Not only are we convenient and easy to reach from all corners of the country to begin your short break or longer holiday with us, we are also at the very heart of the canal network and therefore able to provide you and your group with a wealth of choice on routes for your trip.

In the second of two features, we provide you with more suggestions of some of many great places you and your group can reach and visit depending on your length of trip.

5 days, 7 days, more 

• Coventry

A visit to one of the Midlands’ key cities, Coventry and some of its key landmarks including St Mary’s Guildhall and Coventry Cathedral are well worth a visit if time permits.

Having cruised from Braunston and skirted past Rugby on the North Oxford Canal, the scenic countryside returns past the villages of Brinklow and Stretton under Fosse before reaching the cathedral city and the Coventry Canal Basin which itelf has plenty to offer with waterside wildlife, walks and historic canal architecture. Situated in the heart of the city, it also marks the start of the Coventry Canal as the North Oxford reaches the big junction at Hawkesbury, which is the official end of the canal before it joins the Coventry Canal.

As you would expect from a bustling city centre, Coventry has plenty of shopping and leisure activity options.  You can discover the history of the British motor industry by exploring the excellent Coventry Transport Museum and or pay a visit to the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum.

• Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick

Often referred to as Royal Leamington Spa, this historic spa town in Warwickshire is renowned for its Regency architecture.

The town gained prominence in the 19th century due to its natural mineral springs, believed to have therapeutic properties. The town is well worth jumping off the boats and paying a visit to explore its elegant streets, spacious parks like Jephson Gardens,  numerous shops, cafes and restaurants, and arts venues.

Find out more by reading here

The neighbouring historic market county town of Warwick is known for its stunning medieval architecture and rich history.

The county town is most famous for Warwick Castle, a well-preserved fortress with over 1,000 years of history and one of the region’s most popular visitor attractions for a day out (certainly bear that idea in mind)

Warwick’s charm includes its cobbled streets, Tudor houses, and landmarks like St. Mary’s Church. The town also has a vibrant community with independent shops, cafes with its proximity to the canal and River Avon adding to its scenic beauty.

Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick can both be reached via the Grand Union Canal

Find out more by reading here

• Stratford-upon-Avon

World-famous as the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is one of more popular places to visit by groups each year and for good reason.

Its historic connections to The Bard see visitors have the chance to explore sites like Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Plus the town’s Tudor-style architecture, scenic riverside along the River Avon, quaint shops, cafes and restaurants and general historical charm – notably celebrating the Bard’s legacy – are just a few of several reasons to moor up and explore.

Find out more by reading here

• Birmingham

Where do you start with Birmingham?  There is so much to see, do and explore, and as many groups over the years will attest to a visit here is well-worth the effort and recommended.

Known for its rich industrial history, diverse culture, and thriving arts scene, it boasts iconic landmarks like the Bullring, a lively leisure and food scene, The city’s extensive canal network is often said to have more miles of canal than Venice and played a crucial role in its industrial growth. Today, Birmingham’s canals have been revitalized into scenic walkways, lined with bars, cafes, and attractions like the National Sea Life Centre (again, an attraction well worth visiting). The Gas Street Basin is a particularly popular spot where visitors can enjoy boat tours (not that you and your group would have had enough of canal cruising by then) and picturesque views of the city’s modern and historic blend.

 Read more by reading here and here

• Drayton Manor Park

Not a town or city as such, but..a residential trip on the canal combined with a visit to experience the thrills and excitement of one of the UK’s leading theme parks?

Yes, that correct, there is chance for groups to visit the wonderful Drayton Manor Park as part of your itinerary. You cannot really go wrong can you?

Read more by reading here

A few extras to consider – options to head south

• Banbury

A historic market town in Oxfordshire, England, known for its picturesque setting and rich heritage.

Famous for the “Banbury Cross” and the nursery rhyme “Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,” the town offers a charming mix of history and modern amenities. Explore landmarks such as Banbury Museum, the medieval Banbury Castle site, and People’s Park. The town’s canalside area provides scenic walks along the Oxford Canal and riverside cafes.

Find out more by reading here

• Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes has a lot to offer for visitors to enjoy.

Attractions such as the group and family-friendly activities at Xscape which features an indoor ski slope and entertainment complex are a good option, plus MK is also home to scenic parks, lakes, and over 200 miles of dedicated cycle paths, including the tranquil Willen Lake, making it a great spot for outdoor activities.

Find out more by reading here

• Head to the capital

Yes, you read right. 

There is a great way for your group to enjoy a day out in London whilst staying cruising and staying on our boats.

Why pay expensive prices to stay in the capital when you can simply wake up, visit London, and then return to bunk back down on Lancelot and Guinevere all in a day after a busy day exploring.

Find out more by reading here

For more details about these and other routes and great places you can visit, click here

Routes to take and explore with LNBP

To make a booking or check on availability and the dates you want, head to our Bookings Page here

Or please get in touch to find out how we can help and for any general advice. Contact Nigel Smith, our Bookings Officer, by calling on 07783 002073 or emailing him at booking@lnbp.co.uk

The post 10 great places to visit with LNBP – Part II appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

We were pleased and privileged to welcome the party from Ship 444 Sea Scouts, Colorado, USA, to Braunston and on board Lancelot and Guinevere as part of their visit and adventures to the UK.

As you can see from a sample of the pictures we have been kindly supplied, the party had a wonderful time with time spent not only on the waterways here in Northamptonshire and into South Warwickshire, but also with trips and stays further afield in and around London

For LNBP’s part, we played a key role in helping them with their travel plans and itinerary (which involved a series of Zoom calls and emails) but also with Lancelot and Guinevere being their accommodation and travel base when with us in central England.

All being well we hope to have a first-hand account of our American friends’ travels in due course.

But for now, sit back and take a look at some of the great photos from their trip…and look out for to follow shortly.

The post In pictures: Ship 444 Sea Scouts, Colorado, USA appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

And here in central England we are fortunate – blessed even – to have so many great spots to visit.

Our Bookings Officer Nigel Smith paid a return visit to the fabulous setting of Hatton Locks and its flight of 21 (yes, 21!) locks on the Grand Union Canal at Warwick

Nigel is one of our Project Skippers has ventured up and down this lock flight many a time with countless number of our client groups over the years.  Talk to him and he will tell you that he has his own personal record for getting through them too which is no mean feat.

Hatton is really a sight to behold for in addition to the flight of locks it is a beautiful peaceful setting ideal for walking and a picnic to watch the boats pass through.

And there is also a lovely little cafe here too. Anyone for ice cream?

A little closer to our mooring base at Braunston,  our Press and PR rep Karl Quinney took advantage of some lovely bright sunny June mornings to venture down to Hillmorton Locks on the outskirts of Rugby.

According to the Canal and River Trust, Hillmorton Locks is officially The Busiest Flight of Locks in the Country and if you happen to visit here during the day particularly in the height of the season you will see why.  However Karl was down here around 6:30 am on a couple of occasions well before the first boats were firing up and anyone was moving to enjoy the peace, tranquility and beauty of this spot

Also, click HERE

Also click HERE

The area here covers a decent stretch over just over a mile, from The Kent at Bridge no 69 heading west towards Rugby, Newbold and Coventry, and Moors Bridge no. 72 heading east towards Braunston.  And right in the middle is Hillmorton Locks.  Car parking is available nearby, there are a number of benches to sit and watch the boats and world go by, and there is a small cafe – Badsey Cafe – just up from Bottom Lock. (check opening times though).

• For more details on the routes and numerous places you and your group can visit and explore whilst on a short break or longer holiday with us, click here

• For enquiries about bookings and availability, contact Nigel by telephoning him on 07783 002073 or email at bookings@lnbp.co.uk

The post Out and about with LNBP appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

“Welcome to Warwickshire, Shakespeare’s County”.

 
This feature shows how you can enjoy and visit the Home of the Bard when on a four to five night (with a little cheating!) or seven night cruise with LNBP.
 
 
 

 
Leaving Braunston, we head north take a left turn onto the canal that incorporates both The Oxford and Grand Union canals for the two and a bit hour lock-free cruise to Napton Junction. You are now in Warwickshire but they don’t put road signs on the tow path to inform you of this!
 
On reaching Napton, it is a right turn staying with the Grand Union Canal towards Warwick.
 
The Regency town of Leamington Spa is about another eight hour cruise away which includes the 23 locks – this is where the cheating comes in.
 
For those on a four-night cruise, you have the option of mooring in Leamington Spa. The railway station is located a two minute walk from the canal and an off-peak group return to Stratford-upon-Avon works out at about £5 per person (prices correct as at summer 2018) for the 20 minute train ride.
 
Alternatively you have the option to cruise for another couple of hours (and a chance to take on more fresh water) to a point known as “The Cape of Good Hope”. It is two extra locks but this enables you to walk the short distance in Warwick and an slightly shorter train ride into Warwick.
 
Stopping at either Leamington or Warwick will reduce the overall amount of locks to be navigated by some 108-112 locks!
 
For those on the seven-night break, passing the “Cape” and Saltisford Arm, the canal turns right before climbing the famous Hatton flight of 21 locks.
 

Having climbed Hatton, the canal continues some four miles through the countryside and Shrewley Tunnel (433 yards long) before you will reach Kingswood Junction.
 
Kingswood Junction is where a couple of hundred yards of canal link the Grand Union Canal with The Stratford Upon Avon Canal; Kingswood is also where the Stratford canal divides into the north and south sections.
From here we start the descent into Stratford-upon-Avon, with the River Avon and the basin outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RSC) being 13 miles and 33 locks away. This canal is not as wide as the Grand Union Canal and the locks only accommodate one boat at a time.
 
 
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal has many unique features such as the split bridges (the bridge having a small gap of about 1-2 inches on the crest to allow the rope of the horse to pass through – remember these boats were drawn by horses years ago), also the barrel roofed cottages along the canal.
 
The pretty village of Wootton Wawen is approximately midway between Kingswood Junction and Stratford. The Navigation pub is situated on the canal plus there is a small village shop located a couple of hundred yards off the canal on the main road.
 
As the canal crosses the main road, note the cast iron trough carrying the canal and the towpath at a lower lever than the boat giving it a real ducks eye view of the canal. A repeated design a little further along the canal as you cross the Edstone (or Bearley) Aqueduct, a little longer at approximately 200 yards in length but the cast iron still remains.
 
Within a couple of miles of this aqueduct the canal enters the village of Wilmcote and within a couple of minute’s walk of the canal is the home of Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare.
 
It is then onto the Wilmcote flight, eleven locks descending over 77 feet brings you to the outskirts of Stratford. Another 30-40 minutes cruise will bring you to One Elm Lock (Premier Inn on the left and McDonalds’s on the right), this is the last water point and winding hole before the River Avon for fresh water or Stratford Basin for winding, both about 60-90 minutes cruise away.
 
Having descended the final five locks into the town, we arrive in Stratford-upon-Avon, where mooring is available on the tow path or within the basin offering 48 hours free mooring.

 
In all honesty, twenty-four hours in Stratford-upon-Avon is not long enough! This is a world class visitor destination with great attractions, more tea shops than you can shake a stick at, excellent shopping, a swimming pool and leisure centre, big park not far from the riverside opposite the RSC, and finally as if I could forget, it is the birthplace and was home to one of the world’s greatest writers, William Shakespeare.
 

 
A trip to the home of the Bard is relaxing and offers so much to see from taking in the beauty of the Warwickshire countryside, before reaching and having opportunity to explore all that Stratford-upon-Avon has to offer.
 
 

 

This article was written by LNBP’s Booking Officer, Nigel Smith, and are his views and not necessarily those of LNBP.
 
 

 
If this all sounds of interest for your community group or organisation, why not start planning your Braunston to Bard trip now?
Click here to check availability and make a booking online.
 
If you have any queries, contact Nigel or another member of the team here
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The post Braunston to The Bard appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

One of our intrepid team was out and about recently (if not necessarily on board either our or any other boats) and took these shots early one Monday morning (thankfully between the recent snow clearing and the spring rains arriving).

Radford Bottom Lock No 23 is on the Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Napton Canal) between Napton Junction  – which is 8 miles and 22 locks to the east – and Budbrooke Junction (the junction of Saltisford Arm and Grand Union Main Line) – 5 miles and 2 locks to the west.

It is a lovely little spot – as hopefully these pics show – and is a short distance north east of the village of Radford Semele, east of Leamington Spa.  The humped back bridge you can see on Offchurch Lane takes you over the canal and towards the village to your left, or alternatively by heading right away from bridge and up the hill, the pretty village of Offchurch is a further mile away.

You can see the now-disused Radford Railway Viaduct No 33A situated next to the Grand Union Canal which is a mere two minute walk away. This quite majestic viaduct once carried the now-dismantled Rugby to Leamington railway line, but is now part of the Offchurch Greenway.  Part of the Sustrans National Cycleway Route 41, this is one and a half mile pathway is a pleasant walk and its flat, surfaced footpath and cycleway offers some lovely views across the fields.

But don’t take our word for it – come and bring your group along to see and explore for yourselves!

• For details on more routes and great places you can visit with LNBP Community Boating, click here.

• Or why not get in touch with our friendly team (here) who will be happy to help and chat more

The post Picture this: Radford Locks, Warwickshire appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

It promises to be a busy week (and weekend) ahead for us as we embark on our Braunston to Birmingham and Back promotional trip

 
After arriving on Tuesday to stock up and board all the essentials for the next seven days or so ahead, here’s a brief plan of where we will be and passing each day.
 

Wednesday 4^th October – Off and Cruising

 
A nice early start planned with an anticipated depart from Braunston at 7.45am, with our route taking us along the Grand Union to the Napton turn, and then past Stockton and Long Itchington.
 

 
We are aiming for Leamington Spa or as far as The Cape of Good Hope Pub, Warwick, with a stop required in Leamington for provisions.
 

Thursday 5^th October – Halfway there

 
Another busy day ahead and so an early start to depart our overnight mooring, climb ‘the Stairway to Heaven’ of Hatton Locks, continue on until Kingswood Junction and turn left onto the North Stratford Canal and climb the top half of the Lapworth flight.
 
Tonight, we are aiming to moor between The Wharf pub (bridge 25) and The Drawbridge pub (bridge 8), which with a five mile ‘window’ should provide us with chance to moor easily enough (famous last words!).
 

Friday 6^th October – Into Birmingham

 
Nice early start (we’re used to them) to depart overnight mooring and aim for Bridge 3 to pick up school children for photo shoot, before travelling onto the Worcester and Birmingham Canal – our next aim: Birmingham City Centre. We have no guaranteed mooring but are aiming to slot ourselves in between The Mailbox and The National SEAL LIFE Centre.
 
Once there, our boat – Guinevere – will be open to the public from 1.00 to 6.00pm. You won’t be able to miss us. Look out for the flags, banners and pop-up displays!

 

Saturday 7^th October – Open for Visitors: come and see us

 
Guinevere will be open to the public from 9.00am to 6.00pm for visitors to come aboard and find out more about us and what we do. We look forward to seeing and welcoming you.
 
On the boat to show you around and answer any questions will be John, Linda, Nigel, Boz & Andrea (and possibly Mike)
 

Sunday 8^th October – Open for Visitors: the kettle will be on

 
Guinevere will once again be open to the public from 9.00am to 6.00pm for visitors, with John, Linda, Peter, Mike, and Nigel manning the boat today and available to guide you around, tell you more about we do and with whom.
 
If you cannot make it in Saturday, please do call in and visit and meet us on Sunday
 

Monday 9^th October – Heading home!

 
After what we hope will be a busy weekend, we depart Birmingham early morning (7.45am) for the return run back to base at Braunston, arriving on Wednesday.
 

 
 
 

You can chart our route from Braunston to Birmingham and back on the Grand Union Canal, on the interactive map on the Canal and Rivers Trust website here 

And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook here and Twitter here for updates on our progress and pictures from our trip during the coming week.

The post Braunston to Birmingham and back – day by day appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

 
Friday 12th August 2016
Today was the day of our canal trip on the Warwickshire Ring, which we had been fundraising for since September 2015. We arrived at the meeting place for 9am, ready to leave by 9.30am; we drove to Braunston Bottom Lock (stopping at Oxford Services for lunch) and arrived at 4pm.

We then met our skipper Nigel, who showed us our boat, which is called Guinevere. It was really nice! Nigel then gave us a safety talk, and then we were on our way. We soon came to our first ever lock, which was hard work!

Guinevere, the home and boat for Hastings Girl Guides’ trip around the Warwickshire Ring

Later we stopped for the night and had fish and chips for dinner, with cake and custard for pudding.
 

• Hours Spent Travelling: 4
  Miles Travelled: 7
  Number of Locks: 3

 
 
 
 

 
 
Saturday 13th August 2016
 
Today we woke up at 7.30am and had eggy bread for breakfast.
We cruised for a while, with some of us having a go at steering. We also did some locks in between games of Uno.
After lunch we made a pit stop in Leamington Spa for a food shop in Morrisons. We stopped for the night in Warwick and in the evening we sat on the roof of the boat looking at the stars.
 

• Hours Spent Travelling: 10.5
  Miles Travelled: 12
  Number of Locks: 23

 
Sunday 14th August 2016
By 7:45am, we had managed to scrape everyone out of bed, met by an angry sounding chorus of groaning and whining.
Breakfast was warm bacon butties and eggs with hot chocolate, to prep us for the bustling day of locks ahead of us.
We were only cruising for ten minutes before the cry came to ready the troops – we were approaching the monstrous 21 locks of the Hatton Flight!

 
 
We split up into three groups of three and four. We had four windlasses between us all. We got suited up in our life jackets and set off. Group 1 started on the first lock, with group 2 moving on to the second lock. As we needed two windlasses per group, and only had four windlasses in total, group three walked along and waited for group 1 to bring the windlasses along as the headed to the next lock.
The locks took us a total of three hours and seven minutes!
We ended up in a really pretty and scenic village.
We all piled on to the boat, exhausted, and cruised for about 400 yards before we stopped again.
The skipper said he gave us five hours to do it in, and we smashed it in three!
So we had an hour to go into Hatton Shopping Village. It was really nice there and we had ice creams with flakes, which we munched away on whilst walking back.
We then dined on some top notch sarnies for lunch, and spent the next four hours playing cards and doing some extremely awful dancing, mixed in with a few hot chocolates and a go at steering the boat. An amazing day had by all!

• Hours Spent Travelling: 11
  Miles Travelled: 14
  Number of Locks: 26

Monday 15th August 2016
Today we started by learning about the different types of locks that we will come across in Birmingham, up until now they had all been double locks, but for the rest of our trip we will be going through single locks.
We took a quick pit-stop at McDonalds for some well deserved treats! Ice creams and milkshakes for everyone! They were delicious and gave us all an energy boost ready for the locks that were coming up ahead.
Really looking forward to Drayton Manor tomorrow! Some of us are already counting down.

• Hours Spent Travelling: 14
  Miles Travelled: 23
  Number of Locks: 23

 
Tuesday 16th August
Today started off with two consecutive locks early in the morning ready for an exciting day out. Our skipper had suggested a day out to Drayton Manor Theme Park, a great way to celebrate the previous days of hard work.
After wolfing down our warm breakfasts and calming our nerves we made our way off the boat and towards the entrance of the park and raced inside. The first task was splitting into two groups: fast rides and slow rides. We went on as many rides as possible and after hours and hours of fun we finally got back to the boat and had a relaxing night in, with a takeaway.

• Hours Spent Travelling: 2
  Miles Travelled: 2
  Number of Locks: 2

 
Wednesday 17th August 2016
We awoke not knowing what today would hold. We only had a few locks so it wouldn’t be that difficult, however we were wrong.
That day was one of the hottest.
After a few locks we came across a lock with very shallow water, because the water levels had lowered due to the heat, so we couldn’t leave the lock. We had to open up the next lock a couple of times to give us enough water to get through.
When we did get out the lock we came across a queue of boats coming in and out of another lock so that slowed us down. But we entertained ourselves with games of Uno, Cheat and Werewolf.

• Hours Spent Travelling: 12
  Miles Travelled: 13
  Number of Locks: 13

 
Thursday 18th August 2016
 
After breakfast today we continued on our journey aiming to get to Rugby, but soon we came to a 180-degree turn and a stop lock (a shallow lock where one canal ends and another starts) which was quite tricky to get round.
We made it to Rugby at about 5pm and had some time in the retail park before heading to the Harvester for dinner!

• Hours Spent Travelling: 10.5
  Miles Travelled: 21
  Number of Locks: 1

 
Friday 19th August 2016
Today was our last day, and the only day it really rained, we soon came to our final 3 locks (and made use of our rain coats). We soon arrived back in Braunston where we unloaded the boat and one of our members Jess made her Senior Section promise.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We all had a great trip! The locks were hard work to begin with but we soon got the hang of it, and we all got at least a couple of goes of steering the boat!

• Hours Spent Travelling: 5
  Miles Travelled: 12
  Number of Locks: 3

 

• Totals for trip
  Hours Spent Travelling: 69
  Miles Travelled: 104
  Number of Locks: 94

 
Thank you to Hastings Girl Guides for such a wonderful and detailed account of your trip. It sounds if you had a wonderful time.
We are so glad you enjoyed your time with us. It was a pleasure to have you aboard and we hope to see you again soon.

 

• For details of the routes you and your group can enjoy and cover with us, please click here
• To find out about availability and pricing for 2017 bookings and to book, please click here

The post Great trip for Hastings Girls Guides appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.