Canal and river structures

Locks, bridges and tunnels are distinctive features of canal and river navigations and on these pages, we run through basic useful information.

Because individual canals were built by different engineers in an era where national standards were unheard of, you’ll find all sorts of oddities as you cruise around the country so it’s important to check locally for special operating instructions. 

In some cases, you’ll find you need a key to operate a structure. This will be the same standard Yale key that lets you in to our toilets and other sanitary services. They are available from our online shop along with the key for our anti vandal locks installed along a few stretches of canal to deter illegal use of lock paddles.