Narrowboat Holidays in Warwickshire
Narrowboat Holidays Across Great Britain
Why Warwickshire?
A canal boat holiday in Warwickshire
Located in the heart of England, just southeast of Birmingham, Warwickshire is an area steeped in culture and history. Within the heart of the England canal network, a boat holiday here is an easy way to lose yourself in the quiet countryside, cruising on your narrowboat past small picturesque villages.
Alternatively you can cruise on these UK canals to the historic towns of Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon to soak up the atmosphere of times gone by. Stratford upon Avon is of course famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and on your waterways holiday here you can visit his former home and the theatre in the town.
Great for a midweek break, weekend break or a longer weeks cruise, this type of waterways holiday suits all levels of boating ability. Boat hire is available from our base at Napton.
Warwick Castle
Warwickshire Canal boat hire base
Black Prince have a narrowboat hire base in Warwickshire at Napton on the Hill, Southam. Perfect for short breaks or longer England canal boating holidays, this base offers a large number of interesting routes across the UK canal network.
Canals to cruise from our Warwickshire boat hire bases
- Grand Union Canal
- Birmingham & Fazeley Canal
- Coventry Canal
- South Oxford Canal
- Ashby Canal
Top Attractions in Warwickshire
There are many top attractions to visit on your waterways holiday, most of which are accessible by just a short walk from your narrowboat. If you’re planning on stopping off regularly to visit attractions on your canal boat holiday then you’ll need at least a weeks cruise or longer, rather than a short weekend or midweek break.
- Royal Leamington Spa – often described as ‘the best bits of London, all in a ten-minute walk’, this Victorian spa town is a must-do on your narrowboat Warwickshire Ring trip.
- Warwick Castle – a fun attraction that brings history to life in a very dynamic way with live jousting and sword-fighting. The Black Prince boat hire base is located not far from here.
- The Hatton Flight – this ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is a 2-mile corridor of twenty-one locks and excellent for lovers of wildlife so take your time and enjoy the views!
- Kings Norton – pop in to see the 13th century church and several medieval buildings. The town also has historic significance as the center of Civil War skirmishes.
- Stratford Upon Avon – moor opposite the theatre and visit birthplace of the playwright William Shakespeare.
Stratford upon Avon
Nearby Attractions
- Enjoy a shopping day in Birmingham, where you can also take in the University, Botanical Gardens or Cadbury World, depending on your area of interest. You can drive your narrowboat into the heart of the city at Gas Street Basin and the boat hire base at Stoke Prior is not far from here. The route is busy with the Tardebigge flight of locks, but can be managed on a 3 or 4 day weekend or midweek canal holiday.
- Ashby Canal is renowned for being one of the most peaceful canals on the waterways, perfect for a canal boating holiday where you just want to get away from it all.
- Further up the Ashby Canal, just before Snarestone there’s the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, which celebrates the battle in which King Richard III lost his life.
- Visit Coventry to see the remains of the 14th century cathedral, which was destroyed during World War II.
- The market towns of Hinckley and Market Bosworth are worth a visit on this route. Hinckley market, which recently celebrated its 700th birthday, claims to be the best in the country – you’ll have to visit for yourself to see!
- Stoke Bruerne offers some nice pubs and a great canal museum – a good stop for children and adults alike to soak up some waterways history for all UK canals.
Coventry Cathedral
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