Canals
Berths available
Bosworth Marina
Market Bosworth, Leicestershire · Ashby Canal
£463 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canal moorings and marinas with visitor berths in the Midlands
Marinas, basins and linear towpath moorings on the canal network: mostly narrowboats and widebeams, priced per foot or metre a year, with a navigation licence on top. Places that take boats for a night or a few: visitor berths with a published nightly rate, or that say they keep space for visitors. Prices are worked out for one night.
19 sites · 6 with space now · 1 with a waiting list · typical £24 a night for a 57ft narrowboat (£10–£25.65 across 12 published tariffs)
At a glance
- 19 sites, all on canals.
- 6 of the 19 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Bosworth Marina, Braunston Marina, Cuckoo Wharf Residential Moorings, Hockley Port, Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings and Withybed Moorings.
- Keeping a waiting list: Saltisford Canal Centre.
- For a 57ft narrowboat, published prices run from £10 a night (Talbot Wharf) to £25.65 a night (Blackwater Meadow Marina); the middle of 12 is £24 a night.
- Longest boat taken: 21.3m (70ft) at Bosworth Marina.
- Of the 19, 17 have electric hook-up, 12 a pump-out, 11 diesel and 2 a boat hoist.
- 6 of the 19 allow liveaboards, outright or by arrangement.
- Groups running more than one: ABC Leisure Group (4) and Canal & River Trust (2).
Canals
Berths available
Braunston Marina
Braunston, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£3,170 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Cuckoo Wharf Residential Moorings
Birmingham, West Midlands · Birmingham & Fazeley Canal
£2,914 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Hockley Port
Birmingham, West Midlands · Birmingham Canal, Soho Branch
Prices not published
Canals
Berths available
Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings
Stourbridge, West Midlands · Stourbridge Town Arm
Prices not published
Canals
Berths available
Withybed Moorings
Alvechurch, Worcestershire · Worcester & Birmingham Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Waiting list
Saltisford Canal Centre
Warwick, Warwickshire · Grand Union Canal (Saltisford Arm)
Prices not published
Canals
Full
Talbot Wharf
Market Drayton, Shropshire · Shropshire Union Canal
£1,984 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Aston Marina
Stone, Staffordshire · Trent & Mersey Canal
£3,725 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Blackwater Meadow Marina
Ellesmere, Shropshire · Llangollen Canal
£4,158 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Burton Waters Marina
Lincoln, Lincolnshire · Fossdyke Navigation
£4,690 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Droitwich Spa Marina
Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire · Droitwich Junction Canal
£3,390 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Gayton Marina
Blisworth, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal
£3,565 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Kings Orchard Marina
Huddlesford, Staffordshire · Coventry Canal
£3,671 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
New Mills Marina
New Mills, Derbyshire · Peak Forest Canal
£3,434 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Debdale Wharf Marina
Kibworth, Leicestershire · Grand Union Canal (Leicester Line)
Prices not published
Canals
Fenny Marina
Fenny Compton, Warwickshire · South Oxford Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Union Wharf Marina
Market Harborough, Leicestershire · Harborough Arm
Prices not published
Canals
Wigrams Turn Waterside & Marina
Napton on the Hill, Southam, Warwickshire · Oxford Canal and Grand Union Canal
Prices on request
Compared: prices for a 57ft narrowboat
| Site | Where | A night, 57ft narrowboat | Space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosworth Marina | Market Bosworth, Ashby Canal | £23 | Berths available |
| Braunston Marina | Braunston, Grand Union Canal | £25 | Berths available |
| Cuckoo Wharf Residential Moorings | Birmingham, Birmingham & Fazeley Canal | – | Berths available |
| Hockley Port | Birmingham, Birmingham Canal, Soho Branch | – | Berths available |
| Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings | Stourbridge, Stourbridge Town Arm | – | Berths available |
| Withybed Moorings | Alvechurch, Worcester & Birmingham Canal | On request | Berths available |
| Saltisford Canal Centre | Warwick, Grand Union Canal (Saltisford Arm) | £15 | Waiting list |
| Talbot Wharf | Market Drayton, Shropshire Union Canal | £10 | Full |
| Aston Marina | Stone, Trent & Mersey Canal | £22 | Not reported |
| Blackwater Meadow Marina | Ellesmere, Llangollen Canal | £25.65 | Not reported |
| Burton Waters Marina | Lincoln, Fossdyke Navigation | – | Not reported |
| Droitwich Spa Marina | Droitwich Spa, Droitwich Junction Canal | £25 | Not reported |
| Gayton Marina | Blisworth, Grand Union Canal | £25.65 | Not reported |
| Kings Orchard Marina | Huddlesford, Coventry Canal | £25.65 | Not reported |
| New Mills Marina | New Mills, Peak Forest Canal | £25.65 | Not reported |
| Debdale Wharf Marina | Kibworth, Grand Union Canal (Leicester Line) | £22 | Not reported |
| Fenny Marina | Fenny Compton, South Oxford Canal | On request | Not reported |
| Union Wharf Marina | Market Harborough, Harborough Arm | £20 | Not reported |
| Wigrams Turn Waterside & Marina | Napton on the Hill, Southam, Oxford Canal and Grand Union Canal | On request | Not reported |
From each site's published tariff, for one night. "–" means the site doesn't say. Prices change; confirm with the site.
Questions
How much is a night on a visitor berth for a 57ft narrowboat in the Midlands?
Across the 12 canal moorings and marinas with visitor berths here that publish a price, a 57ft narrowboat costs from £10 a night at Talbot Wharf to £25.65 a night at Blackwater Meadow Marina. The middle figure is £24 a night. Check what each includes: electricity, water and VAT vary.
What are the cheapest canal moorings and marinas with visitor berths in the Midlands?
For a 57ft narrowboat, Talbot Wharf is cheapest at £10 a night in Market Drayton.
Which canal moorings and marinas with visitor berths in the Midlands have space now?
6 of the 19 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Bosworth Marina, Braunston Marina, Cuckoo Wharf Residential Moorings, Hockley Port, Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings and Withybed Moorings. Each page shows the date they told us and what they have.
Can you live aboard at canal moorings and marinas with visitor berths in the Midlands?
6 of the 19 say you can: Hockley Port (residential moorings with planning consent), Saltisford Canal Centre (liveaboard by arrangement), Blackwater Meadow Marina (liveaboard by arrangement), Gayton Marina (liveaboard by arrangement), Kings Orchard Marina (liveaboard by arrangement) and Wigrams Turn Waterside & Marina (liveaboards allowed). 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, 18 need a Canal & River Trust boat licence and 1 need the navigation's own licence. Coastal marinas usually need none.
Broader
Canal moorings and marinas with visitor berths in the Midlands, by county
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