Cycling along the Grantham canal near Melton Mowbray Leicestershire

At a Glance:

Ffrom Melton:15 miles
Time: 20 minutes

Route Distance: 8 miles

Dogs allowed: Yes
Postcode: LE14 3AH

Lunch:

Cafe & Deli On The Sands
Long Clawson
LE14 4PA
onthesands.co.uk

Crown & Plough
Long Clawson
LE14 4NG
crownandplough.co.uk

The Plough Inn
Hickling
LE14 3AH
www.plough-hickling.co.uk

Grantham Canal Cycle Route


The Grantham Canal was opened in 1797 to transport goods (primarily coal) from Nottingham to Grantham. As with many regional canals, it was closed following competition from the railways, the final closure being in 1936. Since then many of the bridges over the canal have been destroyed, but the main canal remains with water in it and there is an active movement to restore it for boats to use in the future. In the meantime, the towpath makes an excellent cycle route through some beautiful countryside, and the lack of traffic and hills makes it perfect for families. We took a circular route of around 8 miles involving some towpath and some quiet roads, but there are many other possibilities for walks and rides on the Grantham Canal website.
Interactive map of our route - Download as a .gpx file here

Interactive map of route
	Our route started and finished at Hickling canal basin, next to The Plough, which would be an alternative for lunch although we haven't tried it. The towpath runs off beside the basin on the opposite side of the road to the pub. The towpath is made up with crushed stone and is in very good condition along the whole of the distance, and is also wide enough for children to cycle along.
Hickling Canal basin with the pub in the background
Parking is on the roadside, opposite the pub. The footpath is nice and wide here so plenty of room to unload the bikes and get the Kids sorted out. This was Zoë's first time on the "Trail-Gator"
		Ready for the Off!
	The towpath is made up with crushed stone and is in very good condition along the whole of the distance, and is also wide enough for children to cycle along.The canal itself has water in, but also a lot of weed and would not be passable for boats.
The towpath
There is plenty of wildlife to be seen along the canal, including Hares, Foxes and Stoats. Some of the bridges have bats roosting in them, including the rarer Daubenton’s Bats. We saw several swans, and two nests.
		Nesting swan
	James and Zoë have just discovered "Geocaching" and there are several caches along the towpath part of this route - hopefully this photo doesn't give the game away too much! Geocaching is a great way to get the kids out in the fresh air - find out more about this activity here.
Found it!
We had lunch at the Cafe & Deli On The Sands in Long Clawson. Lunch for the four of us was £25.35. Other alternatives would include the Crown and Plough in Long Clawson or the Plough in Hickling. See the links to the left.