Canals
Berths available
Fradley Marina
Alrewas, Staffordshire · Trent and Mersey Canal
Prices on request
Walk-ashore berths with a dry dock
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. Sites with a dry dock for blacking, hull work and surveys.
25 sites · 4 with space now · 4 with a waiting list · typical £3,307 a year for a 57ft narrowboat (£1,140–£6,476 across 8 published tariffs)
At a glance
- 25 sites: 16 on canals, 4 on rivers, 2 on estuaries and tidal rivers and 3 on the open coast.
- 4 of the 25 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Fradley Marina, Lichfield Cruising Club, Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings and Twyford Bridge Marina.
- Keeping a waiting list: Bridport Harbour (West Bay), Hallingbury Marina, Hurlingham Yacht Club and Penzance Harbour.
- For a 57ft narrowboat, published prices run from £1,140 a year (Hurlingham Yacht Club) to £6,476 a year (Pyrford Marina); the middle of 8 is £3,307 a year.
- Longest boat taken: 100m (328ft) at James Watt Marina.
- Of the 25, 20 have electric hook-up, 14 a pump-out, 15 diesel, 3 a boat hoist and 6 visitor berths.
- 4 of the 25 allow liveaboards, outright or by arrangement.
- Groups running more than one: Aquavista (4).
Canals
Berths available
Lichfield Cruising Club
Lichfield, Staffordshire · Wyrley & Essington Canal and Coventry Canal
£1,283 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Berths available
Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings
Stourbridge, West Midlands · Stourbridge Town Arm
Prices not published
Rivers
Berths available
Twyford Bridge Marina
Yalding, Kent · River Medway
£1,823 a year for a 10m cruiser
Coast & harbours
Waiting list
Bridport Harbour (West Bay)
West Bay, Dorset · Lyme Bay
Prices not published
Rivers
Waiting list
Hallingbury Marina
Little Hallingbury, Essex · River Stort
£1,881 a year for a 10m cruiser
Estuaries & tidal rivers
Waiting list
Hurlingham Yacht Club
London, Greater London · River Thames
£660 a year for a 10m yacht
Coast & harbours
Waiting list
Penzance Harbour
Penzance, Cornwall · Mount's Bay
Prices not published
Coast & harbours
Girvan Harbour
Girvan, South Ayrshire · Firth of Clyde
£807 a year for a 10m yacht
Estuaries & tidal rivers
James Watt Marina
Greenock, Inverclyde · Firth of Clyde
£3,180 a year for a 10m yacht
Canals
Mercia Marina
Willington, Derbyshire · Trent & Mersey Canal
£3,803 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Rivers
Pyrford Marina
Pyrford, Surrey · River Wey Navigation
£3,729 a year for a 10m cruiser
Canals
Swanley Bridge Marina
Nantwich, Cheshire · Llangollen Canal
£3,365 a year for a 57ft narrowboat
Canals
Ashby Canal Centre
Stoke Golding, Leicestershire · Ashby Canal
Prices on request
Rivers
Benson Waterfront
Benson, Oxfordshire · River Thames
Prices not published
Canals
Cowroast Waterside & Marina
Tring, Hertfordshire · Grand Union Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Crick Waterside & Marina
Crick, Northamptonshire · Grand Union Canal, Leicester Line
Prices on request
Canals
Cropredy Waterside & Marina
Cropredy, Banbury, Oxfordshire · Oxford Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Frouds Bridge Marina
Aldermaston, Berkshire · Kennet and Avon Canal
Prices not published
Canals
Norbury Wharf
Norbury Junction, Staffordshire · Shropshire Union Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Portland Basin Marina
Dukinfield, Greater Manchester · Peak Forest Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Stourport Basin Marina
Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire · Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Ventnor Waterside & Marina
Rugby, Warwickshire · Grand Union Canal
Prices on request
Canals
Welford Marina
Welford, Leicestershire · Grand Union Canal (Welford Arm)
Prices not published
Canals
Worsley Dry Docks
Worsley, Greater Manchester · Bridgewater Canal
Prices on request
Compared: prices for a 57ft narrowboat
| Site | Where | A year, 57ft narrowboat | Berths | Dry dock | Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fradley Marina | Alrewas, Trent and Mersey Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Berths available |
| Lichfield Cruising Club | Lichfield, Wyrley & Essington Canal and Coventry Canal | £1,283 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Yes | Berths available |
| Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings | Stourbridge, Stourbridge Town Arm | – | linear moorings | Yes | Berths available |
| Twyford Bridge Marina | Yalding, River Medway | £3,149 | pontoon berths | Yes | Berths available |
| Bridport Harbour (West Bay) | West Bay, Lyme Bay | – | pontoon berths, swinging moorings, drying berths | Yes | Waiting list |
| Hallingbury Marina | Little Hallingbury, River Stort | £3,249 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Yes | Waiting list |
| Hurlingham Yacht Club | London, River Thames | £1,140 | pontoon berths, drying berths | Yes | Waiting list |
| Penzance Harbour | Penzance, Mount's Bay | – | pontoon berths, drying berths, quay and harbour wall berths | Yes | Waiting list |
| Girvan Harbour | Girvan, Firth of Clyde | – | pontoon berths, quay and harbour wall berths | Yes | Not reported |
| James Watt Marina | Greenock, Firth of Clyde | £5,524 | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Mercia Marina | Willington, Trent & Mersey Canal | £3,803 | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Pyrford Marina | Pyrford, River Wey Navigation | £6,476 | pontoon berths, linear moorings | Yes | Not reported |
| Swanley Bridge Marina | Nantwich, Llangollen Canal | £3,365 | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Ashby Canal Centre | Stoke Golding, Ashby Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Benson Waterfront | Benson, River Thames | – | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Cowroast Waterside & Marina | Tring, Grand Union Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Crick Waterside & Marina | Crick, Grand Union Canal, Leicester Line | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Cropredy Waterside & Marina | Cropredy, Banbury, Oxford Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Frouds Bridge Marina | Aldermaston, Kennet and Avon Canal | – | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Norbury Wharf | Norbury Junction, Shropshire Union Canal | On request | linear moorings | Yes | Not reported |
| Portland Basin Marina | Dukinfield, Peak Forest Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Stourport Basin Marina | Stourport-on-Severn, Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal | On request | linear moorings | Yes | Not reported |
| Ventnor Waterside & Marina | Rugby, Grand Union Canal | On request | pontoon berths | Yes | Not reported |
| Welford Marina | Welford, Grand Union Canal (Welford Arm) | – | linear moorings | Yes | Not reported |
| Worsley Dry Docks | Worsley, Bridgewater Canal | On request | linear moorings | Yes | 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 UK?
Across the 8 walk-ashore berths with a dry dock here that publish a price, a 57ft narrowboat costs from £1,140 a year at Hurlingham Yacht Club to £6,476 a year at Pyrford Marina. The middle figure is £3,307 a year. Check what each includes: electricity, water and VAT vary.
What are the cheapest walk-ashore berths with a dry dock in the UK?
For a 57ft narrowboat, Hurlingham Yacht Club is cheapest at £1,140 a year in London.
Which walk-ashore berths with a dry dock in the UK have space now?
4 of the 25 told us in the last six weeks they have space: Fradley Marina, Lichfield Cruising Club, Stourbridge Town Arm Visitor Moorings and Twyford Bridge Marina. Each page shows the date they told us and what they have.
Can you live aboard at walk-ashore berths with a dry dock in the UK?
4 of the 25 say you can: Girvan Harbour (liveaboard by arrangement), Mercia Marina (liveaboards allowed), Cowroast Waterside & Marina (residential moorings with planning consent) and Crick Waterside & Marina (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, 14 need a Canal & River Trust boat licence, 3 need Environment Agency registration (Thames, Medway, Anglian waterways) and 3 need the navigation's own licence. Coastal marinas usually need none.
Broader
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