UK canal routes - popular narrowboat cruises, planned
Where will you cruise next?
Real A-to-B canal cruises with distance, locks and a day-by-day plan - each one openable on the live map with today's closures folded in.
Abingdon Marina to Henley
A stately middle-Thames cruise through some of the river's most famous water. From Abingdon the route runs down past Clifton Hampden, the Wittenham Clumps and the Goring Gap,…
See the route →Alvechurch Marina to Worcester Marina
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…
See the route →Braunston Marina to Foxton
This is the classic Leicester line cruise: out of Braunston past the historic boatyards, up the Braunston flight and through Braunston Tunnel to Norton Junction, then north onto…
See the route →Braunston Marina to Little Venice
The Grand Union main line from Braunston to London is the great trunk route of the southern network, climbing through Braunston Tunnel then dropping steadily off the summit…
See the route →Braunston Marina to Stoke Bruerne
A short, satisfying hop down the Grand Union main line: up the Braunston flight, through Braunston Tunnel, and along the wooded summit to Norton Junction before descending the…
See the route →Crick Marina to Market Harborough
From Crick Marina the Leicester line's summit pound runs for miles without a single lock, twisting through remote Northamptonshire and Leicestershire grazing country and the darkness of Husbands…
See the route →Great Haywood Marina to Stourport Marina
Great Haywood Junction, where the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal leaves the Trent & Mersey beside the wide water of Tixall Broad, is one of the network's best-loved starting…
See the route →Kings Bromley Marina to Shakespeare Marina
Kings Bromley Marina sits on a quiet stretch of the Trent & Mersey Canal just north of Fradley Junction, where the Midlands network fans out in every direction.…
See the route →Lechlade Marina to Abingdon Marina
The upper Thames is the river at its most rural: narrow, winding and almost empty above Oxford. From Lechlade Marina, the head of navigation for most boats, the…
See the route →Leeds Dock to Silsden
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…
See the route →Liverpool Marina to Leeds Dock
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…
See the route →Mercia Marina to Great Haywood Marina
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…
See the route →Middlewich Wharf to Llangollen
From Middlewich Wharf the route slips off the Trent & Mersey onto the pastoral Middlewich Branch, crossing the Weaver valley to join the Shropshire Union at Barbridge. At…
See the route →Nantwich Canal Centre to Llangollen
The most popular hire cruise in Britain, for good reason. From the Nantwich Canal Centre the route runs briefly along the Shropshire Union before turning at Hurleston Junction…
See the route →Napton Marina to Cropredy
The South Oxford is the network's favourite contour canal, and this stretch is its heart. From Napton Marina the route climbs the Napton flight beneath the windmill, wriggles…
See the route →Norbury Junction to Tattenhall Marina
This is Telford's Shropshire Union at its best: long tree-lined cuttings and high embankments striding across the Shropshire and Cheshire plain. From Norbury Junction the route passes Market…
See the route →Nottingham to Newark Marina
A big-river contrast to canal cruising. From Nottingham Castle Marina the route threads the Nottingham & Beeston Canal through the city centre, then joins the broad River Trent…
See the route →Shakespeare Marina to Tewkesbury Marina
From Shakespeare Marina the route leaves Stratford-upon-Avon under the gaze of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and follows the Warwickshire Avon downstream, a winding, willow-lined river navigation through Welford,…
See the route →Trinity Marina to Snarestone Wharf
The Ashby Canal runs for twenty-two miles without a single lock, which makes this the most relaxing cruise in the Midlands. From Trinity Marina at Hinckley the canal…
See the route →Worcester Marina to Tewkesbury Marina
A gentle river weekend on the Severn. The route locks down through the Diglis flight beneath Worcester Cathedral and joins the broad, tree-lined river for the cruise south…
See the route →