The Wendover Canal Arm in England.

About the Wendover Canal Arm in England.

The Wendover Arm runs from the small Buckinghamshire town of Wendover to Bulbourne Junction and was originally designed as a feeder arm to provide scarce water for the main line canal system which was around 400 feet above the Thames at this point. Commenced in 1793 the plans were soon altered as it was realised that the feeder arm could be made to be navigable at little extra cost. However not long after completion it then became apparent that the Wendover Arm was leaking water and despite several fixes over the years the water loss soon became greater than the amount it was actually providing to the Grand Union Canal and so the Wendover Arm was eventually sealed off at the stop lock at Little Tring. Instead the water being provided by the various springs around Wendover was culverted and the canal arm remains dry between Little Tring Farm and a little before Drayton Beauchamp Bridge.
Therefore only a short part of the Wendover Arm is navigable for narrowboats - namely from Bulbourne Junction Bridge to several 100 yards past Little Tring Bridge no.3 where there is a good sized turning point. Incidentally there is a nice looking old mill next to Gamnel Bridge - excellent brickwork and the mill is still in full commercial use.
From Drayton Beauchamp Bridge on into Wendover the Arm is quite shallow, heavily silted and full of undergrowth with gorgeous trees bordering it's sides for much of the way however it is still wet and therefore a haven for wildlife. The towpath is in excellent condition for walkers and for cycling and there are a considerable amount of paths linking onto the towpath which makes for some really good circular hiking trips.

Reservoirs and the leaky Wendover Canal Arm.

Between 1806 and 1817 Marsworth, Tringford and Startop reservoirs were added to help provide a water supply for the main line and the water was pumped through via the Tringford Pumping Station which is still there - it's located close to Little Tring Bridge (see below photo). There are two other reservoirs helping to provide much needed water to the Grand Union which were added onto the supply system a few years later. These reservoirs are Startop's End and the 70 acre Weston Turville Reservoir - the latter has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Also a little way below is a picture of Drayton Beauchamp Church - this beautiful church can just be seen from the towpath of the Wendover Arm - but only in the winter before the heavy foliage blanks the view out.