The Grand Union Canal - Cowley Peachey Junction to Hanwell Locks.

The Grand Union Canal is great to walk and cycle along as it heads south from Cowley Peachey via Stockley to Hanwell Locks.

The following is a continuation from our Iron Bridge via Denham to Cowley Lock along The Grand Union Canal item.
Cowley Peachey Junction is where the five mile long Slough Canal Arm leaves the Grand Union Canal - the Slough Arm (perhaps obviously) ends at Slough and has no watery connections for narrowboats thereafter. However shortly after where the Slough Arm leaves the Grand Union you reach the junction with the Paddington Canal Arm which starts it's journey from the Grand Union Canal at Bull's Bridge and ends adjacent to Paddington Railway Station in West London.
The Paddington Arm and it's towpath does offer cyclists, walkers and of course narrowboats options to continue elsewhere as there is a connection with the Regents Canal which in turn gives access to two river navigations i.e. the River Lee Navigation and the River Stort Navigation. Similarly to the canals these two rivers both have towpaths so for cyclists in particular the possibilities for several long bike rides using bits of the above-mentioned waterways are interesting.
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Side bridge

Bridge 190 and
Side Bridge

Cowley Peachey
Junction Bridge 190b

Cowley Peachey junction

Cowley Peachey
Junction Bridge 190b

Bridge 191 and Pipebridge

Bridge
191

Bridge 192

Grand Union Canal -
Bridge 192

Horton Bridge 193 and Pipe

Horton Bridge 193

Canal Bridge 194a

Bridge 194a

Stockley Bridge 195

Stockley Road bridge

Stockley Roadbridge

Bridge
196

Bridge 196

Dawley Bridge no.198

Southall Sikh Temple

Dawley Bridge 198

Anchor Bridge no.199

Anchor Bridge 199

The Grand Union Canal towpath is generally in good condition for walkers and cyclists however you should be aware that - especially between Bridges 192 and 196 - some idiots are using the towpath to race up and down on small and of course un-licenced/un-insured motorbikes. Whilst in this area from the towpath if you look between the hedgerow you can easily spot the huge Sikh Temple at Southall with it's dome glinting in the sunshine (photo on the above photo row).

Bridge no.200

Shackles Dock Bridge

Railway Bridge 200d

Railway bridge 200d

Bridge 200c

Pipebridge and
Bridge 200c

Bridge 200a

Bulls Junction Bridge 21

Paddington
Canal Arm

Bulls Junction
Bridge 21

House
boats

Bridge 201

Bridge
202

Bridge 202 and Pipe
bridge

Adelaide Docks
Entrance 202a

Adelaide Docks

Adelaide Docks
Entrance 202a

Bridge 203

Bridge
203

Footbridge 203a

Norwood Toplock 90

Lock gates at
Norwood Toplock

Slade Lane
Bridge 204

Slade Lane bridge 204

Chubby swan

Hanwell Lock 91

Lock gates at
Hanwell Lock 91

Three Bridges - 205

Three Bridges

Three Bridges 205

Brunel's Three Bridges

Three Bridges - 205

Hanwell Lock 92

Hanwell Locks
Lock 93

Hanwell Lock 93

Hanwell Locks
Lock 94

Hanwell Lock 94

Brunel's Three Bridges (also known as Windmill Bridge) on The Grand Union Canal.

This particularly interesting bridge(s) was built in Victorian times (1856) by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Windmill Lane - supported by huge girders - crosses over the Grand Union Canal and the canal in turn goes over a single track railway line. The canal is encased in an 8 foot deep cast iron trough and other parts of the bridge have really nice brick arches.

Hanwell Lock Flight on The Grand Union Canal.

Hanwell's six flight of locks drop the Grand Union Canal by around 53 feet - the whole area around the Hanwell lock flight is really pleasant to walk or cycle through. As you pass Hanwell Lock (Lock no.92) you then walk for ages alongside a really nice beautifully bricked wall on the left of the towpath - bordering the extensive grounds of what was once the County Asylum (known as Hanwell Asylum) and what is now Ealing Hospital. There is a bricked up entrance into the grounds via which at one time canal boats would deliver coal for the Asylum's boilers and take away vegetables, fruit and animal products produced in the asylum's huge market gardens. Many years ago when the Grand Union Canal was used commercially the boatmen called the dock Asylum Dock and the lock itself was known as Asylum Lock.

Lock 94 Gates

Hanwell Locks - Lock 95

Hanwell Locks
Lock 95

Hanwell Lock 95

Hanwell Locks
Lock 96

Hanwell Locks -
Lock 96

The Brent joins the Canal

Hanwell Locks -
Lock 97

Hanwell Locks - Lock 97

The next (final) section of the Canal is on our Osterley, Brentford Gauging Lock, The River Thames - Grand Union Canal topic - this is where the southern end of the canal ends just before reaching the River Thames opposite Kew in London.

Also see our Following along The Grand Union Canal in England Home Page which contains a listing of all our items about the canal on it's journey from Birmingham to London and The Thames. Also find there links to our topics about the Grand Union Canal's numerous Canal Arms and Sections including the excellent Leicester Canal Section.

Other of our websites are about The Stratford-on-Avon Canal, The Kennet and Avon Canal, The Regents Canal, River Stort, River Lee and The Thames Path. Please visit our GUC Resources topic to find links to these.

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