Your floating hotel on the Canals and Rivers of the UK

Our guide to the waterways of the UK in detail.

Pictures of the Oxford Canal.

Braunston to Hawkesbury.

This canal of seventy-seven miles was built to connect Oxford and the River Thames via the Coventry canal to the Trent and Mersey and thus to the Rivers Severn, Trent and Mersey. As new canals were built it developed into three sections each with their own distinct character. Generally only one or two sections are cruised at a time. It is rare for anyone to travel all three sections in a single cruise.

This page illustrates the northern section This runs from Braunston to near Coventry and is so different it is almost a new canal. One of its chief features is the straight engineered route. This is a result of modernising in the late 1820's and early 1830's. Braunston to Coventry is now twenty-two miles, it used to have a meandering contour following a course of over thirty-six miles. The result of this improvement is long straight stretches, but it has also created deep cuttings and high embankments and aqueducts and intriguing glimpses of the former route heading off under iron towpath bridges. Even the one tunnel has been modernised.

From Braunston six miles takes you to the top of Hilmorton locks a country stretch. At Hilmorton the locks have a second set alongside them built to speed up passage of the locks. The next four miles take us through the outskirts of Rugby. The improvements mean some of it is on an embankment, some is in cuttings there are two aqueducts and Newbold tunnel, 250 yards, improved to be broad and high and recently coloured floodlighting has been installed.

It is a further eleven miles to Hawkesbury junction through the country although both the M5 and the railway make intrusive appearances. The lift bridges of the Southern Oxford and the well spread out locks have all disappeared. It is much faster to travel, but still below 4 miles per hour! The southern Oxford canal is one of the most popular destinations for those hoilidaying on the canal, justly so. The northern end tends to be seen just as a through route, but it is still a rural canal in its own right

Between Braunston & Rugby.	Near Rugby.	Hilmorton paired locks.
President, restored steam working boat.	The floodlights Newbold tunnel	Wooded canal banks.
A stretch alongside the main railway line.	Much of this section is out in the country.	Hawkesbury stop lock.

More pictures of this canal?

Oxford to Napton / Napton to Braunston

A history of this canal. / General information on the canal.

Find our information about other canals on the canal index page.

If you have any questions then do ring us on 07977 229103
or email us at martinreed@reedboats.co.uk