Cossington Mill to Kilby Bridge 16/07/14

First summer break from work, and down country to enjoy my parents' hospitality, I need a walk that doesn't look too challenging as the season starts to warm up significantly, and as my Old Country walks so far have kept me well away from the City of Leicester, it's time to make amends for that and to plot a path along a stretch of  the Grand Union Canal. As canal companies go, this one isn't particularly old, having only been founded in 1932, but actually being an agglomeration of several older canals, notably the Regent's canal and the Grand Junction, established to attempt to stay in business as the days of the canals passed in the 20th century, and to continue to provide a link between London and Birmingham, and the East Midlands into this century. The so called Leicester Line, the longest and most significant branch from the main route, reaches from Norton Junction, Northamptonshire, to Ratcliffe on Soar, on the Nottinghamshire border, where it feeds into the River Trent, and along the way it passes all the way through the city of my birth. There probably isn't a better way to traverse the city during this season, one that keeps away from the roads that can be walked once the season turns, and gives me some countryside to enjoy whilst the hot season comes down upon us.

Cossington Mill to Kilby Bridge, via the Grand Union Canal path  16.2 miles



Cossington Lock

My drop off point, on Cossington Lane, is about a quarter of the way down the Leicester line from Ratcliffe, and about 8 miles north of the city, chosen as a start point as is about the same distance from West Bridge as my finish point at Kilby Bridge, and also marking the start of the cut that marks out the Leicester section of the canal in my mind, originally part of the River Soar navigation, first cut in 1794 to make the river navigable from the city to the Trent. The mill that gives this location is well hidden from view, somewhere across the Soar beyond the weir that can be heard but also not seen, and is not to be mistaken with canal houses that stand at the merging point of the channels, and dropping down from the road at 9.20am to meet the first Lock of the day, I gain a small revelation to start my trip for this canal is broad, when I had got myself convinced that the canals in these parts were all narrow (the famous lock flight at Foxton is, and that must have confused me). Cross the Soar via footbridge and set off into the low lying Leicestershire fields, and heading upstream down the Soar naturally has us heading upstream on the River Wreake for the first mile, feeling like a proper riverside walk for a while, without trace of a towpath, horned cows to be avoided and large flocks of Canada geese floating by and resting on the banks. Canalisation resumes at Junction lock, and cyclists have to be dodged as the path makes up part of the local Route 1, a traffic free haul down into the city which shadows the route that I will be taking, so I have to stay alert as I cross the Wreake at Three Way Bridge, which only child could have named innocently, and meet the canal cut southwards past the moorings and marina, and beneath the distinctive red brick canal bridge that you'd expect to see a lot of , but this appears to be the only one north of the city. Past the boat DIYers, and on through the fields and beneath the A46 Leicester Western Bypass, and then on to the Hope and Anchor pub, sitting by a truncated stretch of Wanlip Road and staying in business with cheap meal deals, and a big playground and sandpit, I can recall a number of family outings here, back in the day, when we fancied a step up from the local Beefeater.

Watermead Country Park

Cross to the western bank, and lose the cycle path for some grassy going along the towpath as the canal cuts straight through a land of flooded gravel pits, now flooded to for Watermead Country Park, as this land is only good as a wetland habitat and hopefully the recent years have finally silenced all the voices that might have wished residential development on these lands. The lakes, and toilet block, are visible via glances through the hawthorn hedges, and look nicely turned out, and it's odd that we never ventured out here in all my years, and the public sculpture is pretty good too, especially the one that looks like a whale skeleton. Passing off E246 and onto E233 has me checking that I'm not trying to cross the channel too early, and the upstream walk has me confused as I cross the weir that marks the end of the navigation channel, as the water seems to be going the wrong way, but we finally get a bit of boating action which cheers me up as folks are out to enjoy the water on goodly warm day like this one. Where wetlands don't surround the canals, it seems to be nettles that rule the day, which restricts the options for off piste wandering, though surroundings improve at Thurmaston marina and lock, where waterside development has encroached and a steel cut-out sculpture of bronze age hunters has been installed, mysteriously. I avoid the cycle path again, instead taking the grassy trod that has been cut down closer to the river's edge, probably not offering much by way of short cut but certainly offering greater peace and quite before meeting the park entrance on the stretch of Birstall's waterfront at Whiles Lane. As pleasing a suburban street as you could find, but it seem too close to potential disaster for my liking, though I guess that the Soar never rises enough to threaten these houses, with the wetlands taking the strain each year. Back to the path after watering in the shade, over bridges various to the east bank and  Birstall lock, and then the signage gets me following Route 1 again, until I realise its pulling me away from the river and I need to take the path over the rather springy bridge above a dry weir, following the river bank south and not getting much sight of it as it hides behind a thick wall of aquatic plants.

Thurcaston Road Bridge

The sound of roads rear up as we meet the bridge carrying the A653, Leicester Ring road, across the river, and I couldn't start to count the times I've looked down from the bridge on Watermead Way prior to today, which is the first time I'm looking up at it. Avoid getting snared by Route 1 again (also National 6 apparently), and a little further on is the sign indicating the 1891 boundary of the jurisdiction of the City of Leicester and even though it has moved somewhat since then, I'm certain that the de facto boundary is still hereabouts and we are now out of the county. Pass the outdoor pursuits centre on the western side, and I still expect the dry ski slope to be next to, despite it having been gone for years now (it was a temporary structure planned to stand for a couple of seasons and ended up lasting for more than a decade) but they're still doing business with canoeing and the largest jungle Jim that I've seen recently. Under New Bridge, a high and sturdy five arches in brick of 1834, carrying Loughborough Road over the river and worthy of consideration as an old bridge until a short distance along, we meet the Old Bridge, carrying Thurcaston Road, a low six arched bridge of the kind that really haven't endured in major cities due to their lack of elevation, and this one is still here despite having the canal cutting its way though it. Odd that I should have never noticed it, despite being not all that far from where my Mum used to teach and the pub that we would lunch at when helping out during the summer holidays (The Talbot, if you're taking notes), we're moving into more familiar territory now, crossing back the west bank to traverse the edge of Belgrave Meadows and playing fields, before crossing back at Belgrave bridge (cable stayed and less than 20 years old), where the sea cadets have installed and anti-aircraft gun, to trot down the east bank to Belgrave lock, where good views over to Abbey Meadows, where the Victorian pumping station and the National Space Centre make odd bed fellows whilst jamming a lot of technological history into a small space. It also looks to be a good spot for teenagers to enjoy some alone time, judging by the amount of Holsten Pils cans and Doritos bags littered about the place.



Belgrave Cut

Back on the west bank, and on the tip of the long island of land formed as the canal cut and river separate (or rather converge, when going in this direction), and the canal probably has the less pretty side of it, following the backs of the factories that remain in Belgrave, producing textiles 20 years back but no clue as to what they are producing now, and there are terraces too, one of the few bits of old dwelling still by the waterside, if the old maps are to be believed. The factory by Abbey Park Road is in the grip of a make over and refit, almost certainly for upscale or student living in the future, and under the road bridge we find a lot of boating going on at Abbey lock, and I have to wonder, does every narrowboat have to have a larger lady on their crew (not a criticism, just an observation)? The signs on the west bank are of post industrial desolation, as well as a number of inlets which must have been wharves in the 19th century, and further along some factories endure still, once part of the extensive Corah complex which produced the hosiery and footwear which mad the city's fortune. On the east side is Abbey Park, and the city's premier urban park certain lacks a good perimeter on this side, not like the ancient walls on its other sides, and I recall clambering over that fence more than once when reluctant to pay for, or attempting to smuggle beer bottles into festival occasions in the old abbey's grounds. Initial locating methods involve spotting the church towers and spires as they rise above the city, those of St Mark's and St Margaret's offering the first clues of my whereabouts before my attention turns to bridges, passing under the access bridge to the park which no one ever used, and then the dual carriageway of the A6 passes overhead. Then we move onto the tail end of the islet between river and canal, the unattractively named Frog Island, a corner of the town which seems to have remained resolutely industrial and under-attractive through all its years, an appearance that hasn't changed much as I view it today, though the A50 bridge is the first canal looking bridge seen since the start of the day, to give it an old time feel as I rise past the lock and over the millrace and footbridge above the weir as the channels feed each other once again.

Former Leicester Central Station

The channels remain parallel as they run around the side of Soar island, a green space that was once home to mill workings but the east bank has no signs of wharfing that you would expect toward the end of the navigation channel, as Leicester seems to lack a major pool or marina, and the old OS maps don't show one either. A surprise feature is Soar bridge, an unusually ornate iron structure for a road which has only ever served the coal staithes from the Leicester and Swannington Railway, built in 1832 and the first railway in the county, terminating at West Bridge and closed in 1966, providing the engine that developed most of West Leicester, indeed the thought that none of Leicester west of the Soar existed before the 19th century, is one to make the head hurt. If you want to go further back in time, Soar Lane on the east side marks the northern perimeter of the forum of Roman Ratae Corieltauvorum, the complete boundary of which can still be traced along the streets of the city centre, and there aren't many industrial towns that can claim that at their heart. A long footbridge leads over Evan's Weir as the channels reunite completely for a short while, and the extra elevation offers a views over the Black Friars quarter of the town, which remained resolutely industrial even when the GCR's Leicester Central station stood at its heart, and it looks like the district hasn't really developed any since the station closed in 1969. There's a lot more of the station enduring than from the impression that you'd get from viewing it from Great Central Street, the arches and retaining walls in blue brick are still all in situ to provide a reminder of a main line lost when the 21st century could have put it to good use. Also along here is the Friar's Mill, an enduring textile mill that had been operational on the site since the 1730s, but now looks somewhat forlorn after a fire gutted in in 2012, but it will hopefully remain alongside is few Victorian companions once redevelopment comes this way, the apartment buildings marking the first new developments along the canalside that are sure to continue northwards.



West Bridge

The Straight Mile Cut

Just before hitting West Bridge, the channels divide (reunite) again, to form the Old Soar and New Soar, and sight to the major churches of the city is gained, namely the cathedral church of St Martin, and St Nicholas, one of the earliest consecrations in the county and one of the oldest continuously used religious sites in the world, and alongside the canal we find the 'Leicester 0' waymarker, indicating the end of the Navigation and the start of the abortive Leicester & Northampton canal, started on 1809 but never getting further than Market Harborough, eventually being obtained the Grand Junction canal in 1894. West Bridge is the ancient crossing point on the Soar, where the Roman Fosse Way started off to the southwest and the contemporary A47 rides over the pair of concrete and iron bridges that span the channel now. Beyond lies the straight mile cut, a channel good enough for rowing and home of most of the moorings for the Leicester wharf from back on the day, now redevelopment and waterfront living has taken over along most of its length, the Pex socks factory of 1840 being the largest industrial survivor in the city and probably the nicest redevelopment as well, because the contemporary styling of most apartment buildings doesn't do a lot for me. Castle gardens sits on the east bank, home to the Norman motte that I could never see as a child and still can't now, as well as the Medieval county court, hidden somewhere among the trees, and the spire of St Mary de Castro should rise high above the foliage, but all I can see is stub, later discovering that it was dismantled last year due to cracks rendering it dangerous, a serious ignominy for a 900 year old consecration to suffer. Under the Newarke bridge, the southern edge of Roman Ratae by the way, and past the pub wittily named the Soar Point, to report that the Western Boulevard tram terminus has at least endured, and across the river the main campus of De Montfort University has been developed with maximum eccentricity, for this city at least. At Mill Lane bridge I rise to the road to see what remains of the GCR goods yard on Bede's Island, not much it seems as student living has taken it over with only the electrical generating plant remaining as a branch of Tesco express, I doubt that any of the current residents would believe that a quarter century ago, Vic Berry's scrapyard occupied the site, with condemned railway locomotives and coaches stacked three high as they awaited the torch. Pound on, as leafy increases to hide the conversions and new builds, though the Summit, a tall cylindrical tower on the corner of Jarrom Street dominates from all angles, and is a far cry from the student accommodation of my youth and I'll rise from the riverside path again to see if the Upperton Road bridge over the old railway yard has endured, and find that it has not, another fragment from my past swept away by the tides of progress I suppose.

King Power stadium

Over the footbridge as the Old and  New Soars reconnect (diverge), and across the river once stood the home of Leicester City FC, Filbert Street, now home to more car parking than the stadium ever provided when it was in use, whilst their new home is a little further down the riverside on Freemans Common, the King Power stadium (which I will still call the Walkers Bowl, its unused original name) where more than one season of Top Division football will be played in the coming year. The city centre has now lipped behind us, and we can feel like we are heading back into the countryside once more, despite the increasing development on the west bank, which feels far too close to the river and like a major flood risk, though a stone installed by Freemans lock and weir indicates that the flood level in 1912 was only four feet of so above the current water level so the plains to the south of the city clearly do their work well. Pass under the high bridge carrying the Leicester to Burton line, and the next available bench is a good spot to pause for lunch and to start checking distance remaining and time available, feeling like it might be a pinch to get this one done on schedule, so move on at the hurry up, past St Mary's Mills, the last notable collection of building on the west bank before the expanse of Aylestone meadows takes over. The meadows act as a huge flood plain that absorbs excess water south of the city, extending for several miles and forming the other notable wetland park for the city folk to enjoy, and the flooding doesn't come this way often as industry endures on the east bank, and developments on brown field sites run close to the waters edge, though the older houses clearly have ground floors well elevated above ground level. The return of the red brick bridges and the rising locks, three in relatively short succession also gives the canal its rural feel back, but you still have to be alert for traffic, especially cyclists wanting to ride speedily beneath the bridges when you have paused to take a photograph.

GCR bridge, Aylestone Meadows

A number of signifiers of the edge of the city pile up in short order, firstly the bridge on Braunstone Lane East, scene of one of my sister's funniest stories from her student days, quickly followed by passing under the GCR main line, the supremely innovative continental gauged line completed in 1899, either 40 years too late or 90 years too early, GCR chairman Edward Watkin being a man foreseeing the future of direct rail to Europe but unfortunately working in an age when the railway market was almost completely saturated. A cycle track runs that way theses days, and tag that for the future, and move on to see the canal and river finally disassociate (meet) near Packhorse Bridge, a particularly ancient track that crosses the Soar valley, but summer vegetation means the old bridge is virtually impossible to see, and beyond the King's lock and bridge, the next one along, we get indication of being 3 miles from West bridge and exiting the 1891 borough boundary, and if it's good enough for 1891, it's good enough for now! That's cue to get the pace up as a lot of canal path can start to look a bit samey, and it's not a huge distance along to the bridge carrying the A563 ring road over the canal, and we can consider ourselves definitely outside the city now, and just before we meet Blue Bank Lock, we find some workmen doing some serious bank consolidation work, and answering the question of what those tugs and barges that you might find about the canal network are for, transporting material and plant, it seems. Past 4 miles out and Gee's lock, the canal takes its crazy 90 degree turn, pulling away from the course of the Soar and following the upstream course of the River Sence, moving into the wide band of greenbelt that sits south of Leicester, almost certainly more land that it wouldn't be sensible to build on. Pass beneath the abutments of the former GCR line once more, as it makes its lonely path off towards Rugby, and indications of industry on the north bank on my old E233 means the presence of housing in 2014, as brown field development claims every bit of land it can, making a return to semi urban walking all the way along to Blaby Bridge and the A426, where a boatyard remains largely intact but no longer in use. Residents of Glen Parva have the first houses with proper waterfront docks on their back gardens seen along the day's route, some apt to actually receive boats, and the canal continues to rise as we pass our way under the skewed bridge of the Leicester to Nuneaton line, offering a good angle for railway photography, if there happened to be any trains passing.

Vice's bridge, South Wigston

Moving on, one of the bridges has a name to rather oversell this corner of  South Wigston, namely Knight's bridge, suggesting South Kensington to the casual observer, and passing 6 miles out we get a good view of Blaby Mill, one of the few interesting buildings in the rather uninvolving landscape of South Leicestershire, and some interesting tree surgery going on in one back garden, featuring scaffold and a very large wood pile. Press on, and get the progress query from my parents, and I declare myself to be 40 minute plus a rest stop distant from the end on the day, and I stop for watering past Vice's bridge, where on the opposite, someone has created one of the manliest sheds imaginable, as if some very creative lads were give free reign to do over the back yard to their heart's content. Onward to find the abutments of the old Midland Line to Rugby, 1840 -1961, and the beginning of the long process of building the line to London, and it also seems that many of the houses of South Wigston have gone in for making the most of their back garden water feature, and the numerous terraces and summer houses behind the rather modest semis gives it a 'Keeping up with the Joneses' feel. Plough on as we slip into the open country for the final mile or so, with three more locks on the rising channel, and with a number of rather forlorn bridges rising over the channel, no longer used for agricultural passage and spalling badly, and not yet remote enough from civilisation to deter the graffiti artists. Trains passing on the East Midlands Main line indicate we are closing in on the finish, and the Kilby lock, the last of the day, has a gang of lads basking by it, obviously having had a dip in the canal earlier, and they clearly never saw the children's drama that I saw as a child where a boy drowned after diving in a lock, one of those TV traumas that ensured I always treated canals with a lot of respect. Hammer it on past 8 miles out to roll up around the wharf at Kilby Bridge, where the boating is active and the presence of a crane and a canal office gives it a time capsule image of which I approve, I rise from the path to cross Kilby Bridge, on the A5199, which will always be the A50 to me, to find my parents enjoying a cooling drink in the yard of the Navigation Inn On a day like this I will happily join them, and check my time keeping, a 3.25pm finish and seriously, you could set your watch by me!

Next on the Slate: Hot days promise to bring on the wet weather, so among the showers the Kirklees Way will finally make its appearance on my trail schedule. EDIT: Rain loses one day, tiredness another, and heat (and trains) a third, so I'm gonna wait out the hot season for more temperate times before the hills of kirklees come a-calling.

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1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 1199.7 miles
(2014 total: 286.5 miles)

(Up Country Total: 1104.1 miles)
(Solo Total: 984.3 miles)
(Declared Total: 991.5 miles)