Ramble 15A: Gayton Junction to Northampton (ie the Northampton
Arm). This walk we estimated to be about 5 miles.
I shan’t list the walkers in this case. Here is a group
photo, so that you can work it out from that. The weather was overcast most of
the time, but quite hot when the sun did come out.
I started from Gayton Junction, with a view to turning
right onto the Northampton Arm. However, this was not possible, because The
Grand Junction Boat Co was occupying that bank and the towpath was on the
opposite bank. I had to go round and find a bridge to cross and then return to
the junction on the other side of the canal.
It was useful to end up on the opposite bank though,
because I was able to take this picture of what used to be the toll house for
the arm.
The Northampton Arm was built to provide a link between
the Grand Union Canal and the navigable part of the River Nene. This means
that, having travelled the Northampton Arm, it’s possible to use the Nene to
reach The Wash and then go via Kings Lynn onto the Great River Ouse.
Once I started off, it was only a few hundred yards before
the towpath reverted to the right hand side, so that I then had to cross back
again.
On the left bank was Alvechurch Boat Centre.
They had a big crane, complete with chains to be able to lift boats in and out
of the water.
Shortly after that, there was a new house being built; a
lovely location, apart from the constant noise of the nearby A43 trunk road!
It was not long before I came to the first lock
of the descent into Northampton. The Rothersthorpe Flight consists of thirteen
locks. The locks on the Northampton Arm are only wide enough for one narrowboat
at a time. The locks are unusual, in that they have a single gate at the top end
and pair of gates at the other end, the reason for which escapes me.
There was a bit of a shortage of birds and other wildlife
on the Northampton Arm, but there were a lot of butterflies most of them white.
I rather liked this meadow brown and the large bindweed flowers
There are a few drawbridges on this stretch of
the canal, which have been renovated, but not put back into use. They just seem
to hang like Swords of Damocles, as though they might pounce on an unsuspecting
boater who might leave the lock gates open!
After the M1, it was terribly overgrown between the
towpath and the canal, so that I couldn’t see the canal at all for quite a bit
of the time. In one place, boats could not pass at all without going through
weed!
Along this wild stretch of canal, I came across an
aqueduct for a wide stream coming from Shelfleys Lake. This view is looking
down from the canal.
Near the end now, where there are some large blocks of modern flats.
Finally, lock 17, the gateway to the Nene Navigation.
