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Welcome to Viking
Afloat's Rugby Hire Base
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 Our
Rugby base is situated on the charmingly
rural North Oxford Canal, close to Rugby town. It is perfectly positioned
for a number of interesting and contrasting one week routes ranging
from a simple and virtually lock-free trip up to Snarestone and
back via the Ashby Canal, to the impressive Warwickshire Ring for
the more energetic. For those with two weeks or longer to spare
there is the Leicester Ring. Alternatively, a more ambitious fortnight
can be spent traveling down the South Oxford Canal to the River
Thames at Oxford, cruising along the Thames to Brentford and then
returning via the Grand Union Canal.
Directions
to the Rugby Hire Base.
(Click
on the tours below for full details of each trip.)
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A
gentle cruise, heading towards Oxford which is ideal for newcomers trying
things out for the first time. |
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Another
interesting and straightforward trip heading south towards London. |
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An energetic, but very worthwhile circular route that takes you on a tour
of Warwickshire.
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Another
'out and back' trip, but one that provides a remarkable array of contrasts. |
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The
Leicester Ring is a superb two week cruise that takes you round the East
Midlands. |
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Tour
9 (1 week)
Rugby to Banbury
75 Miles - 50 Locks - 5 hours cruising per day. A
relatively gentle cruise through the pretty Cotswold countryside first
takes you down the North Oxford Canal via Braunston and Napton Junctions
and onto the South Oxford Canal, renowned for its meandering route to
the Thames.
You
will pass charming villages such as Cropredy with its thatched sandstone
cottages before reaching Banbury itself, famous for its 'cross' and scrumptious
cakes!
You
will need to turn round to head back to Rugby once you are halfway through
your holiday.
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Tour
10 (1 week)
Rugby
to Stoke Bruerne
42 Miles - 30 Locks - 4+hours cruising per day
This
interesting trip takes you down the North Oxford Canal to Braunston where
you join the Grand Union Canal heading southwards towards London.
This
is essentially a rural route that incorporates several very impressive
tunnels including Blisworth Tunnel which is over 3,000 yards long!
The
village of Stoke Bruerne awaits you as you emerge from Blisworth and we
recommend that you take time to visit the excellent Canal Museum here.
Milton
Keynes is the next point of interest with its wealth of attractions and
the more energetic crews might even push on to Leighton Buzzard before
retracing their steps to Rugby.
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Tour
11 (1 week)
Warwickshire
Ring
103 Miles -107 Locks - 9 hours cruising per day
A
rather more energetic week than some, but it is well worth the effort
as it provides you with a cruise remarkable for its contrasts.
You
set off up the Grand Union Canal to Warwick with its fine castle.
The
next stop is Birmingham with all its amenities. Once you reach the International
Convention Centre, you branch off down the Birmingham Fazeley Canal, which
takes you out under 'Spaghetti Junction' to Coventry Canal, where you
turn South past Coventry back to Rugby.
There
are a number of things to see and do on this most popular of trips and
if you can make time, visits to Coventry, Stratford or up the Ashby Canal
are a real bonus.
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Tour
12 (1
week)
Rugby to Market Harborough
65 Miles - 50 Locks - 5 hours per day
Another
'out and back' trip, but well worth considering if you don't mind
a bit of exercise and are seeking something a bit different.
This
route involves cruising down the North Oxford Canal to Braunston and
then heading up the Grand Union (Leicester Section) Canal towards
Leicester itself.
On
the way to Market Harborough you will encounter no less than four
tunnels, two sets of staircase locks and mile after mile of open countryside.
At
Foxton, you can explore the site of the short-lived Inclined Plane
that was built to overcome the need for such an impressive flight
of ten locks. At the foot of these locks is the canal arm that leads
to Market Harborough where you can rest and recuperate before tackling
the return journey.
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Tour
13 (2 weeks)
Leicester Ring
151 Miles - 100 Locks - 5 hours per day
A
really pleasant two week cruise through parts of Staffordshire,
Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire which involves cruising
on rivers as well as canals.
This
route takes you up the Grand Union (Leicester Section) Canal to
the Foxton flight of locks (see tour 12);
from here you travel on to Leicester itself where you join the River
Soar.
You
continue along the Soar to Trent Junction, where you briefly join
the River Trent which takes you up to Sawley. At this point you
rejoin the canal system and complete the ring by way of the Trent
& Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction, the Coventry Canal to Hawkesbury
Junction and the Oxford Canal back finally to Rugby.
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