Canal towpath reopens in Harborough following £1million improvement project

A section of historic canal towpath in Market Harborough has reopened following a £1million improvement project carried out by the Canal & River Trust.

The trust, working in partnership with national cycle network Sustrans and Harborough District Council, has been working on a 2km length of the towpath along the Grand Union Canal.

The towpath has been widened and is now puddle free and will be finished with a stone chip layer. Works also included the enhancement of mooring for visiting boats and improved water points.

The stretch forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 6, which runs from London to the Peak District.

It will be suitable for use all year round, including those with wheelchairs or buggies and those accessing the water for boating.

The £1million funding has come from the Department for Transport through Sustrans’ Paths For Everyone programme as well as a contribution from the Wellington Place housing development through Harborough District Council.

Harborough MP Neil O’Brien visited the town to see the improved path.

He said: “It is great to see this stretch of towpath transformed, making it useable all year round. When I was last there just a few months ago, it was extremely muddy and uneven underfoot. Now it is fully accessible, meaning more people can enjoy the canal. It also provides an attractive pedestrian route from Wellington Place to Union Wharf. It just shows what can be achieved by all working together. I’d like to thank everyone involved in delivering this wonderful scheme.”

The project also included a programme of traditional hedge-laying. The hedge will provide a wildlife corridor and source of food for birds, dormice and other small mammals.

Alan Leather, partnerships & funding manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: “As a charity we work with the community and raise the funds needed to keep our historic canals alive. This project is a fantastic example of making the canal welcoming and attractive, so that it is here for boaters, for visitors and local people, and to provide vital habitats for some of our best loved species.”

Visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk for more information about the charity’s work.