Waterways

We’re inviting families across Yorkshire to head into the great outdoors and enjoy a programme of Easter and spring activities. From boat trips and fishing taster days to peaceful nature walks and ‘gongoozling’ – spotting narrow boats on the canal – the charity is encouraging people to make the most of the good weather and…

On 18 March, we completed an important ecological milestone in the recovery from December’s canal breach on the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch. Around 1,000 fish washed into a neighbouring farmer’s field are being rescued and safely returned to the canal. The rescue The pool of water in the field, which was up to six feet…

We’re carrying out a programme of major maintenance and preservation works on Leicestershire’s waterways to help keep the county’s historic canal network navigable, open and alive. The works The works, part of an extensive £1.3m programme of repairs and restoration across the East Midlands region, is seeing giant lock gates replaced at several locks on…

A special Easter Historic Boat Gathering in early April will herald in an exciting year of 50th birthday celebrations at Ellesmere Port’s National Waterways Museum. Renovating the old dock site Organised by us, the popular annual event (3-6 April 2026) will this year welcome around 40 colourful narrowboats and barges from across the country to…

This Easter, why not trade traffic jams and crowded hotspots for calm waters, open skies and a slower pace of life? As the days get longer, we’re inviting people to discover the joy of a hire boat trip for a relaxing day out or an unforgettable waterside holiday. A unique way to unwind The UK’s…

With flash flooding on the increase worldwide due to extreme rainfall, PolyBoatGlobal presents three electric boatbuilders who have added another cruise to their variety: the electric rescue boat. Finnish shipyard Kewatec have delivered a groundbreaking firefighting and rescue boat to the City of Kiel Fire Department equipped with an advanced hybrid waterjet propulsion. In Germany,…

Our wide-ranging annual programme of major maintenance and preservation projects helps keep the nation’s historic canal network navigable and safe. This annual multi-million pound, comprehensive scheme of works, undertaken by the our skilled experts, is essential to ensure the upkeep of the 250-year-old man-made canal network. The work takes place between November and March when there is…

World War II pill boxes on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Berkshire have been given a new lease of life as homes for bats by us. Volunteering at Garston Lock pill box Our volunteers and colleagues have transformed two pill boxes at Garston Lock near Reading and Hamstead Lock near Newbury, which first appeared…

Advance tickets are on sale for the 2026 Crick Boat Show, sponsored by Haven Knox-Johnston, saving 10 per cent on the entry price. The event The event, which takes place at Crick Marina, near Daventry in Northamptonshire, will be held across the late May Bank Holiday Weekend, 23-25 May 2026, with an exclusive Trade &…

We’re providing an update on how recommendations from the independent ‘Commission on Boat Licensing Report’, published at the end of last year, will be taken forward. The response forms part of a wider plan to improve the experience of boating on the waterways, which also includes more investment in day-to-day navigational maintenance. The Report The…