The Oxford Canal by narrowboat.
Oxford to Coventry's Hawkesbury Junction, through the Cherwell valley, over a long lock-free summit and past Rugby. Where to hire, how far you'll get, and what's restricted right now. Every figure is linked to its source.
- Hire bases
- 8
- from 7 firms
- On Mooch
- 7
- with a trip page
- Boats sleep
- up to 12
- largest boat listed
- Week, 4-berth
- —
- no firm here publishes one
Napton Locks open on Mondays and Thursdays only, 9am to 2pm, with last entry at noon. Cropredy Lock 25 and Little Bourton Lock 27 are closed for works from 2 November to 18 December 2026, which cuts the canal between Cropredy and Banbury. Bridge 128 is being replaced for HS2 from 4 January to 12 March 2027. The summer drought closure between Claydon and Aynho has been lifted. From Canal & River Trust notices, as listed on canalplan. Source
At a glance
- Length
- 77.5 miles · source
- Locks
- 46 · source
- Lock work
- Light (0.6 locks per mile)
- Hire bases
- 8
- Right now
- Napton Locks Mondays and Thursdays only; Cropredy Lock closed to 18 December 2026 · source
- Summit
- A lock-free pound of about 10.5 miles between Napton and Claydon · source
- Lift bridges
- 19 Grade II-listed lift bridges between Banbury and Oxford · source
- Thames
- Joins the Thames at Oxford through Isis Lock, or at Duke's Cut north of the city · source
Good for
- Ends in central Oxford, with a way onto the Thames
- A lock-free summit of about 10.5 miles
- Napton to Rugby and back is 31 miles with only 6 locks
- Plenty of hire bases: Oxford, Lower Heyford, Napton and around Rugby
Watch out for
- Napton Locks are on restricted hours and Cropredy Lock is closed until 18 December 2026
- The summit depends on reservoirs: drought closed 17 locks from Claydon to Aynho in August 2026
- Going onto the Thames needs an extra Environment Agency licence
- Hillmorton's locks are among the busiest on the network, used over 8,500 times a year
Lock work is locks per mile across the whole canal: under 0.6 light, under 1 moderate, 1 or more heavy.
The short answer
29 miles and 20 locks, about 16 hours of cruising, ending at Isis Lock in the city.
31 miles and 6 locks, about 12.5 hours, via Braunston and the Hillmorton locks.
81 miles and 38 locks, about 36.5 hours, along the canal to Oxford and up the Thames. The Thames licence is extra.
The route, south to north
The canal opened into central Oxford in 1790. It follows the River Cherwell north for more than 20 miles, crosses a winding summit, meets the Grand Union between Napton and Braunston, and ends at the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction.
- 1
Oxford
The canal ends at Hythe Bridge Street. Isis Lock leads to the Thames through the Sheepwash Channel.
- 2
Duke's Cut
Built in 1789, it links the canal to the Thames at King's Lock, 3 miles north of the city.
- 3
Thrupp
Terraced cottages along the towpath and two canalside pubs.
- 4
Shipton-on-Cherwell
A stretch of the River Cherwell forms part of the canal here, which makes it harder to steer.
- 5
Lower Heyford
A wharf from 1790, now home to Black Prince and Oxfordshire Narrowboats.
- 6
Somerton Deep Lock
Lock 34, 12ft deep and a single boat wide.
- 7
Aynho and Nell Bridge
Aynho Wharf has a canalside pub; at Nell Bridge the Pig Place sells its own meat.
- 8
Banbury
Town-centre visitor moorings and Tooley's Boatyard.
- 9
Cropredy
Site of a Civil War battle in 1644, and of the Fairport Convention festival each August.
- 10
Claydon
Five locks climbing to the summit, which is fed by three reservoirs.
- 11
The summit pound
About 10.5 miles without a lock. Near Wormleighton the canal takes 5.5 miles to cover 2.2 miles as the crow flies.
- 12
Napton
Nine locks down from the summit, then Napton Junction, where the Grand Union joins for the 5 miles to Braunston.
- 13
Braunston and Hillmorton
Braunston Turn, then the three pairs of Hillmorton locks, among the busiest on the network.
- 14
Rugby and Newbold
The canal winds through the north of Rugby and through the Newbold Tunnel.
- 15
Hawkesbury Junction
Also called Sutton Stop. A 1ft stop lock joins the Coventry Canal.
Sources: Wikipedia, Canal & River Trust, Drifters, Lower Heyford, Drifters, Napton, Black Prince
Published round trips
Drifters' published round trips from its Lower Heyford and Napton bases. Hours are cruising time, not counting stops. Trips that pass Cropredy Lock are greyed out until 18 December 2026.
| Round trip | Distance | Locks | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Heyford to Oxford and backDrifters, Lower Heyford | 29 miles | 20 | 16 |
| Lower Heyford to Banbury and backDrifters, Lower Heyford | 26 miles | 16 | 14.5 |
| Lower Heyford to Lechlade (Thames) and back(Thames licence extra)Drifters, Lower Heyford | 81 miles | 38 | 36.5 |
| Lower Heyford to Napton and back(not running until the closure lifts)Drifters, Lower Heyford | 70 miles | 58 | 39 |
| Napton to Rugby Wharf and backDrifters, Napton | 31 miles | 6 | 12.5 |
| Napton to Coventry Basin and backDrifters, Napton | 66 miles | 8 | 28 |
| Napton to Banbury and back(not running until the closure lifts)Drifters, Napton | 46 miles | 44 | 25 |
| Napton to Oxford and back(not running until the closure lifts)Drifters, Napton | 99 miles | 78 | 56 |
Source: Drifters, Lower Heyford
When to go
When the hire firms here run, when their prices peak, and when the canal shuts for winter works. Each row is from the firm's or the navigation authority's own page.
Paler blocks cover part of the month.
Black Prince says bank holidays and school holidays are its busiest booking periods and can book up. Source
Oxford Canal weather by month
At Oxford, the warmest month is July (average high 23.1°C), the wettest is October (73.3 mm) and the sunniest is July (212 hours). It gets about 681 mm of rain a year.
°C, average daily low to high; the number is the high
mm a month
hours a month
Show the numbers
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Frost days | Rain mm | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.0 | 2.4 | 8.4 | 59.5 | 63.7 |
| Feb | 8.6 | 2.3 | 7.6 | 46.7 | 81.9 |
| Mar | 11.3 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 43.0 | 118.2 |
| Apr | 14.4 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 48.6 | 165.5 |
| May | 17.7 | 8.2 | 0.1 | 56.7 | 200.2 |
| Jun | 20.7 | 11.1 | 0.0 | 49.5 | 197.5 |
| Jul | 23.1 | 13.1 | 0.0 | 52.8 | 212.0 |
| Aug | 22.5 | 13.0 | 0.0 | 61.6 | 193.0 |
| Sep | 19.4 | 10.7 | 0.0 | 51.8 | 145.2 |
| Oct | 15.1 | 8.0 | 0.7 | 73.3 | 110.0 |
| Nov | 10.9 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 71.5 | 71.1 |
| Dec | 8.2 | 2.6 | 8.6 | 66.3 | 57.0 |
Station: Oxford (Radcliffe Observatory): about 1 km from the canal in Oxford, 34 km from Banbury. Averages of the monthly figures for 1991–2020, worked out by Mooch from the Met Office historic station data, Oxford (Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). They are not the Met Office's official climate averages.
Where to hire
8 hire bases from 7 firms, side by side. Filter by what matters to you; each row comes from the firm's own pages, read 4–7 November 2026. For fleet sizes and first-timer help, see each firm in narrowboat hire, compared.
Showing 8 of 8 bases
| Firm and base | Sleeps | Dogs | Fuel included | Short breaks | Week, 4-berth | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black Prince Holidays Lower Heyford Next to Heyford station, between Oxford and Banbury. | 2–10 | First pet free, second £30, maximum two. Some boats are pet-free. | No | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Black Prince Holidays Napton At the north end of the summit, near Napton Junction with the Grand Union. | 2–10 | First pet free, second £30, maximum two. Some boats are pet-free. | No | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Napton Narrowboats Napton Marina Next to Napton Junction with the Grand Union. | 2–10 | Pets welcome on all boats; no fee stated. | Yes | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Oxfordshire Narrowboats Heyford Wharf Next to Heyford station, between Oxford and Banbury. | 2–12 | First pet free, £30 for each extra pet. | Not stated | Yes | Not published | Website Compare |
College Cruisers Oxford Near the end of the canal in Oxford. | 2–12 | Pets by prior arrangement, £35 per pet. Dog life jackets available. | Not stated | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Willow Wren Rugby Wharf On the northern Oxford Canal at Rugby. | 2–12 | First pet free; the T&Cs charge £20 for a second. Three maximum per the FAQ. | Yes | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Rose Narrowboats Stretton under Fosse On the northern Oxford Canal near Rugby, at Stretton Stop. | 2–8 | Several boats are pet-friendly; up to two pets, more by arrangement. | Not stated | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Armada Boat Hire Falls Bridge Wharf (near Rugby) | 2–3 | £25 per pet; not allowed on Hector. | Yes | Yes | Not published | See it on Mooch Compare |
Worth knowing before you go
Napton Locks keep short hours for now
Mondays and Thursdays only, 9am to 2pm, with last entry at noon, under the current Canal & River Trust notice. Source
Lift bridges
There are nineteen listed lift bridges between Banbury and Oxford. Many are now left open. Source
Somerton Deep Lock
Lock 34 is 12ft deep and a single boat wide. Source
The river section at Shipton
The Cherwell runs through the canal here, which makes the boat harder to handle. Take it slowly. Source
The Thames needs its own licence
Going onto the Thames at Oxford needs an Environment Agency visitor licence, paid at the first Thames lock. Source
Drought can close the summit
In August 2026 the Canal & River Trust closed 17 locks from Claydon to Aynho to save water. Check notices in a dry summer. Source
The speed limit is 4 mph
On most canals, including this one. Source
Questions
How long is the Oxford Canal?
77.5 miles with 46 locks, according to the Canal & River Trust, from Oxford to Hawkesbury Junction near Coventry.
Can you take a narrowboat into Oxford?
Yes. The canal ends near Hythe Bridge Street in the city centre, and Isis Lock leads onto the Thames. Drifters' round trip from Lower Heyford to Oxford is 29 miles and 20 locks.
Is the Oxford Canal open?
Mostly, with restrictions. Napton Locks open on Mondays and Thursdays only, and Cropredy Lock is closed for works until 18 December 2026, which cuts the canal between Cropredy and Banbury until then.
Where can you hire a boat on the Oxford Canal?
Lower Heyford (Black Prince, Oxfordshire Narrowboats), Napton (Black Prince, Napton Narrowboats), Oxford (College Cruisers) and around Rugby (Willow Wren, Rose Narrowboats).
Can you go from the Oxford Canal onto the Thames?
Yes, through Isis Lock in Oxford or Duke's Cut to the north, with an extra Environment Agency licence. Drifters' week from Lower Heyford to Lechlade and back is 81 miles and 38 locks.
More canal guides
How this was put together
Figures come from the Canal & River Trust, the hire firms' own pages and Wikipedia, read on 4 November 2026, and each is linked where it's used. Lock hours and closures change, so check the Trust's Oxford Canal page before you travel. Spotted something wrong? Email hello@moochtravel.com.