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Routes
One of the advantages of taking a holiday
with Excellence Afloat at Valley Cruises is our central
position at the Heart of England – true canal country
and home to the newly planted National Forest. From our
beautiful marina, which has a canal themed shop,
chandlery and picnic area, there is a whole plethora of
routes to suit every type of crew. We can offer
- the ultimate in relaxing
breaks - a lock free meander up the
tranquil and picturesque Ashby Canal
- a mid range sojourn
- along the rural Oxford and Grand Union Canals to
Warwick, Banbury or Stoke Bruerne taking in some 20
locks and some fascinating tunnels each way
- an energetic trek
around the Warwickshire or Black County Rings,
full of contrasting scenery and historical interest,
clocking up around one hundred locks
- a steady fortnight’s
cruise around the Four Counties or
Leicestershire Rings, with beautiful scenery,
interesting architecture, rivers, tunnels and locks
enough to please everybody
- and many more! |
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Famous
canal landmarks such as the impressive flight
of eleven locks at Atherstone, the
intriguing paired
locks at Hillmorton and the ‘stairway to heaven’ better
known as the somewhat intimidating flight of 21 double
locks at Hatton (top right), viaducts, aqueducts, bridges, including
the follyesque Drayton Manor footbridge, Hawkesbury
Junction/ Sutton Stop established in the early 19th
Century and a well established meeting place for ‘boat
folk’, Braunston Marina (2nd right), not to be missed by any canal
romanticist, many tunnels including Braunston Tunnel,
the seventh largest on the canal system and Newbold, one
of the most magical, Birmingham, boasting more miles of
canal than Venice and steeped in canal history with
innumerable points of interest for historians and canal
enthusiasts alike with the ultra modern Gas Street
Basin, Brindleyplace and the Mailbox.
Museums and
galleries such as Canal Museum at Stoke
Bruerne (right), the Transport Museum at
Coventry, Hinckley and District Museum Art Gallery and
Museum, Rugby School Museum, Rugby Football Museum,
Warwick Museum, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in
Birmingham, The Black Country Museum in Dudley, the
contemporary Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, The Coors
Visitor Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, the Motor Museum at
King's Norton and the five and
a half mile Coventry Canal Art Trail.
Sports
and concert facilities such as River Drive
Snowdrome in Tamworth, the Indoor Arena in Birmingham
and the open air swimming pool at Daventry.
Castles and
historic buildings such as Tamworth Castle,
Coventry Cathedral, Warwick Castle, the Bosworth
Battlefield, and several grand houses owned by the
National Trust.
Parks, theme
parks, zoos and gardens including Bosworth
Water Trust offering windsurfing and canoeing, Jephson
Gardens in Leamington, Hatton Country World Craft Centre
and Rare Breeds Farm, Kingsbury Water Park, Cadbury
World at Bourneville, Drayton
Manor Theme Park and Zoo and the National Sea Life
Centre.
Shopping at such
places as the second hand book shops in
Atherstone, the enormous indoor market and precinct at
Coventry, the Royal Priors upmarket shopping mall in
Leamington, and the Bull Ring in Birmingham.
And
lots and lots of fantastic canal side pubs, restaurants,
bistros and cafes offering tasty and
reasonably priced food including our local The Anchor
Inn at Atherstone, the famous canal themed Greyhound Pub
at Hawkesbury Junction (bottom right), the pretty canal side Rose and
Castle at Ansty, the award winning Badsey’s Bistro at
Hillmorton, the much recommended Cape of Good Hope at
Warwick, the culinary delights of the 18th Century Dog
and Hedgehog at Dadlington, the trendy waterside bars
and cafes of Brindleyplace in Birmingham and many more. |
Hatton Locks
Courtesy of Enjoy Warwickshire
www.warwickshire.gov.uk |
