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Leeds Dock to Silsden by narrowboat

It is 23 miles and 27 locks from Leeds Dock to Silsden, about 13 hours 52 minutes of cruising, comfortably done in 3 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 7 active stoppages on its waterways (last checked 28 Aug 2026).

23 miles
27 locks
13 h 52 min cruising
3 days at 6 h/day

Recalculated 6 Aug 2026 against live closures.

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Out of Leeds Dock the route joins the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at River Lock and climbs steadily up the wooded Aire valley, the locks at Forge and Newlay giving way to Saltaire’s World Heritage mill village and the astonishing Bingley Five Rise, a staircase lifting the canal sixty feet in one flight of five chambers. Above Bingley the valley opens out towards the Dales, with easy miles through Keighley country to the boating village of Silsden.

The route in words

Waterways on this route, in order:

  • Leeds flight (lock flight, 6 locks)
  • Sandford flight (lock flight, 7 locks)
  • Esholt flight (lock flight, 3 locks)
  • Bingley Five Rise (lock flight, 8 locks)
  • Oddy Two Rise (staircase locks)
  • Forge Locks (staircase locks)
  • Newlay Locks (staircase locks)
  • Field Locks (staircase locks)
  • Dowley Gap Staircase (staircase locks)
  • Bingley Three Rise (staircase locks)
  • Bingley Five Rise (staircase locks)

The route works 23 movable (swing or lift) bridges.

Day by day

  1. Day 1
    9.62 mi 13 locks 6 h 0 min arrive ~14:00
    Overnight: Apperley Bridge Marina
  2. Day 2
    7.27 mi 13 locks 5 h 50 min arrive ~13:50
    Overnight: Mooring
  3. Day 3
    6.27 mi 1 lock 2 h 3 min arrive ~10:03

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.

20 live notices on this route's waterways (last checked 28 Aug 2026, 04:15). The live map routes around anything blocking.

Coming back the other way

The return from Silsden to Leeds Dock covers the same water, the same 23 miles and 27 locks, again over about 3 days - only the overnight moorings shift.

Reverse day-by-day plan
  1. Day 1: 11.36 mi, 9 locks - overnight Apperley Bridge Marina
  2. Day 2: 9.99 mi, 9 locks - overnight Aire Valley Marina
  3. Day 3: 1.82 mi, 5 locks
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Start and finish

Leeds Dock

Where this cruise sets off.

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Silsden

Journey's end.

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More routes to plan

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Plan it properly

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

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