So what has walking got to do with canal boating, canal boats and us you may ask?

We can help you and your community group to enjoy the stunning countryside and many walks that are available here in central England by using our boats as a floating base

Location, location, location..for great walks

Where we are based and have our boats moored and also the routes that are available to take and places to visit along the way makes us a perfect fit for walking groups looking to explore the beautiful countryside with so many different walking routes to explore and enjoy

Our mooring base in the historic canalside village of Braunston, the proverbial Heart of the Canals, is in West Northamptonshire and less than a mile from the county border with Warwickshire.  This immediate area in itself has some stunning countryside with excellent walking routes which span the county borders. And also don’t forget the border with [south] Leicestershire is also not far away and easily reachable too.

So a great location to start your trip, and couple that with the fact there are so many beautiful places that can be visited further afield (no pun intended) depending on your intended length of trip.  Think the likes of Rugby, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Banbury, Coventry, even as far as Birmingham.

Our boats, your floating base

So a great choice of walking routes, but where do our boats Lancelot and Guinevere come into all this?

By using them as a base for your travels.

Both boats are purpose-built, full-length, modern vessels that are designed, fully-equipped and maintained to the highest possible standards, making them suitable for all year round cruising.

Each boat is 12 berth in size across three separate cabins with central heating, instant hot water and double glazing, a fully-equipped kitchen, two toilets and a shower. Sleeping accommodation is provided in four berth and six berth cabins.

So you and your group have everything you need on board for your stay.

Plus as our boats are also made available with an accompanying LNBP skipper, you can be safe in the knowledge  that you and your group and all your belongings will be ready and waiting for you at the end of your day’s walking and agreed meeting point. No humping big bags and rucksacks from place to place. Let the boats do the carrying for you!

Over the years many of the community groups who have booked with us have used our boats for this very purpose. Move from place to place and explore off the beaten track before returning to the boats to relax, make dinner (or there is the option of the many canalsides pubs that are available, and bedding down for the night, before waking up on the water and in the countryside ready for a new day.

There is of course the option to simply sit back and relax as you enjoy your beautiful surroundings afloat.  A day off from walking to rest weary legs and feet to watch the world go by is not a bad option to have.

So whether you and your group wish to walk and explore or sit back and discover the beauty of the central England countryside and canals, or a combination of both, we can make your trip and short break a memorable one.

• For more information and to discuss your requirements including checking availability, please contact LNBP’s Booking Officer Nigel Smith who will be happy to assist. Telephone on 07783 07783 002073 or email at bookings@lnbp.co.uk

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Not only are we convenient and easy to reach from all corners of the country, but being situated at the junctions of the Grand Union Canal and Oxford Canals and in essence at the very heart of the canal network provides you and your group with a wealth of choice on routes for your trip.

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

Do it in a weekend

Head to…Rugby

Rugby is known throughout the world as the birthplace of the game as it was here, in 1823, while playing football at his school that a William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it. This moment took place on The Close at Rugby School, which is one momentous spot as part of the tours that Rugby School offer (advance booking required)

Close by is the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum is packed with rugby memorabilia whilst you can get a group selfie next to the statue of William Webb Ellis which is also close by.

All this is set in Rugby’s town centre which has a wide range of high street stores and independent shops as well as plenty of cafes and restaurants, and the impressive Rugby Art Gallery and Museum

The North Oxford Canal runs east to west towards the north of Rugby and by mooring here you can visit the Elliott’s Field Retail Park which has a great range of shops, cafes and restaurants, with a Tesco superstore just across the road in case you need to stock up on supplies.

Before reaching Rugby, you will visit and pass through the Hillmorton Locks; this picturesque village setting is famed for being the busiest lock section on the whole of the canal network with Locks 2&3 together being the most used locks on the Canal and River Trust’s network.

To the west of Rugby and heading on the North Oxford towards Coventry you will reach and pass through the historic Newbold on Avon Tunnel which like Braunston Tunnel (although not as long) is a great experience.

At the junction go west to…Napton and Napton Locks

As we have already mentioned, Braunston (and LNBP’s boats) is in a wonderful position situated at the junctions of the Grand Union Canal and Oxford Canals. At the very junction of the canals, three canals in fact – the Grand Union Canal and the North and South Oxford canals, known as the “Braunston Turn”, instead of continuing north towards Rugby and Coventry, by turning left provides a great lock-free section for everyone a chance to explore the boat and also the time to give everyone a chance to have a go at steering.

That is before reaching the village of Napton and Napton Locks.

Napton-on–the-Hill, as it is properly known, is as its title suggests a hillside village, watched over by its majestic Windmill which can be seen for many miles around. The Grand Union and Oxford Canal form a moat like quality at the foot of the hill, with a set of 8 locks being some of the nicest locks around, set as they are in beautiful peaceful countryside and climbing 49 feet.

For such a small village, it offers a surprisingly large number of amenities which includes a village store including post office, general store and coffee shop, play park, plus canal side shops and marina.

More on this route in the words of one of our now-retired project skippers, Chris Woodward, can be found here

South to…

Heading east out of Braunston on the Grand Union through the flight of six locks will bring you to the historic Braunston Tunnel, which at over a mile long and with a curve in the middle is an experience to go through.

Heading south at Long Buckby locks after passing the idyllic Norton Junction will bring you to Weedon Bec.  That is about an eight hour cruise and the village has has a vast playing field with swings and goalposts for youngsters to burn off any unspent energy. It also has an early morning / late night convenience stores stocking up on supplies or grabbing an ice cream.

If there’s time, head to visit the Weedon Depot, which originally known as The Royal Ordnance Depot dates back to 1802 just prior to the Napoleonic Wars and was a store for muskets, cannon and gunpowder. Today the visitor centre offers guided tours (by advance arrangement) with a café also on site

More details about this route from Braunston to Weedon Bec in the words of our Booking Officer Nigel Smith can be found here

Branching off to…Northampton

From Weedon, there is short journey to reach the Northampton Arm which leaves the Grand Union Canal mainline at Gayton Junction and joins the River Nene in the centre of Northampton.

This arm of the Grand Union Canal does feature many locks – 17 single locks in fact – along its short length.

Northampton town centre is worth a visit for it offers a good blend of historic attractions and ultramodern entertainment, gaming, dining and fun for everyone.

Stoke Bruerne and Blisworth Tunnel

If you would rather continue on the main course of the Grand Union heading south,  then another historic village and spot on Northamptonshire’s will soon come into focus.

Stoke Bruerne is lovely village of which its canalside setting becomes a hive of activity especially spring spring and summer. Here you will a Canal Museum which is located just off the canalside path in a historic Grade II listed corn mill and has three floors of waterway heritage and panoramic views, a café and gift shop. Outside the museum you can normally find the historic boat called ‘Sculptor’ which was built in 1935 and still going strong

To get here (and back to Braunston) is to navigate through another historic tunnel, the Blisworth Tunnel,  which at 3,075 yards (2,811 meters) long is the longest wide, freely navigable tunnel in Europe (it’s wide enough for two narrowboats to pass in opposite directions). It is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel in the UK, after Standedge and Dudley Tunnels and the ninth-longest canal tunnel in the world!

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

And look out for part two of our features on 10 great places to visit with LNBP.

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

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

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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.

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It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Freemasons of Warwickshire have kindly donated a sum of £1000.00 to us to assist in our work.

It is wonderful that they have considered us and been able to support us in this way again.

The donations we receive enable us to continue our work and provide those less fortunate than ourselves with a day trip, short break or holiday to experience the enjoyment and benefits that life afloat can provide that they may otherwise not be in a position to afford and enjoy.

On behalf of everyone at LNBP Community Boating, may we extend our grateful thanks and appreciation to everyone at the Provincial Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Freemasons of Warwickshire for their very kind consideration and donation to us.  It is hugely appreciated.

• For more details about how you can donate to LNBP Community Boating including via an online donation, click HERE

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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

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The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs from Birmingham’s suburbia to Shakespeare’s Stratford, covering some 25 miles long stretching from the Birmingham suburb of Kings Norton and the junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal descending 55 locks to the River Avon at Stratford Upon Avon.

There are many lovely little spots along this stretch of inland waterway, along with a few curious places to watch out for. Lock number 53 – otherwise known as The Maidenhead Road Lock (Bridge 67) – is one of them, located about a further 30 minutes cruising and two further locks before arriving at the Stratford Basin outside of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Lock 53 is similar to all locks on this canal in that it is a single boat lock but the strange feature being the right-angled metal balance beam. As a regular gongoozler at this lock watching other people trying to open it, be under no doubt this is a tough one! I often help people out opening the lock. Bent knees, effort and sweat required here, this is the toughest lock that I have encountered anywhere on the canal system!

The lock drops a boat about six feet from the higher to the lower pound. As the boat goes under the bridge, the lock workers can either walk across the road or take the tow path under the road as the horses would have done. However, here is a word of warning – anybody under 6 foot tall, then duck!

More little features on this delightful stretch of canal to come soon.

How does a trip along the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and visiting the birthplace of the Bard sound to you?

If you are interested to find out how your community group and organisation can also enjoy a residential trip with us and explore what we can offer, please get in touch with Nigel on 07783 002073 or email us at bookings@lnbp.co.uk

The post Cruising the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal part 1 appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

It has undergone a bit of a refresh and has a whole new look to it.

It has been several years since our website has had a revamp and with 2021 being our 40^th anniversary, it seemed an opportune time to give it an overhaul.

Once again we have been working closely with Dinesh Fernando of Web Growth Consulting in Rugby on this project. With his guidance and expertise he has provided us with a new theme which once again aligns with the LNBP branding whilst providing added functionality to make our website even easier to navigate (if you will excuse the pun).

We hope you like the new look – we certainly do.

Why not take a look around the website and let us know what you think. Send your thoughts, comment and feedback via email to us at marketing@lnbp.co.uk.

A huge thanks once again to Dinesh for his help and guidance. For further details about Web Growth Consulting, click here

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The Village Emporium has been delivering to local homes across parts of rural Warwickshire and Northamptonshire since 2005.

Some 30,000 copies of the free A5 colour lifestyle magazine are hand-delivered door to door every other month to villages and areas in and around the Warwickshire/Northants borders (see the map below to see where).

Despite the current lockdown restrictions and uncertainty over when our normal service of weekend or midweek residential holidays for community groups will resume, we have a lot to shout in 2021 with it being our 40^th anniversary. And due to success with our coverages in previous years, The Village Emporium is a great local and regional media in which to do so.

For their current edition, we have a double page spread which can be found on pages 80 and 81.

To read our coverage and download the January/February 2021 edition of The Village Emporium, click here

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The post To Royal Leamington Spa and back in a weekend 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
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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