Navigating the waterways

From our Guide to living on a narrowboat

Black and white illustration of an open book showing festive activities in Birmingham, with a river running through the pages.

How to plan your route

Planning your route is part of the fun, but it’s also essential to avoid dead ends, missed facilities, and unexpected stoppages.

Paper maps and guides

  • Nicholson’s Guides

Widely used by boaters; region-specific spiral-bound books showing locks, moorings, facilities, winding holes, pubs, shops, water points, etc.

  • Pearson’s Canal Companion

More artistic and characterful, with hand-drawn maps and lots of local colour – less technical, more charming.

Illustration of a couple holding hands, chatting about preferring books over apps for festive activities guides.
Black-and-white drawing of a smartphone listing “Bridge,” “Lock,” and festive activities in a vertical format.

Digital tools and apps

  • CanalPlanAC (canalplan.uk)
    A route planning website where you enter your start/end points, cruising hours, lock speed, and mooring duration. It tells you:
    • How far you’ll go
    • How many locks
    • Journey time in hours and days
  • Open Canal Map UK
    Free smartphone app built from boater input. Shows towpaths, facilities, moorings, water points and closures. Especially useful for continuous cruisers.
  • NavShip – Waterway Routing
    (Paid download for GPS-enabled cruising maps).

Great for tablets or Garmin devices. Offers towpath and towpath condition info for cyclists and walkers too.

  • CRT’s interactive map
    Available on canalrivertrust.org.uk. Use it to explore CRT-managed waterways and check facilities.

How to check for closures and stoppages

The canal network isn’t immune to blockages. Locks may break, dredging may occur, bridges may be under repair or even worse canals can breach.

How to stay updated:

  • CRT stoppage notices
    • Visit: canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices
    • You can filter by waterway, date, or location.
    • Subscribe to email updates or download the weekly stoppage PDF.
  • Boater’s update email
    A free newsletter from CRT containing closures, news, and useful tips.
  • X & Facebook groups
    Canal and river-focused social pages are great for live updates and boater-to-boater info.
Two people holding hands stand by a speech bubble about finding festive activities in Facebook groups while traveling.
Illustration of a couple holding hands by a speech bubble about taking life slowly and enjoying festive activities together.

How far can you travel in a day?

This varies based on number of locks, crew experience, canal width and traffic, weather and most importantly, your energy levels!

General rule: Plan on about 3-4 miles per hour and allow 10-15 minutes per lock.

Typical cruising day:

  • 6-8 hours of cruising = ~10-15 miles with 6-10 locks.
  • CanalPlanAC helps predict this accurately.
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