The
River Soar is a major tributary of the
River Trent in the
English East Midlands 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.