Summer trip help and suggestions.

[Dubs]

Just booked the boat for a week this June out of Napton. There will be four of us two couples average of 60 all first time boaters.I had planned to cruise the union thru Braunston. Thru the Braunston tunnel and the bills worth tunnel. Was thinking of making cosgrove our turn around point. First is this too ambitious and will traffic be an issue. Secondly looking for things to do close to close to the canal. I am open to looking at alternate routes but the starting point is still going to be Napton. Thank you all in advance. So looking forward to this adventure.

[Keeping Up]

I would say it's not too ambitious at all, perfectly reasonable. Traffic won't be an issue. Apart from canalside pubs & restaurants, plus Stoke Bruerne waterways museum, what sort of things to do are you looking for?

[Dubs]

I really like historic things and gardens the girls are into antiques and general thrift store shopping.

[john6767]

Not ambitious at all.  Our first ever trip on a narrowboat was hired from Kate Boats at Stockton and we went down the GU to Cosgrove, turned round and came back up to Napton and then on the South Oxford to Fenny Compton, then turned and back to Napton, and then to Stockton on the last morning.  Piece of cake.

[nikvah]

28 minutes ago, Dubs said:

I really like historic things and gardens the girls are into antiques and general thrift store shopping.

For these, I think I would head in the opposite direction on the GU to Leamington and Warwick.

[Keeping Up]

32 minutes ago, Dubs said:

I really like historic things and gardens the girls are into antiques and general thrift store shopping.

Weedon is good for antiques.

[john6767]

28 minutes ago, nikvah said:

For these, I think I would head in the opposite direction on the GU to Leamington and Warwick.

But given you are in a boat, Warwick and back from Napton is 46 locks, so a lot of work.  Personally south in the GU or south on the Oxford are better options.  If you are going  to go north on the GU from Napton then go the whole hog and do the Warwickshire ring.

[nikvah]

10 minutes ago, john6767 said:

But given you are in a boat, Warwick and back from Napton is 46 locks, so a lot of work.  Personally south in the GU or south on the Oxford are better options.  If you are going  to go north on the GU from Napton then go the whole hog and do the Warwickshire ring.

Fair enough, I was just suggesting the OP would find their interests down there.?

"historic things and gardens the girls are into antiques and general thrift store shopping"

I don't think the well behaved and often shared double locks would be a problem, infact isn't it quite an easy week for first time boaters??

[Dubs]

39 minutes ago, john6767 said:

But given you are in a boat, Warwick and back from Napton is 46 locks, so a lot of work.  Personally south in the GU or south on the Oxford are better options.  If you are going  to go north on the GU from Napton then go the whole hog and do the Warwickshire ring.

Can the Warwickshire ring be done in a leisurely week?

[Captain Pegg]

On one of our family trips when I was a teenager we hired at Napton on Sunday afternoon and moored below Cosgrove lock on Monday evening. That trip was to Aylesbury and back in a week. Not recommending that for first timers. I think Cosgrove is a good target however I would recommend going the (literal) extra mile across the aqueduct and turn at Galleon Wharf.

 

I would think that to be a far more suitable trip than out and back on the GU Birmingham line.

 

4 minutes ago, Dubs said:

Can the Warwickshire ring be done in a leisurely week?

No. It’s a standard one week hire but not a leisurely one.

 

JP

Edited February 15, 2020 by Captain Pegg

[Dubs]

Wow great feedback, Thank you. Another question what about laundry facilities encountered?

[Dubs]

Enroute

[big d]

37 minutes ago, Dubs said:

Can the Warwickshire ring be done in a leisurely week?

I did it in a week, with my brother and his wife two small kids and a dog. From Rugby clockwise, although I considered it leisurely we were going 6+ hours a day. The boating was the fun part but we did stop at warick cathedral, 50p to climb tower better than £70 for warrick castle. 

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, Dubs said:

Can the Warwickshire ring be done in a leisurely week?

You just need to make it past the Castle before sundown!

 

Oh hang on that was a Hammer film ....

 

 

[john6767]

13 hours ago, Dubs said:

Can the Warwickshire ring be done in a leisurely week?

Not leisurely, but lots for hire boats do it in a week.  Just going to Warwick and back mean you will have done a large number of the locks on the Warwickshire ring, but not really gone anywhere.  From Stockton Warwick is a day there/day back, so you could certainly take you time, but in my opinion there are better routes, with less or similar number of locks, that you could do in a week.

13 hours ago, Dubs said:

Wow great feedback, Thank you. Another question what about laundry facilities encountered?

There are few places with laundry facilities on the canal.  For a weeks hire you should not really need to bother with that, you can always do some hand washing on the boat if needed.

[Scholar Gypsy]

The arsenal at Weedon is worth an explore.  http://blisworth.org.uk/images/Canal/rumbold.htm The stretch from Braunston to Cosgrove is pretty isolated, tbh.