Oxford Canal Pubs
Our favourite Oxford Canal pubs…
Whilst our luxury College Cruisers narrowboats contain all the facilities you need for self-catering, most of our customers enjoy trying out some of the excellent food and drink to be found at the many pubs to be found along the route. Here are ten of the best Oxford Canal pubs…
The Old Bookbinders Ale House (Oxford)
01865 553549 | www.craftybelle.uk/oldbookbinders/
Close to College Cruisers’ HQ in Oxford, The Old Bookbinders is a family-run pub sitting deep in the heart of Oxford’s historic, quirky suburb of Jericho, with its strong community feel. They serve food six days a week, keeping it simple in style and honest in price.
“The Bookies” is dog and family-friendly.
The Jolly Boatman (Thrupp)
01865 377800 | www.jollyboatman.com
A traditional canal-side pub in Thrupp, about 4 hours’ cruising from our Oxford base. They offer meals at the canal-side, or indoors in the bar, snug or their barn restaurant. Food is served 7 days a week, with a fine range of roasts available between 12.00 and 5.00pm on Sundays.
The Boat Inn (Thrupp)
01865 374279 | www.theboatinnthrupp.co.uk
The Boat Inn, about 4 hours’ cruising from Oxford, is a family and dog-friendly canal side country pub which has retained its traditional character and local appeal. It is an ideal watering hole to enjoy a tasty meal, a refreshing drink or a comforting warm by the roaring log fires. The pub has appeared several times in the popular, detective drama series Inspector Morse, based on the novels by Colin Dexter. As a member of the bespoke Greene King Head Brewer’s Club, and Cask Marque-accredited, The Boat Inn houses some of the best Greene King Cask Ales, including IPA, Old Trip, and Golden Hen and constantly changing guest ales.
The Oxford Arms (Kirtlington)
01869 350208 | www.oxford-arms.co.uk
The Oxford Arms is an award-winning dining pub situated in a wonderful 19th century building steeped in history. Kirtlington is approximately 6 hours’ cruising from Oxford. They serve lunch seven days a week and dinner every day except Sunday. Daily specials include dishes such as Wyevale Asparagus, Pea, Broadbean & Saffron Risotto, Salcombe Crab & Chili Linguine, and Sausage & Mash with Onion Gravy & Savoy Cabbage.
The Barley Mow (Upper Heyford)
01869 232300 | www.barley-mow-upper-heyford.co.uk
A friendly, family-run pub around 8 hours’ cruising from Oxford, The Barley Mow serves up home-cooked food and fine cask ales in a delightful rural setting. Thanks to its proximity to the canal there’s moorings available, and the glorious garden makes it a ideal family friendly pub. Lunch and dinner served seven days a week.
Great Western Arms (Aynho)
01869 338288 | www.great-westernarms.co.uk
The Great Western Arms is an inviting country pub serving excellent food and ales from the local Hook Norton Brewery. Based on the canal-side in Aynho, about 9 hours’ cruising from Oxford, the pub also lies next to an old Great Western Railway train station and steam trains can regularly be seen from the bridge outside the pub. The pub itself is full of Great Western Railway photos and memorabilia.
The Red Lion (Cropredy)
01295 758680 | www.theredlioncropredy.co.uk
Cropredy village sits beside the Oxford Canal, amongst beautiful countryside, with towpath walks stretching for miles in either direction and the inn itself, is just a few moments walk from the Cropredy Lock, along the delightful Red Lion Street. The Red Lion has a wide and varied menu with traditional pub lunch choices . A selection of cask ales and lagers are available.
The Brasenose (Cropredy)
01295 750244 | thebrasenose.co.uk
Under new management from November 2020. A 17th-century pub, steeped in history where you can enjoy a decent pint, a glass of Prosecco and either great quality bar food or something a bit more special from the 1777 restaurant menu.
The Wharf Inn (Fenny Compton)
01295 770332
The Wharf Inn is a traditional canal-side pub with a wide selection of real ales, beers and wine. Their comprehensive menu provides a selection of snacks, grills, burgers and a cracking Sunday roast. The Wharf also has its own hair and beauty salon, and on-site launderette!
The Folly (Napton)
01926 815185 | follyatnapton.co.uk/
The Folly Inn is conveniently located by The Folly Bridge (No. 113) and close to Napton Bottom Lock (No. 8). Food is served from their wide-ranging menu from 12pm – 2.30pm and 6pm – 9pm Monday – Saturday. On Sundays between 12pm – 4pm a traditional Sunday lunch is served.
Our Customer Reviews
Amazing time had! Massive thanks to Carys and her team - especially Chris as he made the information session entertaining and made sure we were confident!
Would absolutely do this again on another trip!!
We were given a helpful map with recommended stopping points, which made exploring the scenic canal so easy and enjoyable. It was such a treat to slow down and take life at a gentler pace for a few days.
Carys and the team were fantastic, so friendly and attentive, nothing was too much trouble. A brilliant family-run business that we’d highly recommend. Thank you for a wonderful holiday
I phoned a number of boat yards and was quoted weeks before they could help! College Cruisers had one of their engineers on our boat in less than an hour and booked into their marina with a minimal of delay. Having determined that we needed a new alternator, they loaned us a used one as a stop-gap until a new one could be fitted - no charge for the loan!
Their whole team was knowledgeable, amazingly friendly and helpful. I cannot recommend them enough; if I need any assistance in the future, they will definitely be my first port-of-call.
College Cruisers are ideally located at the end of the Oxford Canal. Even though many canals are closed this year, due to a lack of water, boats leaving from their marina have navigable access to a long stretch of the canal. Additionally, the River Thames is only a few hundred meters away.
Also, because of the short distance to a lock, clients benefit from lock navigation training - something few other charter companies can offer.
Our dealings with them could not have been more pleasant. The owner was extremely accommodating and kind when we experienced an illness in the family that required adjusting our plans, and when we had a minor mechanical difficulty, they dispatched a gentleman (who had to make a long trip) to rectify the problem. He was so nice and interesting we almost asked him to join us on the trip!
The boats themselves were very well stocked with (in our case) the necessities of cooking and baking that we were quite happy to make our (gourmet )meals on the boat when no pub was available.The boats were clean and beds were comfy and we had a great training session and introduction on how to operate the boats efficiently. Everyone we dealt with was very friendly, helpful and accommodating and we would highly recommend using this family operated company for your Narrowboat experience. The Oxford canal was a beautiful and a less busy canal than others we have been on, and we never had any problems finding a beautiful and quiet spot to moor for the night.
A thorough and friendly intro to the boat and off we went with top tips, detailed maps / guidebook and many thoughtful additional touches like firewood/coal, waterproofs for the inevitable rain and ice in the freezer for the equally inevitable G&Ts.
Such a beautiful part of the world to explore with herons, nesting swans, birds of prey above and ducklings below. Great pubs and restaurants along the way too.
Highly recommended - you won't be disappointed by Carys and her team at College Cruisers.
A very special thank you to The College Cruisers team who were absolutely lovely to us, especially to my autistic, boat enthusiast, son Thomas.
The team at College Cruisers was friendly and helpful. The pre-brief was excellent and prepared a novice for navigating the locks and canal system.
Highly recommend this wonderful excursion to anyone, novice or pro, and recommend College Cruiser!
Thank you Carys and your team.
We look forward to returning again next year.
The team at the yard in Oxford showed us how to open and close locks and the basic handling of the boat .
We were very impressed with our boat,it had all we needed for a great break
The canal is very picturesque although its shallow in places and care must be taken near moored craft ..
All in all a lovely break on a very nice boat .
Highly recommend
Funafloat Ltd trading as College Cruisers Registered in England and Wales
No: 03469314
VAT: 685699260
