4 days trip from Linsdale

[Yosi Ben Aliz]

Hello,

We booked a 4 day trip from Linslade (Wyvern) on the Grand Union Canal.

Should we go north (the original plan) or south?

 

What are the "must do" points north and south?

 

we are 4 - adult and 3 boys.

 

and... what could we do coming from London until we pick the boat?

tourist attrations from London to leighton \ Linslade?

 

thank you.

[Marky_Mark]

2 days each way would get you to tring / berko going south or north MK going north, both pretty nice runs once you are out of Leighton Buzzard

[Keeping Up]

Going south you will have more locks (good for keeping 3 boys occupied) but not many pubs (there's one at Grove Lock, and after that nothing until Marsworth then there's pubs at the top and bottom of the flight). There aren't many "must do" points and I must admit I find that the scenery gets a bit monotonous along that stretch.

 

Going North there aren't many locks, but there's a good choice of pubs, and Milton Keynes (which is surprisingly green and pleasant) has more varied scenery and various other possibilities such as playgrounds if the boys are young, plus shops if anyone needs a bit of retail therapy. You should have time to reach the bottom of Stoke Bruerne flight, and Stoke is a fascinating place (full of history, and the Museum, plus good pubs etc) but you would be advised to walk up the flight which is quicker than taking the boat.

 

Before picking up the boat you could visit Whipsnade zoo on the way, or for a shorter time, depending what day you are travelling, you could go on the Leighton Buzzard narrow gauge railway (timetable)

[Tuscan]

Tring natural history museum is worth a visit, if the boys are active I would go south as there are more locks, you could get to to Bulbourne day 1 Berkhamstead nice little town and old castle day 2. Going North fewer locks and Milton Keynes is quite nice now from the canal you could get to Cosgrove day 1 pub and pretty village and stoke Breune day 2 if you put in a longer day I would go through Blissworth tunnel turn round and back to Stoke Breune for the night.

[alan_fincher]

Largely depends on age of boys, and their ability and enthusiasm for the locks, I would say.

Going South, other than Tring summit, there are few places where you will go much over a mile between locks, and often they are a lot more intensive than that. If it is just you and them, and they are all likely to retreat to Nintendos after a while, you might find trying to single hand lots of locks a bit of a challenge (:tongue_in_cheek_smiley:)

 

Going North, given that Wyvern will largely "post" you through the first, there are only about five and a half other locks, (Fenny Stratford barely counts), before you are at the foot of the Stoke Bruerne flight. The cruising through and then around the North of Milton Keynes is not hugely to my taste, but it is pleasant enough. (I ,ay have become jaded by now doing it many times a year, though!)

 

We did a couple of short hires from Wyvern years back, (boys in very early "teens" I thin)k, and elected to go South each time, because we like to be more active, but with younger kids I might have elected for North.

[Keeping Up]

If your 4 days actually consist of part of an afternoon, followed by 2 days, followed by an hour or so the final morning, then any further than the bottom of Stoke Bruerne going north or Berkhamstead going south would probably be over-ambitious

[Mike Tee]

If you do go north, and the kids need a break, there is always Gullivers Land next to the canal in Campbell Park, central Milton Keynes.

[Yosi Ben Aliz]

thank you.

I see some parks relativliy close to canal. is it walkable?

Is there somewhere we could swim? in the Ouse river? or in one of the parks?

[Keeping Up]

I would not recommend swimming in the Ousel or the parks (or the canal).

[Psycloud]

North is more relaxed for sure - south is hard work We headed North last weekend and it's really beautiful.