Canal Places to eat and drink

Canal Pubs & Canalside Inns

Canal Pubs are an essential part of the canal experience. Some canals and river navigations seem to have a pub every few miles, often in locations where there can have been little local trade.The pubs were, in fact, there specially to cater for the canal trade, shown by the number called the Navigation or the Boat. Boatmen easily worked up a thirst and enjoyed the company of other boat people after a hard day's work. Many pubs sold basic supplies and had stables attached where the boat horse would be stabled overnight, frequently now converted to extra accommodation for hungry boaters. A large number have been completely refurbished over the years and now provide comfortable surroundings and meals for those who don't want to have to cook on their holidays. Most have convenient moorings outside, often with outdoor seating, gardens, and play areas. Popular moorings can fill up in the early evening so some boaters plan their holidays to ensure that they get a mooring outside a pub every evening!

There are also many traditional canal pubs little changed over centuries, retaining much genuine character, many were just ordinary houses serving home-brewed ale in their front rooms for a little extra income. Some still feel that way, for instance the Anchor on the Shropshire Union Canal. Other traditional pubs include the isolated Black Lion at Froghall on the Caldon branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal, the Swan which overlooks the Coventry Canal junction with the Trent and Mersey Canal and the Boat opposite the canal museum at Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal. On the River Severn the Camp House Inn just north of Worcester has peacocks roaming the garden and the River Thames has many stunning old pubs and inns.