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Mercia Marina to Great Haywood Marina by narrowboat

It is 28 miles and 16 locks from Mercia Marina to Great Haywood Marina, about 11 hours 47 minutes of cruising, comfortably done in 2 days at 6 hours a day. The route is checked against live closure notices - 6 active stoppages currently affect its waterways, and the plan below works around or waits out what it can (last checked 28 Aug 2026).

28 miles
16 locks
11 h 47 min cruising
2 days at 6 h/day

Recalculated 6 Aug 2026 against live closures.

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An easy, good-looking short cruise along the Trent & Mersey through the heart of Staffordshire. From Mercia Marina at Willington the canal runs up the Trent valley past Burton upon Trent’s brewing heritage, through the wooded pound at Alrewas where the river briefly joins the canal, and up the Fradley flight to the famous junction with the Coventry Canal. The final miles skirt Cannock Chase to Great Haywood, gateway to Shugborough and Tixall Broad.

The route in words

Waterways on this route, in order:

  • Fradley flight (lock flight, 6 locks)

Junctions along the way: Great Haywood Junction.

Day by day

  1. Day 1
    14.52 mi 8 locks 5 h 54 min arrive ~13:54
    Overnight: Mooring
  2. Day 2
    13.57 mi 8 locks 5 h 53 min arrive ~13:53

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.

17 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 Great Haywood Marina to Mercia Marina covers the same water, the same 28 miles and 16 locks, again over about 2 days - only the overnight moorings shift.

Reverse day-by-day plan
  1. Day 1: 14 mi, 8 locks - overnight Fradley Marina
  2. Day 2: 14.09 mi, 8 locks
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Start and finish

Mercia Marina

Where this cruise sets off.

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Great Haywood Marina

Journey's end.

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More routes to plan

More routes to Great Haywood Marina

Routes sharing this water

Cruising rings touching this route

  • Leicester Ring 150 miles, 101 locks - a signposted circuit you can join from this route
  • Black Country Ring 75 miles, 71 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 Mercia Marina way? Plan it in minutes.

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

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