Last year over ten million people visited the charity’s 2,000-mile network of canals and rivers to enjoy walking, cycling, running, boat trips, fishing, wildlife spotting, feeding ducks, watching boats go through locks, paddleboarding, visiting a museum, enjoying food and drink at a canalside café or pub, and marvelling at some of the world’s finest examples of working industrial heritage.
Ros Daniels, Canal & River Trust’s director for the South East, says: “Every year, millions of people visit our waterways to be active, relax and to enjoy the scenic landscapes our canals offer.
“Our canals provide free and low-cost family-friendly days out by the water, and the chance to have some fabulous waterside experiences this Easter. Even in city centres, people can spot a variety of birds, animals, insects and plants along our canals and rivers. And from locks and bridges, to tunnels and aqueducts, there are hundreds of historic structures to marvel at.
“We want to encourage more people to visit our canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks so they can experience the physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits of spending time by water, and find out more about the work of our charity to care for the nation’s world-famous historic network.”
The Canal & River Trust’s Places to Visit in the South East Guide provides information on the following locations:
Aldermaston Wharf RG7 4JS
Once a busy place for loading and unloading canal cargoes, Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet & Avon Canal is now a picture of tranquillity and the perfect place to explore the Berkshire countryside. Visitors can watch boats going through Aldermaston Lock, chat with the Trust’s volunteer lock keepers, have a canalside picnic watching out for kingfishers, herons, coots and swans, and enjoy a traffic-free cycle ride to Woolhampton, well known for its coaching inns.
Aylesbury Canal Basin, Waterside Exchange Street HP20 1AL
Aylesbury Canal Basin at the end of the Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal, is a great starting point for waterside walks and bird watching. Visitors can enjoy a traffic-free walk or cycle ride along the towpath to see two rare staircase locks (1.5 miles/2 kilometres), stroll to Circus Field Basin to see colourful narrowboats, take a boat trip along the canal, explore the historic market town of Aylesbury, and enjoy a waterside coffee at the café.
Banbury OX16 5QE
The Oxford Canal passes through the historic market town of Banbury, offering the chance to connect with history and nature. Visitors can take a boat trip along the canal, stroll along the towpath to find a sculpture, a poem on a lockgate and a bridge named after waterways champion Tom Rolt, enjoy a traffic-free cycle ride to Cropredy (4.7 miles/7.7 kilometres), visit Banbury Museum, and walk to Banbury Cross in the centre of town.
Berkhamsted, Canal Fields, Broadwater, HP4 2AL
Once a busy inland port and the centre of boat building activity, today the historic market town of Berkhamsted on the Grand Union Canal in Hertfordshire makes for a fascinating day out. Visitors can stroll along the towpath to see boats going through the locks and the Canadian totem pole that marks the site of an old boat building yard, explore the ruins of Berkhamsted Castle built by one of William the Conqueror’s knights, enjoy a drink and bite to eat at one of the canalside pubs, and visit the nearby Ashridge estate woods.
Bishop’s Stortford, Jackson Square Car Park CM23 3XH
The River Stort winds its way through Bishop’s Stortford and is a great route for country walks. Visitors can wander along the towpath and enjoy the wildlife and watch boats going through the locks, enjoy a canalside picnic overlooking Waytemore Castle Mound, head south to Rushy Mead Nature Reserve, a haven for reedbed species, and pause for a drink in one of the waterside cafes or pubs.
Kintbury, Station Road RG17 9UT
Once home to a busy industrial canal wharf, the historic village of Kintbury on the Kennet & Avon Canal is now a picture of tranquillity. Visitors can take a horse-drawn boat trip along the canal, enjoy a stroll alongside the canal and watch boats going through Kintbury Lock, set off on a traffic-free bike ride, have a waterside picnic or visit one of the village pubs.
Newbury Wharf, Wharf Street RG14 5AP
Once a busy inland port, Newbury on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Berkshire is a great place to spend time by the water. Visitors can enjoy a boat trip, relax with a picnic in Victoria Park, visit the Kennet & Avon Centre in the wharf to find out about the history of the canal, stroll along the towpath to Town Bridge, and walk or cycle along the towpath to Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre (0.8-mile/1.2 kilometres).
Oxford, Worcester St Car Park OX1 2BQ
Just minutes from Oxford City Centre, the Oxford Canal offers a place of peace and tranquillity. Visitors can walk along the canal discovering the many quirky bridges, including the historic Rewley Road Swing Bridge, look out for the now closed Oxford boatyard where Lyra meets ‘gyptians’ in Philip Pullman’s The Northern Lights, and follow the towpath to the Thames Path and continue to Christ Church Meadows, once of the most famous river landscapes in the world.
Reading, The Oracle Riverside car park, RG1 2AG
The Kennet & Avon Canal sweeps through Reading’s town centre and County Lock is the perfect place to relax and watch boats go by. Visitors can talk a walk along the towpath to where the River Thames joins the canal, relax with a coffee and watch the boats go by, look at the floating reedbeds in Abbey Quarter installed to increase biodiversity, visit the burial place of King Henry I at Reading Abbey Ruins, and follow the Heritage Walk from the Oracle Shopping Centre.
Thrupp, Canal Yard, Canal Road OX5 1JZ
The peaceful hamlet of Thrupp lies on the Oxford Canal and is a great place for watching boats and family walks. Visitors can take a stroll along the towpath pas the charming rose-covered canalside cottages, look at the ‘drawbridge’ lift bridge across the canal, enjoy a waterside picnic, visit one of the canalside pubs or café, and follow the towpath to the historic village of Shipton-on-Cherwell (0.6 miles/1 kilometre).
Tring Reservoirs, Marsworth HP23 4LL
The four reservoirs at Tring were built to supply the Grand Union Canal and are now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The waters of the reservoirs attract many plants, fish and insects, and large numbers of breeding, wintering and migrating birds. As well as watching boats go through the locks, visitors can choose from three way-marked circular walks to follow, discover bird hides to sit in and watch swifts and common terns during the day, or pipistrelle bats hunting for insects in the evening, and visit a canalside pub or café.
Weston Turville Reservoir, World’s End Lane HP22 5PS
Nestled in the Buckinghamshire countryside, Weston Turville Reservoir Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a wildfowl wonderland and the perfect place to get close to nature. Visitors can spot teal, tufted duck and bittern, follow the 1.2-mile (2 kilometre) pathway around the reservoir, get a licence to go fishing, and watch the boats from Aylesbury Sailing Club.
Canal & River Trust’s new regional Places to Visit in the South East Guide is available to download at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/free-guide