SAISONS Whilton Locks

Possible routes for a week from Whilton

White text for a typical fairly leisurely week. Red text for the more active crew wanting to cruise rather than visit.

1 North - towards Leicester

 Interesting staircases - very rural

Head up through the locks (7 in total). Turn right at Norton Junction and after a short cruise you reach Watford Locks (2 single, a staircase of 4 and another single). A little further on you travel though Crick tunnel. From here you have several hours of cruising through remote countryside to Foxton, with its impressive staircase of 10 locks. Turn right at the bottom to cruise the quiet Harborough arm to the pretty village of Market Harborough. After returning to Foxton, continue up through wide individual locks towards Leicester. On your return route, turn left at the Welford Turn. This leads up through a single lock to the village of Welford with two good food Pubs and a pleasant walk up to the reservoirs which feed the canal.

2 South - towards London

 A long tunnel and canal history

Plain cruising for the first few hours till you reach Blisworth Tunnel which is VERY long. This is followed by the canal centre of Stoke Bruerne with its excellent museum and book-shop. After the locks here you travel through pleasant countryside to Milton Keynes, a well laid out town with good shopping and entertainment. A pleasant run down to Leighton Buzzard completes the outward journey. Turning right at Marsworth Junction leads you up the 16 locks to Aylesbury with a very welcoming basin and small town at the end.

3 North West - past Coventry and Nuneaton

 Plenty of variety

Up the 7 locks , as for route 1, but continue straight ahead at Norton Junction to take you through Braunston Tunnel and down 7 more locks to Braunston, once a centre of canal trading, now a large marina. After Braunston follow the North Oxford Canal through Rugby with few locks all the way to Atherstone where the climb of 13 locks takes you to Fazeley Junction where you can turn to do it all again the other way! (Less energetic boaters can turn before the locks to give more opportunity for the following alternatives). On the return trip detours up the rural Ashby Canal or a quick trip into the heart of Coventry add variety.

4 West and South - towards Banbury

 Plenty of locks for the energetic - (can be busy in the height of summer)

Initially as for route 3, but turn left after Braunston along the short run to Napton Junction. Continue straight ahead for the Oxford Canal past Claydon, (where a brisk walk will take you into the village with a very interesting and unusual bygones museum) and on to Banbury turning at Aynho. Continue into Oxford itself with plenty to see and do if you have the time to spare.

5 South and East - towards Peterborough

 A very long flight of locks then river cruising

Initially as for route 2, but turn left at Gayton onto the Northampton arm. This takes you down a flight of 13 locks and through open countryside. Four more locks take you down to the River Nene and Northampton Town Centre. The River leads you through unusual guillotine locks to Wellingborough. Continue through more locks to Thrapston or Oundle.

6 West - through Leamington and Warwick

 A historical tour of Central England

Initially as for route 4, but turn right at Napton Junction. Groups of locks take you down to Leamington, followed closely by Warwick, both interesting places to visit. If you don’t spend too long there continue to Kingswood Junction where you can turn either before or after sneaking onto the Stratford Canal.Continue down this canal to Wootten Wawen to experience one of the prettiest canals in the country.

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