Wolverton - Horton on the Grand Union - England

Wolverton to Horton's Lock no.21 - Pictures of all the Bridges and Locks on the Grand Union Canal Main Line in England.

The Photos cover every lock and bridge as well as other features - for instance pump houses - which we found whilst walking the Grand Union Canal between Wolverton and Horton Lock no.21.

The canal towpath is in excellent condition on the whole of this stretch and both walking and cycling are easy with no hazards of brambles, potholes or bank collapse as found around Braunston. Wolverton is located at the top of Milton Keynes and has been pretty well absorbed by this concrete and brick sprawl but apart from a few really ugly concrete road bridges and occasional road noise the proximity of Milton Keynes does not generally affect the canal.

In fact as the canal wanders around the top and right hand side of this city it is enclosed by lots of gorgeous trees and parkland and is an excellent walking area to pick if you are on holiday or visiting the area. As the canal heads south it passes Fenny Stratford (now absorbed by Bletchley (which is itself being absorbed by Milton Keynes)) - then on by Water Eaton - just after Bridge 99 you suddenly leave the City and find yourself wandering through lovely countryside - even better.
There are a few locks along here as the canal heads into Leighton Buzzard - including the pretty little set of locks at Soulbury (Three Locks). Once again the fact that the canal is passing through a large town (Leighton Buzzard) does not spoil the walking enjoyment as the surrounds are really pleasant. From here the canal continues it's southwards path through really open countryside - our photos on this page end deep in the countryside just pas Slapton Locks at Horton.

** Walking and Cycling - getting to various starts. We walked the 9 mile stretch between Wolverton and Fenny Stratford by initially parking at Bletchley (free parking on Sundays) and getting the train up to Wolverton (£3.10 single fare) - there were 2 trains an hour at time of writing and also for cyclists the train company allows bikes on board free of charge. Note that you leave the canal at the end of the walk at Fenny Stratford Bridge 96 and have to walk around a mile or so back up to the railway station at Bletchley - this made our walk a total of around 19kms though we did make several short detours to look at "things we spotted".
Fenny Stratford to Horton Lock 31.  We did this trip on a Saturday - there are trains once an hour from Cheddington Station (free parking Saturdays/Sundays) to Bletchley (£4.90 single fare) and again cycles can be carried out of peak times (hardly any trains on Sundays though). This time of course you have to then walk down to Fenny Stratford before commencing the 12 mile walk along the Grand Union Canal back to Slapton - then it's about a mile back to to Cheddington railway station. We measured the whole walk at 23 kms though we did do a couple of minor detours.
** note these prices - trains - car parking etc reflect what we found when we walked the canal in October 2007 and things might have since changed.

Grand Union Canal Bridge 71 railway bridge slicing across the Grand Union outside Wolverton Grafton Street Aqueduct and sluice - Grand Union Canal Footbridge Grafton Bridge 72
Bridge 71 Railway bridge at Wolverton - 71a Grafton Street Aqueduct Grafton Footbridge Grand Union Canal Bridge 72
Bridge 74 Grand Union Canal bridge 75 Bridge 76 Bridge 76a Bridge 77 with its footbridge alongside
Bridge 74 Bridge 75 Bridge 76 Bridge 76a Bridge 77 and footbridge
Bridge 77 Bridge 78 Bridge 78b Bridge 79 re--furbished brick kilns
Bridge 77 Bridge 78 Bridge 78b Bridge 79 Brick Kilns
Road Bridge 79a Grand Union Canal Bridge 79b Bridge 79c Dansteed Way bridge 79d Canal Bridge 80a
Bridge 79a Bridge 79b Bridge 79c Ugly Bridge 79d - Dansteed Way Bridge 80a
Grand Union Canal - bridge 81 ugcly concrete canal bridge 81a spoiling the Grand Union Canal Bridge 81b Grand Union Canal bridge 82 gruesome concrete polluting the Grand Union Canal - New Bridge 82a
Bridge 81 Bridge 81a Bridge 81b Bridge 82 Ugly concrete Bridge 82a
New Bridge 82a - the other half of this ugly non-designed mess Bridge 83 enhancing the Grand Union Canal Bridge 94 Grand Union Canal Bridges - this is no. 85 Chaffron Way Bridge 85a
New Bridge 82a - no design here Bridge 83 Bridge 84 Bridge 85 Chaffron Way Bridge 85a
Bridge 86 Bridge 87 Pear Tree Bridge 88 Grand Union Canal Grand Union Canal Bridge no.89 Canal Bridge 90
Bridge 86 Bridge 87 Pear Tree Bridge 88 Bridge no. 89 Bridge 90
Bridge 90a Tinkers Bridge 90b more concrete - Groveway bridge 90c Bowlers Bridge 91 Pipe Bridge and Bridge 91 - Grand Union Canal
Bridge 90a Tinkers Bridge 90b Groveway Bridge 90c Bridge 91 Bridge 91 and Pipe Bridge
Bridge no92 Pipe Bridge next to Bridge 92 - Grand Union Canal Bridge 92a Bridge 93 on the Grand Union Canal even more lack of design - Bridge 93a Grand Union Canal
Bridge 92 Pipe Bridge by Bridge 92 Bridge 92a Bridge 93 ugly Bridge 93a
Grand Union Canal Pipe Bridge next to Bridge 94 Bridge 94 Fenny Stratford Lock no.22 Grand Union Canal Grand Union Canal Locks - Fenny Stratford no.22 Swingbridge 95 half along the Lock at Fenny Stratford
Pipe Bridge and Bridge 94 Bridge 94 Fenny Stratford Lock 22 Fenny Stratford Lock 22 Swingbridge 95 across the lock 22
a Pipe Bridge and Railway Bridge at Fenny Stratford Bridge 96 and Pipe Bridge - Grand Union Canal Bridge 96 Lift bridge into a small private marina at Fenny Stratford Canal Bridge 97
A Pipe and Railway-Bridge Bridge 96 and Pipe Bridge Bridge 96 Lift bridge - private marina Fenny Stratford Bridge 97
Grand Union Canal Bridge 98 Foot Bridge over the Grand Union Canal Bridge 99 and Pipe Bridge A4146 bridge crossing the Grand Union Canal Bridge no.102 on the Grand Union Canal England
Bridge 98 Foot Bridge Bridge 99 and Pipe A4146 roadbridge Bridge 102
Double arched Grand Union Canal Bridge 104 Pump House at Stoke Hammond - Grand Union Canal Stoke Hammond Lock 23 Grand Union Canal Locks - Stoke Hammond no.23 Bridge 105 - derelict swingbridge on the Grand Union Canal
Bridge 104 Pumphouse at Stoke Hammond Stoke Hammond Lock 23 Stoke Hammond Lock 23 Swing Bridge 105 - derelict
Bridge 106 Soulbury Lock 24 - Lock Gates Soulbury Lock 24 Soulbury Lock 25 - Grand Union Canal Soulbury Lock no. 26 on the Grand Union Canal England
Bridge 106 Soulbury Lock 24 Gates Soulbury Lock 24 Soulbury Lock 25 Soulbury Lock 26

The picture above of Bridge 104 which is by Stoke Hammond Lock 23 shows a good example of a double arched canal bridge - these were built on this part of the canal to cater for the original twinned locks. Three Locks at Soulbury are well worth a visit - there is a large public house right by the locks and also the general area is very well maintained; there is also an old pump house which sets off the scene very nicely. Just off the A4146 and before going over the canal's bridge you can find a fairly large car-park which quite unusually for the area was free to park as of October 2008 and where there are several picnic tables available.

Pump House at Three Locks - Soulbury Three Locks Soulbury - Grand Union Canal Bridge 107 Bridge 108 Grand Union Canal Bridge 109
Soulbury Lock Pump House Soulbury Three Locks Bridge 107 Bridge 108 Bridge 109
Bridge no.110 Canal Bridge 111 on the Grand Union Swing Bridge 112 Leighton Lock 27 Grand Union Canal Locks - Leighton no.27
Bridge 110 Bridge 111 Swing Bridge 112 Leighton Lock 27 Leighton Lock 27
Grand Union Canal Sluices Great brickwork on a Grand Union Canal sluice roadbridge carrying the A505 over the Grand Union Canal Grand Union Canal - Grove Lock no.28 Double arched Bridge 116 on the Grand Union Canal
Sluices Canal Sluice A505 Roadbridge Grove Lock 28 Bridge 116
Church Lock no.29 Grand Union Canal Locks - no.29 Church Lock Bridge 118 Slapton Lock no.30 Grand Union Canal - Slapton Lock no.30
Church Lock 29 Church Lock 29 Bridge 118 Slapton Lock 30 Slapton Lock 30

If you look at the photo above of Slapton Lock 30 lockgates you can see on the right where there was once a second lock - to help with barge throughput quite a few of the locks in this part of the Grand Union Canal were turned into double or twin locks. Ultimately though these were turned back into singles as the traffic movement on the canal declined (mostly due to the new railways being built which took much of the business away from the canals).

Bridge 120 Grand Union Canal Bridge 121 Grand Union Canal - Horton Lock 31 A swan waiting for bread on the Grand Union Canal
Bridge 120 Bridge 121 Horton Lock no.31 Swan enjoying the Canal

 

The following are our other Grand Union Canal Main Line photos - this series of pages show every one of the Canal's Locks and Bridges:
Birmingham (Salford Junction) through to Lapworth
Lapworth via Hatton Locks to Royal Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa to Braunston
Braunston-Gayton Junction-Blisworth Tunnel-Stoke Bruerne-Wolverton
Ivinghoe Lock to Kings Langley
Kings Langley to the end of the Grand Union at The Thames

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