The Aylesbury And Return From Rugby.php Canal Boating Cruising Route
Rural cruising through lovely countryside past the canal villages of Braunston & Stoke Bruerne, through the outskirts on Milton Keynes down to the attractive town of Aylesbury through the 3rd longest tunnel in the country!
Rugby is a large town with many shops and of course is the home of the game of Rugby. It is 30 minutes walk to the town centre.
If you need to stock up on provisions, the selection of shops to supply food is brilliant in Rugby, offering deli’s, supermarkets, organic shops, local produce, bakers and butchers, and making it worth a look just for the shopping opportunities alone. The centre of Rugby is a very pleasant place offering nice parkland and places to eat and drink in abundance. There is a pedestrianised shopping centre and an open market with a town crier.
The Web Ellis Rugby football museum tells the story of the game of Rugby over the last 160 years.
As part of your tour of the birthplace of the game be sure to take a walk along the Pathway of Fame, a unique tour which celebrates the history of the game and some of its most notable players.
The town and borough has much more to offer than its unique connection with the famous game. It has links to great literary figures such as Rupert Brooke, Matthew Arnold and Lewis Carroll.
Day 1
From the marina cruise south down the Oxford canal, leaving Rugby behind.
There are shops to the south of bridge 59 and a picnic area below bridge 58 with a huge Tesco supermarket nearby.
Your first locks are by Hillmorton and you can stop for the night by Bridge 71 where there is Bardsey's Lock stop Cafe bistro, which is open Wednes-Sat for meals or takeaways & has won awards for the best waterside restaurant.
If your 1st night is a Sunday or Monday, cruise onto Bridge 73,where the Royal oak is canalside.
Cruising hours to Bridge 71 is 1.25 hours
The Hillmorton Locks are locked between 5pm to 9am
Day 2
You will need to get to Braunston Bottom Lock by 2.30pm because that is the last entry to the flight of 6 locks, it takes about 4 hours from Hillmorton.
After passing under the M45 motorway the canal leaves all civilisation behind, and does not pass any villages until it reaches Braunston Turn. The village of Braunston is set up on a hill to the north of the canal, and is a very well known canal centre. Turn left at the Junction with the Grand Union canal. Access is from Bridge 91. The Millhouse Hotel has moorings. There are a few shops, & pubs in the village.
Just after Braunston are the Braunston Lock Flight of 6 locks which precedes the very long Braunston Tunnel, which is 2042 yards long . 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 down towards London off to the right.
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 Buckby Top Lock by the canal.
Day 3
The Buckby flight of Locks is open from 10-3pm with last entry at 1.30pm.
There are 7 locks along this stretch with only the railway & the old Roman road- Watling Street (A5) to keep you company. The canal is 1800 years younger than the road, but looks more outdated!
There is also a canal craft shop in one of the red bricked cottages by the locks.
From Bridge 18 you can access the Heart of the Shires Shopping Village- Set around a Victorian Courtyard converted from a selection of Victorian stables and farm buildings, this shipping village offers over 20 individual shops with character ranging from Kitchenwear to Menswear, plus Gift shops and a first class restaurant and tea room. Open 10-5 daily.
The next stretch of canal begins to meander as it avoids the hills, but passes directly through Weedon a good place to moor. This charming village has good facilities like a store, PO, garage & takeaways. There are also a few pubs like the Narrowboat by Bridge 26, the Heart of England & the Globe by Bridge 24, and the Plume of Feathers at the aqueduct by the Church. There are good moorings above the church.
The next village close by is Nether Hyford, there is also a Pub & stores here.
Bugbrooke is a short walk away by bridge 36 , the Wharf Inn is canalside by the Bridge, The Bakers Arms & The Five Bells Pubs are in the village. The village also has stores, PO and a garage.
The canal then reaches Gayton Junction where the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union goes away to the left, Gayton marina another of our marinas is situated along this arm.
Unless you particularly wanted to visit Northampton, it is not worth negotiating this arm, as you cannot navigate onto the River Nene in a narrowboat, and there are 17 locks down the 5 mile stretch to get to the town, where you will have to turn around and come back again
At the Gayton Junction keep going straight on towards London, the canal soon reaches the Village of Blisworth, there is a Pub- The Royal Oak in the village serving Real Ales.
Just outside of the village is the start of Blisworth Tunnel- at 3057 yards, Blisworth is the 3rd longest canal tunnel open to navigation in Britain. The Tunnel opened in 1805 and originally boats were legged through. The tunnel is wide enough for the passing of two 7 ft boats, but keep to the right.
At the end of the Tunnel is perhaps the best example of a canal village in the country- Stoke Bruerne. The houses flanking the canal are built mostly of Blisworth Stone. The warehouses and cottages along the Wharf have become a canal centre, with the Canal Museum standing out amongst them. It is housed in a fine old stone warehouse, and the unique collection of exhibits include a traditional narrowboat, steam and diesel engines, and extensive displays of canal memorabilia. Open Summer 10-5, in the winter Tues-Sun 10-4pm.
There are a couple of pubs by the Canalside- The Navigation and the Boat Inn, and a couple of restaurants in the village.
You can moor up here for the night is it 7.25 hours to here.
Day 4
On leaving Stoke Bruerne you immediately encounter the rest of the Stoke Bruerne Locks- 6 more to do. Locks 16 – 20 are open from 10 am to 3pm with last entry being at 2pm.
Stoke Park is ½ mile west of the canal at lock 20. Stoke Park house itself was destroyed by fire, but the pavilions & colonnade survived and are open to the public together with the gardens throughout August 3pm-6pm.
The canal then meanders through open landscape in its journey down to Milton Keynes, the village of Grafton Regis is about a mile walk from Bridge 57 and has a pub called the White Hart. The small thatch & stone village of Yardley Gobion is south west from bridge 60 , and has a stores, off licence, and pub called The Coffee pot.
The Navigation pub is canalside by Thrupp Wharf at bridge 64. At bridge 65 is the village of Cosgrove, there is a curious pedestrian tunnel under the canal, also a pub canalside called the Barley Mow with mooring(the pub is open all day). There is also a splendid stone canal bridge here, decorated in the Gothic style and built in about 1800.
There is one lock to negotiate near the Old Stratford Cut, you will then cross the River Ouse on an iron trunk aqueduct which is carried on stone pillars and was built in 1811.
You now start to reach civilisation with the outskirts of Milton Keynes in sight
Great Linford is a lovely village built in the traditional golden stone, it is a magnificent canal village with church, manor, farm and almshouses close to the canal.
From Great Linford you can get into Milton Keynes on a 15 minute bus journey.
Milton Keynes has a lot to offer , it is one of the major shopping areas around this area, and is great for the more adventurous - Milton Keynes Snow Zone where you can toboggan on real snow, and where you can go indoor sky-diving.
Behind the Giffard park pub by bridge 78 there is a late opening store and an off-licence.
Fenny Stratford is about 2 hours cruising away, also on the outskirts of Milton Keynes but near a train station from where you can get into the city very easily. The lock is just short of Bridge 22 and a pub is just by the Bridge.
It is just under 8 hours cruising from Stoke Bruerne to Fenny Stratford.
Day 5
Leaving Milton Keynes behind you, the next leg takes you past Leighton Buzzard, a picturesque market town with 17th and 18th century houses and half timbered cottages, a 600 year old cross stands in the centre of the town. Bridge 114 is a good place for mooring, as there are some useful supermarkets to the north. There are also a couple of pubs off to your right.
There is now a quiet empty stretch of canal with just the occasional lock on your climb up towards the Chiltern hills. A good place to stop is at Marsworth Junction, which is just where the Aylesbury Arm begins and where you turn off right to continue to Aylesbury. The quiet scattered village of Marsworth is closeby, as is the Marsworth Reservoir by Bridge 132, there are a couple of pubs nearby to bridge 132 at Startops End, or by bridge 130.
This stretch is 16 miles long and will take about 9 hours cruising, and there are 16 locks.
Day 6
You are now on the home run of 6 miles into Aylesbury which is just 5.5 hours away, dropping down slowly through 16 locks. Aylesbury basin itself is spacious and full of boats, there are visitor moorings and pubs nearby, and the town centre is about 3 minutes walk.
Aylesbury is a busy market town with a number of attractive squares in its centre. The Buckinghamshire County museum is here, which also houses the Roald Dahl Gallery.
The Buckinghamshire railway centre is 6 miles north of Aylesbury, - a large site with miniature and full size steam railway. There is a bus from Aylesbury Bus station.
The Oak Farm rare Breeds park is ¼ mile south of bridge 15, and has a variety of farm animals for small children to see, handle & feed, there is also a picnic and play area.
Waddesdon Manor is west of the town, and is an extraordinary French renaissance style chateau with sumptous contents and landscaped gardens created by the Rothschild family. By Bus: Bus service from Aylesbury: Arriva The Shires no 16/17.
Days 7-10/11/14
It is 35 hours back to Rugby