Canal narrow boat holiday hire
The Oxford Canal shows you Oxfordshire at it's best!
College Cruisers are the long-established narrowboat holiday hire fleet based right in the centre of the romantic City of Oxford. We are therefore a perfect base to visit the city of Oxford and explore further a field onto the picturesque Oxford Canal and experience the delights of Oxfordshire.
Lots of visitors come to Oxfordshire to experience the urban delights of Oxford, with it's colleges or to visit Blenheim Palace. Oxfordshire also has delightful countryside to offer with outstanding pretty villages dotted along the banks of the Oxford Canal.
Here's a few details of what you can see on your narrow boat holiday hire around the Oxford Canal:-
♦ Blenheim Palace
Just a few miles north of the city of Oxford is the grand Blenheim Palace.
♦ Uffington White Horse
Carved into the chalk hillside the mysterious White Horse can be seen above the village of Uffington.
♦ Wayland's Smithy
Just a short distance from the White Horse is the Wayland's Smithy famous for it's chambered tomb.
♦ Enjoy the Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal starts by the River Thames in Oxford and runs for 77 miles, mainly through quiet rolling countryside. From world famous Oxford, founded nearly a thousand years ago and with its many University Colleges, the canal heads north through pleasant pastures, through the old canal village of Thrupp and passing close to the magnificent Blenheim palace, Winston Churchill's birthplace. The countryside becomes more
isolated with rolling hills around the old village of Lower Heyford, neighbouring Upper Heyford had a large USAF base. Banbury is an interesting medieval market town with many fine old pubs
Napton Locks
Braunston is an old canal town well worth a visit. The section up past Rugby was straightened in the nineteenth century, almost halving the length of the original winding route. You can still see the remains from the straightened out loops and the entrance to the old Newbold Tunnel is near the churchyard. At right angles with the old tunnel is the "new tunnel" and is of fairly generous dimensions, having a towpath on both sides.
Ladder Bridge
Built to an ancient design the single wooden beam structure carries a private footpath and has developed a considerable sag over the years. Wooden bridges are fairly rare on the canals but were cheaper to construct than masonry or metal bridges.
Aynho Weir Lock
The unusual lozenge shaped Aynho Weir lock, south of Banbury. Under the bridge on the left hand side you can just see where the River Cherwell emerges to cross the canal at a right angle. It exits over a weir on the right. Canals were often built along river valleys since they offer fairly flat routes. However they usually take an entirely separate course to reduce the damage and disruption to the canal if the river floods. Level river crossings like this are quite rare on the canal system.
Lots to see & do
Our routes are located right in the heart of the romantic city of Oxford giving easy access to tourist attractions and shops.
AN ILLUSTRATED MAP
You can view & download a copy of our illustrated hand drawn Oxford Canal map » (.4Mb pdf)
