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The River Soar is a major tributary of the River Trent and is the principal river of Leicestershire. The source of the river is midway between Hinckley and Lutterworth, it then flows north through Leicester where it is joined by the Grand Union Canal and continues through the Leicestershire Soar Valley, passing Loughborough and Kegworth, until it reaches the Trent at the county boundary. In the 18th century, the Soar was made navigable, initially between Loughborough and the Trent, and then through to Leicester. It was not until the early 19th century that it was linked by the Grand Union Canal to the wider network to the south and to London.
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24.1 miles (38.8km) long with 18 locks from just above Freeman's Meadow Lock in Leicester to the River Trent and Erewash Canal; the River Soar forms part of the Grand Union Canal Leicester Section. Thomas Skipworth was granted permission by Charles I to make the river navigable in 1634 but the scheme was never completed. The section between the River Trent and Loughborough was made navigable in 1778 by engineers John Smith and John May and extended by William Jessop to Leicester in 1794. The Grand Union Canal (not to be confused with the later canal route of the same name) connected it south to the southern canals network and to London in 1814. It was not until 1894 that the Grand Union and the Leicestershire & Northamptonshire Union Canals were purchased by the Grand Junction Canal Company that later formed the Grand Union Canal who purchased the Leicester and Loughborough Navigations in 1932 along with the Erewash Canal.

The Leicester section branches off the main line at Braunston and it is 66 miles long with 59 locks (including two five chamber staircase locks at Foxton) and two tunnels. Near Leicester it continues into the River Soar, and briefly along the River Wreake. The navigation then proceeds along the river, with some canalised diversions, to Loughborough and the River Trent south of Long Eaton.