The Stratford-on-Avon Canal Lapworth to Stratford-upon-Avon and the River Avon Walk.

Beautiful countryside, lots to look at including canal locks, bridges and aqueducts, the Stratford-on-Avon Canal is excellent for walkers and Cyclists.

Since a peaceful start along The Stratford-on-Avon Canal from Kings Norton Junction and then having a lot of activity while passing through the huge flight of locks at Lapworth some sort of relaxation might be envisaged by narrow-boat owners with the prospect of a quiet ride on south into Stratford-on-Avon. However one look at the Nicholson Guide shows there are still one or two canal locks to negotiate on the way including the lovely flight of locks at Wilmcote.

Barrel Vaulted Cottages on the Stratford-on-Avon Canal.

Just above there is a photo of the type of a lock-keeper's cottage the design of which was quite unique to the Stratford upon Avon Canal. During construction of the canal in order to save money the cottages were single storey and had barrel vaulted roofs. This inexpensive  type of roof is ideal for construction of rectangular shaped buildings and is simply a sequence of spaced arches placed beside each other.

Edstone Aqueduct and the Stratford-on-Avon Canal.

Edstone Aqueduct was built in the early 1800s and is the largest of a series of three cast iron (trough design) aqueducts which can be seen on the Stratford upon Avon Canal. Edstone Aqueduct takes the canal over a tributary of the River Avon and also over GWR railway lines and a road - the aqueduct is 475 feet long, supported on huge brick pillars and has the canal's towpath alongside. It's very interesting to walk across the aqueduct whilst narrowboats (and the occasional local duck squad) are passing by more or less level with your waist.

Once you have passed under Bridge 69 (which is the lowest bridge since Lapworth) you enter

the centre of the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon at Bancroft Basin

and this is the start (or end?) of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The whole area is very spacious and nicely paved and grassed and particularly on a sunny Summer weekend is really full of tourists (the Stratford-on-Avon / Shakespeare bit..). The River Avon meets and connects with the Stratford-on-Avon Canal via Wide Lock 56 which is a double lock and from there you get excellent views of the River - which at this point is really wide. Also a good view of the beautifull Tramway Bridge (photo above right). Tramway Bridge, which was built in 1823, got its name from being part of a 16 mile long horse-drawn tramway which ran between Moreton-in-Marsh (with a branch to Shipston-on-Stour) and the canal basin at Stratford-upon-Avon.