Oxford Canal

Quick Facts

• Length: approximately 78 miles total — North Oxford (Hawkesbury Junction to Napton, ~22 miles) plus South Oxford (Napton to Oxford, ~50 miles)
• Locks: 43 in total. North Oxford 3 (Hillmorton, all duplicated); South Oxford 38 (Napton 9, Claydon 5, Somerton Deep, plus Oxford-end groups)
• Connects: Hawkesbury Junction (Coventry Canal, near Coventry) → Rugby → Braunston (Grand Union junction) → Napton (split point) → Banbury → Oxford (Isis Lock, joining the River Thames)
• Build period & engineer: opened 1790 (James Brindley, completed by Samuel Simcock). The North Oxford was substantially shortened and straightened in the 1830s.
• Boat dimensions: 70 ft long by 7 ft beam (narrow)
• Typical cruise time: 5–7 days end-to-end Hawkesbury to Oxford

What's it like to cruise?

The Oxford is the classic Brindley contour canal — wandering, pretty, intimate. The North Oxford was straightened in the 19th century into the modern fast cruising route used as part of the Warwickshire Ring; the South Oxford is the unaltered Brindley original, looping round every contour through Banbury and the Cherwell Valley to Oxford. Lift bridges, narrow locks, single-lock chambers and idyllic villages give the South Oxford its character. The Oxford end drops onto the Thames at Isis Lock for cruising up to Lechlade or down through Reading.

Highlights along the route

• Braunston — the spiritual home of canalling, the junction with the Grand Union.
• Hillmorton Locks — three pairs of duplicated narrow locks on the North Oxford.
• Napton on the Hill — the lock flight and the village windmill.
• Cropredy — pretty village with the famous folk festival, riverside meadows and an excellent canalside pub.
• Banbury — the canal runs through the town centre with central moorings and Tooley's historic boatyard.
• Thrupp — picture-perfect village just north of Oxford.
• Oxford — Isis Lock onto the Thames, with central moorings on Castle Mill Stream.

Connections & cruising rings

Joins the Coventry at Hawkesbury, the Grand Union at Braunston (and Napton), and the Thames at Isis Lock, Oxford. Forms part of the Warwickshire Ring (with Coventry + B&F + Grand Union), the Thames Ring (with K&A + Grand Union + Thames) and the long Oxford-to-Thames cruise.

Suitable for

The North Oxford is excellent for intermediate boaters; the South Oxford is one of the best beginner canals in the country — simple narrow locks, gentle scenery, well-signed lift bridges. Banbury and Oxford make natural turn-around points.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: occasional summit-pound water shortages on the South Oxford in very dry years.
• Water and elsan: well-distributed throughout — Hawkesbury, Rugby, Braunston, Napton, Cropredy, Banbury, Aynho, Thrupp, Oxford.
• Mobile signal: good throughout.
• Pump-out: at all major marinas — Braunston, Napton, Cropredy, Banbury, Lower Heyford, Oxford.
• Lift bridges: many on the South Oxford, mostly easy, some need the BW/CRT key.

Best time to cruise

April to October. The South Oxford in late spring is exceptional. Cropredy Festival weekend (mid-August) brings heavy mooring demand around the village.