Rugby and return from Gayton
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Cruise this route from : Gayton
Route Type : Rural
Days : 4.00
Cruising Hours : 24.50
Number of Locks : 32
Cruising Notes
Day 1Head back down the Northampton Arm of the Grand union to Gayton Junction.(Turn right out of the marina).
At Gayton Junction turn right down the Grand union Canal. Soon you will pass the village of Bugbrooke, and the Wharf Inn is by bridge 36, or there is a couple of village pubs if you walk into the village. Bugbrooke is 1.5 hours from Gayton.
You will probably want to move on & head for the village of Weedon which is just over 2 hours from Gayton & ideal for a 1st nights stop, there is a small aqueduct over a road as you approach the village. There are takeaways, stores & pubs in Weedon , you can moor up near the Church . The Heart of England pub by bridge 24 is a good family pub. Just before you get to Weedon is the Narrowboat Inn beside bridge 26, with canalside seating and mooring. There is a selection of antique shops here which are well worth exploring.
Day 2
A short while after leaving Weedon you will pass brockhall Park on your right, (access from bridge 18). The Hall here is Tudor in part, and in the Victorian courtyard farm buildings has been established The Heart of the Shires Shopping Village. The Shopping village has about 25 widely ranging shops, including a tearoom, so is well worth a visit.
The canal continues through open landscape until you begin the climb up to the Norton Junction through a series of 7 locks called the Buckby locks.
The New Inn is canalside at Buckby Top Lock, with canalside seating and moorings. It is 5 hours 20 minutes from Gayton marina to here, or 3 hours from Weedon to here. At Norton Junction you can then go down the Grand union west towards braunston.From Norton Junction to braunston the canal runs westward through hills and wooded country, then into a wooded cutting which leads to braunston Tunnel.
Off to the north on your right you will pass the small village of Welton on a hill. At bridge 6 ¾ mile from the Canal you can find a 400 yr old pub – The White Horse Inn.
Braunston Tunnel was opened in 1796 & is 2042 yards long.
Long rows of moored craft flank the canal, but there is usually plenty of places to moor, as it is worth strolling into braunston as there are a fine selection of old buildings here. The british Waterways office in the Stop House, was originally the Toll office between the Oxford and the Grand union canal. It is worth stocking up on supplies here. By lock 3 there is a haunted pub- the Admiral Nelson. In braunston itself there is the Wheatsheaf which also has a Chinese & Thai takeaway. The Millhouse Hotel has a canalside garden, and the Old plough in the High street dates from 1672. The village has stores & a takeaway.
At Braunston turn right up the Oxford canal, the canal runs through wide open country for quite a mile, only momentarily interrupted by the M45 just after Barby bridge.
Moor up just before bridge 73, the Old Royal oak pub is here.
It is 7.5 hours to here
Day 3
Continuing up the Oxford canal Rugby comes in to sight, you descend the Hilmorton Locks and the canal swings in a wide arc around the town. There are shops near bridge 59 to the south, and a picnic area below bridge 53 with a huge Tesco supermarket nearby.
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.
Turn around just after the Rugby Arm branch goes off to your left & head for home, and moor up at Braunston which is 7.5 hours cruising
Day 4
Day 5
You have 7.5 hours left from there to get back to Gayton.
This route is provided courtesy of UK Canal Boating
The information above is provided in good faith to assist you with planning your canal boat holiday. Information accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
