Going North

After passing through some open farmland and a pay-and-play golf course (with an excellent club house) you reach Ansty in about one hour. Here there is a pottery and the Rose and Castle has an excellent reputation for food.

After Ansty you approach the outskirts of Coventry, but the canal still manages to retain a rural character for much of the one and a half hour run into Hawkesbury Junction (also known as Sutton Stop). On the way there is the Elephant and Castle by bridge 4 (good garden for children) and a fishing tackle shop. Hawkesbury Junction was designated a conservation area in 1976 and is something of an Industrial Archaeology haven, despite nestling amongst vast attendant pylons!

There is an impressive cast iron bridge, an engine house that once housed a Newcomen Beam Engine, a colourful pub (the Greyhound), and a 6 inch deep stop lock. Just down the road is a charming Victorian pub, the Boat. This area is rich in industrial history; you can discover the mysteries of the Newdigate Arm, Arbury Hall and the various quarries and coal mines that were the raison d’etre of the canal in the first place.

We would recommend that you go round the hairpin bend and continue north along the Coventry Canal; the left turn takes you into the basin in Coventry centre. Heading towards Marston Junction, you pass through woodland and by a large pub, the Navigation, before skirting Bedworth and passing the Charity Dock “experience”. Soon you come to Marston Junction where you can turn right into the Ashby Canal or carry on up the Coventry Canal. This is about one hour from Hawkesbury and about three and a half hours from the boatyard.

The Ashby Canal has twenty two miles of lock-free cruising and becomes prettier the further you go, the last 6 miles or so epitomising all that is best in English countryside. There is only one canalside pub, the Limekilns, where the A5 Watling Street crosses the canal. There are, however, some charming hostelries only a short walk away from the canal. On the way you pass the pretty town of Market Bosworth and fascinating site of the Battle of Bosworth Field, near bridge 35.

There is a visitor centre here where you can trace how King Richard III lost his crown to Henry Tudor in 1485. Shackerstone has a steam heritage railway and museum: opening times are restricted, but there are steam trips on most Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. The ‘Rising Sun’ may be open instead! Work is in hand to re-open the Ashby Canal to Moira from the present terminus beyond Snarestone.

If you continue north on the Coventry Canal the countryside features landscaped quarries (more attractive than they sound). The Anchor Inn at Hartshill has an extensive children’s play area and good food. The nearby maintenance yard has been attractively restored.

For a short break you may need to turn just before the Atherstone locks, but the flight is attractive if you have the time to boat it (around three hours each way). You can turn at bridge 48. The hatting town of Atherstone has lots of restaurants and pubs.

Extend your Holiday

On request, basic provisions as
well as cruising guides, maps,
shoes, waterproofs and souvenirs
are available in our well stocked
shop and chandlery.
All boats may be hired for more
than one week, so why not contact
us for details of discounts that are
available?

View our Gallery Slideshow