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Warwick Ring - Warwick Castle....


robtheplod

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Hi All

We're hiring from Kate Boats next week to do the Warwick Ring (clockwise) and just thinking at the end when we arrive back it would be nice to see Warwick Castle from below, which I believe is the river and not canal?  Is it possible to see the castle from the canal or do we need to get onto the river, and if so is this permitted/possible???

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You can not see the castle from the canal, nor can you get your hire boat onto the river at Warwick, although there is a plan to make that happen, but probably not in my lifetime.

The only way that I know that you could see the castle from the river is by rowing boat, they are hired out in the park.

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No you can neither see the castle from the canal, nor get a canal boat on to the river.

It's a moor up and go on foot job!

EDIT:

Just beaten to the post on the reply!

Edited by alan_fincher
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It would say do it when you have returned the boat on the last day, doing the Warwickshire ring in a week you don't want to be spending too long on other activities, and the canal does not go that close to the castle.

If this works this is a link to google maps of the road bridge over the river where to one side you can see the castle, to the other side the park where you can hire a rowing boat, the rowing boat was a serious suggestion!


https://goo.gl/maps/sPwQD3dU8KL2

 

 

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excellent idea, will do, thanks for the suggestion....

In doing the ring Sat to Sat from Warwick, do you think this gives us time to go into Birmingham (Gas Street etc) or will we be best skirting by (carrying on up the GU through Knowle/Garrison Locks) ?  Keen not to cut ourselves short - hopefully the hire people will be able to advise also!

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1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

excellent idea, will do, thanks for the suggestion....

In doing the ring Sat to Sat from Warwick, do you think this gives us time to go into Birmingham (Gas Street etc) or will we be best skirting by (carrying on up the GU through Knowle/Garrison Locks) ?  Keen not to cut ourselves short - hopefully the hire people will be able to advise also!

Back in our hiring days we did the Warks Ring in a week from Kate Boats, and included the centre of Birmingham.  IIRC, we got away early (our policy was to arrive nearby at lunchtime, then phone and ask if our boat was ready yet, and it always was), and got to the top of Hatton that day.  The next day was leave early, up Lapworth, then the long lock-free slog right into the centre of Birmingham.  I'm sure Kate Boats have people doing this route every week.

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thanks Adam, that's encouraging. It would be ideal if we could get to the centre as I do hear how nice it is - presume you try to stay overnight in Gas Street or do you try to get through Birmingham and out the other side?  rob

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6 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

thanks Adam, that's encouraging. It would be ideal if we could get to the centre as I do hear how nice it is - presume you try to stay overnight in Gas Street or do you try to get through Birmingham and out the other side?  rob

Birmingham is more than one street wide - do you mean just going under Broad Street?? (haha)

FWIW we always moor around the Barclaycard Centre (can be noisy if they're deconstructing an exhibition) - it's nicer on the other side of the cut, but there are plenty of options (by SeaWorld - dark and dingy) or just a bit further on after the bridge. Before Worcester Bar can be noisy and we've been set adrift around the corner - that's before you get to GSB.

Plug: Don't forget to visit The Library, Town Hall, Pen Museum, Jewellery museum. Pit you won't have time for the Black Country Museum - go by bus or train. inexpensive Indian meal on the building in Broad Street - if you go early. 

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32 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

thanks Adam, that's encouraging. It would be ideal if we could get to the centre as I do hear how nice it is - presume you try to stay overnight in Gas Street or do you try to get through Birmingham and out the other side?  rob

Gas Street Basin is one of the best bits to look at, but (in my opinion) one of the worst bits to moor in.  Carry on through the Broad St Tunnel (it's just a bridge really) and moor near the Barclaycard Arena.  My favourite mooring is the Oozel St Loop -- I normally look and see if there's a space, then reverse in from Old Turn Junction (which is where the 'roundabout' is). Then you're pointing the right way to go down Farmer's Bridge Locks).

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No idea how far away you live from Kate boats but I would visit Warwick Castle after handing the boat back.  Incidentally Kate Boats and the Saltisford arm is about as close as the canal gets to Warwick Castle.

There are a couple of residential road's near Kate Boats you could leave the car for free and it's about a 20 minute walk.  Or you could just drive there and park up for the day, depends how energetic you are feeling!  Quite a few nice pubs and restaurants in the town as well.

We've hired from Kate Boats twice and they are very good with nice boats.

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Hired 'Robert' from Kate Boats last year. Have used them several times in the past and would also recommend them.

Also, have done Warwick Ring a few times, starting from Warwick, Stockton, and from Coventry.  We have only ever done it by going through Birmingham centre, which is definitely worth a look. The 'big decision' is whether you actually want to overnight there, or plan your journey so that you scoot-through in a day. Much of the suburbs is not recommended territory for mooring, but there are a few possible spots.

My own preference is to try to scoot-through, as well as can be achieved. Also, I prefer the N Stratford route down to Lapworth over the GU Knowle locks route.

I would advise you to make the 'big decision' and plan from that.

 

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thanks for all the replies..... I'm hedging towards maybe a stop off but not an overnight stay in Birmingham.... where is the best place to stop over just prior to Birmingham if approaching from the Stratford on Avon canal then coming up past Bournville?

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14 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

thanks for all the replies..... I'm hedging towards maybe a stop off but not an overnight stay in Birmingham.... where is the best place to stop over just prior to Birmingham if approaching from the Stratford on Avon canal then coming up past Bournville?

Stop at Cadbury World (Right hand side opposite the station)

15 hours ago, OldGoat said:

inexpensive Indian meal on the building in Broad Street - if you go early. 

Rubbish place. Bad service mediocre food.

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4 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said:

Stop at Cadbury World (Right hand side opposite the station)

Rubbish place. Bad service mediocre food.

Oh dear, I stand corrected - haven't been there for two years and the meal seemed adequate. We weren't looking for a culinary experience, just reasonable food.

Are we talking about the same place - Celebrity Indian restaurant. 44, Broad Street. It gets some good reviews (what does that mean??). I wouldn't pay full price though....

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54 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Oh dear, I stand corrected - haven't been there for two years and the meal seemed adequate. We weren't looking for a culinary experience, just reasonable food.

Are we talking about the same place - Celebrity Indian restaurant. 44, Broad Street. It gets some good reviews (what does that mean??). I wouldn't pay full price though....

Yep that's the one.

 

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Odd. It gets good reviews on TripAdvisor. Mind you it's years since I had an Indian in Brum and in those days I preferred the more authentic scruffy places in Sparkbrook like Saleems, but sadly that's closed now after 45 years. 

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186402-d2002907-Reviews-Celebrity_Indian_Restaurant-Birmingham_West_Midlands_England.html?m=19904

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20 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Odd. It gets good reviews on TripAdvisor. Mind you it's years since I had an Indian in Brum and in those days I preferred the more authentic scruffy places in Sparkbrook like Saleems, but sadly that's closed now after 45 years. 

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186402-d2002907-Reviews-Celebrity_Indian_Restaurant-Birmingham_West_Midlands_England.html?m=19904

Some of the reviews are good.

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Lapworth locks do sometimes have V-Lockies.

I'm not a fan of the Cadbury World moorings - a bit too urban/industrial for my taste, with a railway station only a few feet away.

If you carry on for a couple of miles, I have found moorings just before the winding hole at bridge 84a (start looking after bridge 84) in an area called The Vale. Choose a point with a reasonable distance from the railway line that accompanies the canal all the way into Brum. These are the grounds of the University and the Hospital in Edgbaston. They are at least 'semi-rural', and you are just a few minutes from the city centre next morning and exit from Brum later that day (I would be aiming for the excellent Dog and Doublet at Bodymoor Heath for the next night). Watch out for a fairly busy cycle-way/tow-path if you stop at The Vale.

This is making me want to do the Warwickshire Ring again! 

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42 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said:

Some of the reviews are good.

461 Very good or excellent. 

57 Average 

67 Poor or Terrible  

That's more than 'some'. That's 79%.

 

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1 hour ago, zimzim said:

Lapworth locks do sometimes have V-Lockies.

I'm not a fan of the Cadbury World moorings - a bit too urban/industrial for my taste, with a railway station only a few feet away.

If you carry on for a couple of miles, I have found moorings just before the winding hole at bridge 84a (start looking after bridge 84) in an area called The Vale. Choose a point with a reasonable distance from the railway line that accompanies the canal all the way into Brum. These are the grounds of the University and the Hospital in Edgbaston. They are at least 'semi-rural', and you are just a few minutes from the city centre next morning and exit from Brum later that day (I would be aiming for the excellent Dog and Doublet at Bodymoor Heath for the next night). Watch out for a fairly busy cycle-way/tow-path if you stop at The Vale.

This is making me want to do the Warwickshire Ring again! 

thanks for the pointer ziimzim!

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