Warwick and Return
Stockton – 10 locks – Long Itchington – 9 locks – Radford Semele – Leamington Spa – Warwick
Distance 20 miles. 19 locks. 18 hours cruising time. Two or Three days.
Overnight stops suggested at Leamington Spa or Warwick and Long Itchington.
Head West on the Grand Union Canal and in less than five minutes you will arrive at the top lock of the Stockton Lock flight. This is the first of eight locks within the next mile which lower the canal some 54 feet. Pass through the bridge after the eighth lock and you will find the “Blue Lias” pub on your left, as well as a water point on your right. Blue Lias is a stone which in times gone by was heavily quarried in this area. You will also notice a number of old and historic work boats in various states of repair just past the pub, in the “Kaye’s Arm”. You can use the Kaye’s Arm to turn round too. The canal then descends a further 15 feet through two locks and enters Long Itchington.
There is some good mooring on your right after Long Itchington bottom lock which extends along the towpath to the canal-side “Two Boats” pub on your right. There is also the “Cuttle” pub on the opposite side of the canal. You can moor outside both of these pubs. There are another four pubs in the village itself, all about a ten minute walk from the canal, as well as a small “Co-Op” store. If you pass through the bridge just after the “Two Boats” and “Cuttle” you will find more moorings. The “Long Itchington Diner”, where you can get a great fried breakfast, is located on the main road just past the “Cuttle” and about 10 minutes’ walk from the canal. Long Itchington could be described as a typical middle-England village. It has a central duck pond, near to which is a half-timbered Tudor house, where Queen Elizabeth stayed twice – in 1572 and 1575. South of the village is a quarry and a small model village, built for the quarry workers. Some quarrying still takes place today.
After Long Itchington the canal goes back into the countryside, with very little civilisation for several miles. Take care at the old railway bridge (number 26A) as it is on a blind bend. It is even more restricted when you are heading in the opposite direction. Normally two boats can pass in a railway bridge, but not at this one! About ½ mile from the railway bridge you will find a water point and waste disposal on your left hand side. A further ½ mile will bring you to the Bascote staircase locks. These are two locks separated by one middle gate. Before using them, remember to fill the top lock and empty the bottom one. There are now seven locks spaced through the next three miles, taking you down around 60 feet, passing under the Fosse Way until you reach Radford Bottom lock. There is a pub in Radford Semele, the “Old White Lion” about fifteen minutes’ walk from the canal. There is a winding hole on your left in about 300 yards. The canal now starts to enter the outskirts of Royal Leamington Spa. The “Fusilier” pub is before bridge 37. If you pass through the bridge and moor, you could also walk to the dog-friendly “New Inn”. There is a winding hole on your left after about ½ mile. There is plenty of mooring along this stretch of canal. You now pass through an industrial area before going into a cutting. Pass the Art Deco railway station and there is a “Morrisons” supermarket off to the right. A 24 hour launderette is attached to the “Morrisons”. There is plenty of mooring in this cutting, and although alongside a main road, the hedge acts as a natural sound barrier. This is a good spot to moor and visit Royal Leamington Spa.
There are several reasons to visit the Regency town of Leamington Spa. Although a shadow of its former Georgian splendour, there are still wide boulevards with large town houses either side. The town is known for its student accommodation, and so there is a vibrant social appeal. Famed as a spa town, you should visit the former Royal Pump Rooms. Here you will find an art gallery and museum as well as the visitor information centre. A walk around the town, taking in some of the 60 pubs and restaurants and the old parish church is a relaxing way to spend a day. The Jephson Gardens is a formal Victorian park, complete with a band stand, a glasshouse of tropical plants, a goldfish pond and a café. What better place to take a relaxing break? If you haven’t had enough of being on the water, you can hire rowing boats, canoes, and stand up boats on the river Leam as well as visiting the sensory garden. You can also follow the Elephant trail, where the world famous trainer Sam Lockhart used to walk his elephants.
Continuing West there is a pub named the “Moorings”. The clue is in its name, as you can moor outside. There is another winding hole on your right before you reach a “Lidl” supermarket. You can moor here – either to shop or to walk back to the “Moorings”. The canal now seems to be quite high, and indeed you will cross over the railway and the river Avon. Fairly soon you will come to a “Tesco” supermarket on your left, again with mooring space for three boats (for shopping only!). There is then another one of those blind bends within a bridge – navigate carefully and slowly here, sounding your horn. In around ten minutes you will reach our Warwick base. There is a water point and you can turn here. If you go past here and under the bridge you will find space to moor, and just a short walk to the town centre. You can continue West to the two Cape locks where the canal now starts to rise. The two locks take you up 15 feet to the “Cape of Good Hope” pub. There are two water points, one before the locks and one after, and both on the right. You can moor outside the pub on your left, or there is plenty of mooring on the right. These mooring can get busy. Continue about a mile and you will reach the Saltisford Arm on your left. If you book in advance, this is a great place to moor (for a small fee) and explore Warwick.
Warwick has a wealth of places to see and visit. There is the towering St. Mary’s church, visible from many miles around. The “finest mediaeval castle in England” should be the centre-piece of any visit to Warwick. You will need to plan a whole day here just to visit the castle. The Lord Leycester Hospital is part of a group of mediaeval timber buildings, and you can stop at the Brethren’s kitchen for lunch or afternoon tea. The High Street, starting at the West Gate and extending via Jury Street to the East Gate will take you past a wide variety of fine houses and historic buildings, including the Quaker Meeting House and numbers 1 to 3 in the High Street, all of which have carved wooden features. Most of the building were reconstructed after the Great Fire of 1694. Those buildings which are not timbered are generally made from the local sandstone. The old market place still has a Saturday market. A particular feature is the Market Hall, built in 1670, and housing the County Museum. The Shambles stood next to this and is now a pub. The Abbotsford stands here too, and is probably the most richly decorated building in Warwick. There is a wide range of pubs and restaurants within Warwick. These range from wine bars to traditional inns and from fine dining restaurants to fast food outlets. In other words, something for every taste. Rather than taking the boat, why not take a walk up the Hatton Lock flight? There are 21 locks, taking the canal out of the Avon Valley up nearly 150 feet. Stop off at the Hatton Lock café near the top before returning to Warwick. You could also visit Hatton Country World, where several independent craft/antique outlets line the “Victorian” streets, or take in one of the local walks and stop off at the “Hatton Arms” pub. If the walk back to Warwick seems too daunting then you can catch a train from Hatton station.
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Warwick and Return
Stockton – 10 locks – Long Itchington – 9 locks – Radford Semele – Leamington Spa – Warwick
Distance 20 miles. 19 locks. 18 hours cruising time. Two or Three days.
Overnight stops suggested at Leamington Spa or Warwick and Long Itchington.
Head West on the Grand Union Canal and in less than five minutes you will arrive at the top lock of the Stockton Lock flight. This is the first of eight locks within the next mile which lower the canal some 54 feet. Pass through the bridge after the eighth lock and you will find the “Blue Lias” pub on your left, as well as a water point on your right. Blue Lias is a stone which in times gone by was heavily quarried in this area. You will also notice a number of old and historic work boats in various states of repair just past the pub, in the “Kaye’s Arm”. You can use the Kaye’s Arm to turn round too. The canal then descends a further 15 feet through two locks and enters Long Itchington.
There is some good mooring on your right after Long Itchington bottom lock which extends along the towpath to the canal-side “Two Boats” pub on your right. There is also the “Cuttle” pub on the opposite side of the canal. You can moor outside both of these pubs. There are another four pubs in the village itself, all about a ten minute walk from the canal, as well as a small “Co-Op” store. If you pass through the bridge just after the “Two Boats” and “Cuttle” you will find more moorings. The “Long Itchington Diner”, where you can get a great fried breakfast, is located on the main road just past the “Cuttle” and about 10 minutes’ walk from the canal. Long Itchington could be described as a typical middle-England village. It has a central duck pond, near to which is a half-timbered Tudor house, where Queen Elizabeth stayed twice – in 1572 and 1575. South of the village is a quarry and a small model village, built for the quarry workers. Some quarrying still takes place today.
After Long Itchington the canal goes back into the countryside, with very little civilisation for several miles. Take care at the old railway bridge (number 26A) as it is on a blind bend. It is even more restricted when you are heading in the opposite direction. Normally two boats can pass in a railway bridge, but not at this one! About ½ mile from the railway bridge you will find a water point and waste disposal on your left hand side. A further ½ mile will bring you to the Bascote staircase locks. These are two locks separated by one middle gate. Before using them, remember to fill the top lock and empty the bottom one. There are now seven locks spaced through the next three miles, taking you down around 60 feet, passing under the Fosse Way until you reach Radford Bottom lock. There is a pub in Radford Semele, the “Old White Lion” about fifteen minutes’ walk from the canal. There is a winding hole on your left in about 300 yards. The canal now starts to enter the outskirts of Royal Leamington Spa. The “Fusilier” pub is before bridge 37. If you pass through the bridge and moor, you could also walk to the dog-friendly “New Inn”. There is a winding hole on your left after about ½ mile. There is plenty of mooring along this stretch of canal. You now pass through an industrial area before going into a cutting. Pass the Art Deco railway station and there is a “Morrisons” supermarket off to the right. A 24 hour launderette is attached to the “Morrisons”. There is plenty of mooring in this cutting, and although alongside a main road, the hedge acts as a natural sound barrier. This is a good spot to moor and visit Royal Leamington Spa.
There are several reasons to visit the Regency town of Leamington Spa. Although a shadow of its former Georgian splendour, there are still wide boulevards with large town houses either side. The town is known for its student accommodation, and so there is a vibrant social appeal. Famed as a spa town, you should visit the former Royal Pump Rooms. Here you will find an art gallery and museum as well as the visitor information centre. A walk around the town, taking in some of the 60 pubs and restaurants and the old parish church is a relaxing way to spend a day. The Jephson Gardens is a formal Victorian park, complete with a band stand, a glasshouse of tropical plants, a goldfish pond and a café. What better place to take a relaxing break? If you haven’t had enough of being on the water, you can hire rowing boats, canoes, and stand up boats on the river Leam as well as visiting the sensory garden. You can also follow the Elephant trail, where the world famous trainer Sam Lockhart used to walk his elephants.
Continuing West there is a pub named the “Moorings”. The clue is in its name, as you can moor outside. There is another winding hole on your right before you reach a “Lidl” supermarket. You can moor here – either to shop or to walk back to the “Moorings”. The canal now seems to be quite high, and indeed you will cross over the railway and the river Avon. Fairly soon you will come to a “Tesco” supermarket on your left, again with mooring space for three boats (for shopping only!). There is then another one of those blind bends within a bridge – navigate carefully and slowly here, sounding your horn. In around ten minutes you will reach our Warwick base. There is a water point and you can turn here. If you go past here and under the bridge you will find space to moor, and just a short walk to the town centre. You can continue West to the two Cape locks where the canal now starts to rise. The two locks take you up 15 feet to the “Cape of Good Hope” pub. There are two water points, one before the locks and one after, and both on the right. You can moor outside the pub on your left, or there is plenty of mooring on the right. These mooring can get busy. Continue about a mile and you will reach the Saltisford Arm on your left. If you book in advance, this is a great place to moor (for a small fee) and explore Warwick.
Warwick has a wealth of places to see and visit. There is the towering St. Mary’s church, visible from many miles around. The “finest mediaeval castle in England” should be the centre-piece of any visit to Warwick. You will need to plan a whole day here just to visit the castle. The Lord Leycester Hospital is part of a group of mediaeval timber buildings, and you can stop at the Brethren’s kitchen for lunch or afternoon tea. The High Street, starting at the West Gate and extending via Jury Street to the East Gate will take you past a wide variety of fine houses and historic buildings, including the Quaker Meeting House and numbers 1 to 3 in the High Street, all of which have carved wooden features. Most of the building were reconstructed after the Great Fire of 1694. Those buildings which are not timbered are generally made from the local sandstone. The old market place still has a Saturday market. A particular feature is the Market Hall, built in 1670, and housing the County Museum. The Shambles stood next to this and is now a pub. The Abbotsford stands here too, and is probably the most richly decorated building in Warwick. There is a wide range of pubs and restaurants within Warwick. These range from wine bars to traditional inns and from fine dining restaurants to fast food outlets. In other words, something for every taste. Rather than taking the boat, why not take a walk up the Hatton Lock flight? There are 21 locks, taking the canal out of the Avon Valley up nearly 150 feet. Stop off at the Hatton Lock café near the top before returning to Warwick. You could also visit Hatton Country World, where several independent craft/antique outlets line the “Victorian” streets, or take in one of the local walks and stop off at the “Hatton Arms” pub. If the walk back to Warwick seems too daunting then you can catch a train from Hatton station.
