Hatton Locks
Planning your visit
Address: The Heritage Skills Centre, Canal Lane, Hatton, Warwick, CV35 7JL View on Google map
Opening Times: The towpath is always open but you'll need to check the opening times of our welcome station as this varies
Price: Once you're parked up, it won't cost you a thing
Toilets: At Hatton Locks cafe
Hatton's famous 'stairway to heaven' flight of 21 locks has a fascinating history. State of the art locks were built at Hatton to fight off stiff competition from the roads and railways and widened in the 1930s. When the locks were completed, bands played and crowds gathered to watch the Duke of Kent arrive by boat and cut the ribbon.
Today Hatton Locks is a lovely peaceful location to watch the colourful narrowboats as they move through this flight on the Grand Union Canal and if that's too much excitement why not enjoy a picnic along the towpath.
Drop by our Welcome Station - you'll find our friendly, knowledgeable volunteers at Lock 43.
Things to do and see
- Careful cycling
- Fishing
- Walking and running (a good place to walk your dog)
- Canoeing
- Sightseeing
Places to eat:
- Hatton Locks Café at the top lock
- Hatton Arms
Boat trips:
Picnic spot:
There are picnic benches up and down the locks and plenty of wide grassy areas.
Trails:
- Children's education activity trail along the lock flight banks
- Explorers - our Explorers' team can arrange a school visit
Wildlife spotting:
As well as the resident ducks, moorhens and swans, you'll see house sparrows and grey wagtails, and sometimes badgers along the wooded embankments. Grass snakes, slow worms and smooth newts are also quite common in the off side pounds.
Getting here
By car - there is pay & display car parking just over the bridge from our Hatton Locks offices. For details go the local parking website.
By train - if you start a walk at the top of the flight then get of at Hatton Station. From the bottom the nearest station is Warwick Parkway
By boat - there are moorings at the top of the flight along with some boating facilities