The Avon Valley from Rugby Railway Station, Rail Trails

Start: Rugby Railway Station. Grid ref. SP 511 759

(S/E) From Rugby (A) main station entrance go left then left again under the low bridge passing under the railway. Keep ahead down the left side of Mill Road going straight on at traffic lights and continuing down to the end of the road at a T-junction.

(1) Go straight on over the pedestrian crossing and take the tarmac path going straight on. Follow this over a river (River Avon) bridge then bear right in front of cottages with Brownsover reservoir to your right. The reservoir was originally a mill pond for a nearby 19th Century corn mill. After the mill closed the pond was converted to a reservoir for water management on the river Avon.

(2) Bear left to pass through a tunnel under the canal. Just beyond the tunnel there are metal cycle gates across the path. Turn right here and follow an unsurfaced path through trees and scrub to reach a large railway bridge (B) on your right.

(3) Go under it and through a metal kissing gate on the far side. Keep straight on with a hedge to your left. Ignore a tarmac path going left and keep straight on through a large gap. Go half right then follow the River Avon on your right.

(4) On reaching a T-junction go right and cross a footbridge over the river. Follow the path between fences to a road at a bend. Go straight on up to the main road in Clifton-upon-Dunsmore (C).

(5) To continue the route turn right down the main road, keeping on the right hand side. Cross a bridge over the old Rugby to Peterborough railway then reach a canal bridge.

(6) Cross the canal bridge and turn right down onto the towpath. Continue along it with the water to your right (D). Eventually, reach a brick wall on the left from where there is a good view over Brownsover reservoir.

(2) Fork left down a path that leads onto the tarmac path you used on your outward route. Turn left along it back to the road junction and retrace your steps straight on back up Mill Road to Rugby station. (S/E)

Start: Rugby Railway Station. Grid ref. SP 511 759

Transport: Rugby is on the West Coast Main Line and it is served by Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains. Rugby Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway is a main junction for trains between London Euston, Manchester and Birmingham. Services depart regularly to Coventry, Nuneaton and to Birmingham New Street via Birmingham International.
The station has a ticket office, refreshment facilities and toilets.

Refreshments : In town you will find plenty of shops and places to eat. If you need to fortify yourself before setting off, you could try a tipple at the Victoria Inn. Alternatively, wait until you get to Clifton where you’ll find the Clifton Village Stores (their Homity Pies alone are worth the walk) and the Bull Inn. Whilst there, do take a look at St. Mary’s Church, standing on the highest ground in the village.

The Victoria Inn : Less than 15 minutes walk from the train station, is Rugby’s best real ale pub. You’ll find 14 hand pumps supplied by local brewers Atomic, and you can get a bite to eat here too!

Clifton Village Stores: A traditional village shop, open 7 days a week, selling everyday essentials including newspapers, a fresh selection of fruit & veg, freshly baked bread and a choice of freshly filled rolls and paninis, home baked cakes and savouries, salad and picnic boxes!

The Canal Lounge: Waterside cafe and gastro bar, right on the Oxford Canal at bridge 66. Operated by Clifton Cruisers you can contemplate hiring your own boat as you kick back for a well earned rest.

Discover the Heart of England by rail at Heart Community Rail Trail here.

(A) Rugby is, of course, most famous for the invention of rugby football as well as for having one of England’s oldest and most prestigious public schools. But it was the railway that transformed Rugby into a major industrial centre in the 19th century with Rugby junction becoming one of the most important in the country.
Clifton-in-Dunsmore has been suggested as the possible location of the defeat of Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, at the hands of Rome in 61AD.
By the middle of the 19th century, the railway junction at Rugby had become one of the most important in the country with five railway lines meeting here with more than sixty trains a day passing through Rugby railway station. It became famous as the setting for Charles Dicken’s story Mugby Junction.

(B) The bridge was part of the Great Central Railway, once a fast main line from Manchester Victoria to London Marylebone. It was one of the most controversial of the Beeching cuts. This section closed in 1969.

(C) If you explore a short distance to the left on reaching the main road you will find a pleasant village centre with an ancient church, a pub and some beautiful cottages. In the 17th Century the poet Christopher Harvey, a friend of Isaak Walton, was the vicar here. He is buried in the churchyard.

(D) Completed in 1790, the 78 mile Oxford Canal connects the Coventry Canal to the River Thames in Oxford. It was the main transport artery between London and the Midlands for a while, carrying coal, stone and agricultural products, but was eventually superseded by the larger Grand Union canal, and then the railways. It is now popular with pleasure boaters.
Oxford Canal: The 78m mile Oxford Canal, among the earliest of England’s canal, connects the Coventry Canal to the River Thames in Oxford. It was once the main transport artery between London and the Midlands.

St Mary’s Church: Standing at the highest point in the village, it has
a small, box-like late medieval west tower and 14th century arcades flanking the nave. Later restoration has given it a very Victorian feel.

Rugby Art Gallery & Museum: A good starting point for any visit to Rugby, with exhibitions of contemporary and modern art as well as displays telling the story of Rugby’s past, from Roman times to the present day.