Central Grand Union Canal

摘要

One of the inland waterway network's great 'trunk canals', the Grand Union tends to be considered more of a means to get from one place to another, than a waterway with intrinsic value in itself. Speak to a boater on it and, more than likely, they are "heading for Brentford", "en route to the BCN" or "turning off onto the Oxford". Without the attraction of a popular cruising ring, it remains a route rather than a destination - and that's a shame. This is especially the case on the central section we are about to explore, which contains some of the most iconic boating locations in the country: the canal capital of Braunston, the 3,076-yard Blisworth Tunnel and charming Stoke Bruerne, with its popular Canal Museum. Add to this a host of quality canalside pubs, pleasant rural scenery, and, as a contrast, the modern urban environs of Milton Keynes, and you have a distinct and fascinating cruising route.