Canals
Berths available
Bosworth Marina
Market Bosworth, Leicestershire · Ashby Canal
£463 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Cheapest walk-ashore berths in the East Midlands
Every site here with a published price, cheapest first, worked out for the same boat so the figures compare. Berths you step off onto a pontoon, quay or bank: no tender, no rowing out to a buoy. Easier for loading, for a dog, and for getting aboard after dark.
19 sites · 8 with space now · typical £2,964 a year for a 57ft narrowboat (£463–£5,394 across 19 published tariffs)
At a glance
- 19 sites: 14 on canals and 5 on rivers.
- 8 of the 19 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Bosworth Marina, Shardlow Marina, Buckby Top Lock L1 Leisure, Sutton Cheney Wharf, Bugbrooke Marina, Willow Moorings and 2 more.
- For a 57ft narrowboat, published prices run from £463 a year (Bosworth Marina) to £5,394 a year (Farndon Marina); the middle of 19 is £2,964 a year.
- Longest boat taken: 21.9m (72ft) at Barby Moorings.
- Of the 19, 16 have electric hook-up, 10 a pump-out, 8 diesel, 3 a boat hoist and 4 visitor berths.
- 4 of the 19 allow liveaboards, outright or by arrangement.
- Groups running more than one: Canal & River Trust (4).
Canals
Barby Moorings
Barby, Northamptonshire · Oxford Canal
£1,440 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Rivers
Berths available
Shardlow Marina
Shardlow, Derbyshire · River Trent
£1,242 a year for a 10m cruiser
Rivers
Northampton Marina
Northampton, Northamptonshire · River Nene
£1,310 a year for a 10m cruiser
Canals
Kingfisher Marina
Yardley Gobion, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£2,394 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Willows Marina
Weedon, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£2,400 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Buckby Top Lock L1 Leisure
Daventry, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£2,606 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Sutton Cheney Wharf
Hinckley, Leicestershire · Ashby Canal
£2,723 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Stenson Marina
Barrow-on-Trent, Derbyshire · Trent & Mersey Canal
£2,910 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Bugbrooke Marina
Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£2,964 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Heyford Fields Marina
Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£3,020 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Rivers
Berths available
Willow Moorings
Kegworth, Leicestershire · River Soar
£1,782 a year for a 10m cruiser (from)
Rivers
Berths available
Bishop Meadow L1
Loughborough, Leicestershire · River Soar
£3,272 a year for a 10m cruiser
Canals
New Mills Marina
New Mills, Derbyshire · Peak Forest Canal
£3,434 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Brayford Pool Marina
Lincoln, Lincolnshire · Brayford Pool, where the River Witham meets the Fossdyke Canal
£3,682 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Mercia Marina
Willington, Derbyshire · Trent & Mersey Canal
£3,803 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Memory Lane
Leicester, Leicestershire · Grand Union Canal
£4,560 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Burton Waters Marina
Lincoln, Lincolnshire · Fossdyke Navigation
£4,690 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Rivers
Farndon Marina
Farndon, Nottinghamshire · River Trent
£3,105 a year for a 10m cruiser
Compared: prices for a 57ft narrowboat
| Site | Where | A year, 57ft narrowboat | Per metre a year | Berths | Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosworth Marina | Market Bosworth, Ashby Canal | £463 | £26.66 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Berths available |
| Barby Moorings | Barby, Oxford Canal | £1,440 | £82.90 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Not reported |
| Shardlow Marina | Shardlow, River Trent | £1,930 | £111.09 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Berths available |
| Northampton Marina | Northampton, River Nene | £2,275 | £131 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Kingfisher Marina | Yardley Gobion, Grand Union Canal | £2,394 | £137.82 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Not reported |
| Willows Marina | Weedon, Grand Union Canal | £2,400 | £138.17 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Buckby Top Lock L1 Leisure | Daventry, Grand Union Canal | £2,606 | £150.05 | linear moorings | Berths available |
| Sutton Cheney Wharf | Hinckley, Ashby Canal | £2,723 | £156.77 | linear moorings | Berths available |
| Stenson Marina | Barrow-on-Trent, Trent & Mersey Canal | £2,910 | £167.53 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Bugbrooke Marina | Bugbrooke, Grand Union Canal | £2,964 | £170.64 | linear moorings | Berths available |
| Heyford Fields Marina | Nether Heyford, Grand Union Canal | £3,020 | £173.84 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Willow Moorings | Kegworth, River Soar | from £3,078 | £177.20 | linear moorings | Berths available |
| Bishop Meadow L1 | Loughborough, River Soar | £3,272 | £188.38 | linear moorings | Berths available |
| New Mills Marina | New Mills, Peak Forest Canal | £3,434 | £197.71 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Brayford Pool Marina | Lincoln, Brayford Pool, where the River Witham meets the Fossdyke Canal | £3,682 | £212 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Mercia Marina | Willington, Trent & Mersey Canal | £3,803 | £218.92 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Memory Lane | Leicester, Grand Union Canal | £4,560 | £262.52 | pontoon berths | Berths available |
| Burton Waters Marina | Lincoln, Fossdyke Navigation | £4,690 | £270 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
| Farndon Marina | Farndon, River Trent | £5,394 | £310.54 | pontoon berths | Not reported |
From each site's published tariff. "–" means the site doesn't say. Prices change; confirm with the site.
Questions
How much does a mooring for a 57ft narrowboat cost in the East Midlands?
Across the 19 cheapest walk-ashore berths here that publish a price, a 57ft narrowboat costs from £463 a year at Bosworth Marina to £5,394 a year at Farndon Marina. The middle figure is £2,964 a year. Check what each includes: electricity, water and VAT vary.
What are the cheapest cheapest walk-ashore berths in the East Midlands?
For a 57ft narrowboat, Bosworth Marina is cheapest at £463 a year in Market Bosworth.
Which cheapest walk-ashore berths in the East Midlands have space now?
8 of the 19 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Bosworth Marina, Shardlow Marina, Buckby Top Lock L1 Leisure, Sutton Cheney Wharf, Bugbrooke Marina, Willow Moorings, Bishop Meadow L1 and Memory Lane. Each page shows the date they told us and what they have.
Can you live aboard at cheapest walk-ashore berths in the East Midlands?
4 of the 19 say you can: Northampton Marina (residential moorings with planning consent), Bishop Meadow L1 (residential moorings with planning consent), Mercia Marina (liveaboards allowed) and Memory Lane (residential moorings with planning consent). Living aboard can need planning consent and council tax; ask each site about its terms.
Do I need a licence as well as a mooring?
On top of the mooring fee: of these, 16 need a Canal & River Trust boat licence, 1 need Environment Agency registration (Thames, Medway, Anglian waterways) and 2 need the navigation's own licence. Coastal marinas usually need none.
Broader
Cheapest walk-ashore berths in the East Midlands, by county
Cheapest walk-ashore berths in other areas
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