One Week Break from Napton

[The Black Jack]

My wife and I are taking a one week narrowboat holiday from Napton Marina booked for August next year. We are experienced holiday cruisers. I have four routes planned and would welcome any comments:

Route A Napton to Fazeley Junction Return 

Route B Napton to Snarestone Return

Route C Napton to Lower Hayford Return

Route D Napton to Stratford upon Avon Return

[john6767]

Route D; to have Stratford as a destination is great, it is fantastic to arrive in Bancroft basin, but the big but is that it is 80 locks (46 wide, 34 narrow) EACH WAY.  People do this in a hire week, I have met them, but it is with large crews and it is hard work and some long days, so know what you are getting into!

 

Route C, South Oxford is a good one (29 locks each way), and with no specific destination (sorry Lower Hayford), you can turn round when it makes sense at the time.

 

Route B, nice easy route, but it is only 4 locks each way (one being a stop lock), so the exact opposite of Route D.  You must have a feeling if you have had previous experience where you fall on the number of locks you want to do in a week, 160 or 8, they would be very different holidays.

 

Route A, a middling route with not too many locks (17 each way), you could even you further, perhaps to Fradley Junction, or a diversion up the start of the Ashby, no additional locks in either case.

 

If you have not done the South Oxford I would probably go for that, unless you want the challenge of Stratford.

[The Black Jack]

1 hour ago, john6767 said:

Route D; to have Stratford as a destination is great, it is fantastic to arrive in Bancroft basin, but the big but is that it is 80 locks (46 wide, 34 narrow) EACH WAY.  People do this in a hire week, I have met them, but it is with large crews and it is hard work and some long days, so know what you are getting into!

 

Route C, South Oxford is a good one (29 locks each way), and with no specific destination (sorry Lower Hayford), you can turn round when it makes sense at the time.

 

Route B, nice easy route, but it is only 4 locks each way (one being a stop lock), so the exact opposite of Route D.  You must have a feeling if you have had previous experience where you fall on the number of locks you want to do in a week, 160 or 8, they would be very different holidays.

 

Route A, a middling route with not too many locks (17 each way), you could even you further, perhaps to Fradley Junction, or a diversion up the start of the Ashby, no additional locks in either case.

 

If you have not done the South Oxford I would probably go for that, unless you want the challenge of Stratford.

Thank-you for your considered comments. We quite like locks but I think the Stratford run might be a bit too much for the two of us for one week. We did the Stourport Ring in one week but we were in our twenties then! As regards the very peaceful Ashby, we might miss the locks and some say it is becoming rather shallow and narrow.

[Stroudwater1]

Most hire boats are shallow drafted though so the Ashby should be fine.  I would probably do the trip to Fazeley. You could go up to Curdworth bottom lock  as an extension if Fradley is too far. There’s nice nature reserve areas to explore up there, or moor up by Drayton Manor if you have family with children they can say hello and have a day out at the theme park. 

[Annie cariad]

Foxton and back great trip tunnel/locks everything you need 

[Victor Vectis]

Taking the boat into Bancroft Basin is good fun. (Extra points for Japanese tourists taking photos of each other standing on your boat) but there are 16 locks down from Wilmcote and the same 16 back up again.

But.....if pushed for time (or tired?) Wilmcote Station is right by the moorings there for a fast train down to Stratford and back.

[Captain Pegg]

Having done many hire trips from Napton - albeit many years ago - John has summarised things nicely.

 

The OP has neglected any route turning right at Braunston so it’s fair to assume they don’t want to go that way. Nonetheless Market Harborough (plus Welford) would make a good destination but the problem with the Leicester line is that someone else tends to do the locks for you.
 

I’ll second that the Ashby will be absolutely no problem for a hire boat but having done that exact hire trip it is a bit sedate.

 

Can’t fault the recommendation that if you haven’t done the south Oxford before then it’s the pick of the bunch.

 

The only exception I’d make to that would be if the OP fancied the challenge of doing the Warwickshire ring.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

Having done many hire trips from Napton - albeit many years ago - John has summarised things nicely.

 

The OP has neglected any route turning right at Braunston so it’s fair to assume they don’t want to go that way. Nonetheless Market Harborough (plus Welford) would make a good destination but the problem with the Leicester line is that someone else tends to do the locks for you.
 

I’ll second that the Ashby will be absolutely no problem for a hire boat but having done that exact hire trip it is a bit sedate.

 

Can’t fault the recommendation that if you haven’t done the south Oxford before then it’s the pick of the bunch.

 

The only exception I’d make to that would be if the OP fancied the challenge of doing the Warwickshire ring.

South Oxford would get my vote too. We've done the Warwickshire Ring in a week but with a crew of four, it's 120 locks which is hard work with a crew of two...

[cuthound]

12 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Most hire boats are shallow drafted though so the Ashby should be fine.  I would probably do the trip to Fazeley. You could go up to Curdworth bottom lock  as an extension if Fradley is too far. There’s nice nature reserve areas to explore up there, or moor up by Drayton Manor if you have family with children they can say hello and have a day out at the theme park. 

 

There is also a winding hole about 2 hours on from Fazeley if you continue towards Fradley. It is about half an hour after Hopwas.

[Stroudwater1]

6 hours ago, IanD said:

South Oxford would get my vote too. We've done the Warwickshire Ring in a week but with a crew of four, it's 120 locks which is hard work with a crew of two...

It’s less locks and faster if you go through Camp Hill and Knowle which also makes it doable in a week fairly easily especially during longer daylight hours. The downside is possible waits at Atherstone and Glascote in the Summer. Those locks are slow fillers. It helps to share the GU wide locks. 

[IanD]

22 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

It’s less locks and faster if you go through Camp Hill and Knowle which also makes it doable in a week fairly easily especially during longer daylight hours. The downside is possible waits at Atherstone and Glascote in the Summer. Those locks are slow fillers. It helps to share the GU wide locks. 

Oops, my bad, should have checked Canalplan -- that exact route from Napton via Knowle was what we did, 99 miles and 93 locks, perfectly doable in a week's hire (with 8 hour days) -- but still a lot of locks for 2 people.

 

P.S. Fewer locks... 😉

Edited November 14, 2023 by IanD

[Tacet]

It is a lot of locks, but Napton to Stratford is perfectly possible in a hire week.  We did it last year with a day to spare  - as well as spending some time in Stratford.

[The Black Jack]

On 14/11/2023 at 07:16, Annie cariad said:

Foxton and back great trip tunnel/locks everything you need 

Yes, that's a lovely route but we did it a couple of years ago.

On 14/11/2023 at 08:14, Victor Vectis said:

Taking the boat into Bancroft Basin is good fun. (Extra points for Japanese tourists taking photos of each other standing on your boat) but there are 16 locks down from Wilmcote and the same 16 back up again.

But.....if pushed for time (or tired?) Wilmcote Station is right by the moorings there for a fast train down to Stratford and back.

What a good idea. This might be an option if we choose this route.

On 14/11/2023 at 09:43, IanD said:

South Oxford would get my vote too. We've done the Warwickshire Ring in a week but with a crew of four, it's 120 locks which is hard work with a crew of two...

Yes, we've already done the Leicester Line to Market Harborough and south down the Grand Union to Stoke Bruerne. Time for a change next year.

On 14/11/2023 at 17:13, Tacet said:

It is a lot of locks, but Napton to Stratford is perfectly possible in a hire week.  We did it last year with a day to spare  - as well as spending some time in Stratford.

Good going! Was that with early starts and/or extra crew?

[Tacet]

10 hours ago, The Black Jack said:

Yes, that's a lovely route but we did it a couple of years ago.

What a good idea. This might be an option if we choose this route.

Yes, we've already done the Leicester Line to Market Harborough and south down the Grand Union to Stoke Bruerne. Time for a change next year.

Good going! Was that with early starts and/or extra crew?

There was a crew of four middle-aged persons and a further friend joined us for up Hatton, which was nice but didn't save anytime that was not subsequently spent in the cafe before he departed.  It would have been perfectly possible with just two persons; whether it would be enjoyable is a more subjective question - certainly I would enjoy it.

 

I suppose it depends on your definition of early, but I don't think we went outside 9.00 to 18.00 at all.  162 locks but only 70 miles.  53 hours according to Canalplan on standard settings but these times can generally be bettered.

[The Black Jack]

On 14/11/2023 at 07:16, Annie cariad said:

Foxton and back great trip tunnel/locks everything you need 

That's a great suggestion but we've done that route so time for a change.

 

[Hudds Lad]

Could always head up to Braunston, then up the Oxford to Hawkesbury, then on the Coventry towards Hopwas, or even take in Coventry Basin for the fun of it.