Best boating holidays for beginners from Wootton Wawen

Our canal boat hire base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal near Henley-in-Arden, offers a great choice of routes for beginners.

Whether you want to experience a rural retreat afloat, or cruise into the heart of Birmingham, there are dozens of destinations to choose from.

You don’t need a licence to steer a canal boat and tuition is included in our holiday hire.

We’ve published a guide to our top three short breaks for beginners from Wootton Wawen:

1. Moor up to see a play in Shakespeare’s Stratford

From our canal boat rental base at Wootton Wawen, you can reach Stratford upon Avon on a weekend or mid-week break.  There are moorings in the centre of town in Bancroft Basin, next to Bancroft Gardens and the Royal Shakespeare Company. This year’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre productions include As You Like It and Macbeth.  Bancroft Basin is just a short walk from Stratford’s excellent choice of shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, including Carluccios. From Wootton Wawen, it takes around six hours, to reach Shakespeare’s Stratford, passing through 17 locks.

2. Cruise through the countryside to Packwood House

On a short break from Wootton Wawen, you can cruise to the village of Lapworth, home of the National Trust’s Tudor Manor house, Packwood House.  The journey takes you along the Stratford Canal through the remains of the Forest of Arden to Lapworth bottom lock.  From there, it’s a short walk to Packwood House, with 150 acres of parkland to explore and stunning gardens. to explore.  The journey to Lapworth and back takes around eight hours and passes 22 locks (11 each way).

3. Cruise to the base of the magnificent Hatton Locks

On a short break from Wootton Wawen, you can cruise north along the Stratford Canal, transferring onto the Grand Union Canal to reach the bottom of the flight of 21 locks at Hatton.  This lock impressive lock flight is nick-named the ‘Stairway to Heaven’. This is because of the hard work involved in the ascent, followed by an easy run to Camp Hill where the working boat men and women were once paid.  Today the journey to Hatton takes you through the Warwickshire countryside and past a series of villages with country pubs. These include: the canalside Fleur de Lys at Lowsonford; and the Navigation Inn at Rowington.  From Wootton Wawen, it takes around eight hours to reach the base of the Hatton flight, passing through 17 locks along the way.