Foxton (Leicester Arm) to Welford (Welford Arm) - Grand Union Canal

We set off this morning by 9.30am as we wanted to get to Welford today before the rain that was forecast comes.  We have 8 miles, 1 tunnel and 1 lock to do today.

In Husbands Bosworth Tunnel

And out we go

The canal was very quiet and we only saw a couple of boats.  We wound our way along the canal and after a few miles we were approaching Husbands Bosworth Tunnel.  This tunnel is 1166 yds long.

We only passed one boat in the tunnel today and soon we were chugging out the other side and along the canal and turned off down the Welford Arm.

Down the Welford Arm we go

The Welford Arm runs for about 1¾ miles from its junction with the Grand Union Canal to the village of Welford.  Originally built as a navigable feeder to link the Welford and Sudbury reservoirs to the main line at Welford Junction, it also was used to transport lime which was burnt in kilns at Welford Wharf.  As this industry declined, the carriage of coal became the main trade until this also dwindled and the canal became disused in the late 1930s.  Restoration was carried out in the 1960s and the Arm was fully opened in 1969.  There is one lock on the Welford Arm and it raises the canal to the highest point on the whole of the Grand Union Canal.

In Welford Lock

We chugged on down the arm and soon came to the Welford lock, it was set for us and is only a shallow lock, so we were soon through there and on down the canal to the end of the Arm.  We turned around here and moored up in the visitor moorings.

We had a walk up to the village in the afternoon.  There isn’t much there, a few houses and a church and a well stocked village shop.

The Wharf Inn

There is a pub called The Wharf in the canal basin, so we stopped in there for a drink, it looks a nice tidy pub.  We may have lunch there tomorrow as they do a lunch deal in the week.

We are going to stay here for a couple of days now.  There are a couple of reservoirs which are now nature reserves so we are going to have a walk around there tomorrow.

Moored at Welford