Canal & River Trust

Chesterfield Canal

37 miles of navigable water, 48 locks, 0 named marinas and moorings. Passes Chesterfield, Retford, Staveley, Worksop.

Will your boat fit?

BoatSizeFits?
Narrowboat57ft × 6ft 10inFits
Long narrowboat70ft × 6ft 10inFits
Widebeam60ft × 10ftToo big
Widebeam60ft × 12ftToo big
Dutch barge70ft × 14ft 6inToo big

Length and beam against Canal & River Trust. “Some sections” means your boat is too big for at least one section or lock. Draught and headroom aren't checked here: see the table below.

ChesterfieldRetfordStaveleyWorksop

Published size limits

Maximum boat sizes in metres, from the Canal & River Trust's waterway dimensions (page last edited 26 Mar 2026). “–” means the Trust doesn't give a figure.

SectionLengthBeamDraughtHeadroom
River Trent into West Stockwith Basin only21.955.332.44–
West Stockwith Basin to tail Morse Lock (narrow)21.952.130.982.15
Tail of Morse Lock to Shireoaks (narrow)21.952.080.982.15

Marinas and moorings

Each opens its Check a Mooring page: what's nearby on the water and ashore.

No named marinas or moorings mapped.

Services on the water

Mapped within 150 m of the Chesterfield Canal in OpenStreetMap. Volunteers map these, so there are gaps.

Water points 0

None mapped.

Elsan disposal 0

None mapped.

Pump-out 0

None mapped.

Boat fuel 0

None mapped.

Rubbish disposal 0

None mapped.

Winding holes 6

6 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.

Questions

Can a widebeam go on the Chesterfield Canal?

No. A 10ft-wide boat is wider or longer than the Chesterfield Canal allows.

Will a 57ft narrowboat fit on the Chesterfield Canal?

Yes. A 57ft × 6ft 10in narrowboat is within every published limit on the Chesterfield Canal.

How long is the Chesterfield Canal, and how many locks does it have?

About 37 miles of navigable water on our map, with 48 locks mapped in OpenStreetMap.