Napton Base – Oxford and return
Narrowboat Holidays Across Great Britain
Narrowboat Holidays Across Great Britain
Claydon ‘Bygones’ Museum
Banbury | Castle Quay Shopping Centre | Tooley’s Historic Boatyard & Chandlery | Floating Restaurant
Blenheim Palace
Thrupp
Oxford | University of Oxford | Bodleian Library | Ashmolean Museum | Botanic Gardens | Covered Markets
102 Miles | 78 Locks | 1 Week Cruise | 8 hours per day
Hire from Napton and our Oxford canal boat holiday takes you on a relatively busy week down the meandering Oxford Canal, which is one of the oldest in the country and beautifully follows the contours of the land. The journey begins at the popular Napton narrowboat hire base, located at the head of the Oxford Canal.
The only town you’ll pass on your luxury canal boat holiday to Oxford is Banbury, a market town on the lovely River Cherwell. Stop off to see Banbury Cross, which was erected in 1859 in the town centre after Puritans destroyed the crosses that previously adorned the town in 1600, and Tooley’s Boatyard, the oldest continuous working dry dock in Britain. Banbury Museum provides a wealth of information about the Victorian market town and Banbury’s role during the English Civil War.
After cruising your narrowboat through Banbury, you will reach a series of wonderfully named villages including Thrupp, Lower Heyford and Shipton-on-Cherwell. Look out for the stone built houses, cosy pubs, ancient churches and village greens.
Thrupp is a hamlet close to the River Cherwell. Its biggest attraction is the remains of a 15th century cross, carved from Jurassic limestone. Lower Heyford is an ancient village recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Shipton-on-Cherwell is a village most noted for the Holy Cross Parish Church, which overlooks the Oxford Canal, and Shipton Manor House, which dates from the 16th or 17th century.
Oxford
The destination on your canal boat holiday is Oxford, which often feels familiar because it is used as the backdrop for so many films and TV programmes, most famously Inspector More and Harry Potter. The city is small and packed together so the main sites are easy to get around. The world famous University buildings include Christ Church College, Wadham College and Magdalene College. Other interesting sights are the Ashmolean Museum, Carfax Tower, Botanic Gardens – the oldest in Britain – and Sheldonian Theatre. You can even swap boat styles and try a spot of punting in a flat-bottomed boat on the River Cherwell.
This trip to Oxford makes for a great canal boat holiday, a lovely mix of laid-back cruising and beautiful scenery.
Book our Oxford and return canal boat holiday by using our online Availability Search, or by calling Black Prince on 01527 575 115.
Can’t find what you are looking for? Have a question?
Call today on ++44 (0)1527 575 115 and a Black Prince Customer Service Agent will be happy to assist!
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.