Activities in Rugby

A stunning 630-acre reservoir several miles south of Rugby’s town centre, Draycote Water is an action-packed day out with bike and walking trails, a watersports centre, bird watching hides and a trout fishery. Built in 1970, the reservoir supplies water to Rugby and Coventry, and is also one of the best places to visit for a day out, with plenty of parking and a visitor centre equipped with a café, shop and plenty of picnic benches.

A popular town-centre open space a short drive from our Rugby North (Newbold) hotel, Caldecott Park has plenty to offer, including several playgrounds, a bowling green, tennis court and some stunning floral beds. The 10-acre park also hosts several craft fairs, art shows and festivals throughout the year, with a great coffee shop and plenty of open spaces for ball games and picnics.

Rugby looms large in Rugby, thanks to its oval-shaped ball history, and The Webb Ellis Rugby Museum neatly sums up over 180 years of the game. This small museum is less than 100m from where the match first began, and is home to a wealth of rugby memorabilia spread over four areas, including the growth of the game and how the balls have changed from inflated pig’s bladders to highly technical modern balls. The museum is open from 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and is located at the southern end of Rugby’s town centre.

Where the Webb Ellis Rugby Museum focuses on the history of the game, the World Rugby Hall of Fame concentrates on the big-name stars and moments that have brought the game to life. It’s also full of fascinating facts – did you know that rugby is played in 121 countries and is part of the Olympics? Handily, you can take in both rugby museums in one visit as they’re very close to each other.

Once you’ve finished at the Rugby Hall of Fame, head downstairs to the Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, a modern art gallery and museum that explores the town’s Roman history. The art gallery and museum is free entry and is open Tuesday to Saturday, with regularly rotating exhibitions and plenty of interactive exhibits.

Perfect for kids big and small, the Rainsbrook Valley Railway is a fun and dinky miniature railway that opens on the third Sunday of every month for free railway rides along its 1km-long track. Located to the south of Rugby on Barby Road, there are several tracks and trains to choose from and, if you ask nicely, they might even let you drive the train – and give you a blast on the train horn!

Nature lovers will adore the Swift Valley Nature Reserve. A peaceful park full of wildlife spread over woodland, several large pools, marshes and landscaped wetlands, there are plenty of crisscrossing trails to explore where you may be able to spot meadows of wildflowers, water lilies and dragonflies. Handily, the nature reserve is easily walkable from our Rugby North (Newbold) hotel along Brownsover Road.