Warwickshire - Stratford-on-Avon Canal - Preston Bagot to Wilmcote
This page was submitted by Chris Stephens
How to get there - Leave the M40 at junction 15 and take the A46 towards Evesham. After about 5 miles turn right onto the A3400. For Wilmcote take the first turning on the left (after one mile). For Preston Bagot bottom lock continue on the A3400 to Henley-in-Arden then turn right onto the A4189. Take the second left turn after the Crabmill Inn (1.5 miles from Henley-in-Arden). Cross the narrow canal bridge and park on the road adjacent to the lock.
For those with SatNav the postcode is B95 5EF.
The trip ends at Wilmcote (postcode CV37 9UP) so if you are doing this as a one way trip you will need to leave a car there.
Get a map with driving directions to start or end (enter the postcode of your starting point at A)
Suggested Launch Site - Canal layby immediately South of Preston Bagot bottom lock.
General
Description - A quiet canal trip through pleasant countryside. You are likely to encounter occasional narrowboats and possibly a few (friendly) fishermen. There are two unusual cast-iron aquaducts, where the towing path is level with the bottom of the tank, and many cast-iron split bridges. Two miles South of Preston Bagot bottom lock, at Wootton Wawen, is a canal basin and the Navigation Inn where there is a large car park. The out and back trip from Preston Bagot bottom lock, turning round at Wilmcote, is about 11 miles and there is one lock. If you turn round at the lock (Bearley lock), the round trip is about 6.5 miles. However it is worth portaging the lock and going another quarter of a mile for the sake of crossing the 200 yard long Edstone aquaduct. The trip can also be done one way between Preston Bagot bottom lock and Wilmcote (5.5 miles - postcode CV37 9UP) .
Comments on this trip
Paul Morris 16 Mar 2010
We had a go at this route last weekend (2nd weekend in March). There's not a great deal of parking around the entry point, but we got there just in time to take the last spot in the layby.Fab route through beautiful countryside, would imagine it to be even more amazing on a hot summers day. The only warning I would give is that there is a pair of swans who live around by the Navigation pub and the male is a nasty piece of work who chased us for about half a mile on the way out. On the way back we got out of the water and carried the boat past him. Once past the navigation the canal is bordered by farmland, and the water gets pretty stinky.
