Canals
Berths available
Purton South L1 Leisure
Berkeley, Gloucestershire · Gloucester & Sharpness Canal
Prices not published
Canal moorings and marinas for small boats
Marinas, basins and linear towpath moorings on the canal network: mostly narrowboats and widebeams, priced per foot or metre a year, with a navigation licence on top. Places that take small boats. Dinghies, day boats and RIBs.
21 sites · 2 with space now · typical £1,214 a year for a 6m boat (£540–£2,722 across 6 published tariffs)
At a glance
- 21 sites, all on canals.
- 2 of the 21 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Purton South L1 Leisure and West Stockwith Linear Moorings L1 Leisure.
- For a 6m boat, published prices run from £540 a year (Nantwich & Border Counties Yacht Club) to £2,722 a year (Purton South L1 Leisure); the middle of 6 is £1,214 a year.
- Longest boat taken: 45m (148ft) at Fort Augustus.
- Of the 21, 8 have electric hook-up, 8 a pump-out and 3 diesel.
- 3 of the 21 allow liveaboards, outright or by arrangement.
- Groups running more than one: Canal & River Trust (11).
Canals
Berths available
West Stockwith Linear Moorings L1 Leisure
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire · Chesterfield Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Abbot's Wharf L1
London, Greater London · Limehouse Cut
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Bathampton L1 Leisure Moorings
Bathampton, Somerset · Kennet & Avon Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Blue Lias L1 Leisure
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire · Grand Union Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Full
Castleford Cut L1 Leisure
Castleford, West Yorkshire · Aire & Calder Navigation
Prices not published
Canals
Full
East Wick Leisure Moorings
Hackney / Stratford, Greater London · Lee Navigation
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Egginton L1 Leisure
Burton on Trent, Derbyshire · Trent & Mersey Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Full
Fosse Locks L1 Leisure
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire · Grand Union Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Great Bedwyn (Above Lock) L1
Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire · Kennet & Avon Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Full
Kintbury L1 Leisure
Kintbury, Berkshire · Kennet & Avon Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Springwell Lock L1 Leisure
Rickmansworth, Greater London · Grand Union Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Talbot Wharf
Market Drayton, Shropshire · Shropshire Union Canal
£1,984 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation
Chelmsford, Essex · Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation
£3,120 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus, Highland · Caledonian Canal
£4,704 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Bates Boatyard
Tring, Hertfordshire · Grand Union Canal, Aylesbury Arm
Prices not published
Canals
Cowroast Waterside & Marina
Tring, Hertfordshire · Grand Union Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Fairies Hill Moorings
Whitwood, West Yorkshire · Aire & Calder Navigation
Prices on request
Canals
Nantwich & Border Counties Yacht Club
Nantwich, Cheshire · Shropshire Union Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Stanley Ferry Marina
Wakefield, West Yorkshire · Aire & Calder Navigation
Prices not published
Canals
Watch House Cruising Club
Stretford, Greater Manchester · Bridgewater Canal
Prices not published
Compared: prices for a 6m boat
| Site | Where | A year, 6m boat | Space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purton South L1 Leisure | Berkeley, Gloucester & Sharpness Canal | £2,722 | Berths available |
| West Stockwith Linear Moorings L1 Leisure | Gainsborough, Chesterfield Canal | £1,349 | Berths available |
| Abbot's Wharf L1 | London, Limehouse Cut | – | Full |
| Bathampton L1 Leisure Moorings | Bathampton, Kennet & Avon Canal | – | Full |
| Blue Lias L1 Leisure | Leamington Spa, Grand Union Canal | On request | Full |
| Castleford Cut L1 Leisure | Castleford, Aire & Calder Navigation | – | Full |
| East Wick Leisure Moorings | Hackney / Stratford, Lee Navigation | – | Full |
| Egginton L1 Leisure | Burton on Trent, Trent & Mersey Canal | On request | Full |
| Fosse Locks L1 Leisure | Leamington Spa, Grand Union Canal | – | Full |
| Great Bedwyn (Above Lock) L1 | Great Bedwyn, Kennet & Avon Canal | On request | Full |
| Kintbury L1 Leisure | Kintbury, Kennet & Avon Canal | – | Full |
| Springwell Lock L1 Leisure | Rickmansworth, Grand Union Canal | – | Full |
| Talbot Wharf | Market Drayton, Shropshire Union Canal | £870 | Full |
| Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation | Chelmsford, Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation | £1,078 | Not reported |
| Fort Augustus | Fort Augustus, Caledonian Canal | £1,625 | Not reported |
| Bates Boatyard | Tring, Grand Union Canal, Aylesbury Arm | – | Not reported |
| Cowroast Waterside & Marina | Tring, Grand Union Canal | On request | Not reported |
| Fairies Hill Moorings | Whitwood, Aire & Calder Navigation | On request | Not reported |
| Nantwich & Border Counties Yacht Club | Nantwich, Shropshire Union Canal | £540 | Not reported |
| Stanley Ferry Marina | Wakefield, Aire & Calder Navigation | – | Not reported |
| Watch House Cruising Club | Stretford, Bridgewater Canal | – | Not reported |
From each site's published tariff. "–" means the site doesn't say. Prices change; confirm with the site.
Questions
How much does a mooring for a 6m boat cost in the UK?
Across the 6 canal moorings and marinas for small boats here that publish a price, a 6m boat costs from £540 a year at Nantwich & Border Counties Yacht Club to £2,722 a year at Purton South L1 Leisure. The middle figure is £1,214 a year. Check what each includes: electricity, water and VAT vary.
What are the cheapest canal moorings and marinas for small boats in the UK?
For a 6m boat, Nantwich & Border Counties Yacht Club is cheapest at £540 a year.
Which canal moorings and marinas for small boats in the UK have space now?
2 of the 21 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Purton South L1 Leisure and West Stockwith Linear Moorings L1 Leisure. Each page shows the date they told us and what they have.
Can you live aboard at canal moorings and marinas for small boats in the UK?
3 of the 21 say you can: Abbot's Wharf L1 (residential moorings with planning consent), Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation (liveaboard by arrangement) and Cowroast Waterside & Marina (residential moorings with planning consent). Living aboard can need planning consent and council tax; ask each site about its terms.
Do I need a licence as well as a mooring?
On top of the mooring fee: of these, 18 need a Canal & River Trust boat licence, 1 need a Scottish Canals licence and 2 need the navigation's own licence. Coastal marinas usually need none.
Broader
Canal moorings and marinas for small boats by county
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