Moorings on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs 42 kilometres from Kings Norton Junction in south Birmingham southward through Earlswood, Wootton Wawen and Wilmcote to drop down to the River Avon at Stratford-upon-Avon — Shakespeare's birthplace and one of the most visited heritage towns in England. Restored in two halves (the Northern section and the long-derelict Southern section, reopened by the National Trust in 1964 in a landmark restoration), it is now Canal & River Trust managed and a beloved part of the Avon Ring cruising route. For boat owners, the Stratford has unmistakable character — the famous barrel-roof lock cottages, the cast-iron split bridges that allowed horse tow-ropes to pass without unhitching, and 56 locks descending through gentle Warwickshire countryside. Long-stay moorings are available at Wilmcote, Wootton Wawen Boatyard, Earlswood Lakes Marina and Bancroft Basin in the heart of Stratford itself, where boats moor a few hundred yards from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The canal connects at Kings Norton to the Worcester & Birmingham, and at Stratford to the River Avon, opening the popular Avon Ring (Stratford → Tewkesbury → Severn → Worcester → Birmingham → Stratford). Liveaboards enjoy a balance of rural quiet and tourist-town vibrancy, with rail at Stratford direct to Birmingham and London Marylebone. A genuinely characterful liveaboard waterway.