On the water - Warwickshire's rivers and canals

You are never far from water in Warwickshire. The county is laced with rivers and canals that between them connect almost every town and village on the map - from the hilltop villages of the south to the old coalfield towns of the north, all linked by a network of waterways that were once the county's industrial arteries and are now among its greatest recreational assets. Whether you fancy a gentle towpath stroll with a pub at the far end, a week on a narrowboat drifting through lock after lock with nothing more pressing than the next mooring, or simply sitting on a riverbank watching the world pass by at walking pace, Warwickshire's waterways are consistently, quietly wonderful.

The River Avon - Shakespeare's river

Start, as so many good Warwickshire stories do, with the River Avon. The river rises from a spring near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire and flows generally west and south-west through Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon before continuing to Evesham and Tewkesbury, where it meets the Severn. It is 85 miles long in total, and the stretch through Warwickshire is among the loveliest of them.

The finest places to meet the Avon on foot are in the towns. At Warwick, the river curves below the castle in a loop so photogenic it looks designed for photos. Sit at water level in Mill Garden on Mill Street, accessible by voluntary donation, for views of the castle towers reflected in the Avon - one of the most beautiful views in England. 

St Nicholas Park just downstream has wide lawns running down to the water, rowing boats for hire and a café. The riverside path connecting Warwick to Royal Leamington Spa is a particularly satisfying three-mile walk between two very fine towns.

At Stratford-upon-Avon, the Avon is the town's living room. Bancroft Gardens, stretching along the riverfront in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, attracts over a million visitors a year - and for good reason. 

Start from the canal basin and walk along the right bank past Holy Trinity Church and down by Lucy's Mill, crossing back over the river, and you have one of the finest short walks in the Midlands, combining river, church, swans and a steady supply of excellent ice cream in the space of a comfortable hour. Rowing boats, canoes, and river cruises are all available throughout the summer. Cross the river to the recreation ground, you can look back at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the church spire.

The Avon's villages reward those who follow the river beyond the towns. Welford-on-Avon, with its maypole and its thatched cottages, and Bidford-on-Avon, with its medieval bridge and its riverside pubs, are two of the most picturesque stops on the whole river - and both are easily reached on foot from Stratford along Shakespeare's Avon Way, the 88-mile long-distance path that follows the river from its source all the way to Tewkesbury.

At a glance: the best places to see the River Avon

• The Mill Garden, Warwick for the classic castle-and-river view.
• St Nicholas Park, Warwick for riverside lawns, and walks.
• Royal Leamington Spa: Jephson Gardens for ornamental planting and the riverside walk.
• Victoria Bridge, Leamington for the view up and downstream.
• Barford - a pretty village bridge and riverside pub, the Joseph Arch, a lovely stopping point on the Avon Way.
• Bancroft Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon and the canal basin; the walk.
• Welford-on-Avon - thatched cottages, a maypole, the Bell Inn and one of the most photographed village settings on the whole river.
• Bidford-on-Avon - the medieval eight-arched bridge; riverside pubs; easy flat walking in both directions along the Avon Way.

The smaller rivers - worth seeking out

Warwickshire's smaller rivers are the county's secret waterways - less celebrated than the Avon and the canals, but richly rewarding for those who follow them. The tributaries of the Warwickshire Avon include the rivers Alne, Arrow, Stour, Swift, and Leam- each one threading through a distinct corner of the county, each one carrying its own particular character and its own supply of good walks, good pubs and the kind of unhurried wildlife that only reveals itself to people travelling slowly and quietly.

The River Arrow 

The Arrow rises in Worcestershire and enters Warwickshire near Studley, passing Coughton Court before flowing through the centre of Alcester and meeting the River Alne. The winding banks of the River Arrow are edged with willows, alder, oak, and hawthorn, which provide ideal perches for kingfishers, while the sloping pebble beach provides perfect feeding spots for grey wagtails and several rare county beetles. The Alcester Local Nature Reserve beside the river - with its waymarked circular trail, its weir and its historical connections to Ragley Mill and Alcester Abbey - is a lovely short walk from the High Street, and the village of Arrow itself, where the river still drives the waterwheel at the converted Arrow Mill, is one of the most photogenic spots on the entire river.

Best places to see on the River Arrow:

• Alcester - the Local Nature Reserve beside the town centre; the weir and the historical mill leat; the walk south along the riverbank towards the village of Arrow
• Arrow village - the converted Arrow Mill with its working waterwheel; peaceful meadow walking in both directions from the village
• Coughton Court - the river skirts the National Trust estate, and the field path from Coughton to Alcester along the Arrow is one of the most pleasant easy walks in south Warwickshire

The River Alne 

The Alne rises near Tanworth-in-Arden and flows south through Henley-in-Arden and Wootton Wawen before joining the Arrow at Alcester. The Alne feeds Wootton Pool near Wootton Wawen, and several historic water mills powered by the river survive along its course - including Hoo Mill at Haselor, considered the most complete traditional watermill in the area, still with its internal waterwheel intact. The Alne passes through the Riverlands Nature and Play Area in Henley-in-Arden - a small park on the river's banks with a bridge, a ford, a gravel beach and a pond teeming with newts, frogs, kingfishers, and grass snakes - making it a particularly rewarding stop for families and wildlife-watchers alike.

Best places to see on the River Alne:

• Henley-in-Arden - the Riverlands park and nature area; the ford and the gravel beach; easy riverside walking north and south of town
• Wootton Wawen - Wootton Pool and the riverside meadows beside the village; combines well with a walk along the adjacent Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the Edstone Aqueduct nearby
• Great Alne and Haselor - the historic mill corridor along the lower Alne; Hoo Mill at Haselor with its intact waterwheel; quiet lanes and field paths connecting the villages

The River Leam

The River Leam rises at Hellidon Hill in Northamptonshire and flows through Warwickshire before joining the River Avon near Warwick - its very name, first recorded in 956, derives from the British word meaning "elm-tree river", and the wooded character of its banks in the stretch through and beyond Royal Leamington Spa makes that ancient description still feel apt today. The Leam gave Leamington its name, its spa water and much of its character - and though it plays second fiddle to the Avon in scale, it is a lovely river in its own right, threading through some of the most attractive parkland and countryside in the county.

The 3.5-mile Riverside Walk linking Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick follows the River Leam, the Grand Union Canal and the River Avon in a single connected route passing through Jephson Gardens, the Pump Room Gardens, Victoria Park and St Nicholas Park along the way, with cafés, toilets and river views at almost every stage. It is one of the finest town-to-town riverside walks in the Midlands, and entirely flat. Heading east from the town centre, the route takes in Newbold Comyn Park and the Leam Valley Local Nature Reserve - 300 acres of wetland, woodland and meadow habitat with a bird hide, where the river's dragonflies, kingfishers and otters reward those who walk quietly and take their time.

Best places to see on the River Leam:

• Royal Leamington Spa town centre - the river runs through Victoria Park and beneath Adelaide Bridge; Pump Room Gardens and Jephson Gardens in a single connected riverside walk
• Jephson Gardens - the river forms the southern boundary of the gardens, with the Mill Gardens on the opposite bank and fine views up and downstream from the footbridges
• Newbold Comyn Park and Leam Valley Nature Reserve - the riverbanks here are home to a beautiful variety of dragonflies and damselflies, and the deep waters hold roach, perch and bream alongside the kingfishers and otters that patrol the banks
• Offchurch - a popular place for walkers wishing to explore the Warwickshire countryside, with the village pub a natural stopping point on a circular walk from Leamington along the Offchurch Greenway
• Hunningham - a pretty circular walk from the village car park takes in open countryside and a beautiful stretch of the River Leam, starting and finishing at the Red Lion pub - one of the most satisfying short river walks in the county
• Eathorpe and Wappenbury - gentle Warwickshire countryside with meadows alongside the River Leam and wildlife-rich woodland nature reserves, passing through two lovely historic villages
• Emscote, Warwick - where the Leam quietly joins the Avon beneath a modest bridge, and the two rivers head together towards the castle; the Saxon Mill pub just upstream on the Avon is one of the finest riverside pubs in the county

The River Stour 

The Stour rises in Oxfordshire and flows north through the far south of Warwickshire, passing through Shipston-on-Stour and on towards the Avon at Clifford Chambers, just south of Stratford. It is a small, pastoral river - more stream than river for much of its length - but the walk along its banks from Shipston north towards Honington, with its five-arched bridge and its views across the meadows, is one of the most quietly lovely short walks in south Warwickshire.

Best places to see on the River Stour

• Shipston-on-Stour - the riverside path south of town; the walk north along the Stour to Honington village and its five-arched bridge
• Honington - the meadows beside the river and the views back towards Shipston; the village itself, with its 17th century hall visible above the trees on the far bank
• Clifford Chambers - where the Stour joins the Avon just south of Stratford; a peaceful village with a timber-framed manor visible from the footpath, and easy onward walking along Shakespeare's Avon Way into Stratford

The Grand Union Canal - The stairway to heaven and beyond

The Grand Union Canal is Britain's longest, and the Warwickshire stretch between Napton Junction and Warwick is among the most rewarding sections of the entire 100-mile route. It enters the county near Napton-on-the-Hill - a village set on a ridge above the canal with a working windmill, a cider farm and a water buffalo dairy nearby, and one of those stops that makes exploring canals so worthwhile. The canal then heads north-west through Stockton and Long Itchington towards Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick.

The undisputed highlight of the Grand Union in Warwickshire is the Hatton Flight. It is easy to appreciate why Hatton's 21 locks are called the Stairway to Heaven, as you watch them in action lifting narrowboats up the steep Avon Valley from Warwick. The flight rises nearly 45 metres over two miles of canal, and whether you are working a boat through it or simply walking the towpath alongside and watching other people do all the hard work, it is a spectacular piece of early 19th century engineering. Have a snack at Hatton Locks Café - formerly the stables where barge horses rested - or the Hatton Arms pub nearby and the whole thing becomes not just impressive but an extremely pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

At Warwick, the canal passes through the town in a deep cutting before emerging into open countryside, and the stretch of towpath between the town centre and the top of the Hatton Flight is one of the most popular short walks in the county - flat, well-maintained and consistently beautiful. A 3.5-mile riverside walk also shadows the River Leam, Grand Union Canal and River Avon to link Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick - from beautiful Victorian Jephson Gardens to St Nicholas Park and iconic views of medieval Warwick Castle reflected in the Avon - and is about as good a way of spending a Warwickshire afternoon as can be imagined.

Best places to see the Grand Union Canal

• Napton-on-the-Hill - the junction where the Oxford Canal splits away; the hilltop village with its working windmill above; the Napton Bridge Inn canalside
• Long Itchington - a handsome canal village with the Two Boats Inn and the Duck on the Pond; good circular walks into the surrounding countryside
• Stockton Locks - a flight of six locks in open countryside; the Blue Lias pub at the bottom of the flight; one of the most peaceful canal stretches in the county
• Royal Leamington Spa - the canal passes through the town in a deep wooded cutting; pick up the towpath at Radford Road and follow it west towards Warwick
• Warwick - the town centre section with its deep cutting; the walk west along the towpath to the Hatton Flight
• Hatton Locks - the full 21-lock Stairway to Heaven and one of the great engineering spectacles of the English canal network
• Shrewley Tunnel - a short walk over the tunnel top while boats disappear below; the tunnel has a separate pedestrian and horse tunnel running alongside

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal - A picturesque Warwickshire route

If the Grand Union is the county's workhorse canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is its romantic canal. It took more than 20 years from the 1790s to construct, and the waterway was largely used to transport coal, but today's walkers and leisure boaters love it for its picturesque scenery. The southern section from Wootton Wawen to Stratford passes through some of the loveliest canal country in the Midlands - lock cottages with barrel-shaped roofs, cast-iron split bridges, aqueducts carrying the water above the valley floor, and a succession of villages and pubs that make the towpath walk a pleasure in any season.

The standout feature is the Edstone Aqueduct near Wootton Wawen - England's longest cast-iron aqueduct, where narrowboats float above the road below in a trough of water that feels faintly implausible.

The canal ends - or begins, depending on your direction of travel - at Stratford-upon-Avon's Bancroft Basin, where it joins the River Avon directly in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. in a canal basin busy with narrowboats throughout the summer and one of the most lively and photogenic spots in the county. The canalside walk north from Stratford towards Wilmcote, where Mary Arden's Farm sits just a short walk from the towpath

Best places to see the Stratford Canal

• Kingswood Junction - where the northern and southern sections of the canal meet, close to Lapworth; the Boot Inn at Lapworth, one of the finest canalside pubs in Warwickshire.
• Lowsonford - a picture-perfect hamlet of barrel-roofed lock cottages; the Fleur de Lys pub, with gardens running down to the canal.
• Wootton Wawen - the Edstone Aqueduct, England's longest cast-iron aqueduct, where boats float above the road; the Navigation Inn just below.
• Wilmcote - Mary Arden's Farm a short walk from the towpath; the Mason's Arms in the village.
• Stratford-upon-Avon - Bancroft Basin at the southern terminus, where the canal meets the Avon in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

The Coventry Canal - The North Warwickshire towpath

In the north of the county, the Coventry Canal threads through a landscape shaped by centuries of coal mining and canal building, connecting Coventry to Fazeley and passing through Nuneaton, Atherstone and Polesworth along the way. Among towpath walkers it has a devoted following- not least because the stretch between Atherstone and Polesworth passes through some of the most unexpectedly peaceful countryside in North Warwickshire.

The circular six-mile route from Atherstone, following the towpath of the Coventry Canal to the ancient hilly woodland of Hartshill Hayes Country Park and returning for refreshments in the canalside beer garden of the King's Head pub is one of the best half-day walks in the county's north. The Atherstone flight of eleven locks - dropping the canal 80 feet over two miles - is a dramatic feature in its own right, and the towpath past Polesworth connects the Abbey, the Poetry Trail and Pooley Country Park in a single walk of remarkable historical and natural variety.

At Hawkesbury Junction near Coventry, where the Coventry Canal meets the Oxford Canal, there is an old engine house, a graceful curved bridge and the Greyhound Inn - a junction of canals that was once one of the busiest coal-trading points in the Midlands, and is now a favourite stop for walkers and boaters who appreciate the combination of industrial heritage and a well-kept pub.

The best places to see the Coventry Canal

• Hawkesbury Junction - where the Coventry and Oxford canals meet near Coventry; the old engine house; the curved iron bridge; the Greyhound Inn
• Nuneaton - pick up the towpath south of the town centre and follow it through Riversley Park towards Bedworth, or north through the countryside towards Atherstone
• Atherstone - the eleven-lock flight dropping 80 feet over two miles; the King's Head canalside pub; the starting point for the circular walk to Hartshill Hayes Country Park
• Polesworth - the towpath walk connecting the Abbey, the Poetry Trail and Pooley Country Park; the tow path café at Pooley Country Park
• Alvecote - Alvecote Priory ruin beside the towpath; the pools and nature reserve of Alvecote Meadows immediately alongside the canal

The Oxford Canal - contours, curves and countryside

The Oxford Canal enters Warwickshire from the south at Napton and winds its way north to Rugby in a series of extravagant curves that follow the natural contours of the land - the result of engineer James Brindley's preference for following the landscape rather than cutting through it. The route between the farms of Priors Hardwick and Fenny Compton is almost a full circle as it follows the contour of the land, taking five and a half miles to cover what is essentially two miles as the crow flies - and that meandering character is precisely what makes it so enjoyable to walk.

At Rugby, the canal passes through the Newbold Tunnel and emerges beside the Barley Mow and the Boat - two pubs that have been serving canal travellers for over 200 years - before threading through Hillmorton with its pretty flight of three paired locks. The walk south from Rugby to Hillmorton Locks and back is one of the most reliably pleasant short towpath walks in the county: flat, well-maintained, and finishing at the lock cottage tea room if you time it right.

The best places to see the Oxford Canal

• Napton Junction - the junction with the Grand Union; the hilltop village of Napton above; a natural starting point for walking either canal
• Priors Hardwick and Fenny Compton - the famously contoured stretch where the canal winds almost in a full circle to follow the landscape; quiet, rural and largely unchanged since Brindley built it
• Braunston - just over the Northamptonshire border but the natural end point for walks north from Napton; a classic canal village with historic boatyard, church reflected in the canal, and the Admiral Nelson pub
• Rugby - the Newbold Tunnel and the two canalside pubs at its mouth - the Barley Mow and the Boat; the walk south along the towpath to Hillmorton
• Hillmorton - three pairs of locks in a particularly picturesque rural setting; the lock cottage; one of the most charming lock flights in the Midlands and an easy two-mile walk from Rugby town centre

On the Water - by narrowboat

If towpath walking is the gentle way to enjoy Warwickshire's canals, hiring a narrowboat is the full immersion. Hire companies offer self-drive narrowboats for a day, weekend or week and the options for where to take them are outstanding. A weekend from Napton covers the Stockton locks and the Grand Union to Leamington and back. A week opens up the full Warwickshire Ring, taking in sections of the Grand Union, Oxford, Coventry and Birmingham and Fazeley canals, with highlights including the pretty canal village of Braunston, the awesome Hatton Flight of 21 locks, Warwick Castle and Royal Leamington Spa. While it can technically be done in a week, ten days or a fortnight allows you to actually stop, get off and enjoy the places you are passing through. Which, on the canals of Warwickshire, rather seems to be the point.