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The Grand Union Canal,
with its series of ten locks called the Foxton Staircase, is the main tourist attraction
of the area and is very popular, particularly during the summer. The locks are a
remarkable feat of engineering, which made the canal the M25 of its day, the 19th Century. There is a spectacular rise of 75 ft from Market Harborough, some 20 miles from the summit. At the top, there remains one of the original two lock houses. At the bottom, another one, plus the former canal company offices, a carpenter’s shop, smithy and stabling, all converted for pleasure boat facilities. The canal is a spawning site for the common toad. Fish include pike, bream and chub. Near the banks, grass snakes are not uncommon, although birds such as the sedge warbler can often be found nesting.
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