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Alvechurch Marina to Worcester Marina by narrowboat

It is 18 miles and 53 locks from Alvechurch Marina to Worcester Marina, about 18 hours 20 minutes of cruising, comfortably done in 4 days at 6 hours a day. The route is checked against live closure notices from the Canal & River Trust and the other navigation authorities, and is currently planned around the 1 active stoppage on its waterways (last checked 28 Aug 2026).

18 miles
53 locks
18 h 20 min cruising
4 days at 6 h/day

Recalculated 6 Aug 2026 against live closures.

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Short on miles but mighty on locks. From Alvechurch Marina the Worcester & Birmingham Canal ducks through Shortwood and Tardebigge tunnels before pitching down the Tardebigge flight, thirty locks in two and a half miles and the longest lock flight in Britain, with the Astwood and Offerton flights still to come below. The reward is the gentle run past Dunhampstead’s woods and into Worcester, finishing with the cathedral rising over Diglis Basin.

The route in words

Waterways on this route, in order:

  • Shortwood Tunnel (tunnel, 1.12 miles in)
  • Tardebigge Tunnel (tunnel, 2.46 miles in)
  • Dunhampstead Tunnel (tunnel, 11.19 miles in)
  • Tardebigge flight (lock flight, 36 locks)
  • Astwood flight (lock flight, 6 locks)
  • Tibberton flight (lock flight, 5 locks)
  • Barbourne flight (lock flight, 4 locks)

Day by day

  1. Day 1
    4.45 mi 18 locks 5 h 46 min arrive ~13:46
  2. Day 2
    3.1 mi 20 locks 5 h 53 min arrive ~13:53
  3. Day 3
    9.22 mi 13 locks 5 h 53 min arrive ~13:53
    Overnight: Worcester Marina
  4. Day 4
    1.01 mi 2 locks 47 min arrive ~08:47

Live closures on this route

Most planners list stoppages and leave you to plot around them. Canal Nav checks every live notice and plans this route around anything blocking - automatically, each time it is recalculated.

1 live notice on this route's waterways (last checked 28 Aug 2026, 02:12). The live map routes around anything blocking.

Coming back the other way

The return from Worcester Marina to Alvechurch Marina covers the same water, the same 18 miles and 53 locks, again over about 4 days - only the overnight moorings shift.

Reverse day-by-day plan
  1. Day 1: 9.95 mi, 12 locks - overnight Hanbury Wharf
  2. Day 2: 3.26 mi, 20 locks
  3. Day 3: 2.62 mi, 21 locks - overnight Alvechurch Marina
  4. Day 4: 1.97 mi, 0 locks
Plan the return on the live map

Start and finish

Alvechurch Marina

Where this cruise sets off.

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Worcester Marina

Journey's end.

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More routes to plan

More routes to Worcester Marina

Routes sharing this water

Cruising rings touching this route

  • Avon Ring 109 miles, 129 locks - a signposted circuit you can join from this route
  • Stourport Ring 84 miles, 105 locks - a signposted circuit you can join from this route

Plan it properly

Distances and times are planning estimates (last computed 6 Aug 2026). Always check live closures on the map before setting off.

Cruising Alvechurch Marina way? Plan it in minutes.

Turn-by-turn routing with live closures, lock counts and day planning - free.

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