Skip the primary navigation if you do not want to read it as the next section.
Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.
Rivers
Although natural watercourses, many rivers have had considerable engineering work done to make them suitable for boats to use, for example locks and weirs have been built. Most rivers allow the passage of wide boats that are 11 to 14 feet beam, and often considerably wider.
Broad canals
'Broad' canals have locks that are over seven feet wide; 14 feet is not unusual. The locks have double gates at both ends and the whole process of passing through a lock takes a little longer than it does on 'narrow' canals. This means that if you want to explore the entire canal system you cannot use a boat with a width (beam) of more than seven feet Broad locks can take two narrow boats side by side. If there are two in the lock together, then the boat cannot move around, and there is the added advantage of having another crew to help! However, when only one boat is in the lock, ropes around the bollards on the lock side can usually prevent boats being thrown around, provided, of course, that they are not tied firm, but allowed to slip with the movement of the water.
Narrow canals
'Narrow' canals have locks with a maximum width of seven feet. The narrow locks are only wide enough for one boat, with a few inches to spare at the sides. The advantage is that the boat cannot move around, and sometimes this makes newcomers feel more secure. They usually have two bottom gates and one top gate; your boat is easier to handle as it slots into the lock neatly and cannot swing about in the lock chamber as the water comes in. Some of the longest flights of locks are on narrow canals! Tardebigge on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal has 30 locks and there are 27 locks on the stretch leading into Wolverhampton. But even these are light work compared to Hatton Locks near Warwick on the Grand Union Canal - a flight of 21 closely spaced broad locks climbing around a hill - or the 23 broad locks at Wigan on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Detached waterways
Some waterways have no connection with the main system but are still used for navigation. The best-known example of these is the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, which have around 130 miles of interconnected rivers and broads. Other popular detached waterways are the short but beautiful Monmouthshire, Brecon & Abergavenny Canal in Wales and the Caledonian Canal that runs from coast to coast in Scotland's Great Glen, passing through Loch Ness on the way.
Tidal waters
Some rivers have tidal stretches that provide vital links between waterways. In these cases the ability to travel will depend on whether or not the tide is high or low. Before entering tidal waters it is usually necessary to consult the lock keeper, who will tell you the best times for passage and give you advice on local navigation conditions. At these points the newcomer to cruising should turn around and go back.
There are various reasons for this. In the first place hire companies do not normally allow their boats on tidal waters. Your boat also needs to be of a suitable type and equipped with items that you wouldn't use on sheltered inland waters - such as very long ropes and anchors - plus an engine of sufficient power to enable you to make headway against fast-flowing tide. You also need to be able to work out tidal rise and fall if you are to avoid being stranded, and be experienced enough to handle the boat in a current.
Navigation on tidal waters is not for beginners. The time will come when you want to explore routes with tidal sections, and then you must find out all you can beforehand by writing to navigation authorities for information, checking tide tables, consulting lock keepers and enquiring at local boat clubs. But newcomers to cruising should be patient, improve their boating skills before attempting to navigate tidal waters.
