Pete's Walks- Marsworth, Halton, Tring Station (page 5 of 5)
I crossed the road and, leaving the Ridgeway, went down a flight of steps to reach the towpath of the Grand Union Canal. I continued along the towpath with the canal on my left, gradually passing 15-20 anglers (some of whom needed wheelbarrows or trolleys to carry all their gear). The canal here seemed to be in a slight cutting, so there were no views to be had. But it was quick and easy walking along the towpath and I made rapid progress. At the first bridge I came to, the towpath switched to the left bank of the canal. I was still in a tree-lined cutting here. As I approached a bend, I saw a couple of people kayaking towards me. Further on I reached the very familiar road bridge at Bulbourne, which I drive over on most of my trips into the Chilterns. The pub here is called the Grand Junction Arms, the name of this part of the canal network being the Grand Junction until 1st January 1929.
Steps down to the Grand Union Canal at Tring Station
Grand Union Canal, going northwest from Tring Station
The bridge where the towpath switches to the other bank
Looking along the canal from the bridge
The canal heading towards Bulbourne
The bridge in Bulbourne
Though I'd been here before a few times, I didn't really remember the next short section of canal, between Bulbourne and Bulbourne Junction - there was a factory on the other bank with a large sign announcing that it made ironwork furniture for houses and gardens. Bulbourne Junction is where the Wendover Arm branches off left from the main canal, so I had to cross a bridge over the start of it. There was also a dry dock here on the other side of the canal, and Marsworth Top Lock which marks the eastern end of the Tring Summit Level, the highest stretch of canal on the Grand Union Canal. There were a few more locks as I carried on the short distance back to the Tring reservoirs, and because I was so close to the car park there were a lot of people walking up and down this stretch of the towpath. I soon had a nice view over Marsworth Reservoir on my left. It now started to rain slightly again, but it hardly mattered as I was so close to the end of the walk. I stuck to the actual towpath, rather than the surfaced path along the reservoir embankment, and so avoided the car park, coming to the road and footbridges between Marsworth and Startop's End (there was an unusual lock here, it once having been a twin lock). It was then just a short walk along the road back to where I'd parked.
The canal at Bulbourne - the building opposite is a company designing ironwork for houses and gardens
Bulbourne Junction, where the Wendover Arm branches left, under the bridge
Approaching one of the several locks between Bulbourne and Marsworth
Marsworth reservoir
The canal running past Marsworth reservoir
The double-arched bridge between Startops' End (left) and Marsworth - there were originally twin-locks here, but one has been filled in
It was about 2.50pm when I got to my car, so allowing 10 minutes for my lunch I'd been walking for 5 hours. When planning the route, I'd estimated it was about 15 miles, but in these muddy conditions that distance would normally have taken me at least another half hour to walk. So I was pleasantly surprised that Google Maps showed the route to be 14.8 miles. Obviously, I must have managed to walk quicker along the towpaths than I would along other footpaths -there are no gates or stiles to slow you down, for one thing.
I felt quite tired at the end of the walk, and my feet were a little sore (presumably because there was more walking on hard surfaces than most walks). But it had been an enjoyable walk, and I was pleased to have walked a couple of short sections that I'd never visited before - I seem to have been sticking almost exclusively to old familiar routes recently. The walk certainly served its purpose, in that it was a lot less muddy than most routes would have been after all the recent rain. I was just relieved to be able to get out again, it had been really frustrating that the dreadful weather had kept me indoors for so long during my Christmas break.