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Foxton Locks Canal

Foxton Locks Canal

Distance: 0.5 miles

Walk: 15 mins

sat nav: LE16 7RA

Explore Foxton Locks, a historic canal marvel in Leicestershire, offering picturesque landscapes, canal heritage, boat trips, and a glimpse into 19th-century engineering brilliance.

How do you lift a fully loaded narrowboat up a 75ft hill? Engineers of the past 200 years have come up with not one but two ingenious solutions at Foxton and, together, they offer a day out like no other.

There are flights of locks all over the nation’s canal network but there’s nowhere quite like Foxton Locks – the longest and steepest staircase of locks in the country. Ten locks back-breakingly carved by hand through the Leicestershire countryside.

An innovative boat lift, or inclined plane, was built next to the locks to carry boats up and down the steep hill in giant bathtubs, or caissons, of water. Expensive to operate, and under increasing competition from the railways, it was mothballed after just 11 years but today visitors can stand on the remains and find out more about how it worked in the nearby museum.

Two centuries ago Foxton would have bustled with the sights, sounds and smells of a working waterway but today it offers a peaceful escape where you can almost feel life slowing down. There’s a friendlier feel too, where people passing on the towpath say hello and there’s always a smiling lock keeper on-hand for a chat.

Maybe you’ll enjoy a spot of ‘gongoozling’, the art of watching the beautifully painted narrowboats make their way through the locks. With around 5,000 boats passing through each year, Foxton is the perfect place to try it.

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Foxton Locks Canal is 0.5 miles from Foxton Locks Lodges

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