Rivers
Berths available
Cathedral Marina
Ely, Cambridgeshire · River Great Ouse
Prices on request
Narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths in the East of England
Places that take narrowboats. Up to 7ft (2.13m) beam. Berths you step off onto a pontoon, quay or bank: no tender, no rowing out to a buoy. Easier for loading, for a dog, and for getting aboard after dark.
17 sites · 2 with space now · 5 with a waiting list · typical £2,710 a year for a 57ft narrowboat (£144–£5,194 across 9 published tariffs)
At a glance
- 17 sites: 5 on canals, 10 on rivers, 1 on the Broads or a lake and 1 on an estuary.
- 2 of the 17 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Cathedral Marina and Hazlemere Marina.
- Keeping a waiting list: Cambridge City Council Residential Moorings, Fox Narrowboats Marina, Hallingbury Marina, Lea Valley Narrowboat Company Stanstead Abbotts Moorings and Lea Valley Narrowboats - Sawbridgeworth Moorings.
- For a 57ft narrowboat, published prices run from £144 a year (Lea Valley Narrowboats - Sawbridgeworth Moorings) to £5,194 a year (St Olaves Marina); the middle of 9 is £2,710 a year.
- Longest boat taken: 21.3m (70ft) at Cathedral Marina.
- Of the 17, 10 have electric hook-up, 7 a pump-out, 6 diesel, 3 a boat hoist and 3 visitor berths.
- 4 of the 17 allow liveaboards, outright or by arrangement.
- Groups running more than one: Essex Waterways (2) and Spreyer Holiday Parks (2).
Canals
Berths available
Hazlemere Marina
Waltham Abbey, Essex · Lee Navigation
Prices not published
Rivers
Waiting list
Cambridge City Council Residential Moorings
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire · River Cam
£1,537 a year for a 10m cruiser
Rivers
Waiting list
Fox Narrowboats Marina
March, Cambridgeshire · Middle Level Navigations
£1,079 a year for a 10m cruiser
Rivers
Waiting list
Hallingbury Marina
Little Hallingbury, Essex · River Stort
£1,881 a year for a 10m cruiser
Rivers
Waiting list
Lea Valley Narrowboat Company Stanstead Abbotts Moorings
Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire · River Lea
Prices on request
Rivers
Waiting list
Lea Valley Narrowboats - Sawbridgeworth Moorings
Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire · River Stort
£144 a year for a 10m cruiser
Canals
Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation
Chelmsford, Essex · Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation
£3,120 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Rivers
Hartford Marina
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire · River Great Ouse
£2,266 a year for a 10m cruiser
Rivers
Knightsbridge Caravan & Marina Park
March, Cambridgeshire · River Nene Old Course
£1,520 a year for a 10m cruiser
Canals
Lockside Marina
Chelmsford, Essex · Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation
£2,710 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Broads, lakes & lochs
St Olaves Marina
St Olaves, Norfolk · River Waveney, Norfolk Broads
£2,990 a year for a 10m cruiser
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
Rivers
Hermitage Marina
Earith, Cambridgeshire · Old West River
Prices on request
Rivers
Pike & Eel Marina
Needingworth, Cambridgeshire · River Great Ouse
Prices not published
Estuaries & tidal rivers
Westview Marina & Leisure Park
Earith, Cambridgeshire · River Great Ouse
Prices on request
Compared: prices for a 57ft narrowboat
| Site | Where | A year, 57ft narrowboat | Berths | Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral Marina | Ely, River Great Ouse | On request | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Berths available |
| Hazlemere Marina | Waltham Abbey, Lee Navigation | – | linear moorings | Berths available |
| Cambridge City Council Residential Moorings | Cambridge, River Cam | £1,810 | linear moorings | Waiting list |
| Fox Narrowboats Marina | March, Middle Level Navigations | £1,859 | pontoon berths | Waiting list |
| Hallingbury Marina | Little Hallingbury, River Stort | £3,249 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Waiting list |
| Lea Valley Narrowboat Company Stanstead Abbotts Moorings | Stanstead Abbotts, River Lea | On request | linear moorings | Waiting list |
| Lea Valley Narrowboats - Sawbridgeworth Moorings | Sawbridgeworth, River Stort | £144 | linear moorings | Waiting list |
| Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation | Chelmsford, Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation | £3,120 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Not reported |
| Hartford Marina | Huntingdon, River Great Ouse | £3,936 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Knightsbridge Caravan & Marina Park | March, River Nene Old Course | £2,117 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Not reported |
| Lockside Marina | Chelmsford, Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation | £2,710 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| St Olaves Marina | St Olaves, River Waveney, Norfolk Broads | £5,194 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Bates Boatyard | Tring, Grand Union Canal, Aylesbury Arm | – | linear moorings | Not reported |
| Cowroast Waterside & Marina | Tring, Grand Union Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Hermitage Marina | Earith, Old West River | On request | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Not reported |
| Pike & Eel Marina | Needingworth, River Great Ouse | – | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Westview Marina & Leisure Park | Earith, River Great Ouse | On request | pontoon berths | 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 57ft narrowboat cost in the East of England?
Across the 9 narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths here that publish a price, a 57ft narrowboat costs from £144 a year at Lea Valley Narrowboats - Sawbridgeworth Moorings to £5,194 a year at St Olaves Marina. The middle figure is £2,710 a year. Check what each includes: electricity, water and VAT vary.
What are the cheapest narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths in the East of England?
For a 57ft narrowboat, Lea Valley Narrowboats - Sawbridgeworth Moorings is cheapest at £144 a year.
Which narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths in the East of England have space now?
2 of the 17 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Cathedral Marina and Hazlemere Marina. Each page shows the date they told us and what they have.
Can you live aboard at narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths in the East of England?
4 of the 17 say you can: Hazlemere Marina (residential moorings with planning consent), Cambridge City Council Residential Moorings (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, 4 need a Canal & River Trust boat licence, 7 need Environment Agency registration (Thames, Medway, Anglian waterways), 1 need Broads Authority tolls and 3 need the navigation's own licence. Coastal marinas usually need none.
Broader
Narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths in the East of England, by county
Narrowboat moorings with walk-ashore berths in other areas
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