Date/Time
Date(s) - Thursday 10/09/2026
10.15 - 16.30
Location
Leicester St Margarets Bus Station
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The canal and the railway, once rival trade routes, ran in parallel from Leicester city centre to Glen Parva. The Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal was completed in the early 1800s with the aim of connecting Leicester to Market Harborough and Northampton, this connected with the River Soar which had been made navigable from Loughborough to Leicester by 1794 and provided a through route for commercial traffic. In 1840 the Midland Counties Railway (Midland Railway from 1844) reached Leicester, followed some time later by the Great Central Railway in 1898; both these railways severely impacted the canal leading to declining revenue and eventually it became part of the railway-controlled Grand Junction Canal in an attempt to survive by aligning with the larger transport network. The canal survived despite the decline of coal traffic and has become a major leisure route on the canal system.
The Great Central Railway ran through Leicester on a 1.5 mile long viaduct, it was designed for speed and provided a rapid and direct link between Leicester and London. However, following rationalisation in the 1960s it was considered to be a redundant duplicate of other routes and closed in 1969. Following closure a section of trackbed south of the city centre was converted into a multi-user trail known as the Great Central Way.
Meet at Leicester St Margaret’s Bus Station (Stand SN) at 10:15 to catch bus service 158 (destination Nuneaton) at 10:20 for the short journey West Bridge.
St Margarets Bus Station is 1200 yard from Leicester Railway Station – a 16-minute walk along Granby Street (opp railway station).
The walk distance is 6 miles and is considered easy but appropriate footwear is recommended. Please bring a packed lunch.
Return to Leicester city centre (St Margarets Bus Station and other city centre stops) by bus service 84 or 85 from Aylestone. There are four buses per hour for this 25-minute journey.
Further details from Sally Bramson on 07856 579793 or email sallybee1@btinternet.com