STRATFORD UPON AVON AND RETURN FROM ALVECHURCH

 

Route Info | Boats | Map overview of route | Cruising Notes | Maps & Guides | Links | Pub Guide

 

You can do this route from :
Alvechurch Marina.

Alvechurch Marina

Worcestershire

 

Cruise through idyllic stretches of Worcestershire & Warwickshire countryside to this historic town.


Two National Trust properties - Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton Hall - are within walking distance of the canal.

Moor in the beautifully maintained canal basin at Stratford, by the steps of the Royal Shakespeare
Theatre and visit Shakespeare's birthplace.

Cruise from the medieval village of Alvechurch with its pretty half-timbered houses through idyllic stretches of countryside to Stratford on Avon

Route Info

Route Facts & Figures

Recommended Holiday
Duration : 7 nights.

Total Cruising Days : 7.00
(Partial or full days)

Total Cruising Time : 43.00 hours

Total Distance : 63.00 miles

Number of Locks : 108

Number of Tunnels : 4

Number of Aqueducts : 0

Read the Cruising Notes

Read our cruising notes to help you plan your canal boat holiday

Read our cruising notes.

 

 

 

 

 

Cruising Notes

Day 1

Once setting off from Alvechurch, you soon leave the traffic behind and cruise through lovely Worcestershire countryside to your 1st Tunnel at Wast Hills which at 2726 yards is one of the longest in the country!

For your 1st nights stop it is nice to cruise for an hour to Hopwood & then stop by bridge 67 where there is a convenient pub- The Hopwood House, by the Canal.

Day 2

Continuing on through the Tunnel, for those with children you might want to make a short detour to Cadbury World which is 1 mile north of the Kings Norton Junction (booking is advisable Tel. 0121 451 4159).

Before you turn off at the Kings Norton Junction, onto the Stratford on Avon canal, there is a an old Canal House on your left, and as you turn you will see the interesting guillotine mechanism of the now disused Stop Lock which was balanced by chains & counterweights.

The Canal briefly passes through a small tunnel & the quiet residential outskirts of Birmingham before leaving it behind and passing out into open country.

There are very few villages along this stretch, but there is a steel lift bridge which is lowered & raised electrically, and you will need your british waterways key for this. One button does all!

The Canal continues through the countryside until you get to Hockley Heath where you can get refreshment at the nearby Wharf Inn, because soon you will encounter your first locks, the first 4 of the 20 or so Lapworth Locks, but you can do the rest tomorrow!

If you moor up for the 2nd night after bridge 31 you can walk down to the Boot Inn by locks 13/14 at the bottom of this lovely flight of Locks.

It is 7 hours & 20 minutes cruising from Hopwood to here.

Day 3

You can then have a good breakfast next morning ready for the next locks. The locks are surrounded by very pretty countryside so it is worth having a brief look around.
Ignore the left hand turn after Lock 19, and continue on to locks 21/22/23/24.

The Canal continues south pursuing a fairly direct and wholly peaceful course only interrupted by some locks now and again.
The Fleur-de-lys pub at Lowsonford is a lovely 15th century pub, where the famous Fleur-de-Lys pies were once cooked.

At Wootton Wawen there is a craft centre, coffee shop and farm shop just 2 minutes away from the canal to the west. The village has plenty of timbered houses, and the oldest church in Warwickshire, dating back over 900 years.

You can moor up in Wootten Wawen basin for your 3rd Night's stay, here the Navigation Inn overlooks the canal. It is 8 hours cruising from Lapworth Lock 6 to here.

Day 4

In the morning you will soon you will cross the small cast iron aqueduct which carries the canal over the A34.

After Bearley lock you will cross over the 200 yds long Edstone (Bearley) aqueduct, another cast iron construction carrying the canal over a shallow valley.

The next village you come to at Wilmcote . This small & attractive village is where you can find Mary Ardens House, now owned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and open to the public.
There is a nice pub here- The Masons Arms, where you can get some refreshment before the start of the flight of 11 Wilmcote locks just south of here.

After dropping steeply through 4 more locks in Stratford upon Avon, you enter the splendid great basin in the middle of the riverside parkland beside the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.
It is 5 hours cruising to here from Wootten Wawen, so you have plenty of time to moor up & have a wander around Stratford upon Avon.

Stratford has endless streets of low-timbered buildings. The whole town is full of Shakespeare relics and buildings, like Ann Hathaway's Cottage, Shakespeare's birthplace, and Halls' Croft where his daughter lived, and numerous bars and restaurants.

Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Its 21.5 hours back to Alvechurch so about 7 hours cruising a day

 

NB: This route has been provided as a guide only. Information may become inaccurate or out of date. You should always check with the marina that the route is possible within your time frame, current weather conditions and canal stoppages etc.

Boats

The following boats operate on this route (subject to availability)
Common Swift Canal Boat
Class : Swift
(Sleeps a maximum of 4 People).

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Bewicks Wren Canal Boat
Class : Wren
(Sleeps a maximum of 4 People).

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Golden Crested Wren Canal Boat
Class : Wren
(Sleeps a maximum of 4 People).

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Rock Bunting Canal Boat
Class : Bunting
(Sleeps a maximum of 5 People).

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Golden Plover Canal Boat
Class : Plover
(Sleeps a maximum of 5 People).

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Whites Thrush Canal Boat
Class : Thrush
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Horned Lark Canal Boat
Class : Lark
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Wood Sandpiper Canal Boat
Class : Sandpiper
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Dusky Lark Canal Boat
Class : Lark
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Knot Sandpiper Canal Boat
Class : Sandpiper
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Snow Partridge Canal Boat
Class : Partridge
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Red Legged Partridge Canal Boat
Class : Partridge
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Dusky Warbler Canal Boat
Class : Warbler
(Sleeps a maximum of 8 People).

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Barred Warbler Canal Boat
Class : Warbler
(Sleeps a maximum of 8 People).

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Leaf Warbler Canal Boat
Class : Warbler
(Sleeps a maximum of 8 People).

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Sedge Warbler Canal Boat
Class : Warbler
(Sleeps a maximum of 8 People).

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Coscoroba Swan Canal Boat
Class : Swan
(Sleeps a maximum of 12 People).

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Soo 95 Canal Boat
Class : CLC6
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Savoy Hill VI Canal Boat
Class : SavoyV
(Sleeps a maximum of 7 People).

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Senegal Parrot Canal Boat
Class : CBC4
(Sleeps a maximum of 4 People).

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Cape Parrot Canal Boat
Class : CBC6
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Rainbow Lory Canal Boat
Class : CBC6
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Senegal Parrot Canal Boat
Class : CBC4
(Sleeps a maximum of 4 People).

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Cape Parrot Canal Boat
Class : CBC6
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Rainbow Lory Canal Boat
Class : CBC6
(Sleeps a maximum of 6 People).

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Maps and Guides

Pub Guide

Pubs available on this canal route:-

  Pub Name Pub Address Distance from Alvechurch More Info
Crown Inn Italy Henley Road, Claverton CV35 8LJ Full Details
Mercure Stratford Upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel Chapel Street, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6ER Full Details
Pen And Parchment Bridgefoot Quay, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6YY Full Details
The Barn Stratford Road, Hockley Heath B94 6NX Full Details
The Crown Inn Withybed Lane, Alvechurch B48 7SQ Full Details
The Dirty Duck Waterside, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6BA Full Details
The Encore Bridge Street, Stratford-upon-avon CV37 6AB Full Details
The Golden Bee 41-42 Sheep Street, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6EE Full Details
The Hopwood House Redditch Road, Alvechurch B48 7AB Full Details
The Mary Arden The Green, Wilcote CV37 9XJ Full Details
The Masons Arms Aston Cantlow, Wilmcote CV37 9XX Full Details
The Navigation Inn Stratford Road, Wootton Wawen B95 6BZ Full Details
The Navigation Wharf Road, Kings Norton Birmingham B30 3LS Full Details
The Punchbowl Lapworth B94 6HR Full Details
The Red Lion Station Road, Claverdon CV35 8PE Full Details
The Windmill Church Street, Stratford-upon-avon CV37 6HB Full Details
The Weighbridge The Weighbridge Scarfield Wharf, Alvechurch B48 7SQ Full Details
The Bulls Head The Bulls Head 77 The Green, Kings Norton B38 8RU Full Details
The Garrick The Garrick 25 High Street, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6AU Full Details
The Navigation Inn The Navigation Inn Old Warwick Road, Lapworth B94 6NA Full Details
The Boot Inn The Boot Inn Old Warwick Road, Lapworth B94 6JU Full Details
Anderson s At The Bulls Head Anderson s At The Bulls Head Stratford Road, Wootton Wawen B95 6BD Full Details
The Oak The Oak Stratford Road, Hockley Heath B94 5NW Full Details

NB: Distances are as the crow flies and will vary for actual canal boating travel distance.

 

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The information above is provided in good faith to assist you with planning your canal boat holiday. Information accuracy cannot be guaranteed, however, if you do see something that needs updating, please don't hesitate to contact us.