Aire & Calder Navigation

The Aire & Calder Navigation was built on a grand scale, so large loads of goods could be carried from the North Sea. It is now also a popular route for pleasure boats, leading to the vibrant redeveloped waterfront area in Leeds.

The city’s Clarence Dock is made up of modern flats, shops, restaurants and the Royal Armouries Museum,  and the Navigation also runs close to the city’s busy centre.

From Leeds, the Aire & Calder Navigation flows to the tidal River Ouse at Goole, where the docks are a reminder that the canal continues to serve its historic function of transporting freight.

The Navigation has been regularly improved and upgraded throughout history: some of the most famous names in engineering, including Smeaton, Jessop, Rennie and Telford, have left their marks. Though the waterway is usually considered a river navigation, the Ferrybridge-Goole stretch is entirely man-made.

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Find stoppages, restrictions and other navigational advice for this waterway