UK Canal Boating

Turning south, cruise through the quarry belt towards Nuneaton.

Cruise through Nuneaton until you reach Marston Junction, then continue south do not turn left along the Ashby canal, with the suburbs of Bedworth to your right.
Another junction is soon reached, Hawkesbury Junction, where the Coventry canal continues its journey to Coventry but you will be turning sharp left along the Oxford canal and the through stop lock where the water depth changes by about 4 inches!
It is 3 hours to here.

At Hawkesbury Junction you will see many traditional boats, a fine engine house and useful facilities. To the east of the Junction you can see Hawkesbury Hall, now a private house.

There is a pub at the Junction, called The Greyhound, a traditional canalside pub, dating from the 1800's, which serves food and real ales. There is a garden and mooring here, and children are welcome.

From Hawkesbury Junction, you will now be heading towards, Bridge No. 84, which is 20 miles away.
You will go under the M6 Motorway Bridge, then turn right onto the Oxford Canal.

On this stretch of canal, the Motorway runs alongside, to your right, until you reach bridges 7 and 9, where the canal veers off to the left. However, at M69 Motorway Bridge No. 13A, you will again go under the Motorway, on your way to Ansty.

Other than the distant noise of the Motorway, the landscape is pretty remote, with just the odd farm here and there.

Ansty is a small picturesque village that grew up next to the canal. Ansty Hall is a popular location for weddings and other events, and is dated 1678. There is a pub in the village, called The Rose and Castle, serving food and real ales. Children are welcome, and there is a large play area in the canalside garden. Moorings and water are also available there.

Moving on, through a couple of small aqueducts, rolling fields flanking the canal, you will again pass under the M6.

Soon you will reach Stretton Stop, with the Stretton Wharf to the left. Stretton Stop was formerly a place at which tolls were taken. The scene here today is invariably busy and colourful. Boaters should take care not to collide with the foot swing bridge which links the towpath side with the boatbuilding sheds on the opposite bank. Its is 3 hours from Hawkesbury Junction to here.

If you want to, you can moor up here and make your way into Brinklow, a pre-industrial village, with a motte and bailey mound alongside the C15th Church of St John. There are a good selection of pubs here – The White Lion, a traditional coaching inn, children and dogs welcome; The Bulls Head, a family pub; The Raven, also family-friendly – to name just three.
Cruising on through pretty farmland, you will soon pass All Oaks Wood to your right. There are moorings here if you want to go exploring.

A little further, and to your left, you will see a quiet little village called Harborough Magna.

Very shortly, you will approach Newbold Tunnel, which is 250 yards long, and as you emerge from it, you will be in Newbold-on-Avon, on the outskirts of Rugby. Moorings at Newbold Tunnel make a pleasant stop, the Barley Mow is by Bridge 50.

There is a shop, PO & fish & chip shop in Newbold, nearby is the Newbold Quarry Park, now a nature reserve. The Newbold Tunnel is 250 yds long and was built during the shortening of the Oxford Canal in the 1820's. Don't miss Newbold Quarry Park- a nature reserve beside the canal on the site of an old limestone quarry. There are 14 day moorings nearby.

If you want to moor up and take a look around Rugby, there is much to see, including The Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum and The Rugby Art Gallery and Museum. You can moor thoughout the Rugby area, at Ansty, Brinklow, Newbold, Brownsover, and Hillmorton.

As you cruise on, you will notice that to the left is mostly open countryside, whilst to the left it becomes more built up again as you approach Hilmorton.

By Hilmorton Visitor Moorings alongside the canal is a pub called The Old Royal Oak (by Bridge No. 73, with its own moorings), serving food all day, real ale and has a children's room and play area. Also nearby, is Canalchef Cafe, a licensed cafe with a beer garden.
It is 3 hours to here from Stretton Stop.

Between Rugby & Braunston the Oxford Canal hops from County to County, as it goes backwards & forwards between Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. it runs through wide open country, it is an ancient landscape and by Bridge 87 medieval ridge and furrow field patterns are in evidence.

The canal takes its time travelling between Rugby & Hillmorton, passing through fields and reed beds.

Cruising through a largely isolated and quiet stretch of canal, with fields flanking the canal, the peace will be temporarily shattered by the noise of the M45 at Barby, as it crosses the canal.

Then a wide curve to the right around Barby Hill, onto a straight stretch of tranquility as you approach Willoughby, a small village to the right of the canal.

A little further on, and you will reach Braunston, and Braunston Turn, the junction of the Grand Union, Oxford and Grand Junction Canals.
It is 3.5 hours to here from Hillmorton Visitor Moorings.

Braunston is set up on a hill to the north of the canal, and is a popular canal centre. The village has houses of all periods, and is predominantly one long main street.

Just beside Braunston Marina, is a cafe in a narrowboat, called *The Gongoozler's Rest, serving breakfasts, sandwiches and more. There are also a selection of pubs, including The Wheatsheaf, The Old Plough and The Boathouse.

There is a historic canal wharf here. The Old working boats have now gone, but you can wander around and see new boats being built, old ones restored and a regular stream of traffic up and down the locks beyond the marina.
By Bridge 91 is the Mill House pub .

At Braunston Turn, you need to bear left onto the Grand Union Canal .

Just after Braunston are the Braunston Lock Flight of 6 locks which precedes the very long Braunston Tunnel, which at 2042 yards long is one of the longest in the country. The tunnel opened in 1796 and has a slight S bend. The Braunston Locks are open from 9-4pm daily with the last entry to the flight at 2.30pm. Continue along the Grand Union canal to Norton Junction, and turn left up the Grand Union Canal Leicester section.

You can moor up here, it is 6 hours cruising from Hilmorton to here.

There is a pub just along the canal in the London direction of the Grand Union, called The New Inn at Long Buckby Wharf. There is also a water point near the moorings

From the Norton Junction you pass the Watford Gap motorway services just through a hedge after bridge 5, which provides 24 hour sustenance & provisions if required. Continue north to the Watford Locks. There is a lock-keeper here, and you will have to find him before you can proceed up the locks. The Locks take you up to the summit level of 412 feet, and there are no more locks after this for 20.5 miles. 4 of these locks are staircase locks, where the bottom of one lock is the top of another.

The Locks are open from 10-3pm with last entry at 2.15pm.

They are set in very pretty surroundings in quiet countryside and are quite exiting to do.

The canal continues its route through rural landscape with a few villages scattered along the way.

Crick Tunnel is soon reached which is 1528 yards long, and the village of Crick is at the end of it, off to the left. There are stores, off licence and pubs in the village and Edwards Restaurant beside bridge 12.

Crick is the home to a well known & popular boat show each year.

Moving north of Crick the scenery alternates between woods and open fields as the canal takes us past Cracks Hill which provides pleasant views back towards Crick and the canal from its summit and doesn’t require too much exertion to climb. In fact, this whole section of the canal lends itself to laziness and relaxation due to the next lock not being encountered until the Foxton Flight or on the Welford Arm, both much further on towards Leicester.

The canal follows a lazy meandering course from here first north before swinging east, south then north again through open lush countryside punctuated by thickets of woodland, very quiet and truly relaxing. The peace and quiet is disturbed temporarily by the busy A14 dual carriageway but the canal passes under at a right angle and soon leaves the noisy road behind, the canal at this point is hemmed in by a thick collar of trees overhanging the water and providing a great feeling of tranquil isolation.

Before long the Welford Junction appears with the 1 mile long Welford Arm leading off to the right to the pretty village of Welford. It is a most welcome diversion as there has been little or no human habitation from Crick onwards and likewise very few pubs or shops to stock up in and sample local ales.

Back on the main route of the Leicester Line you can moor up by Bridge 45, the village of North Kilworth is to the west. There are 2 pubs- The White Lion & the Swan Inn.

Coming up soon is the Foxton Locks and you will need to reach there by 3.15 pm which is the last entry to the flight.

The canal continues through open countryside until the Husbands Bosworth Tunnel, it is approximately a third shorter than the tunnel at Crick at a little over a thousand metres long. The village of Husbands Bosworth lies a short walk to the south from the canal after exiting the tunnel, it is a very idyllic little village surrounded by rolling hills and offering an opportunity to frequent a pub or shop for supplies.

The cruise from Husbands Bosworth up to the Foxton Locks is as quiet, rich in wildlife and scenic as you would come to expect of the Leicester Line by now. The flight of locks at Foxton is comprised of two sets of five locks in staircase form. Due to the congestion here in the past and the need to accommodate wide beamed craft there was an attempt at making an inclined plane boat lift to speed things along which is now defunct, the popular museum and visitor centre here detail the history of the locks. The views over the surrounding countryside are as stunning as can be found anywhere, combined with the interesting setting of the canal a good many people are attracted to Foxton Locks on day trips so be prepared for spectators while navigating the locks.

You will need to find the lock-keeper before you descend the locks.

The village of Gumley lies a short distance to the west, offering a chance to spend some time in a pub to prepare for, or recover from, the hard work entailed in ascending and descending the staircases at Foxton. By the Locks is the Foxton Locks Inn which is open all day. Also by the locks is a small shop stocking essential provisions.

Directly after the Foxton Locks the Market Harborough Arm of the canal turns off to the east going through the middle of the village of Foxton making the pubs and shops there very accessible providing you can find a mooring spot. The Market Harborough Arm twists and turns for just over 5 miles skirting around the north western flank of the town before cutting in towards the centre, ending at Union Wharf.

The basin in Market Harborough is very pleasant, surrounded by modern apartment buildings converted from old warehouses. The Waterfront Restaurant is in the marina , they serve food & coffees 12 noon to 11pm during the summer.

The High Street to the town lies off to the south east, it is only a short walk and after mile upon mile of empty countryside it is somewhat refreshing having a large choice of pubs and shops in this quaint town. The old Grammar School building and church both lend character and a unique quality to the centre of town, it is certainly a place that encourages exploration.

Visit nearby Rockingham Castle built by William the Conqueror. If you need to entertain the children then visit Wicksteed Park one of the biggest and best playgrounds in Europe.

 

NB: This route has been provided as a guide only. Information may become inaccurate or out of date. You should always check with the marina that the route is possible within your time frame, current weather conditions and canal stoppages etc.