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Going South

The first one and a half hours is a meander through pretty woodland before the short tunnel at Newbold, with moorings before or after the next bridge. Here there are two pubs that are nearby but set at right angles to the canal. The original cut ran in front of the pubs, but is now a lane. In Newbold churchyard are the remains of the tunnel from Brindley’s original late 18th century contour canal.

In Newbold are The Barley Mow and The Boat pubs. There is also the Old Crown near the shops, which include a Post Office, fish and chips, a supermarket and also a cash machine. (Turn left out of the lane in front of the two pubs and walk downhill about 100 yards.)

About half an hour after Newbold you cross two aqueducts. After these you can moor for the Harvester Inn or the Tesco hypermarket nearby (with cash dispenser). There is a picnic area just through the bridge after the Harvester Inn.

The next hour features more woodland, a boatyard and a golf course as the canal skirts attractively around Rugby towards Hillmorton Locks. The Oxford Canal climbs from Coventry to its summit over a spur of the Cotswolds just south of Napton (and then drops all the way down to the Thames), so these three locks take you uphill. Shortly after the locks is the Old Royal Oak pub and restaurant which has a canalside garden and a safe “soft” indoor play area for young children downstairs.

After this the canal changes character, passing Barby Hill to the left and Dunsmoor (the moor named after the legendary medieval Dun Cow) to the right. It takes just under two hours from the locks (about six hours total from our boatyard) to reach the historic canal junction and village at Braunston. There’s lots here; pubs include the Boat House, canalside just by the junction, The Old Plough and the Wheatsheaf in the High Street and The Admiral Nelson beside the third lock up towards Braunston Tunnel. All these pubs serve food.

Shops: in the High Street is a supermarket (with cash dispenser inside) and newsagent, Post Office and a butchers. There are also shops by the canal at the bottom lock.

The Marina has been developed and has a shop and various small businesses. You may have time to go up the six broad locks and through the tunnel to Norton Junction and back, or carry on down the Oxford Canal to Napton to sample the delights of the Napton Bridge Inn or the Folly Inn just before the Napton lock flight. The village is perched attractively on a hill, topped by a windmill and has a small shop and two more pubs. If you are on a midweek break you could plan to go on to Weedon on the Grand Union Canal or up the Napton Locks to Fenny Compton on the Oxford Canal.