Coventry Canal

Quick Facts

• Coventry Canal: 38 miles, 13 locks (concentrated in two flights — Atherstone 11 and Glascote 2)
• Ashby Canal: 22 miles, completely lock-free
• Connects: Coventry Canal: Coventry Basin → Hawkesbury Junction (Oxford Canal) → Marston Junction (Ashby) → Fazeley Junction (Birmingham & Fazeley) → Fradley Junction (Trent & Mersey). Ashby branches off at Marston and runs to Snarestone (current head of navigation).
• Build period & engineer: Coventry opened in stages 1769–1790 (James Brindley); Ashby opened 1804
• Boat dimensions: 72 ft long by 7 ft beam (narrow) on both
• Typical cruise time: Coventry 2–3 days end-to-end; Ashby 1.5–2 days each way

What's it like to cruise?

The Coventry is a workmanlike connector — the spine that ties the Birmingham/Fazeley network to the Oxford Canal at Hawkesbury. Long pounds, the famous Atherstone 11 flight in the middle, and quiet rural cruising through south Warwickshire and north Staffordshire. The Ashby is a different proposition entirely: 22 miles of lock-free contour-canal cruising through pastoral Leicestershire countryside, ending currently at Snarestone (with restoration ongoing further north towards Moira). It's one of the most relaxed cruises on the network.

Highlights along the route

• Hawkesbury Junction — the famous "Suttons Stop" with the cast-iron roving bridge and the Greyhound pub.
• Atherstone Locks — 11 locks dropping the Coventry through the town.
• Bedworth and Marston — the junction with the Ashby Canal.
• Bosworth Battlefield — accessible from the Ashby Canal at Sutton Cheney Wharf.
• Market Bosworth — pretty market town, walkable from the Ashby.
• Snarestone Tunnel — 250 yards, on the Ashby just before the head of navigation.
• Coventry Basin — restored urban basin with central moorings.

Connections & cruising rings

The Coventry forms the eastern spine of the Warwickshire Ring (Coventry + Oxford + Grand Union + Birmingham & Fazeley). Hawkesbury Junction is the junction point with the Oxford. Fradley Junction joins it to the T&M. The Ashby is a dead-end (currently) but is a popular out-and-back from any of the surrounding routes.

Suitable for

Both excellent for beginners. The Ashby in particular is one of the most beginner-friendly canals in the country — completely lock-free, deep, well-maintained, with attractive scenery. Atherstone on the Coventry is the only significant lock day.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: minimal on either canal in normal years.
• Water and elsan: Coventry, Hawkesbury, Atherstone, Fradley, Marston, Stoke Golding, Sutton Cheney, Snarestone.
• Mobile signal: good across both routes.
• Pump-out: at the marinas — Hawkesbury, Atherstone, Stoke Golding, Snarestone.

Best time to cruise

April to October. The Ashby is at its loveliest in early summer; the Coventry's Atherstone flight is best done in dry weather.