Oxford And Grand Union Canal
A canal boat holiday on the Oxford and South Midlands canal network combines a wonderful procession of historic industrial architecture with beautiful natural landscapes weaving across the country from Birmingham to London. Warwick Castle, Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford-upon-Avon, Coventry Cathedral, Blenheim Palace and Stoke Bruerne's unmissable Canal Museum are just a few of the network's wonderful attractions. Begin your holiday in the Napton and Braunston area in the hub of the network or from one of the many other start points on offer, then choose your canal.
The Ashby Canal winds its peaceful way along 22 miles of lock free waterway towards the south Derbyshire border and the Coventry Canal, an integral part of the Warwickshire Ring, stretches from Fazelely Junction to the heart of Coventry city itself. From Coventry's Hawkesbury Junction to the Grand Union at Braunston, the North Oxford Canal meanders under elegant cast-iron bridges and through rolling countryside, where you can moor your canal boat and enjoy exploring the Bosworth battlefield or visit the Shackerstone Steam Railway.
On the South Oxford Canal you'll encounter the photogenic Napton Lock flight, Banbury's famous Cross and restored boat dock, and the beautiful landscapes of the Cherwell Valley before you take your canal boat into Oxford - the city of dreaming spires and Inspector Morse. The Grand Union Canal can carry you across the Chiltern Hills or through the two miles of Blisworth Tunnel and even past London Zoo in the capital's Regent's Park.
