Northampton Arm of The Grand Union Canal Walk

Keeping it local once again today. The temperature is a balmy 15 degrees, tropical compared to how it was last week!
We park up in the Hunsbury area and cut through onto the canal, we are walking in a clockwise direction towards Gayton Marina. In the Summer of 2020 I did a canal boat trip from Gayton to Beckett's Park in the town centre of Northampton.This took in the seventeen locks on the 'Rothersthorpe Arm' of the Grand Union. There is a separate blog entry giving all the details if anyone is interested? 

Quite a few walkers out and about, lured by the good weather no doubt. What isn't so nice to see though is on the other side of the canal . The amount of rubbish dumped is horrendous. Lots of black bags, rubble, garden waste and a mixture of all sorts of other stuff. Apparently the field was occupied by travelers for some time and this is how the often tend to repay the landowner. The clean-up operation is going to be at least £10,000 I would imagine as specialists would be needed. I just think it is extremely sad that people can have such little respect for their surroundings.   

The Northampton Arm was opened in 1815 and links The Grand Union Canal at Gayton Junction - via the River Nene to Peterborough and The Wash.The River Nene is fully navigable and at Peterborough the river becomes tidal.

Lots of early Spring flowers starting to show, wild Crocus, Aconites and lots of Snowdrops too. We head up towards Gayton Marina where due the Covid outbreak there are many boats moored up. 

We leave the Grand Union temporarily at Gayton Marina and cross over the bridge. Underneath the bridge there is a group of men 'magnet fishing'. It seems to be more about treasure hunting rather than any environmental aims. A bit like metal detecting but underwater I suppose? The magnets used are powerful enough to recover old bikes, guns, safes, bombs and grenades. The aim being to find rare and historical items dumped into the water. It is thought magnet fishing was initially started by boaters using magnets to recover fallen keys from the water.Sadly, unwanted items seem to be discarded canal side.....

We pick up the footpath that goes across fields towards the village of Rothersthorpe. 

There is a lovely old derelict barn which is easily accessible. I always enjoy checking out these old buildings in case there is a Barn Owl perched up in the roof timbers. On this occasion there were a few birds , unfortunately just startled Pigeons who were flying around like crazy.   

It was a good area for bird spotting as a Great Spotted Woodpecker came past and settled on a nearby tree. This was then followed by a Green Woodpecker who decided he wasn't going to stop. 

Leaving Rothersthorpe we head towards Swan Valley, crossing back over the M1.Once again picking up the Grand Union canal footpath. We pass through the new development of Upton Fields arriving by Sixfields stadium or PTS as it is now known

At Duston Mill we start to circle back on ourselves, still following the canal back to where we started from. The canal tunnels seem to lend themselves to graffiti, some better than others. No doubt some is very colourful and cheery, whereby some is just tagging. I think if done well it can certainly provide interest and brighten up a dreary dark tunnel. I've seen several of these chicken images on my travels over the years. They are known as 'BintyBints' I believe and produced by a local lady. I suppose the problem is if you allow it for one, then it gives license to others to do their thing.

We make our way back to the starting point having completed about 8.3 miles. 

This walk has gone very quickly and there is still a lot of daylight left. It has been so much easier walking on a flat firm surface, compared to all the rain sodden muddy fields of late.  

Perhaps Spring is indeed on the way?

 

Blisworth, Tiffield and Gayton Walk

Good to be out and about again in the County despite the bleak, freezing and windy conditions. Temperatures are not forecast to get above freezing today. On the plus side at least the ground is going to be firm given the last few nights of severe frost. Yes folks we are once again in the grip of the Beast from the East!   

The starting point for the walk is the lovely village of Blisworth. We are right on the canal next to the old Corn Mill. The mill was converted into flats in 1998.  Built in 1879 it was Wesley’s steam corn Mill and served as a variety of other uses after it's first forty years as a mill. 

We decide to walk in a clockwise direction into the sun...We have only been going a matter f minutes before we reach the famous 'Blisworth Tunnel'. I have never seen it from this side before strangely enough. It has always been from the 'other end' at Stoke Bruerne. 

 

The Blisworth Tunnel

Building Blisworth Tunnel, was the most troublesome part of the Grand Junction Canal (now known as the Grand Union Canal) construction. Work began in 1793 on the 3km tunnel and at the time was a major feat of engineering with no mechanical machine beyond the basic picks, shovels and wheelbarrows available.At 3,075 yards (2,812 m) long, it is the longest wide, freely navigable tunnel in Europe (it’s wide enough for two narrow boats to pass in opposite directions) It is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel in the UK, after Standedge Tunnel and Dudley Tunnel and the the ninth-longest canal tunnel in the world.

 

To our left is a tower built as an air shaft for the tunnel. From 1871 steam tugs were used to pull boats through the tunnel. Therefore there became a need for extra ventilation. 

It really was bitter cold  and the air was so dry, the surrounding area resembled a scene from 'The Revenant' film. The start of the walk was also on the 'Northampton Round'. We leave the NR at 'Nun Wood' turning right towards Tiffield. This is a nice part of the walk apart from having to cross the A43 which was very quiet though. We walk past the back of the 'St Johns Centre' or Borstal as I always knew it. 

It was just past this point that I saw a Hare! Always an exciting moment for me , but sadly a sight that seems to increasingly rare. It soon bolted off into the distance and out of sight. Such a majestic creature and tough as old boots living on top of the ground. 

 

 

Plenty of stiles and wooden bridges, I always like to include a picture of at least one. Briefly the wind seems to drop and it is quite pleasant for a while.  It is short lived though and picks up again as we leave Tiffield. Not before we walk through the churchyard with some interesting gravestones.

The limestone church of St John the Baptist dates back to the 13th Century. It quite possibly replaced a Saxon church which existed on the site at the time the Domesday Book was written in 1086.

 We pass through a smallholding with some interesting goats and a Llama. A water pipe in the hedgerow is freezing as soon as it reaches the ground. We cross a large field that seems to have three footpaths going across it according to the map. We find the one that takes us to Eastcote and then on to Dalscote. The footpath continues on all the way to the village of Gayton.

 

 

We are now on the last part of the walk back towards Blisworth. There is plenty of bird life with the obligatory Red Kite and Buzzard. There are also plenty of Fieldfares scattered around feasting on the berries.

We once again cross over the A43 , thankfully this time we are over the bridge. It has been a good walk and comes in at around 9.5 miles. Not too many hilly bits either so on the whole very enjoyable. 

Time at the end of the walk for a little walk around the old mill/flats and along the icy waters of the canal in the opposite direction. There seem to be a few people living nearby in what my walking companion calls 'Hippyville'.

 

 

  

 

Holcot & Pitsford Walk - Snow pictures

It had snowed fairly heavily the previous day and the sort of day where you stay indoors and keep warm. However today was totally opposite! Bright blue skies and sunshine galore. Time to get the snow boots on and get out there.

The plan was to follow an old route of mine across the fields to Holcot. From there to walk towards Pitsford Reservoir, taking the footpath away from the main perimeter. Then walking back across permissible paths belonging to the Agricultural College. 

It is a route very similar to the VE Day walk previously posted on the blog last year. 

This is just an opportunity to post up a few photos taken on the day.