canal map journey planner

Plan a waterways journey

From where do you want to start your trip.

• Select place by name
• Select place by location
• Find place on map
• Use nearest place to where you are
• Start from home mooring

Do you want to:

• Plan an out-and-back trip to somewhere, returning to
• Plan a one way trip starting at
• Plan a trip round a cruising ring starting and finishing at
• Find out how far you can travel from in a certain time

Time spent travelling

By default, calculations are based on seven hours travelling each day, and on all days being the same length (so no short days at either the start or the end of the trip).

• Use these defaults
• Choose your own travelling times

Dates for trip

Trips can be planned without reference to dates or using actual calendar dates (in the future or the past).

• Plan trip without dates
• Select date for start of trip

 Map adapted from Map SVG , used under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

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Your Complete Canal Route Planner: How to Make the Most of Your Trip

Canals and rivers lure me to them. Wherever I am in the world, I find myself seeking out the nearest canal . I want to feel the history that surrounds them.

Let's not forget these waterways were once the industrial superhighway for manufacturing and industry. Without them, the modern world around us wouldn't be what it is today.

It's hard to quantify the impact these stretches of water had on the planet. And yet these sedate havens of tranquility, these diverse and wildlife-rich routes, dug out by hand and once black with the soot of industry and pollution, are preserved for a leisurely pursuit today. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Your Complete Canal Route Planner

Consider this guide your complete canal route planner. By the end of this post, you'll know where you're going, which guidebooks you need, how to hire a canal boat (if needed) and how to plan your time aboard wisely.

Meet the Canals of the World

At this stage, I would defend my traditional view of canal travel and suggest you ditch the internet and get a good guidebook. That's fine if, like mine, it gets used daily.

But spending dollars on a guidebook can seem like a waste of money when the internet is free. There are some great websites to help you get about the canal systems of the world.

In France, there's the Euro canal website. As the name suggests, Euro canal sites cover Germany, Holland and pretty much any other European country with a canal system.

In the UK, I prefer to use the Canal and River Trust  website. It's like a one-stop shop for everything canal related. Just remember that an  internet signal  can seem like another century away, which is why canal boaters rely on their trusty guidebooks. They don't lose signal!

So, let's talk briefly about the canals worth visiting.

Europe is awash (excuse the watery pun) with man made waterways. In Germany , from Hamburg's canals and rivers to Stuttgart's waterways, over 70 rivers and canals crisscross this great nation.

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about the rich and diverse towns, cities and countryside of Germany, as well as the history. The Inland Waterways of Germany   is an all-encompassing guide to the waterway network. It includes vital cruising maps, points of interest, the location of locks, bridges and moorings, and most importantly, the etiquette of the German waterways.

Then there's the Canal du Midi in France, a magnificent waterway that stretches for 150 miles, joining with the Canal De Garonne to link the Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic.

Considered one of the greatest 17th-century engineering feats, the Canal du Midi still captivates travelers. Numerous guidebooks give routes and points of interest on the Canal du Midi, making it ideal for the inexperienced traveler.

Guidebooks such as The Canal du Midi: A Cruisers Guide (check price on Amazon) shows where the locks, bridges and moorings are and is accompanied by maps and color photos.

We've all heard of Amsterdam canals, right? What a city! Nothing quite prepares you for Amsterdam's beauty and the canals that run the length and breadth of the old town.

The Lonely Planet Pocket Guide (check price on Amazon) is handy when getting around the city on foot or by water. It includes a canal system map as well as a city map. The heart of Amsterdam is compact, so you shouldn't get lost.

The UK has roughly 2000 miles of navigable waterways that stretch from the south all the way to Scotland. Two guidebooks are common for the network: The Pearson Guide (check price on Amazon) , or the Nicholsons Guide (check price on Amazon) .

Each book covers sections of the canal, giving detailed maps, distances, lock and bridge locations and important facilities. These guides are like a canal bible to canal boaters in the UK, but because they only cover the network in sections, you'll need to buy a new guidebook each time you move to a new waterway or part.

North America

People are surprised to discover the USA is crisscrossed with navigable waterways. It stands to reason that America needed the same infrastructure as Europe to transport goods and supplies in large quantities.

So, it follows that massive canal-building projects began in the early 19th century in an era that preceded the railways. Much of these waterways are still in use and enjoyed by leisure boaters across North America.

The Erie Canal , once part of a 363-mile route, stretches from the Hudson River to Buffalo near Lake Erie. If you wish to travel this route, there are guidebooks available.  The Explorer's Guide to the Erie Canal (check price on Amazon) is an excellent guide.

It shows points of interest along the way, like restaurants, wineries, accommodations and canal cruises. The guide also offers historical information along the way.

Of course, there's a wealth of information at your fingertips online. You can even find an Erie Canal History tour online, which gives you a comprehensive guide to the construction and history of this grand canal.

Other websites exist, primarily funded and maintained by enthusiasts and boaters alike, which detail all the other canals that cover the USA. So, whether you're looking at a canal holiday nearer to home, or you're feeling adventurous and fancy trying one of the canal systems in Europe or the UK, what do you need to know?

Hiring a Canal Boat

Hundreds if not thousands of canal boat charter companies exist in the UK. My boat's on the Kennet and Avon canal, in the South West of England. On this stretch alone, within a 20-mile length, are at least ten hire companies.

It's fair to say that  canal boat holidays are getting more popular every year. And not just with locals. I meet many North Americans on the canals. I often wonder what brings them here. Maybe it's the pace of life or the friendly environment, but whatever it is, the canals are more in demand than they've ever been.

The good news? You don't need any experience to drive a canal boat. On the continent, unlike the UK where things tend to be traditional and where canals are broader, the vessel types you can hire vary enormously.

Cruisers, trawlers  and motor boats are more commonplace, so they may be better suited to Americans. Narrowboats can be tricky beasts to tame, especially at 70 ft long and no wider than 6 ft 10-inches.

Canal Boat Hire Firms  is a great website that lists a substantial number of hire companies, both UK and Europe-based. Cruise-USA   is the North American equivalent and offers canal boat holidays complete with itineraries, mapped tours and routes to offer the most out of the experience.

Cost of Hiring a Canal Boat

Canal holidays are not cheap! In the UK, the peak season is summer. Hiring a narrowboat can cost as much as £2000 ($2637) for the week.

It isn't much different in Europe, where a typical week on the French canals will set you back over 2000 Euros ($2353).

In the USA, a typical week on New York's Erie canal starts around $1300. Depending on the level of luxury, it can rise to over $2000.

A hire company that rents out English style narrowboats  charges over $3000 for one week. Overall, boating holidays aren't a cheap option, that's for sure.

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Plan Your Time Carefully

Whichever canal you're on, you'll need to look out for amenities like water points, garbage disposal and pump-out facilities for the waste tank .

All guidebooks use a key to explain each symbol. Most follow a common theme and use universal motifs so they're easily understood (especially important if the country doesn't speak your native language).

In the UK, for example, tap symbols indicate a water point and trash symbols indicate a garbage point. Locks are marked by two diagonal lines across the map. A petrol pump symbol denotes a fuel point, much like the one on the dashboard of your car. I could go on, but I think you get the picture!

Allowing Time for the Return Journey

So, you're ready to set off on a big adventure. You have the kit, supplies and itineraries. You have maps and know where you're going.

But have you given thought to the time it'll take to visit all those tourist spots? Or the time to return home? Traveling on a stretch with lots of locks, for example, takes twice as long to move the same distance as a stretch without locks.

Likewise, if the weather's terrible, it may slow you down too. Canal boats are usually flat-bottomed (at least in the UK), which means that in strong winds you have virtually no control over their direction of travel.

It's advisable to stay put during spells of bad weather, but that's going to dent the schedule somewhat. So, don't overstretch yourself.

I watch boaters racing to and fro, desperate to eke out every last drop of their holiday, which is fine if you want to experience canals with stress and anxiety. But that's the exact opposite of what life's like on canals! I don't rush anywhere (I say rush, but how far can you go at four mph?). 

I often watch holiday boaters in the pouring rain and gale force winds with their all-weather gear. I wonder what on earth must be so important to travel in such extremes? Well, at over $2500, you wouldn't want to waste a moment. You have to get your money's worth, haven't you?

Canal boating, whatever the vessel or country, is more popular than ever before. Hire companies are aware of this and charge considerable sums for the privilege.

My question is this: Is it value for money? On the evidence of what I've seen, I don't think it is. But then again, I'm not the one on holiday!

Looking at it through fresh eyes and putting myself in a foreign visitor's shoes, the splendor that I take for granted is precisely that: Splendor. And who am I to dissuade anyone from experiencing a snapshot of life on the waterways?

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Open Canal Map

Free UK Canal and River map for Desktop, Android and iPhone / iPad – created through user contribution and Canal and River Trust Map Open Data

Android / iPhone App

Google Maps canal map overlay

What can you add to the map?

Winter Stoppages 2022-2023

I’ve put together a map of this years winter stoppages programme. This will soon be available in the app with …

Open Canal Map with Enviroment Agency historic flooding data

IOS Beta’s

Here are links to install beta versions of the new version of canal map and the new walking app: Open …

Free download this week

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.opencanalmap.easywalkingmap.easy_walking_map

Train lines and stations

Added some rail routes and stations.

Easy Walking Map

Currently free to beta test. Easy Walking Map combines OS, Public rights of way, OpenStreetMap and several other sources. https://play.google.com/apps/testing/uk.opencanalmap.easywalkingmap.easy_walking_map

National Library of Scotland – Historic 1880’s map with Open Canal Map – mashup.

This map is made using freely available map tiles from MapTiler / National Library of Scotland. You can also try …

New release of Open Canal Map

The new release features: * Satellite mode* Wikipedia search* Long press on map to search any area* New search engine* …

Membership?

Someone just sent a message (anonymously) asking to stop thier memebership payments. We don’t have memebership or take payments. This …

Open Canal Map 2 (Beta)

Try out Open Canal Map 2 in beta release. More features will be added over time. Currently this is just …

Make a donation

There are 2 ways you can support Open Canal Map. You can either make a one off donation here via …

Slowly progressing with the new app update. I’ve got the same thing running on iPhone an Android using Flutter libraries. …

Interface design

Elevation Data

Guess the canal.

Crunching the data

This was a bit of a faff but I’ve now got a script I can feed any Lat / Lon …

///what3words

You can now see what 3 words names next to bridges. The emergency services understand these as so some delivery …

CRT Stoppages Restored

CRT updated their stoppages pages which I use to scrape information to make live updates to the map. It looks …

Open Canal Map Ordnance Survey Version (unfinished)

Nearly there with the new version – here is a preview – you can go full screen using the control.

Open Canal Map : Mapbox version : browser based map

Try Open Canal Map – the Mapbox version out in a web browser: Click here view the map

Canal Walking Maps with up to date towpath closures and diversions

Up to date towpath closures are now imported every morning into Open Canal Map. They are marked on the map …

Canal Events Listings

Canal and River Trust event notices can now be seen on the map.  

Canal walks map app

You will find footpaths are now highlighted ordinance survey style. I’m looking to add more canal walking layers soon.  

CRT Stoppages Map is updated daily at 10:30am

The Canal and River Trust Stoppages are now imported every day at 9:30am and then published on the map at …

Canal and River Trust Stoppage Map

This is still a little experimental but you are now be able to view Canal and River Trust stoppages in …

Scale measurements added to the Andriod and iPhone apps

Lots of people have been requesting some form of scale to the map – and so I’ve now imported CRT …

RELEASED 30/05/2018 – Download the iPhone/iPad version of Open Canal Map

Stephen Doyle (https://www.fourmilesperhour.com/) has been hard at work building the iPhone version of Open Canal Map – you can download …

Google maps open canal map problem update

It seems that Google have fixed the problem with the map loading issue. You can get the update by joining …

Google Map Android Canal Map loading issue

A recent update to Google Maps for Android seems to have broken the map for some users. I’m working on …

iPhone canal map app

Many thanks to Stephen Doyle (https://www.fourmilesperhour.com/) who has started work on the iPhone version of Open Canal Map. Here’s a …

An open letter to open street map….

Background: I started a project last year – just a simple data mash-up on Google maps. It was popular and …

This is not Open Street Map

I have been asked by the Open Street Map Foundation to make clear that this project is not part of …

Route planning with Canal Plan AC CSV files and Open Canal Map

Just a quick test loading Canal Plan AC CSV files and animating the camera along the route.

Android App released

Open Canal Map Android now available…

Beta test Open Canal Map Android

Download Open Canal Map on Google Play…

More screenshots from Open Canal Map Android

The Android app is nearly ready – currently alpha testing it on a few devices before it can become a …

New android app preview

Just a few screenshots from the new native android version of open canal map. This version will co-exist alongside the …

Canal Map udapte

Had a bit of a pause on development for work commitments – but the user contributions have been steadily flowing …

Google Maps and the Canal Map

After some tweaking and notably removing the towpaths from default view (you can still turn them on in the menu), …

HS2 and Canals

This map combines Open Canal Map with the HS2 route published. Hope it helps you see where it’s going to …

Added nearby train stations and hopefully made it load faster

Thanks to Duncan and John aboard Patience Afloat, Open Canal Map now features railway stations near the canal. Some are …

391 User Contributions / 23,113 Map Views

Thanks to everyone who added to the map – 391 places added: 117 Combined sanitary stations 80 moorings 61 Launderettes …

Towing Paths added

Added towing paths. Sourced from https://canalmap.net – Thanks to Richard for his work in building that and suggesting it to …

10K Map views and over 200 crowd sourced map markers!

After just 18 days of release, Open Canal Map has seen 10,000 views and over 200 markers placed on the …

Open Canal Map without the internet

Thanks to Reg on “Canal World Forum” for pointing out we can take Open Canal Map away when there is …

136 Contributions to the map and some improvements to the icons

So far we’ve had 136 user contributions to Open Canal Map! They’ve all been added to the map now so …

Middle Levels, River Cam, River Nene and the River Trent

Added some more non Canal and River Trust waterways. These are sourced from an old project I downloaded a few …

Locks on the River Thames

Locks on the River Thames have been added to the map. These were sourced from Wikipedia then processed using a …

Over 70 user submitted places and 5000 map views in just one week

In the first week of making this map live we’ve received over 70 user submitted places ranging from water points …

Lift and Swing Bridges on the map

Using some of CRT’s open data not previously imported – bridges, we now have movable bridges on the map. Putting …

View the map in your browser

View the map Tip – to load the map next time – go to “Your Places”: Click the 3 bars …

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• NB4B on sale at The Canal Shop Company
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• Third edition released
• Bradford-on-Avon

Narrowboating for Beginners

What Americans need to know when considering a narrowboat vacation in the UK

Nick’s Canal Route Planner

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Navigation © Sylvain Cambon, VNF

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Waterways > Using the waterways > Boating > Canal route planning

Canal route planning

Cruising rings & times.

When planning the route you want to take through the UK’s canals, you will need to consider how much time you have, how far you would like to travel and what attractions you might want to see on the way. 

It’s also worth bearing in mind how active your crew will be and how many locks there are on the waterway.

You also might want to consider whether there will be any stoppages or restrictions along your planned route.

Waterway cruising rings offer boaters a way of exploring part of the waterways system without necessarily having to see the same bit of a canal or river twice. 

Cruising time and distance

Once you know how many days you want your trip to last, you’ll need to work out how many cruising hours you have available.  The first and last days of your holiday will probably not be full days.  You will need to decide how many hours you want to cruise each day.  If you cruise early or late in the year you will have fewer daylight hours.

A useful way to calculate a waterway journey time is to allow 3 miles an hour and ten minutes for each lock (6 locks an hour).  The actual time taken to go through each lock will be less if there is little traffic, you have a good number of crew and the locks are close together in a flight and aren’t any other boats waiting to use the locks.  Narrow locks also tend to take less time than broad locks.

You can calculate cruising routes and times using CanalPlan AC , a free interactive guide to the waterways, or Chris Clegg’s Canal Time Map , which is an A4 laminated sheet showing the connected UK waterway network divided into 2 hour sections with over 450 places shown.  To calculate the time to cruise between any given places, just count the dots and multiply by 2 hours.

Stoppages and restrictions

Navigation authorities occasionally have to close sections of the network for emergency repairs and maintenance work.

Find out the relevant navigation authority for the waterway you are planning to visit on our A to Z of the waterways .

Shop Maps & guides

Canal Time Map by Chris Clegg

Map of Inland Waterways Of Great Britain (Imrays)

£10.95.

Inland Waterways Map of Great Britain (Nicholson)

£8.99.

Canal And River Cruising Planner (Heron)

£5.99, waterway underfunding, hundreds of miles of waterways – along with their unique heritage and habitats – are currently starved of funding and rely on constant lobbying by us to safeguard their future., sustainable boating, we want boating on canals and rivers to be more sustainable and – even though the current overall contribution to uk carbon emissions is very small – we want to help reduce emissions on the waterways., waterways heritage at risk, britain’s canals and rivers are a unique, living heritage. but that heritage is at risk – from urban development, lack of protection, loss of skills and knowledge and climate change. you can help save waterways heritage., waterway restoration, restoring the uk’s blue infrastructure – our inherited network of navigable canals and rivers – is good for people and places., love your waterways.

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Canals.UK 4+

Navigate 2000+ miles uk canals, mark manser.

• #190 in Navigation
• 4.5 • 500 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Description.

Canals.UK is a useful companion for anyone who uses the canals; boating or walking! Navigate the 2,000 miles of UK canals. The App shows locks, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, mooring and facilities and much more, along our canal network. The FREE version includes: • All the UK canals mapped with locks, bridges and facilities. • Shows: Mile markers, Boatyards, CRT Notices, Fish & Chips, Launderettes, Canal side Pubs, local convenience stores. • A list of all canals in a useful linear diagram which will show you where you are on a specific canal and update your location if tracking is on. • Canal & River Trust Notices of any navigation restrictions. • Useful phone numbers and links to websites. • My Boat - keep relevant details about your boat. • Get estimated boat speed, location and sunrise/sunset times. Upgrade ‘Go Pro’ with in-App purchase includes: • Nearby: find useful points or interest that are near your current location • Daily Boat Log to record any diary details to show you are a continuous boater! • Create your own Points of Interest (POI) and plot them on the map e.g. your favourite mooring spots, where to pick blackberries or favourite pub. • Canal Rings: shows the major canal rings that you can journey along. • Route Planner: plan a canal route and get an estimate of how long it will take. • Boat Tracker - track your boat position even when the App is not running (obviously the iPhone/iPad needs to be on). • TV Aerial Finder - find the location of the best reception from nearby Freeview TV masts

Version 4.9

- Keep Mile Markers visible while zooming in on the map - Changes to database points as a result of user feedback If you are enjoying the App, please take the time to review it ;)

Ratings and Reviews

500 Ratings

Good app with lots of potential

Easy to use with good graphics and helpful links to CRT notices. I shall definitely be using it instead of clutching aNicholson. It’s a work in progress so may I respectfully suggest three improvements. (1) could we enter start and end points by name when Route planning instead of entering canal and then scrolling along the canal (2) could we have user adjustable boat speeds and lock operating speeds . You can get these in canalplanac the free website program . And (3) it would be great if, when Route planning , the Route could pick up the relevant CRT notices in particular stoppages and navigation restrictions. Anyway thank you for a great app.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for your review with some very interseting suggestions that will be passed to our development team. We do hope you enjoy the App ;) If after planning a route you view the route on the map (top right globe button); then you can selected to overlay the current CRT notices, this will allow you to see if any affect your planned route (hope that helps)...

A Good Idea Poorly Implemented

This app looks potentially useful but despite upgrading from the free version it still feels like a work in progress that doesn’t deliver anything approaching a ‘pro’ experience. For example, the route planner gives only basic distance and estimated time, without the detailed waypoint information provided by the free RCR online route planner, and there is no obvious way to save or export the information. The ability to add POIs sounds helpful but is unintuitive and there is no ‘help’ facility worth the name. Upgrading from the free version opens up the ‘Pro’ modules, but amazingly the menu still flags them as if they are restricted, and continues to display the option to ‘Go Pro’. Overall this is an expensive (£12) but disappointing app which doesn’t merit the ‘pro’ label and is nowhere near being a substitute for a Nicholson guide.

Before purchasing the 'Pro' version all functionality was available to try via DEMO parameters if you did NOT feel that the 'Pro' version was not for you, then you should have made the decision NOT to purchase. However, I will pass your concerns across to our development team to consider adding more help and functionality to a future release! Check out the latest Version 3.6 which now has detailed 'turn by turn' canal route for the planner and the ability to save planned routes for future reference!

Works well, use it all the time

As an edit, this was resolved almost instantly by the developer, once contacted. I’m really glad someone has gone to the effort of making this. However I do get very odd distances when planning. Sadly there is no developer contact on the app to report these to. An example is the 5 miles from GU Uxbridge lock to Slough Arm, Hollow Hill being shown as 202 miles. I’m sure it’s a tiny glitch that will get resolved and I’m happy to have paid for the full version. *now all fixed*

Hi Andrew, you did contact us about this issue. The new version 2.0 should have a fix for that. When you have checked it out could you update your review, thanks for your review and we hope you continue to enjoy the App!

App Privacy

The developer, MARK MANSER , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

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The developer does not collect any data from this app.

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Specialized Maps

Plan a waterways journey

From where do you want to start your trip.

• Select place by name
• Select place by location
• Find place on map
• Use nearest place to where you are
• Start from home mooring

Do you want to:

• Plan an out-and-back trip to somewhere, returning to
• Plan a one way trip starting at
• Plan a trip round a cruising ring starting and finishing at
• Find out how far you can travel from in a certain time

Time spent travelling

By default, calculations are based on seven hours travelling each day, and on all days being the same length (so no short days at either the start or the end of the trip).

• Use these defaults
• Choose your own travelling times

Dates for trip

Trips can be planned without reference to dates or using actual calendar dates (in the future or the past).

• Plan trip without dates
• Select date for start of trip

 Map adapted from Map SVG , used under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

UK Canals Interactive Map

Use the layer selector at the top right of the map to change the base map or add/remove overlay layers. Clicking features will provide more details. ver 1.0

The source of the canal, locks, bridges and wharfs data is the Canals and Rivers Trust © The Canal & River Trust copyright and database rights reserved [2017]

Tel: 01785 785 680 | Email: [email protected]

Route Planner

You can use our route planner opposite.

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Home / More Information / Holiday Planning

Holiday Planning

How to get the best out of your boating holiday.

Planning a holiday can be a great experience, but it can also be a little stressful if you're not quite sure what's what. That’s why we’ve put together this canal route planning guide - which give you a little head start on how best to plan your canal boating adventure!

Canal Journey Planning

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