Canal & River Trust
94 miles of navigable water, 81 locks, 22 named marinas and moorings. Passes Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Rugeley, Stoke, Stone, Tunstall.
| Boat | Size | Fits? |
|---|---|---|
| Narrowboat | 57ft × 6ft 10in | Fits |
| Long narrowboat | 70ft × 6ft 10in | Fits |
| Widebeam | 60ft × 10ft | Some sections |
| Widebeam | 60ft × 12ft | Some sections |
| Dutch barge | 70ft × 14ft 6in | Too 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.
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.
| Section | Length | Beam | Draught | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Brook to Croxton | – | 2.74 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
| Croxton to Wardle Junction (Middlewich Branch) (narrow) | 21.95 | 2.13 | 1.1 | 1.91 |
| Wardle Junction to Trentham Lock (narrow) | 21.95 | 2.13 | 1.1 | 1.78 |
| Trentham Lock to Great Haywood Junction (narrow) | 21.95 | 2.13 | 1.1 | 2.01 |
| Great Haywood Junction to Horninglow Basin, Burton-on-Trent (narrow) | 21.95 | 2.13 | 1.1 | 1.94 |
| Horninglow Basin to Shardlow | 21.95 | 4.29 | 1.1 | 2.23 |
| Shardlow to Derwent Mouth Lock | 21.95 | 4.26 | 0.99 | 2.13 |
Each opens its Check a Mooring page: what's nearby on the water and ashore.
Mapped within 150 m of the Trent & Mersey Canal in OpenStreetMap. Volunteers map these, so there are gaps.
3 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.
4 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.
6 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.
3 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.
7 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.
31 more without a name in OpenStreetMap.
Partly. A 60ft × 10ft widebeam fits some sections of the Trent & Mersey Canal but not all of them. Check the limits for the sections you plan to use.
Yes. A 57ft × 6ft 10in narrowboat is within every published limit on the Trent & Mersey Canal.
About 94 miles of navigable water on our map, with 81 locks mapped in OpenStreetMap.
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