Going north to south - Coventry canal vs GU Leicester branch?

[jetzi]

Going from Great Haywood to Northampton. Already done the Shroppie / Staffs & Worcs / BCN, I'm torn between:

 

1. taking the Coventry Canal (with a detour up the Ashby) and North Oxford via Braunston, OR

2. taking the longer route via Soar Navigation & Leicester branch.

 

Which would you recommend? I've not been on either canal and I might not get around to trying the other route so the stakes are high!

[Mike Tee]

Depends on the weather! If your forecast of choice suggests plenty of rain, avoid the Soar. As far as which one is best, apart from the weather, for me its a six or two threes.

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

Depends on the weather! If your forecast of choice suggests plenty of rain, avoid the Soar. As far as which one is best, apart from the weather, for me its a six or two threes.

Not just rain on the Soar (we got stuck for a day), if you're on your own or only two of you some of the locks are quite hard work...

[BEngo]

Is this a "have to get somewhere "trip?

If so, q the Soar is prone to flooding which can destroy any planned itinerary. So is the Nene, but there is not so much of that to Northampton.

Planned stoppages on either route?

 

The Soar route is prettier than the Coventry. There are now more moorings in Leicester.  The stretch out of Leicester can be short of water, and you need to get through Foxton and Watford which are time restricted.  Market Harborough and Welford are excellent side diversions.

 

There is a cracking chippy at Handsacre and the Ashby is nicely rural, with a good farm shop or two. The Greyhound at Suttons is not to be missed.   There are lots of long pounds and concentrated flights this way, which is good for long days.

Either way Buckby is a horrible flight, especially solo!

 

In summer, I would be on the Soar route.  In winter, via Braunston, stoppages permitting.

 

N

[jetzi]

That's good to know, I didn't realise rain would be an issue. Is the Soar unnavigable in the rain or merely dangerous? I don't mind getting stuck for a week or three, not in any hurry (I expect the trip to take me 2ish months).

 

I'm leaning towards the Coventry route, because I'm in a narrowbeam and it will be easier to do narrow locks. I have also heard good things about the Ashby.

 

However I tend to prefer quieter, more rural, more off-the-beaten-path routes, and I think the GU Leicester has more rural moorings.

[Mike Tee]

We went up through Leicester and the soar some years ago (just two of us on a 60') and had no real problems, but one day it absolutely threw it down. While doing a lock, I got talking to a local who had lived in the area all his life, and looking at the rain I asked him if we should expect any problems. His response was ' you'll be fine, but don't stop for lunch'!

[jetzi]

2 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Is this a "have to get somewhere "trip?

 

No not at all. It will probably still be winter, but I can spend some time exploring the Caldon canal if I should wait for summer.

 

3 minutes ago, BEngo said:

The Soar route is prettier than the Coventry. There are now more moorings in Leicester.  The stretch out of Leicester can be short of water, and you need to get through Foxton and Watford which are time restricted.  Market Harborough and Welford are excellent side diversions.

What do you mean by "time restricted"?

 

You mention Foxton, and going to see the site of the incline plane is on my bucket list, I'm not sure if most people would consider it worth the visit.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

3 minutes ago, jetzi said:

I didn't realise rain would be an issue. Is the Soar unnavigable in the rain or merely dangerous?

Both. There are places that are OK to wait out a flood, but others, like the northern outskirts of Leicester that can be troublesome with some of the locals if you find yourself stuck there for days. Both routes are worth doing. The Leicester route is harder work, with more wide locks to get through.

Jen

[BEngo]

When the Soar is out it can be seriously dangerous.  Someone got washed into the bridge at Barrow and there and sunk. There are refuges at Loughborough, Zouch cut, Pillings lock, and in one or two other spots, but you want to be off the flowing bits if it rains hard.

 

Watford and Foxton flights are locked up out of hours.  Opening hours are longer in summer and very short in winter.  See the CaRT site for timings at various months.  You may need to book.

 

The inclined plane site is interesting if you are of an engineering or industrial archaeological bent. There is a museum and a Society supporting it.

N

[Rob-M]

If you go via Leicester you should go down to Market Harborough and also down the Welford Arm.  If you are single handing then probably easier to stick to the narrow locks.

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

If you go via Leicester you should go down to Market Harborough and also down the Welford Arm.  If you are single handing then probably easier to stick to the narrow locks.

The pub at the end of the Welford Arm is excellent 😉

[Rob-M]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

The pub at the end of the Welford Arm is excellent 😉

Yes it is, we had a very good Sunday lunch there when we last visited a few years back.

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

Yes it is, we had a very good Sunday lunch there when we last visited a few years back.

Friendly, excellent beer, and probably the best fish and chips I've had in a long time -- and that includes several in Whitby...

[Guest]

2 hours ago, jetzi said:

Going from Great Haywood to Northampton. Already done the Shroppie / Staffs & Worcs / BCN, I'm torn between:

 

1. taking the Coventry Canal (with a detour up the Ashby) and North Oxford via Braunston, OR

2. taking the longer route via Soar Navigation & Leicester branch.

 

Which would you recommend? I've not been on either canal and I might not get around to trying the other route so the stakes are high!

 

Depends how long you have and whether you can afford to get stuck waiting for any flooding that might occur.

 

By far the 'nicest' route is via. the Soar navigation. Its also a very interesting waterway.

 

If you can afford to get stuck for days possibly and keep and eye on the weather and avoid getting stuck somewhere you wont be safe then for me it would be the Soar Navigation every time.

 

Obviously check for winter stoppages too.

Edited October 10, 2021 by The Happy Nomad

[john6767]

You have the worst of both worlds at the moment, the Soar going red (it already has a couple of weeks ago), plus the restricted opening hours for Foxton and Watford due to water shortage.  You are also going the lest advantageous way for coming out of Leicester, the locks are very hard work going up, and the pounds will be short of water.

 

If you have the choice of which way to go then choose the Coventry/Oxford route, not least because of the water resource issue.

[Hotspur]

There are a number of stoppages scheduled for the Leicester Line starting 8th November which could have a bearing on your decision.  Foxton and Watford are currently open between 10am and 4pm (last boat entry at 3.15)

Edited October 10, 2021 by Hotspur

[Tracy D'arth]

Last time we did Watford this year it took four and a half hours. Foxton was better at two hours. 

I would avoid the Soar if there was any chance of it going into flood, it can happen very quickly.

Some of the wide locks are very hard, leaky and deep. Beware of Frog Island!

[dmr]

The entire canal/river system is wonderful, whatever way you go there will be really good bits. If you choose the Cov route then another option would be to go via Birmingham and Wolverhampton instead 😀

[enigmatic]

6 hours ago, jetzi said:

That's good to know, I didn't realise rain would be an issue. Is the Soar unnavigable in the rain or merely dangerous? I don't mind getting stuck for a week or three, not in any hurry (I expect the trip to take me 2ish months).

 

I'm leaning towards the Coventry route, because I'm in a narrowbeam and it will be easier to do narrow locks. I have also heard good things about the Ashby.

 

However I tend to prefer quieter, more rural, more off-the-beaten-path routes, and I think the GU Leicester has more rural moorings.

Parts of the Soar were unnavigable as recently as last week (although only for a day or two). Parts of it can actually be closed off when they open sluices to let floodwaters through, although I'm told it doesn't tend to stay closed for long.

 

They both have mostly rural moorings: the Coventry canal passes mostly through quiet countryside and barely touches Coventry (unless you take a side trip down the city arm) and is better than much of the Soar for stopping wherever you want (there are long stretches of the Soar with soft reedy banks you can't really more up against, though still a lot more choice of moorings than the Nene). As well as being mostly single locks, there are a lot less of them (hardly any bar one nice single lock flight at Atherstone, and relatively easy doubles at Braunston where you're likely to have company anyway)

 

The Leicester route probably has the better highlights (especially since you can take a side trip to Braunston from Gayton Junction anyway). The inclined plane in its current condition isn't actually that exciting to look at (and some of the viewpoints and the museum are closed at the moment) but Foxton Locks themselves are fantastic, though probably easier to enjoy the view going in the opposite direction. I didn't find the restricted hours that bad, because it's a nice place to wait. The big open spaces of the Trent are an interesting change from the canals, there are a lot of country parks north of Leicester (which has nice secure city centre moorings itself) and bits of the GU further south are higher than most of the surrounding countryside so you get views

 

But the stretch of the Oxford canal between Rugby and Braunston on the Coventry route is absolutely fantastic, and that route doesn't have anything anywhere near as annoying for single handed boaters as the wide gates that constantly swing open on the GU just south of Leicester.

[David Mack]

4 hours ago, The Happy Nomad said:

for me it would be the Soar Navigation every time.

 

It would make boating very boring if we all took the same option every time. If I go one way on one occasion, then if there are options, the next time I am heading in the same general direction I usually pick a different route!

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 

It would make boating very boring if we all took the same option every time. If I go one way on one occasion, then if there are options, the next time I am heading in the same general direction I usually pick a different route!

 

The OP for some inexplicable reason said he might only get one chance, one or the other. So in that situation I would choose the Soar over the Cov, everytime. Its a turn of phrase.

 

HTH

Edited October 10, 2021 by The Happy Nomad

[MrsM]

We have just done the Soar from Trent Lock. Got to Barrow just before it went into flood and had to wait 2 days. No hardship as they have great pubs and a handy co-op. Stopped in Leicester to do the Richard III stuff then on to Foxton. We have taken the Market Harborough arm to see it and will head back north tomorrow. Really great route with some beautiful scenery, well maintained locks (on the whole) and nice places to moor. Will return next year to do Foxton and the loop as need to get back to home mooring in Newark before locks are closed for maintenance (3 months!). A very interesting and enjoyable run with a bit of everything and nice to see where Sibley and Debdale boatyards are. Thoroughly recommend it as long as you can sit out red boards safely.

[Alan de Enfield]

8 hours ago, MrsM said:

Stopped in Leicester to do the Richard III stuff ............

 

Is that a polite way of saying "we emptied the toilet' ?

 

(Richard the turd)

[MrsM]

12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Is that a polite way of saying "we emptied the toilet' ?

 

(Richard the turd)

No, he was 'done away with' in Sileby!

Edited October 11, 2021 by MrsM
Correction -Sileby

[David Mack]

9 hours ago, MrsM said:

 Stopped in Leicester to do the Richard III stuff

 

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Is that a polite way of saying "we emptied the toilet' ?

 

(Richard the turd)

 

I remember the days when emptying the toilet did indeed involve burying the contents, but not under a city centre car park.