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60′ × 6′ 10″Choose a starting place
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Drag to move. Use +/− or pinch to zoom. On a computer, Ctrl + scroll also zooms. Select a place for details or a canal to check your boat’s size.
Will it fit?
Within size
Needs checking
Too long or wide
Limits not checked
Excluded by route settings
Selected by you
Your modelled route
Approximate route outline
Teal assessed sections fit the published length and width used here. Choose A to check modelled connections. Amber sections need a named check. CRT says Consall Forge Railway Bridge on the Caldon Canal is less than 7 ft wide. Choose A and B to see whether your route crosses it; travel on one side does not pass the bridge. Broken grey sections are too long or wide for this comparison. Blue context is not assessed. Depth, headroom and current access remain separate checks.
The map includes canals, arms, basins and river connections. Where OpenStreetMap maps a marina basin or pontoon, it appears with the marina layer. Extra rivers, A roads and railway lines are optional context and sit behind the waterways. Railway lines show mapped infrastructure, not live train operation. We have checked boat sizes on 181 sections. Blue lines show other mapped waterways whose boat limits still need research. Turn on historic canals above to explore old routes and restoration projects.
0 names. Turn on historic canals above to include old canals and restoration remains.
No matching name in this map view. Unnamed canal sections are still drawn.
Lock coverage and sections still being checked
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Boat limits and coverage
The map compares your 60 ft length and 6 ft 10 in width on 181 assessed sections. Some still need a length or width check. It also includes 9,675 mapped waterway lines whose limits still need checking. These counts do not show complete navigable coverage.
These 18 named source records are not yet used to plan routes because their connections and most positions still need checking. A reviewed Whinhill point can be shown locally on the map. Height and draught figures still need your boat measurements and current water levels. A size fit at one lock, bridge, tunnel or reach does not confirm a whole journey. Dated access and closure reports are shown separately from boat size.
Driffield Navigation, between Wansford and Town Locks. Current passage through Whinhill only; historic chamber size is not current clearance.
Length
Above the published figure
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Why it needs checking: Your boat is longer than the stated limit here. Current access and the approach must be checked separately. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Driffield Navigation Trust checked 2026-10-12. Whinhill is currently usable only by boats less than 15 ft long because a fixed bridge was built over the chamber.
Bridge: Wansford (Skerne Road) Bridge
Driffield Navigation at Wansford. Separate access control before the upper navigation.
Length
Needs a check
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Why it needs checking: Bridge height and hull/cabin profile need checking. No width limit is recorded here. The Trust gives no numeric clearance for this bridge. Confirm the actual boat and bridge profile.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Driffield Navigation Trust checked 2026-10-12. The fixed bridge prevents larger boats reaching Driffield; smaller boats may pass with care.
Bridge: Snakeholme Lock tail bridge
Driffield Navigation at Snakeholme Lock. Fixed bridge over the tail of Snakeholme Lock only.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Height at this passage: Published figure: about 8 ft (2.44 m). Your boat height is not recorded here. Check the actual clearance and water level before passage.
Why it needs checking: Check measured boat air draught and the current bridge clearance before passage. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Driffield Navigation Trust checked 2026-10-12. The fixed bridge over the lock tail limits headroom to 8 ft.
Lock: South Ferriby Lock
Tidal Humber entrance to the River Ancholme. Entrance lock only, not the upstream river.
Length
Within the published figure
Width (beam)
Within the published figure
Why it needs checking: Your boat is within the published figures for this place.
Access and closures: Dated report (2026-10-12): closed. Dated source report only. Check the EA before travel. Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-12. South Ferriby Lock: 20.5 m by 5.5 m, parenthetically 68 ft by 18 ft.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-12. The page reports South Ferriby Lock currently closed.
Lock: Harlam Hill Lock
River Ancholme above Brandy Wharf. Separate upstream access boundary.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Why it needs checking: The lock is a separate access boundary; no individual usable boat size is established here. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Dated report (2026-10-12): closed. Dated source report only. Check the EA before travel. Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-12. The page reports Harlam Hill Lock currently closed.
Turning place: Turning above Harlam Hill
River Ancholme above Brandy Wharf. Upstream turning, not a whole-river lock limit.
Length
Above the published figure
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Why it needs checking: Your boat is longer than the stated limit here. This is a turning limit, not proof of the approach or lock passage. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-12. Upstream turning is restricted to boats up to 14 m/46 ft.
Bridge: Brandy Wharf Bridge
River Ancholme at Brandy Wharf. Approximate bridge headroom at standard water level on the named river reach.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Height at this passage: Published figure: about 7 ft 10 in (2.38 m). Your boat height is not recorded here. Check the actual clearance and water level before passage.
Why it needs checking: This is approximate headroom at standard water level. Check the gauge and your measured cabin profile at the bridge. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-12. The bridge table gives Brandy Wharf 2.38 m headroom above standard water level; river levels fluctuate.
Bridge: Town Bridge on the Old River
Old River Ancholme branch at Town Bridge. Old River branch only, not the parallel New River Ancholme.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Height at this passage: Published figure: about 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m). Your boat height is not recorded here. Check the actual clearance and water level before passage.
Why it needs checking: This is approximate headroom at standard water level. Check the gauge and your measured cabin profile on the Old River branch. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-12. The bridge table gives Town Bridge on the Old River 2.49 m headroom above standard water level; river levels fluctuate.
Above Hall Bridge towards Springfield Basin/Chelmsford. Inland navigation above Hall Bridge; not the larger Heybridge Sea Lock and basin envelope.
Length
Above the published figure
Width (beam)
Within the published figure
Water depth and boat draught: The authority prints 2 ft 6 in beside 0.62 m, which do not match. Confirm usable water depth and your boat draught. Your boat draught is not recorded here. Check current depth with the operator.
Why it needs checking: Your boat is longer than the stated limit here. Paper Mill bridge height and local access remain separate checks. Boat draught and current water depth need checking against this boundary.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Essex Waterways checked 2026-10-12. Maximum boat size: 57 ft length by 15 ft width. The page prints 2 ft 6 in and 0.62 m together for draught, although these are different lengths.
Essex Waterways checked 2026-10-12. Inland cruising up to 17.40 m by 4.62 m and 0.62 m draught; Paper Mill bridge height is separately noted.
Essex Waterways checked 2026-10-12. Above Hall Bridge the stated maximum dimensions are 17.40 m length, 4.62 m width and 0.62 m draught.
Bridge: Paper Mill road bridge
Chelmer & Blackwater inland navigation at Paper Mill. Bridge headroom at its actual reach only.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Height at this passage: The printed imperial and metric headroom figures differ slightly. Check current water level and your measured cabin profile. Your boat height is not recorded here. Check the actual clearance and water level before passage.
Why it needs checking: Compare measured air draught and cabin profile at Paper Mill; length and beam alone cannot clear this bridge. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Essex Waterways checked 2026-10-12. Road bridge headroom is printed as 6 ft 3 in and 1.9 m.
Lock: Heybridge Sea Lock and basin
Seaward end of Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation. Separate larger-craft envelope, not inland clearance.
Length
Needs a check
Width (beam)
Needs a check
Why it needs checking: The tidal entrance and inland Hall Bridge limit require separate checks. The authority pages describe different sea-lock and gate dimensions. Confirm the usable craft size and chosen gate with the lockkeeper. The authority pages give different sea-lock widths. Confirm actual passage with the lockkeeper.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Essex Waterways checked 2026-10-12. The navigation notes give 52.5 m by 8.2 m with a caisson gate and 28.5 m without it.
Essex Waterways checked 2026-10-12. The mooring guide describes a 55 m by 7.5 m sea lock with 55 m, 33 m and 17 m gate options, tide windows and booking.
Lock: Fulney Lock
River Welland at Spalding. Tidal/freshwater divide; individual clearance unconfirmed.
Length
Needs a check
Width (beam)
Needs a check
Why it needs checking: Typical EA lock dimensions do not establish the individual Fulney craft maximum. Confirm Fulney beam and bridge/profile restrictions with the EA.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-10. Fulney divides tidal and freshwater Welland; locks are described as typically 26 m by 4.6 m, not an exact Fulney craft clearance.
Lock: Surfleet Sluice
River Glen connection to the Welland. Separate Glen entrance; individual clearance unconfirmed.
Length
Needs a check
Width (beam)
Needs a check
Why it needs checking: No exact Surfleet craft length is established by the typical EA figure. No exact Surfleet craft beam is established by the typical EA figure.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-10. Surfleet Sluice joins the Glen to the Welland; typical lock dimensions are not individual clearance.
Access boundary: Stamford to Peakirk reach
Upper River Welland. Separate reach for canoes and light boats only.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Why it needs checking: A full-size powered boat is not cleared for this reach by the lower Welland guidance. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Dated report (2026-10-10): restricted. Canoes and light boats only in the cited EA guidance; confirm actual access. Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-10. The Stamford to Peakirk reach is for canoes and light boats only, unlike Peakirk to Spalding.
Tunnel: Froghall Tunnel
Beyond the assessed Caldon approach. Tunnel and basin passage, not the full Caldon Canal.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
Needs a check
Height at this passage: Published figure: about 5 ft (1.52 m). Your boat height is not recorded here. Check the actual clearance and water level before passage.
Why it needs checking: CRT pages differ on tunnel beam. Confirm the measured hull, tumblehome and cabin profile. Tunnel clearance depends on air draught and cabin shape, not beam alone. No length limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Canal & River Trust checked 2026-10-10. Tunnel note says 6 ft 8 in beam and 5 ft headroom.
Canal & River Trust checked 2026-10-10. Waterway-dimensions entry says 7 ft beam can be acceptable in the tunnel; tumblehome and height matter.
Bridge: Consall Forge Railway Bridge
Froghall approach on the Caldon Canal. Separate bridge pinch point before the tunnel.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
Within the published figure
Why it needs checking: Confirm cabin shape and the actual usable bridge profile. No length limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Canal & River Trust checked 2026-10-10. After a landslip the bridge is less than 7 ft wide.
Lock: Black Sluice Lock
Boston Haven entrance to South Forty Foot Drain. Entrance lock only, not the full drain.
Length
Within the published figure
Width (beam)
Within the published figure
Why it needs checking: The tidal entrance and onward passage require separate checks.
Access and closures: Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-10. Entrance lock is 21 m by 6 m, parenthetically 70 ft by 20 ft.
Access boundary: Donington Bridge upstream reach
South Forty Foot Drain above Donington Bridge. Upper reach, separate from entrance lock.
Length
No limit recorded
Width (beam)
No limit recorded
Why it needs checking: No numeric full-size boat clearance is established above this bridge. No length limit is recorded here. No width limit is recorded here.
Access and closures: Dated report (2026-10-10): restricted. Small unpowered boats only under the cited EA guidance. Check the operator for current access.
Route between places: Not confirmed.
Environment Agency checked 2026-10-10. Above Donington Bridge only small unpowered boats can pass, because of depth, headroom, width and environmental considerations.
Which stretches still have an approximate shape?
The remaining fixed outlines are specialist tidal passages. Their safe course depends on current channels, tides, charts and local passage guidance, so the atlas does not pretend that one permanent centreline is a navigable route.
Type a marina, canal, town, station, lock or bridge into the A and B boxes. Select a suggestion to place its pin.
Distances and locks are loading.
Boat length and width only. Check water depth, headroom and opening notices before travelling. Distances, lock records and journey times are planning estimates. The route favours fewer sections needing a size check; it is not necessarily the shortest or quickest journey.
Check what is happening before you move
Boat fit and a mapped route do not prove the waterway is open today. Check the navigation authority again near departure.
These links open CRT’s current information. The public planner does not display a copied notice feed while permission for that use is still being discussed.
An extra foot may make no difference on one canal, but stop you getting through a lock on another.
57′ 6″
The short-lock question
Calder & Hebble and Huddersfield Broad use this published length. A 57 ft widebeam is within that length limit; a 60 ft widebeam is too long for it. Some narrowboats up to 60 ft have made angled passage, with little margin.
Sheffield: 61 ft 6 in. Thorne: 61 ft 8 in. Rufford: 62 ft. Leeds & Liverpool: CRT says 64 ft, IWA 62 ft. These are different restrictions. Shortening a 65 ft boat to 60 ft can therefore gain several useful routes.
Most main canals in central and southern England are still long enough for these boats. You can still reach the western Leeds & Liverpool through Leigh. The loss is chiefly short northern routes and some branches, with additional changes near 70 ft.
A 10 ft-wide boat is within the listed width for the broad section at Leicester. Up to 10 ft 6 in, Erewash and the recommended Ribble Link width remain. The Ribble approach also needs a boat no longer than about 62 ft and suitable draught.
Much of the upper main line uses 12 ft 6 in. Bridge 24 near Long Itchington is listed at 12 ft. A 12 ft boat has a stronger case for the broad southern region than a 13 or 14 ft one, subject to tunnel arrangements and the shared Oxford-reach conflict.
The listed maximum width between Reading and Bath on the Kennet & Avon is 4 m / 13 ft 1 in. A 70 ft × 12 ft boat remains within it; a 57 ft × 14 ft boat does not. Bath to Bristol is wider, so that western stretch is not itself lost, but you cannot assume a through route from Reading at 14 ft.
Liverpool in a 70 ft narrowboat: approach via the Bridgewater, Leigh Branch and western Leeds & Liverpool. The Wigan-to-Leeds short locks are not on that route.
Thorne Lock: the Aire & Calder and New Junction reach its western side; Keadby reaches the eastern side. A Trent Falls / Goole diversion is a specialist tidal passage.
Rochdale in a long narrowboat: you can explore towards Sowerby Bridge from Manchester, then the short Calder & Hebble locks prevent continuing east.
Lancaster: fitting the canal itself does not overcome the shorter Rufford approach and Ribble Link width. Changing your base is different from cruising there.
Diagonal passage is specific to the boat and lock.
The quoted maximum boat size is not an empty rectangular chamber. Cills, gate swings, recesses, rudder and hull shape matter. A diagonal calculation cannot certify passage. The narrowboat exception cannot simply be applied to a 10–14 ft widebeam, or stretched into a claim that a 70 ft boat can pass the short Yorkshire locks.
For a narrowboat, compare 57–59 ft against 60 ft if northern flexibility is the priority. A 65–70 ft narrowboat offers more room with a real northern-route trade-off. For a widebeam, investigate 57 ft × 10–12 ft for northern flexibility, or 60–70 ft × about 12 ft for spacious southern cruising. These sizes are starting points for your shortlist. Before buying, check the actual boat against the tight spots on the routes you want.
A widebeam can travel extensively within a region. None of the 10–14 ft beams restores an ordinary inland north–south passage through England’s narrow Midlands links.
Map data and coverage
Search for locks, bridges, facilities, marinas, stations and place names. The map brings these records together, but it may not include every place. If several results match, add the canal name or lock or bridge number.
A place on the map does not confirm boat access. Some pins and route links are approximate, and small branches, marina entrances and individual obstructions may not be shown.
Sources and licences
Map place names use the GeoNames UK gazetteer. The display groups places by population and administrative importance. “City”, “town” and “village” are map display levels here, not claims about legal city status. Villages with no recorded population or fewer than 250 people are left out to keep the download practical on a phone.
Restored stretches, missing links and separate waterways worth exploring. Discover what is there today, what people are working towards and how you can help.
These stories sit alongside the boat planner. Restoring a canal takes many stages: a section can hold water, welcome walkers or run trip boats long before it becomes a through route. Access and project updates were researched on 7 September 2026.
