Braunston to Oxford

This is the ultimate cruise along the beautiful South Oxford Canal down to the City of Oxford. There are plenty of locks that keep you entertained and the stunning vistas over the rolling landscape of Oxfordshire. Open pasture, the meandering course of the Canal - the perfect ingredients for a peaceful narrowboat holiday. There are plenty of pubs along the way - just in case your energy levels need to be topped up. At Napton, just ¼ mile from bridge 113, is a very interesting cidery, Napton cidery. Juices, apple brandy, cider and cider vinegar can all be tried and purchased here. The canal is rather twisty from now on, which makes this stretch of canal never dull. At Fenny Compton, the “Wharf Inn'' can be found, which is the perfect place for a lunch break. If you look closely, you can see red-brick stabling, once used for boat horses, can be spotted near the second lock at Claydon. The cruise down to Oxford continues to be among either open farmland or thickly wooded areas. It seldom gets urban, but pubs are found to be at nearly every corner. That’s probably why many people never make it to Oxford, but turn at Lower Heyford instead. Between here and Oxford the canal is once again rural and pleasant, sometimes you could forget that this waterway was originally built for commercial purposes. Soon, you’ll reach the City of Oxford. There are nice visitor moorings not far away from the city centre where you moor up for the night. This is also your turning point for this journey. Retrace your steps back to the hire base in Braunston and don’t forget to sample a few of the pubs you might have missed on your way to Oxford.