Pubs and places to visit that you can reach by boat, with the nearest bridge or lock and, where we know it, where to moor.
Historic pub immediately beside Avoncliff Aqueduct, where the Kennet & Avon Canal crosses the River Avon near Bradford-on-Avon. Multi-level canalside terraces and a “Priest’s Hole” feature make it a well-known stop for boaters and walkers.
Canalside pub directly beside the famous Caen Hill Locks flight in Devizes, with a skittle alley and a garden overlooking the canal — a popular stop for boaters and towpath walkers alike.
The Fox is a canalside pub in Hanwell, sitting right by the Grand Union Canal close to the famous Hanwell Lock Flight. It’s a popular stop for boaters and walkers alike, with a beer garden overlooking the water and a relaxed, traditional pub atmosphere. After tackling the six broad locks of the Hanwell flight (part of the “Cowley to Uxbridge” and Brentford-bound run), it’s a natural place to pause for a drink or a meal before continuing down towards the Thames at Brentford.
Run by the volunteer-led Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, Batchworth Lock Canal Centre sits right beside Batchworth Lock on the Grand Union Canal, at the point where the River Chess and River Colne meet the waterway. The centre offers a small museum and heritage displays on the canal’s history, an education programme for local schools, and public boat trips along this attractive stretch of canal near Rickmansworth’s Aquadrome. A good introduction to the canal for visitors and families exploring this end of the Grand Union.
Run by the Canal & River Trust, The Canal Museum tells the story of Britain’s canal age from a Grade II listed former corn mill right on the Grand Union Canal, next to the top of the Stoke Bruerne flight of locks. Across three floors of exhibits it covers the building of the canals, the working boat families who lived aboard, and the horses, engines and cargoes that kept the network moving. Free entry, with the Boat Inn and canalside walks to the Blisworth Tunnel portal right on the doorstep — a natural focal point for this stretch of the Grand Union.
