Braunston Marina is on the Grand Union Canal main line at Braunston, Northamptonshire, about a quarter of a mile east of Braunston Turn, where the Oxford Canal joins. It sits between Bridge 91 and Butcher’s Bridge (No 1), below Braunston Locks, with entrances at both ends. It has moorings for around 240 boats, with electric hook-up, water, showers, toilets, laundry, pump-out and cassette disposal, diesel, gas and coal, recycling, and secure parking with CCTV and EV charging. The boatyard has a dry dock and a wet dock and handles engine servicing, blacking, electrics, gas, plumbing, woodwork, surveys and Boat Safety Scheme work. There are boat sales on site, and the marina hosts the annual Braunston Historic Boat Rally.
Hanwell Lock Flight is a striking flight of seven locks on the Grand Union Canal at Hanwell, in the middle of London, where the canal drops down to meet the valley of the River Brent. Despite its urban surroundings, the flight has a surprisingly rural, wooded feel, and it’s a popular spot for a towpath walk. Along the flight you can still see historic features from the canal’s working days, including lock keeper’s cottages and a horse ramp built to help tow-horses that fell into the water climb back out. The towpath is open and free to explore year-round. Hanwell railway station is about a 15-minute walk away, and bus route B3 also serves the area. Visitor moorings are available at both ends of the flight, with further facilities nearby at Bulls Bridge.
The Fox is a canalside pub in Hanwell, sitting right by the Grand Union Canal close to the famous Hanwell Lock Flight. It’s a popular stop for boaters and walkers alike, with a beer garden overlooking the water and a relaxed, traditional pub atmosphere. After tackling the six broad locks of the Hanwell flight (part of the “Cowley to Uxbridge” and Brentford-bound run), it’s a natural place to pause for a drink or a meal before continuing down towards the Thames at Brentford.
Brentford Dock Marina is a locked basin on the tidal River Thames at Brentford, next to the mouth of the Grand Union Canal, between Kew Bridge and Isleworth. Boats enter through the marina’s own lock from the Thames, so access depends on the tide. Lock keepers are on duty daily from April to October, and two hours either side of high water from November to March. It has up to 60 leisure berths on lit pontoons; there are no residential moorings. Berths have metered 16-amp power and water, and there are showers, toilets, laundry, pump-out, Elsan, waste disposal, WiFi and an on-site shop, with 24-hour security and a coded pontoon gate. Run by Brentford Dock Ltd. Lock and marina: 07970 143987.
Bulls Bridge Docks is a long-established working boatyard on the Grand Union Canal at Bulls Bridge Junction, Southall, where the Paddington Arm meets the main line. The yard offers dry dock and wet dock facilities for narrowboats and widebeams, handling hull blacking, welding and steelwork, engine servicing, and general repairs and maintenance for boat owners throughout west London and beyond. Bulls Bridge Junction itself is a historic and busy meeting point on the canal network, long associated with commercial carrying in the days of working boats, and today it remains a hub of activity for boaters heading between the Grand Union main line, the Paddington Arm into central London, and the Slough Arm.
