A. Starting from the Hope and Anchor pub in Syston, put into the canal and turn left, towards Leicester, under the bridge next to the pub. Watermead Country Park is on your right beyond the towpath.

B. 600m from the start, just behind the towpath, is a toilet block in the park. These are the only public facilities on the trip. Continue down the canal past the remains of conveyor belt bridge pillars from when it was an active quarry.

C .At just under 1 mile you will pass under Johnson’s Bridge. Immediately after portage on the right hand bank, just before the weir to your side. Relaunch below the weir either side of the tree on the corner.

D. This section is the original course of the River Soar and is indicative of the rivers natural size before it was remodelled for navigation.

E. An assessment of river level needs to be done here. If the water is high on the weir and pushing hard around the first bend a decision to come back another time could be a good call. Similarly, if the water is low and there is a sand beach on the corner, it will probably be too low to paddle.

F. Continue along the narrow, willow lined channel, past a large bird watching hide on the right. At 1.8 miles you reach Wanlip metering weir, where you should pass between the two concrete walls in the centre of the flow. Watch out for fallen trees after the weir.

G. At 1.8 miles the A46 Western Bypass Bridge is the only noisy interruption to an otherwise rural paddle.

H. Continue past the sewage works and a new wind turbine. This stretch of river is often thick with reeds and weed from the additional warmth and nutrients in the water.

I. Cossington Weir is reached at just under 3.5 miles. The river crosses the canalised River Wreake and goes under a footbridge at the top of the weir. You turn right here onto the Wreake.

J. You can add some fun to your journey by shooting the weir (if the backwater level is ok to paddle then the weir will be ok to shoot). If you choose to do this you will have to portage back up to the Wreake to continue your journey.

K. At a split in the river at 3.9 miles you take the left fork towards Junction Lock. Portage the lock on the right, on a platform by the large willow tree and put in above lock.

L. Paddle past the weir on the right and continue to another fork at Three Ways Bridge. Take the right hand fork back onto the Grand Union Canal proper. Pass a small marina before heading back under the A46 and to your start point.