The Avon Ring

Shakespeare’s Avon rises on the old battleground of Naseby Field and flows past Warwick Castle into the fruit-filled Vale of Evesham before joining the Severn at Tewkesbury. By linking it with sections of the River Severn, Worcester and Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon Canals, a wonderfully varied 10 or 11 day circular route can be created.

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal offers panoramic views of Worcestershire, dominated by the Malvern Hills. Tardebigge top lock, one of the deepest on the canal system, is the first of many distractions en route to the Severn, including the National Trusts Hanbury Hall, the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings (look out for their 3-seater toilet) and several great canal-side pubs.

In Worcester you can moor along side the Commandery. Here, you can discover how, while Charles II planned the Battle of Worcester in 1651, a roundhead spy lurked in the rafters. Within a few yards is the Dyson Perrins museum devoted to Worcester’s famous porcelain - and a cut price seconds shop! You will wake in the morning to the sound of the chime of the Cathedral clock before slipping down the Severn towards the pretty town of Upton. At the ‘Upton Muggery’ a souvenir mug is yours if you finish a helping of Desperate Dan Pie, complete with pastry horns!

Tewkesbury, with the Abbey and many narrow lanes of half-timbered buildings, is worth exploring before a chat with the lock-keeper and obtaining a license to travel the privately administered Avon.

The Avon meanders through the English Countryside at its very best. You’ll pass glorious thatched and half-timbered cottages and don’t miss a stop at the Bridge Inn at Offenham. As Worcestershire becomes Warwickshire the river passes Bidford, a popular destination for a day out for West Midlanders. You may join them in exploring the winding streets and various pubs or push onto Stratford.

The approach to Stafford-upon-Avon can be hectic in high summer, with rowing boats and trip boats scurrying back and forth beneath the famous theatre. It comes as something of a relief to reach the placid waters of the canal basin. Moor up, get changed and check you have your tickets - the curtain rises at 7.30. The final leg is on the Stratford Canal itself. The canal seems to lose itself in a landscape of rolling hills and woodland. These are the last vestiges of the Old Forest of Arden and you half expect Shakespearean characters to materialise on the tow-path. Welcome to the heart of England.