Warwick to Braunston

[Midnight Rider]

I'm taking the other half & two friends --- all novice boaters ---- on a short break in September. Going from Kate Boats at Warwick & heading towards Braunston. I haven't been on this part of the G.U. for many years, so, any canalside pubs worth stopping at? Dog friendly if possible.

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, Midnight Rider said:

I'm taking the other half & two friends --- all novice boaters ---- on a short break in September. Going from Kate Boats at Warwick & heading towards Braunston. I haven't been on this part of the G.U. for many years, so, any canalside pubs worth stopping at? Dog friendly if possible.

 

What makes a pub "worth stopping at"?

 

Top notch beer or cheap food in large portions?? Opinion on here seems evenly divided.

[Midnight Rider]

Not interested in 'pile the food high & sell it cheap'. Decent food & a nice Merlot old chap.

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, Midnight Rider said:

Not interested in 'pile the food high & sell it cheap'. Decent food & a nice Merlot old chap.

 

You need a wine bar mate!

[Midnight Rider]

Do they have them on the G.U.?

[MtB]

Just now, Midnight Rider said:

Do they have them on the G.U.?

 

Nope... 

[David Mack]

I don't think there are many canalside pubs between Warwick and Braunston. Off the top of my head, once you get beyond Leamington, I can only think of the Cuttle and Two Boats at Long Itchington, the Blue Lias at Stockton and then the Boat House and Nelson at Braunston.  There are more if you are willing to walk into nearby towns and villages, or you could take a short diversion to the Folly at Napton.

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I can only think of the Cuttle and Two Boats at Long Itchington, the Blue Lias at Stockton and then the Boat House and Nelson at Braunston.

 

Oh but The Cuttle is a FANTASTIC pub for good beer. 

 

Dunno about their wine.

[Captain Pegg]

10 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I don't think there are many canalside pubs between Warwick and Braunston. Off the top of my head, once you get beyond Leamington, I can only think of the Cuttle and Two Boats at Long Itchington, the Blue Lias at Stockton and then the Boat House and Nelson at Braunston.  There are more if you are willing to walk into nearby towns and villages, or you could take a short diversion to the Folly at Napton.

Agree there is nothing much between Warwick and Two Boats at Long Itchington. The canal is the worst way to visit Leamington.

 

Add to the list The Boat Inn at Birdingbury (next door to Kate Boats Stockton Top base). Agree that a detour to the winding hole below Napton locks and walk to the Folly is viable and worth doing if looking for an overnight stop in that area.

 

Also last night before returning to base an option is to go past the hire base and up Cape Locks to the Cape of Good Hope pub where there are visitor moorings. It's possible to wind right outside and drop back down the locks to the hire base the next morning.

 

Can't vouch for dog friendliness or wine though.

 

JP

 

 

[MtB]

18 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

to the Cape of Good Hope pub where there are visitor moorings.

 

Bugger. This is a pub I meant, not the Cuttle.

[Sea Dog]

6 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Can't vouch for dog friendliness or wine though

Good suggestion - a proper traditional canalside pub taken over and brought up to date without ruining it.  Dog friendly in the bar (don't know if they still sell doggy beer, but they did), good beers from a well-stocked bar and decent meals so I'd be surprised if the don't do a passable merlot. A couple of years of water have passed down Cape Lock since my last visit so it could have changed, but otherwise one I've never passed when it's on my route.

[MtB]

I stopped in the Cape last summer and it was as good as ever. Moored bang outside (yet again!), bought excellent beer from the bar serving beer directly onto the towpath, and was immediately engaged in great conversation with two deeply knowledgeable vintage engine enthusiasts at the table next to me.  I ordered food too which turned out to be very good, not yer usual dull and boring pub fare. 

[roland elsdon]

Go into long itchington it has many pubs both basic and posh. Used to have highest pub to inhabitant poulation in warwickshire. 

[Sea Dog]

6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I stopped in the Cape last summer and it was as good as ever. Moored bang outside (yet again!), bought excellent beer from the bar serving beer directly onto the towpath, and was immediately engaged in great conversation with two deeply knowledgeable vintage engine enthusiasts at the table next to me.  I ordered food too which turned out to be very good, not yer usual dull and boring pub fare. 

Good to hear. One of my favourites for very similar reasons!  They get quite a mix of clientele but somehow they all seem friendly and there's a great atmosphere at busier times.

[john6767]

I didn’t know Kate Boats did short breaks from Warwick, I thought the short breaks were all out of the Stockton base, as Warwick is not great for a short break as you spend all your time going up and back down the Avon valley.  If you are going out of Warwick, then the energetic ones seem to head for Long Itchington for their first night, but in September you many not have enough light to do that, so you would stop short. Your second night would be Braunston, so you have a choice of pubs there.  The next day you would need to be back near Warwick so perhaps Long Itchington for a quick lunch, but you will not have time to hang around.

[Dr Bob]

Going west to east....

The Cape is still very good but can be lively if you're after a quiet meal.

There is a canalside pub in Leamington, just past Lidl ....forgot the name. Never been in but often tempted. The 'wayside' or something like that.

Then you get to the Fusilier. Nuff said.

The two boats is a cracking pub with good beer and decent food. Usually plenty of places to park before the cuttle bridge.

The blue Lias. Been in once. Never again. Didn't like the food and in summer it is a holiday camp.

The Boat (top of Stockton). Very good. Best to ring ahead and book a table. 

Slight detour for the Folly. Good pub, our local, but mooring can be busy. In season most of the moorings at the bottom of the locks are full by 5 or 6. We always book a table if eating. If full come back to before Napton junction and park before the bridge by Napton boatyard and walk up to crossroads in Napton, 200 yards.........to the Kings head. Good pub. Food is a bit formal.

The Olive Bush nr bridge 101/102. A good 20mins walk from the canal but great pub. Must book for food.

 

Never drank merlot in any of them

 

 

[Boater Sam]

For the Folly, moor on the off side above Calcutt next to the reservoir, walk through the fields to the village.

A lovely stroll if the weather is fair.

[alan_fincher]

1 hour ago, Dr Bob said:

The blue Lias. Been in once. Never again. Didn't like the food and in summer it is a holiday camp.

Yes,

 

Our experiences are not that recent, I'll admit, but one of the most disappointing canal-side pubs we have ever visited.

You may not be after coffee after your meal, but to find they only do instant just about summed up this place.

Edited June 20, 2018 by alan_fincher

[thebfg]

1 hour ago, john6767 said:

I didn’t know Kate Boats did short breaks from Warwick, I thought the short breaks were all out of the Stockton base, as Warwick is not great for a short break as you spend all your time going up and back down the Avon valley.  If you are going out of Warwick, then the energetic ones seem to head for Long Itchington for their first night, but in September you many not have enough light to do that, so you would stop short. Your second night would be Braunston, so you have a choice of pubs there.  The next day you would need to be back near Warwick so perhaps Long Itchington for a quick lunch, but you will not have time to hang around.

if my memory is correct they start on a Saturday and Friday from Stockton.

 

so a weekend break would be sat to Tues.

 

excellent hire company. nice boats  and great service.

[john6767]

1 hour ago, thebfg said:

if my memory is correct they start on a Saturday and Friday from Stockton.

 

so a weekend break would be sat to Tues.

 

excellent hire company. nice boats  and great service.

They do Friday to Mon and Sat to Tues from Stockton I think, but the OP said be had a short break from Warwick which surprised me, given you are into 23 locks to get out of the Avon Valley, and then back down them, you basically spend the two full days that you have doing that.  From Warwick they do the week hires, and most do the Warwickshire ring, to Stratford, or down the South Oxford from what I have seen.

 

In the Short break from Warwick if they do it, then you can get to Long Itchington on night 1, but you will be limited by the light in Sept.  if you are going to Braunston and you want to stay there then that would be night 2, if you used the daylight well, perhaps you could go to Braunston and then back to bottom of Napton for the night.  Then your 3rd night you need to be back in Warwick or thereabouts.  You would not have much time for pubs and taking it easy!

[Boat&Bikes]

4 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

Going west to east....

The Cape is still very good but can be lively if you're after a quiet meal.

There is a canalside pub in Leamington, just past Lidl ....forgot the name. Never been in but often tempted. The 'wayside' or something like that.

Then you get to the Fusilier. Nuff said.

The two boats is a cracking pub with good beer and decent food. Usually plenty of places to park before the cuttle bridge.

The blue Lias. Been in once. Never again. Didn't like the food and in summer it is a holiday camp.

The Boat (top of Stockton). Very good. Best to ring ahead and book a table. 

Slight detour for the Folly. Good pub, our local, but mooring can be busy. In season most of the moorings at the bottom of the locks are full by 5 or 6. We always book a table if eating. If full come back to before Napton junction and park before the bridge by Napton boatyard and walk up to crossroads in Napton, 200 yards.........to the Kings head. Good pub. Food is a bit formal.

The Olive Bush nr bridge 101/102. A good 20mins walk from the canal but great pub. Must book for food.

 

Never drank merlot in any of them

 

 

Is it the Moorings pub in Leamington? Very good food last visit, pricey but good. Wine list is excellent , probably not a dog place but you can moor right outside usually. Love the Cape. Also worth the walk to the Olive bush, great pies. Long itch for overnight stop and pub crawl.

Edited June 20, 2018 by ianali

[Laurie Booth]

The Fusilier one of the finest pubs on the canals. Great local atmosphere etc.. Always moor there if we can. 

:)

[Dr Bob]

21 minutes ago, ianali said:

Is it the Moorings pub in Leamington? Very good food last visit, pricey but good. Wine list is excellent , probably not a dog place but you can moor right outside usually. Love the Cape. Also worth the walk to the Olive bush, great pies. Long itch for overnight stop and pub crawl.

The Moorings. I knew it sounded like the "wayside". That's the one. Very rarely see anyone parked outside it.

[john6767]

10 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said:

The Fusilier one of the finest pubs on the canals. Great local atmosphere etc.. Always moor there if we can. 

You should have made the  more obvious, you had be thinking, what is he on about, for a minute then.  The Fusillier is more the large screen TV (I think they even have one outside), football and Carling type pub.  Nothing wrong it that’s your bag I guess.

1 minute ago, Dr Bob said:

The Moorings. I knew it sounded like the "wayside". That's the one. Very rarely see anyone parked outside it.

The Mooring used to be a decent chain pub type place, but not been there for over 5 years now.  You do sometime se3 a boat outside, and it is not a bad location to stop on the last night before returning.

[Midnight Rider]

Many thanks for all the replies. We should be able to sort something out from all that. The break is from Tuesday afternoon until Saturday morning & is indeed from Warwick so the crew will have to work!