Stratford upon Avon canal boating

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						Canal Holidays	River Avon	Stratford upon Avon canal

Severn boating

Inland canal and river boating

The Stratford upon Avon canal

Building of the canal was started in 1793 and completed by 1816. It had a brief period of prosperity but soon fell into decay and by the 1930's it was virtually impassable for through traffic.

Its restoration, largely due to enthusiasts and volunteers, was marked in 1964 with an opening by the late Her Majesty the Queen Mother.

The Stratford canal now forms part of the Avon Ring - a popular holiday route used by boaters in hire boats for a combined inland canal and river holiday.

The canal connects Kings Norton, on the Worcester & Birmingham canal, to Stratford upon Avon.

The 25 mile canal has 56 locks all of which have to be worked by the boat crew, deep cuttings, numerous fixed and swing bridges, a tunnel and an aquaduct.

The main lock fllght is the Lapworth flight to the south of Hockley Heath

Kingswood Junction near the top of the flight allows access to the Grand Union canal which links the major cities of Birmingham and London

Like all the narrow canals, it can only be used by narrow boats with a beam of less than 7ft and a similar headroom. Although, small cruisers are common, it is best worked with a boat based on the conventional narrowboat design

The canal starts in the suburbs of Birmingham at Kings Norton but soon passes through attractive rural contryside.

There are several delightful small villages and small boatyards along the canal.

The canal ends in the basin at Stratford upon Avon adjacent to the Royal Shakespeare theatre.

See also canal holidays, rivercraft tips and Severn links