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The centre of Dunchurch
Guy Fawkes “House” At the time of the gunpowder plot this was an Inn where the conspirators gathered to wait for news of the explosion at Westminster.
Draycote Water & Historic Dunchurch
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- Draycote Water
700 acre reservoir
5 mile perimeter road, ideal for walking or cycling (no dogs on road). 23 acre country park accessed from car park. Dogs are allowed on park. Best fly fishing (trout) in the midlands. (see page on fishing) Best dinghy sailing, windsurfing in the midlands.
Visitor Centre with restaurant - superb views over the reservoir. Hides for bird watching - Dunchurch
Charming village
Lovely old houses
Right next to Draycote water (one and a half miles)
7 excellent places to eat including fish and chips and Indian - Toft Alpaca
Alpaca farm, cafe with views over reservoir, shop selling Alpaca and wool yarns and crochet kits tand patterns to make cute cuddly toys. - 20 minute video shot my myself on Dunchurch and Draycote
View over Draycote Water - Draycote is a 700 acre Reservoir which is the water supply for Rugby. It's a huge expanse of water. There is a 5 mile perimeter road which is ideal for walking or cycling. No dogs allowed on the perimeter road but they are allowed on the 23 acre County Park which slopes down to the reservoir. All the facilities, including the country park are accessed by the car park.
Car Park at Draycote
- How to get to the car park at Draycote Water? Continue on the A426 out of Dunchurch. After a little over one and a half miles you will come to a turn off to your right. Satellite view of car park.
- Dunchurch is a historic village with several good pubs and restaurants.
- Now for the caveats. Draycote is very exposed and is always windy. (Fantastic for sailing). So a very good place to visit on a very hot summer's day for a refreshing breeze. However, if it is windy anywhere else it will be blowing a gale at Draycote. There are midges in summer. Dunchurch is a very pretty little village with some interesting history (links to Guy Fawkesand the gunpowder plot). Unfortunately, it is on a main road out of Rugby and there is usually a lot of traffic thundering through. There are seven eating establishments so it's a very good place for a meal.
- Draycote water on Trip Advisor. 379 Reviews. 80 photographs.
- There is a visitor centre and “Waterside restaurant” with stunning views over the reservoir. The cafe and restaurant get excellent reviews. Visitors centre and Waterside restaurant on google maps. 28 reviews, 59 photos.
- Draycote Water Sailing Club on google maps. 45 reviews. 50 photos.
- The sailing club is “closed members”. However, you can eat in the cafe and there are instructors on hand for “first time tasters” in sailing, windsurfing or powerboat driving. Training is available all day, seven days a week. You will need to book in advance though, you can't just turn up.
- Draycote Water Trout fishery on google maps with photo of the boats you can hire to go fishing in the reservoir. 35 reviews, 71 photos
- Trout fishery website. Phone beforehand to book a car space in the allotted car park for bank fishing. Boats with outboard motor can be hired. There are gutting facilities and the shop sells a huge range of fishing equipment. There is a “latest report” on the website.
- Fishery map
- Interview with 2 local fishermen
- There is a very nice (new) playground just by the fishing club and the sailing club. Here it is on google maps
Bird watching at Draycote
- To drive right up to the bird hides look for signs saying “Boat Club” in the car park and carry on past the Boat Club.
Toft Alpaca farm, cafe and shop with view over the reservoir
- Toft Alpacas – Alpaca farm and shop with excellent cafe and beautiful view over Draycote
- The Alpaca farm is a lovely place with a really nice cafe and a view over the reservoir. In my 10 years in Rugby only one of my customers has ever visited to my knowledge and she loved it. She was a keen knitter. I don't think there was enough about it in my information pack to promote it properly. I hope to rectify that on this page and I hope more customer will visit in future. On sale are luxury alpaca and wool yarns and simple knitting and crochet patterns and kits to make beautiful and very cute, crochet'd cuddly toys. You can meet the alpacas. They are open every day. This is a thriving enterprise with a team of 22 creative people.
- Here is Toft Alpacas home page.
- google maps - meet the cuddly toys
- google maps showing how to get there
- From the centre of Dunchurch (statue) it's just over half a mile on Southam Rd (A426). 5th on the right from the statue is Toft Lane. Carry on up the lane for 170 metres and you will come to a fork and Toft studios are right in front of you. If you are coming back from the car park for Draycote it's just under a mile and a quarter. The third on your right.
Dunchurch
