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Liverpool Marina to Leeds Dock by narrowboat

It is 130 miles and 91 locks from Liverpool Marina to Leeds Dock, about 61 hours 26 minutes of cruising, comfortably done in 11 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 11 active stoppages on its waterways (last checked 28 Aug 2026).

130 miles
91 locks
61 h 26 min cruising
11 days at 6 h/day

Recalculated 6 Aug 2026 against live closures.

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The full coast-to-coast crossing of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Britain’s longest single canal, starting spectacularly with the Liverpool Link through the city’s dock system. The route climbs out of Lancashire through the twenty-one lock Wigan flight, crosses the Pennines by Foulridge Tunnel and the wild moorland pound at Barnoldswick, then descends past Gargrave, Skipton, Saltaire and Bingley’s Five Rise staircase into Leeds. Around two weeks of the best long-distance cruising in the country.

The route in words

Waterways on this route, in order:

  • Liverpool Link Tunnel 3 (tunnel, 1.25 miles in)
  • Liverpool Link Tunnel 2 (tunnel, 1.35 miles in)
  • Liverpool Link Tunnel 1 (tunnel, 1.42 miles in)
  • Gannow Tunnel (tunnel, 73.67 miles in)
  • Foulridge Tunnel (tunnel, 83.5 miles in)
  • Vauxhall flight (lock flight, 4 locks)
  • Wigan flight (lock flight, 23 locks)
  • Whittle Springs flight (lock flight, 7 locks)
  • Mill Hill flight (lock flight, 6 locks)
  • Higherford flight (lock flight, 7 locks)
  • Barnoldswick flight (lock flight, 3 locks)
  • Bank Newton flight (lock flight, 11 locks)
  • Bingley Five Rise (lock flight, 6 locks)
  • Sandford flight (lock flight, 5 locks)
  • Leeds flight (lock flight, 5 locks)
  • Bingley Five Rise (staircase locks)
  • Bingley Three Rise (staircase locks)
  • Dowley Gap Staircase (staircase locks)
  • Field Locks (staircase locks)
  • Newlay Locks (staircase locks)
  • Forge Locks (staircase locks)
  • Oddy Two Rise (staircase locks)

The route works 58 movable (swing or lift) bridges.

Day by day

  1. Day 1
    15.75 mi 6 locks 6 h 0 min arrive ~14:00
  2. Day 2
    19.25 mi 2 locks 6 h 0 min arrive ~14:00
    Overnight: Crooke Marina
  3. Day 3
    4.14 mi 19 locks 5 h 56 min arrive ~13:56
  4. Day 4
    11.14 mi 11 locks 5 h 56 min arrive ~13:56
  5. Day 5
    13.95 mi 8 locks 5 h 59 min arrive ~13:59
  6. Day 6
    18.05 mi 3 locks 5 h 54 min arrive ~13:54
  7. Day 7
    11.63 mi 10 locks 5 h 49 min arrive ~13:49
    Overnight: Mooring
  8. Day 8
    13.1 mi 9 locks 6 h 0 min arrive ~14:00
  9. Day 9
    11.36 mi 9 locks 6 h 0 min arrive ~14:00
    Overnight: Apperley Bridge Marina
  10. Day 10
    9.94 mi 9 locks 5 h 50 min arrive ~13:50
    Overnight: Aire Valley Marina
  11. Day 11
    1.82 mi 5 locks 2 h 1 min arrive ~10:01

Before you go

Book ahead: Manchester Ship Canal (Peel Ports / Bridgewater Canal Co.) - booking details.

Book ahead: Foulridge Tunnel (CRT) - booking details.

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 Leeds Dock to Liverpool Marina covers the same water, the same 130 miles and 91 locks, again over about 11 days - only the overnight moorings shift.

Reverse day-by-day plan
  1. Day 1: 9.62 mi, 13 locks - overnight Apperley Bridge Marina
  2. Day 2: 7.27 mi, 13 locks - overnight Mooring
  3. Day 3: 17.87 mi, 3 locks - overnight Mooring
  4. Day 4: 9.62 mi, 13 locks - overnight Mooring
  5. Day 5: 14.87 mi, 7 locks
  6. Day 6: 15.75 mi, 6 locks - overnight Mooring
  7. Day 7: 14.87 mi, 7 locks
  8. Day 8: 2.62 mi, 21 locks
  9. Day 9: 15.72 mi, 6 locks - overnight Scarisbrick Marina
  10. Day 10: 18.9 mi, 2 locks - overnight Mooring
  11. Day 11: 3 mi, 4 locks
Plan the return on the live map

Start and finish

Liverpool Marina

Where this cruise sets off.

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Leeds Dock

Journey's end.

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More routes to plan

More routes to Leeds Dock

Cruising rings touching this route

  • Cheshire Ring 97 miles, 92 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 Liverpool Marina way? Plan it in minutes.

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