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The Leicester Ring

The Leicester Ring is a great two week cruise for most boaters and covers some beautiful East Midlands countryside using a wide mixture of narrow canal, broad canal and river navigations. There are famous canal towns and lots of lock flights, tunnels, aqueducts and canal heritage to keep all the crew interested.


Hillmorton Locks on a quiet day!

Hillmorton Locks on a quiet day!

  • The Trent & Mersey Canal runs eastwards from the popular Fradley Junction into fairly flat countryside close to the River Trent through Burton on Trent and the interesting canal port of Shardlow to the Trent which must then be followed downstream for about 2 miles to Trent Lock.
  • The Grand Union Leicester Section is mostly rural and follows the course of the very attractive River Soar for much of the way from the River Trent to Leicester, take care around the weirs when levels are high. It was built as a broad waterway but there are flights of narrow  locks at Foxton and Watford, an economy measure when funds were running low.
  • The North Oxford Canal is followed from near the waterways centre of Braunston through the busiest locks on the system at Hillmorton near Rugby to the sharp and interesting Hawkesbury Junction, traditionally known as ‘Sutton Stop’.
  • The Coventry Canal was once busy with coal traffic from the many pits which lined the route, all long closed and mostly lost to view unless you know where to look. The lock free Ashby Canal is well worth a detour to spend a peaceful few days.
the Leicester Ring Map

The Leicester Ring – Junctions, locks and lengths

bullet  Trent & Mersey Canal at Great Haywood, 23 locks, 41 miles to …

bullet  G. U. Leicester section at Trent Lock, 66 locks, 59 miles to …

bullet  Grand Union Canal at Norton Junction, 6 locks, 4 miles to …

bullet  Oxford Canal at Braunston, 4 locks, 23 miles to …

bullet  Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction, 13 locks, 33 miles to Great Haywood.

Foxton locks

Boat Hire from family firms on or around The Leicester Ring

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Ashby Canal

Ashby Boat Company Ltd

Ashby Boat Company Ltd.  friendly helpful company located on the tranquil Ashby canal. Their fleet has been inspected by The "Visit Britain Quality Assurance Scheme" Short break /Weekly & Day hire.

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Grand Union Canal

Grand Union Narrowboats

Grand Union Narrowboats. Small family run company. 2,4 & 6 berth four star graded narrowboats for weekly hire on the Grand Union and Oxford canals. Experience the Northamptonshire countryside at its finest.

canal signpost

Oxford Canal

Rose Narrowboats

Rose Narrowboats are a family firm with a fleet of 20 luxury narrowboats for weekly or shortbreak rental in the heart of the Midlands canal system.
On-line brochure here now.

More Rings

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