Canals and Lock Sizes are one of the most common things asked about the waterways in the UK. The following data has been provided to help answer some of the
most often asked questions “Can I take my boat across the Leeds & Liverpool Canal? ” or “What is the maximum size of boat that can travel all the canals and waterways on the connected system?” So here is a list of all canals with the lengths and widths for each waterway. We do advised you to check particulars with the navigation authority before undertaking voyages into unfamiliar waters.
The follow data is correct but one must understand, that because one 60ft boat passed through, your vessel may not even though 60ft due to its design.
The normal rule of thumb is that a 57ft narrowboat will be able to access 99% of the system and a 60ft about 80% of the system.
Please also check the navigation authority websites as there maybe imposed restrictions due to bridge or lock work.
Canalnarrowboat.co.uk will not be held responsible for any wrong or changed information below.
Ashby de la Zouch Canal
Length 72 feet, beam 7feet.
Aire & Calder Navigation – Selby Section
Length 78 foot 6 inches, beam 16 foot 6 inches.
Aire & Calder Navigation : Wakefield Section
Length 142 foot, beam 17 foot 6 inches.
Ashton, Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Ashton Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Macclesfield Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Peak Forest Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
Length 50 foot, beam 9 foot 10 inches.
Calder and Hebble Navigation
Wakefield to Broadcut Top Lock: Length 120 foot, beam 17 foot 6 inches.
The rest of the navigation to Sowerby Bridge: Length 57 foot 6 inches, beam 14 foot 2 inches.
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Dudley Canal Line No 1
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Digbeth Branch Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
BCN Main Line
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Birmingham Canal Navigations
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot, applies to the whole BCN.
Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation
Into Heybridge Basin: Length 107 foot, beam 26 foot. The rest of the navigation to Chelmsford: Length 60 foot, beam 16 foot.
Caledonian Canal
Length 150 foot, beam 35 foot.
Chesterfield Canal
River Trent to Retford: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot. Retford to the head of navigation: Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Crinan Canal
Length 88 foot, beam 20 foot.
Coventry Canal
Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Driffield Navigation
Length 61 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
Droitwich Junction Canal
Length 71 foot 6 inches, beam 7 foot 1inch.
Droitwich Canal
Length 71 foot 6 inches, beam 9 foot 6 inches.
Dudley Canal Line No 2
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Gower Branch Canal (BCN)
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Old Main Line (BCN)
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Rushall Canal (BCN)
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Titford Canal (BCN)
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Tame Valley Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 12 foot 6 inches.
Exeter Ship Canal
Length 122 foot, beam 26 foot 3 inches.
Forth & Clyde Canal
Length 68 foot 6 inches, beam 19 foot 8 inches.
Fossdyke Canal
Length 74 foot 6 inches, beam 15 foot 2 inches.
Gloucester & Sharpness Ship Canal
Length 240 foot, beam 30 foot.
Grantham Canal
Length 75 foot, beam 14 foot.
Grand Union Aylesbury Branch
Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Grand Union Erewash Canal
Trent Lock to Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 3 inches.
Grand Union Market Harborough Branch
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Grand Union Leicester Section
Norton Junction to Foxton Junction (the old Grand Union canal): Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot. Foxton to Leicester: Length 70 foot, beam 13 foot.
Leicester to Trent Junction (the River Soar): Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 4 inches.
Grand Union Main Line
Brentford to Camp Hill Top Lock: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot. Camp Hill Top Lock to Salford Junction: Length 72 foot, beam 6 foot 10 inches.
Grand Union Northampton Branch
Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Grand Union Regents Canal
Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
Hertford Union Canal (Grand Union)
Length 78 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
Grand Union Welford Branch
Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Huddersfield Broad Canal
Length 57 foot 6 inches, beam 14 foot 2 inches.
Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 6 foot 10 inches.
Kyme Eau – Sleaford Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 14 foot.
Leeds & Liverpool – Leigh Branch
Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot.
Kennet and Avon Canal
Reading to Newbury: Length 75 foot, beam 14 foot. Newbury to Bath: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot. Bath to Hanham Lock: Length 75 foot, beam 16 foot.
Lancaster Canal
Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
Lancaster Canal – Glasson Dock Branch
Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
Leeds & Liverpool – Rufford Branch
Length 62 foot, beam 14 foot.
Louth Navigation
Length 72 foot, beam 15 foot.
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds to Wigan: Length 62 foot, beam 14 foot. Wigan to Liverpool: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot.
Lydney Canal
Length 100 foot, beam 24 foot.
Market Weighton Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 14 foot 10 inches.
Manchester Ship Canal
Large locks: Length 600 foot, beam 65 foot. Parallel smaller locks: Length 350 foot, beam 65 foot.
Middle Level – Forty Foot River
Horseway Lock: Length 60 foot, beam 11 foot. Welches Dam Lock: Length 47 foot, beam 11 foot.
Middle Level – King’s Dyke
Stanground Lock: Length 80 foot, beam 11 foot 6 inches.
Middle Level – Old River Nene
Marmont Priory Lock: Length 92 foot, beam 12 foot.
Middle Level – Well Creek
Salters Lode Lock: Length 62 foot, beam 12 foot 6 inches. Note it is possible for longer boats to pass through this lock in favourable states of the tide.
Middle Level – Whittlesey Dyke
Ashline Lock: Length 80 foot, beam 11 foot 6 inches.
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
Length 64 foot 9 inches, beam 9 foot 2 inches. Navigation is restricted to boats of length 50 foot, beam 8 foot 6 inchs because of a bridge on a sharp bend.
Neath Canal
Length 60 foot, beam 9 foot.
Old West River (Great Ouse)
Hermitage Sluice: Length 90 foot, beam 12 foot 6 inches. Denver Lock: Length 96 foot 9 inches, beam 17 foot 8 inches.
River Lark (Great Ouse)
Length 88 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
Oxford Canal (Northern Section)
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Oxford Canal (Southern Section)
Length 72 foot, beam 6 foot 10 inches.
Pocklington Canal
Length 57 foot, beam 14 foot 3 inches.
Ripon Canal
Length 58 foot, beam 14 foot.
River Ancholme
South Ferriby Lock: length 68 foot, beam 19 foot. Harlam Hill Lock: length 40 foot, beam 12 foot.
River Avon (Bristol)
Through the Cumberland Basin Entrance Lock: length 324 foot 9 inches, beam 48 foot 10 inches. Through Netham Lock: length 80 foot, beam 17 foot 8 inches.
Lower Avon Navigation
Lock sizes vary but the maximum craft size for navigating the whole waterway is: length 70 foot, beam 13 foot 6 inchs.
Upper Avon
Lock sizes vary but the maximum size of craft navigating the river is length 70 foot, beam 12 foot 6 inches.
River Cam
Length 100 foot, beam 14 foot.
River Derwent
Through Barmby Barrage Lock: Length 62 foot, beam 16 foot 6 inches. Sutton Lock: Length 54 foot 6 inches, beam 13 foot 9 inches.
River Foss
Length 97 foot, beam 18 foot 6 inches.
River Great Ouse
Individual lock sizes vary but the maximum size for navigationfrom Bedford to the Wash is Length 85 foot 4 inches, beam 10 foot 4 inches.
Little Ouse or Brandon River
Brandon Lock (opened 1995): Length 40 foot 4 inches, beam 12 foot.
River Medway
Allington Lock to Maidstone: Length 175 foot, beam 21 foot 6 inches. Maidstone to Tonbridge: Length 80 foot, beam 18 foot 6 inches.
River Lee – Bow Creek
Length 90 foot, beam 19 foot 6 inches.
River Lee
Length 84 foot, beam 16 foot.
River Stort
Length 85 foot, beam 13 foot 3 inches.
River Ouse (Yorkshire)
Naburn Lock maximum craft size: Length 150 foot, beam 25 foot 6 inches. Linton Lock: Length 60 foot, beam 15 foot 4 inches.
River Nene
Length 78 foot, beam 14 foot. Note – Irthlingborough Bridge restricts the maximum beam of craft navigating the Nene to 13 foot.
River Parrett
Length 54 foot, beam 14 foot.
River Rother (Eastern)
Length 56 foot, beam 13 foot 9 inches.
River Severn
Lock sizes vary but the maximum craft sizes are from Gloucester to Worcester: Length 135 foot, beam 21 foot. From Worcester to Stourport: Length 90 foot, beam 19 foot.
River Trent
Lock sizes vary but the maximum dimensions for craft navigating the waterway are as follows. Derwent Mouth to Meadow Lane Lock (Nottingham Canal): Length 81 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches. From Meadow Lane Lock to the tidal river: Length 165 foot, beam 18 foot 6 inches.
River Thames
Lock sizes vary but the maximum dimensions for craft navigating the river are as follows. Lechlade to Oxford: Length 109 foot, beam 14 foot. Oxford to Reading: Length 120 foot, beam 17 foot 3 inches. Reading to Windsor: Length 130 foot, beam 17 foot 6 inches. Windsor to Teddington: Length 174 foot, beam 19 foot 10 inches.
River Ure
Westwick Lock is the smaller of the two locks and is length 57 foot, beam 14 foot 6 inches.
River Wey
Length 72 foot, beam 13 foot 10 inches.
River Welland
Fulney Lock: Length 62 foot 4 inches, beam 27 foot 10 inches.
River Weaver
Winsford Bridge to Northwich: Length 130 foot, beam 35 foot. Northwich to Weston Point: Length 150 foot, beam 35 foot.
River Witham Navigation
Length 78 foot, beam 15 foot 2 inches.
Rochdale Canal
Length 74 foot, beam 14 foot 2 inches.
Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation
Keadby to Bramwith is restricted by Thorne Lock to length 61 foot 8 inches, beam 17 foot. From Bramwith to Rotherham maximum craft size is length 229 foot 8 inches, beam 20 foot. From Rotherham to Sheffield: Length 61 foot 6 inches, beam 15 foot 3 inches.
Sheffield and South Yorkshire New Junction Canal
Sykehouse Lock: Length 215 foot, beam 22 foot 6 inches.
Stourbridge Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Shropshire Union Dee Branch
Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 9 inches.
Shropshire Union – Middlewich Branch
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Shropshire Union – Llangollen Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 6 foot 10 inches.
Shropshire Union Main Line
From Autherley Junction to Nantwich (the old Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal): Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot. From Nantwich to Ellesmere Port: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 9 inches but note that other structures on the waterway limit craft to a beam of 9 foot.
Shropshire Union Montgomery Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 6 foot 10 inches.
Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Stratford upon Avon Canal – Kingswood Branch
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Stratford upon Avon Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Stroudwater Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 15 foot 6 inches.
Swansea Canal
Length 64 foot, beam 7 foot 6 inches.
Caldon Branch – Trent and Mersey Canal
Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Trent and Mersey Canal
Derwent Mouth to Burton-on-Trent: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot.
Burton to Middlewich Lock 74: Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot.
Middlewich Big Lock: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot.
From Middlewich to Preston Brook the maximum beam for craft is 9 foot.
Daw End Branch Canal (BCN)
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Walsall Branch Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Walsall Canal
Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot.
Witham Navigable Drains
Maximum dimensions for craft are Length 60 foot, beam 10 foot.
Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Length 71 foot 6 inches, beam 7 foot.