke Bruerne in the Canal Museum car-park (ukstg2.50 for all day) and then caught a bus (the bus stop is on the museum side of the bridge) which left at 1018hrs into Northampton. You can get onto the Canal from the bridge which carries the A43 south out of Northampton - turn right on the towpath and walk the short distance up to the first of the canal's lock - Cotton End Lock no.17. Then of course being a canal the route is totally straightforward - just go back past the A43 roadbridge and stay on the towpath all the way down to Gayton Junction.
To continue on to Stoke Bruerne you have to go left along the Grand Union Canal for several 100 yards to reach Turnover Bridge 47 - this is an interesting old canal bridge as it has a walkway for the horses which used to pull the canal boats. Cross the bridge and go back along the other side of the Grand Union - passing Gayton Junction and continuing on South. The canal passes to the west of Blisworth and then reaches the third longest navigable waterway tunnel in the United Kingdom - the 3057 yards long Blisworth Tunnel (which was originally opened in March 1805).

Turnover Bridge near Gayton Junction An airshaft serving the Blisworth Tunnel The north end of the Blisworth Tunnel Blisworth Tunnel's South end or entrance The Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne

The modernised tunnel allows two 7 foot wide canal boats to pass - however there is no towpath through the tunnel. To continue walking you have to climb up on a pathway to a small country track, turn left and then almost immediately right onto a road. Follow the road until it bends half right - a wide signposted path on the left hand side of the road goes ahead from here and takes you gently down to reach the southern end of Blisworth Tunnel and the towpath. From here it is only a relatively short distance back to Stoke Bruerne.

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