Walking along the Buckingham Arm

Last month we explored part of the derelict Old Stratford and Buckingham Arm of the GU. This section is at Thornton, about two thirds of the way to Buckingham from Cosgrove Junction.

We parked up just south of the A422 and walked towards the canal bridge. The road was itself reminiscent of a canal entering a tunnel in the distance.

Our first sight of the canal was where it passes under a flimsy-looking brick (or is it stone?) bridge alongside the road.

From the bed of the canal looking back at the bridge, the road we walked along goes from left to right across the centre of the photo below. You can see that the canal is culverted under the more modern road crossing.

Looking westwards from the bridge the canal is clearly defined.

A little further to the west the canal narrows for what I guess is the site of a lift bridge. This is looking east.

Where the canal comes to the A422 again it turns to the left (south west) and crosses a tributary of the River Great Ouse, the river it parallels all the way from Cosgrove to Buckingham. Some tree clearing will be required here!

We crossed the stile and went through the trees to the road. The map marks the crossing over the tributary as Cattleford Bridge. Here the canal must have passed over a small aqueduct. Then we retraced our route back to the car.

We didn't cover much more than half a mile of canal, but it's given me a taste for walking more of it. I really ought to take a look at where restoration work has been going on; something for another time.