Days Out

Foxton Locks

Posted on 17th February 2016 by The Helpful Hiker

Last week we were all feeling a bit under the weather. Finn had bought a cold home from nursery and, although he was fine, me and Luke were feeling a bit ropey. It was one of those days where I could have happily snuggled under the duvet all day, however, as anyone with children knows, that is never going to happen! As it was a bright, sunny day I decided that we needed to get out. I fancied going a bit further afield so we headed to Foxton Locks. It’s a travesty that I’ve never been before, not least as I spent 4 and a half years working in Market Harborough. I am also a fan of a canalside walk and I love a bit of history (must be my navvy ancestry!) so it seemed like we were well overdue a trip over the county border.

We enjoyed a lovely walk along the canal, one bonus being that towpaths are nearly always pushchair friendly, and usually pretty flat-although Foxton is an exception! I’ll let the photos do most of the talking from now on.

Bottom Lock: There are a couple of pubs if you fancy a rest plus it’s nice and flat at the bottom of the hill-ideal for a leisurely stroll

The Boilerhouse, which housed the engine that powered the plane, is now a museum. The plane was used instead of the flight of locks to transport boats up the hill and was in operation from 1900-1911

Here is the view looking down from and up towards Top Lock. There are 2 flights of 5 locks, it takes approximately an hour to get through them.

I’m not sure if the photos do it justice so here’s a little video. You can also see me running down the hills with the pushchair-Finn is a bit of a daredevil and I was making him laugh!

We had a lovely day, it really blew the cobwebs out, there’s nothing like a good dose of fresh air.

Do you have a list of places you want to see? Is there somewhere you’ve been meaning to visit for ages?