Foxton Locks: Boat Trips, Walks, the Staircase & Cafe

Foxton Locks is one of those places that looks ordinary on a map and turns out to be quietly extraordinary in person. It is a flight of ten canal locks, arranged as two “staircases” of five, that lift narrowboats 75 feet up a Leicestershire hillside on the Grand Union Canal. It is the longest and steepest staircase lock flight in the country, and watching a boat inch its way up or down is far more interesting than that description makes it sound.

It sits about three miles west of Market Harborough, on the kind of gentle, green East Midlands countryside that makes a perfect half-day out. You get Victorian engineering, two pubs, a cafe, a small museum, weekend boat trips and a flat towpath you can walk for as long as your legs and the weather allow. It works for families, for couples who want a slow lunch by the water, and for anyone who likes their history served outdoors.

This guide covers everything you need for a good visit: how the locks work, the inclined plane and its story, boat trips, the best towpath walks, where to eat, parking and costs, and whether to bring the dog. It is also one of the closest big attractions to The Barn, our self-catering base near Clipston, so we have added the drive time and a few practical notes at the end.

What is Foxton Locks?

Foxton Locks is a working flight of ten locks on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal. The locks are built as two staircases of five, one stacked directly on top of the next, so the gate at the bottom of one lock is the gate at the top of the one below. That is what makes a staircase different from an ordinary flight, and it is why boats take around 45 minutes to work through the whole set.

The flight was built between 1810 and 1814 and raises boats a total of 75 feet up the hill. It is a Grade II listed site and the longest staircase flight of locks in Britain, which is the reason it draws more than 400,000 visitors a year. Despite that number, it rarely feels packed, because the towpath spreads people out along the water.

You do not need a boat, a ticket or a booking to enjoy it. The site is open to walk in at any time, the towpath is free, and most people simply come to watch the boats, walk the canal and have lunch. If you have never seen a staircase lock in action, it is genuinely satisfying to watch a narrowboat rise step by step out of the valley.

The inclined plane: Victorian engineering you can still see

The most unusual thing at Foxton is not the staircase. It is the remains of the Foxton Inclined Plane, a steam-powered boat lift built in 1900 to solve a traffic problem. Working a boat up ten locks takes the best part of an hour, and by the late Victorian period the canal company wanted something faster.

The solution was remarkable. Boats floated into two huge water-filled tanks that ran on rails up and down the hillside, counterbalancing each other so a steam engine only had to manage the difference. It cut the climb to around 12 minutes. The trouble was that the wider canals it was built to serve never arrived, the lift was expensive to run, and it closed in 1911 after barely a decade. It was later dismantled.

What survives is the great grassy slope where the rails ran, which you can walk up, plus the old boiler house, now home to the Foxton Canal Museum. The museum tells the story of the lift, the locks and the people who worked them, and there is a project working towards restoring the plane. Adult entry is around £4 and children go free, which makes it an easy add-on to a free day out.

The pubs and cafe at Foxton Locks

Boat trips at Foxton Locks

You do not need your own narrowboat to get out on the water. Short canal cruises run from the bottom lock, usually on a small trip boat, and they are the easiest way to feel what canal travel is actually like without committing to a full day’s hire.

The trips last around 30 minutes and run on weekend and bank holiday afternoons from spring through to October. You do not need to book ahead, you just turn up and buy a ticket on the day. As a guide, expect around £6 for an adult and £4 for a child, and dogs travel free, so the whole family can come along. Timings and prices can change season to season, so it is worth a quick check before you set off if a cruise is the main reason for your visit.

If you want more than a taster, day boats and longer hires are available locally too, which let you take the helm and work a lock or two yourself. For most visitors though, the half-hour trip plus an afternoon on the towpath is the perfect amount of canal for one day.

Foxton Locks walks and the towpath

The towpath is the heart of a Foxton Locks walk, and the beauty of it is that you choose your own distance. The flat path runs in both directions along the canal, so you can do a gentle ten-minute stroll up the staircase and back, or set off for a few miles and turn around whenever you like.

The classic short circuit takes in the full flight of locks, the swing bridge at the bottom and a loop up over the inclined plane, which gives you the best views back down the valley. Allow around 45 minutes to an hour at an easy pace with stops to watch the boats. For something longer, follow the towpath towards Market Harborough or out along the open countryside; the canal is flat the whole way, so it suits all fitness levels.

A few things to know before you set off:

• The staircase climb is steep on foot. The towpath beside the locks rises sharply, so wear sensible shoes and take your time if you are pushing a buggy.
• It can get muddy. This is a real canal, not a manicured park, so after rain the towpath edges turn soft. Boots or trainers beat sandals.
• The full circuit is mostly flat away from the locks. Once you are along the main towpath the going is easy and level for miles.
• There is no charge to walk. Every part of the towpath and the inclined plane slope is free to explore on foot, any day of the year.

If you enjoy this kind of flat, scenic route, there are plenty more in the area. Take a look at our guide to the best walking and cycling routes near The Barn for canal paths, country lanes and quiet bridleways within easy reach.

Half the appeal of Foxton is that you can build a whole afternoon around eating and watching the world drift past. There are two pubs and a cafe right on the water, so you are never far from a drink or a plate of chips.

• Foxton Locks Inn. The main canalside pub, with a large beer garden right by the water. It is the obvious choice for a sit-down lunch or a pint in the sun, and it gets busy on warm weekends.
• Bridge 61. A smaller, cosier pub by the bottom lock, good for real ale and a quieter spot away from the main crowd.
• Top Lock Cottage cafe. Up at the top of the flight, serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and locally made ice cream. There is a pre-loved bookshop inside too, which is worth a browse while the kids finish their cones.

You are also very welcome to bring a picnic. There are benches and plenty of grassy spots along the locks, and on a sunny day the bank by the bottom lock fills up with families spreading out blankets. Just remember that barbecues and any open flames are not allowed anywhere on site, so keep the food cold rather than cooked.

One honest note: at peak times on summer weekends, both pubs can have a wait for tables and food. If you are set on a proper lunch, go early or aim for a weekday, and the difference is night and day.

Parking, cost and visiting info

Visiting Foxton Locks is free; you only pay for parking, the museum and anything you eat or do on the day. There are two pay and display car parks on site, a long-stay and a short-stay, both with accessible toilets nearby and dedicated blue badge spaces. Parking is free after 5:30pm in both, which makes a summer evening stroll and a pint a cheap night out.

Visiting detail	What to expect
Entry to the locks and towpath	Free, open any day, any time
Long-stay parking	Around £3 all day for cars
Short-stay parking	Roughly £1.50 for 1 hour up to about £6 for 8 hours
Parking after 5:30pm	Free in both car parks
Canal Museum	Around £4 adult, children free
30-minute boat trip	About £6 adult, £4 child, dogs free
Walk the full lock circuit	Around 45 minutes to 1 hour
Distance from Market Harborough	About 3 miles

Prices and trip times do change with the seasons, so treat the figures above as a planning guide rather than a guarantee. The towpath being free is the constant; everything else is an optional extra you can dip into as you fancy.

Is Foxton Locks good for families and dogs?

For families, it is one of the easier days out in the area. There is space to run, water to watch, boats to count, ice cream at the top and a museum to duck into if the weather turns. The main thing to keep an eye on is the water itself, as the lock edges are open and the drops are real, so younger children need a hand held near the locks. Away from the flight the towpath is wide and safe.

For dogs, Foxton is a good choice. The towpath and canal walks are dog friendly, and dogs even travel free on the boat trips. Dogs must be kept on a lead around the locks and the busy areas, which is sensible given the water, the crowds and the other dogs. Bring water for them in summer, as the main car park and lock area can get hot with little shade.

Foxton pairs nicely with a wider day of exploring. If you are filling a long weekend, see our roundup of things to do in Market Harborough for markets, museums and more places to eat within a short drive.

Staying nearby: The Barn near Market Harborough

Foxton Locks is one of the closest big attractions to The Barn, our luxury self-catering base at Clipston, near Market Harborough. The drive is only about 10 to 15 minutes, which means you can be watching boats climb the staircase within a quarter of an hour of breakfast and back in time for a lazy afternoon in the garden.

The Barn is a three-bedroom barn conversion that sleeps eight, with a private garden and terrace, a gas BBQ and a 10-metre folding glass wall that opens the living space straight out to the countryside. It makes a comfortable home base for a few days of canal walks, country pubs and East Midlands days out, with everyone under one roof rather than spread across hotel rooms.

Frequently Asked Questions