Autumn updates: movement requirements, welfare support, licensing plans, winter moorings and boating tips. Plus, see how donations help and discover Bradley workshop's major investment.
Horse boating rope wear marks
As autumn settles in and water levels continue to recover following a challenging summer, we're looking ahead to the changing season. In this edition, we share important information about the return of the 14-day movement requirement, highlight the support available through our welfare team, give an update on the upcoming boat licensing consultation, and look at how donations are helping fund vital work across the network.
We've also got some useful advice on preparing your boat for winter, details of this year's winter moorings, and an update from Bradley workshop, where an exciting investment in the future of lock gate production is beginning to take shape.
14-day movement requirement resumes from 1 October
From 1 October, the temporary suspension of the 14-day movement requirement will come to an end, with boats expected to continue their journeys by 15 October.
Water levels across much of the network are starting to recover, but there are still some restrictions and closures in place to help conserve water. If you're planning to cruise, please remember to check the latest notices and stoppages before setting off.
If you're unable to move because of an active stoppage, there's no need to let us know. We take closures and restrictions into account when reviewing movement patterns. You can also find more information about the current situation and how we're managing water resources in our drought FAQs.
We're incredibly grateful for the support boaters have shown throughout a challenging summer. As we move into autumn, we're still asking everyone to be water-conscious by sharing locks where possible and making sure paddles are fully closed after use. If you spot unusually low water levels, please report them using our online contact form.
If you have a disability, access needs, or are experiencing difficulties as a result of drought-related restrictions, please contact our welfare team – details in the following article.
Thank you again for your patience, understanding and efforts to help save water and protect the canal network over recent months.
Boating on the Stratford upon Avon Canal
Welfare team on hand to support boaters
If you're facing challenges that are affecting life on the water, our welfare team may be able to help you access the support and services you need.
Over recent years, the team has grown from a single officer to five members, with a sixth due to join soon. They work with boaters across the network, helping people navigate issues ranging from health and wellbeing to benefits and housing-related support.
The team can help secure equality adjustments where health conditions or disabilities affect a boater's ability to meet standard cruising requirements. There are currently around 900 equality adjustments in place across the network. They also provide proof-of-licence letters to support Universal Credit claims and can help put boaters in touch with local authorities, health services, welfare charities, the Waterways Chaplaincy and other specialist organisations.
As well as supporting individuals, the team works with a range of partners to improve access to services and to enable better understanding of the needs of liveaboard boaters. This has included working with the Department for Work and Pensions on benefits support, helping liveaboards access government energy support payments, and supporting projects aimed at improving access to healthcare.
Sean Williams, senior welfare officer, adds: "We know that people living on boats can face additional barriers when trying to access financial, health and other essential support. We're here to listen, understand each person's circumstances and help them find the right assistance.
"By strengthening the team and our partnerships with other organisations, we want to ensure boaters who are struggling can access practical support when they need it. We would encourage anyone experiencing difficulties to contact us as early as possible."
If you think the welfare team may be able to help you, you can email [email protected] or call 0303 040 4040 and ask for the welfare team.
Shaping the future boat licensing consultation
Later this year, we'll be launching a public consultation on the future of boat licensing, with the aim of creating a clearer, fairer system for everyone who uses our waterways. Before that consultation goes live in December, we've been working closely with boaters and boating organisations to help shape both the questions we'll ask and the information we'll provide.
Listening before consulting
Over the summer, we've taken a co-design approach, holding workshops with members of our Navigation Advisory Group, boating representatives and national boating organisations. Alongside this, we're recruiting a Citizens' Boater Panel, giving boaters a direct role in helping develop the consultation before it launches.
Together, workshop participants reviewed the 36 recommendations made by the Independent Commission on Boat Licensing and explored how best to approach consultation. The aim wasn't to reach agreement on individual recommendations, but to help ensure the consultation is clear, evidence-led and focused on the issues that matter most to boaters.
Several common themes emerged. Participants asked us to focus the consultation on areas where feedback can genuinely influence decisions; make sure proposals are supported by robust evidence; explain why proposals are being considered and what they are intended to achieve; use clear language; and reflect the wide range of boating experiences found across the network.
That feedback is already helping us refine the consultation and identify where a proposal may be better addressed through improvements to existing processes or further engagement and research, rather than through the consultation itself.
Building the evidence
Alongside this engagement work, we've been developing a detailed evidence review looking at the information we currently hold against each of the Commission's 36 recommendations.
This work is helping us understand where strong evidence already exists, where there are gaps in our knowledge, and where further research may be needed.
It's also helping to ensure that any future discussions about boat licensing are informed by the best available information and a clear understanding of the potential impacts on boaters.
Strong response to Citizens' Boater Panel
We're also pleased to report a fantastic response to applications for the Citizens' Boater Panel, with almost 1,200 boaters applying to take part.
Applications have now closed and participants will be selected using an independent process managed by the newDemocracy Foundation. Applications are anonymised before selection, helping create a panel that broadly reflects the diversity of today's boating community.
We will contact applicants to let them know if they have been selected or not by the end of September. We'll share more information about the panel and its work once the selection process is complete.
Keeping you updated
We know the future of boat licensing is an important topic and that boaters hold a wide range of views. That's why we're taking the time to develop the consultation carefully, working alongside boaters and boating organisations before it launches.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, whether by taking part in workshops, applying to join the Citizens' Boater Panel or sharing feedback with us. We'll continue to keep you updated over the coming months and look forward to hearing your views when the consultation opens in December.
Community fundraising volunteers
Donations making a difference across the waterways
As a charity, Canal & River Trust relies on the support of people who care about the future of our canals and rivers. Thanks to that support, we received more than £10 million in donations last year for the first time, helping fund vital repairs, conservation projects and improvements across the network.
Donations come in many forms, including through our Friends programme and Gifts in Wills. Every donation made through these schemes is allocated directly to waterway projects, with many contributions supporting work in the areas where they were pledged.
We're also delighted to see growing support through the Friends programme. Thanks to the efforts of our fundraising teams, the number of Friends has increased steadily over the summer, taking us to more than 43,000 supporters in 2026.
What donor funding helped achieve
During 2025/26, donations helped support a wide range of projects across the network, including:
£1.1 million towards emergency repairs at Easenhall Cutting on the Oxford Canal
£1.2 million towards the Whitchurch breach response
Many of our supporters already have a strong connection to canals and rivers, but we're also looking at new ways to introduce the waterways to people who may not have experienced them before.
By helping more people understand the value of canals and rivers, we can build wider support for the investment and care they need in the future. That's why we're testing new ways of bringing the waterways to life at shopping centres, exhibitions and public events across the country.
Gateway to Wonder
One of those initiatives is Gateway to Wonder, a new interactive exhibition designed to immerse visitors in the sights, sounds and stories of our waterways.
The exhibition gives people an opportunity to learn more about the work that goes into caring for the network and encouraging support for its future. Following an initial trial in Telford, Gateway to Wonder will be appearing at several locations over the coming months, including:
Mailbox Birmingham, 25 September to 11 October
Hatton Country World, 24 October to 1 November
The National Festival of Railway Modelling, NEC Birmingham, 21 to 22 November
Exploring the waterways through virtual reality
We're also developing a series of virtual reality experiences that will allow people to explore some of the network's most iconic locations from a completely new perspective.
The films feature a lock repair project at Hatton, crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, cruising through Foxton Locks, and a journey through the green corridor linking urban and rural waterways in Dudley. Presented by colleagues who care for these places, they share first-hand stories about the waterways and the importance of protecting them for future generations.
Thank you
As boaters, you already make an enormous contribution to the life of our waterways and are a vital part of the living network. We wanted to share this update as part of our commitment to keeping you informed about the many ways people are supporting the future of our canals and rivers.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please email [email protected].
A cold day by the canal
Is your boat ready for winter?
It might feel a little early to be talking about winter. After all, we're still in September, and there's every chance of a few more warm, sunny days before autumn really takes hold.
After such a dry year, water levels are gradually recovering across parts of the network, and there's still plenty of opportunity to get out and enjoy some late-season cruising. But with the clocks due to go back in less than five weeks' time, the darker evenings and colder weather aren't far away.
If you don't plan to cruise regularly over the winter, now is a good time to start thinking about winterising your boat – a little preparation now can help prevent some expensive and frustrating problems later, from frozen pipes and flat batteries to damp interiors and engine issues.
While every boat is different, there are a few key areas worth checking before winter arrives:
Water systems: protect pipes, pumps and tanks from freezing temperatures by draining down systems where appropriate.
Engine care: check oil, coolant and antifreeze levels, and make sure any servicing is up to date before long periods of inactivity.
Batteries and electrics: fully charge batteries before leaving the boat and check them regularly through the winter if possible.
Bilges and water ingress: test bilge pumps, grease stern glands where appropriate and keep an eye out for anything that could allow water into the boat.
Mooring lines: check ropes and mooring arrangements are secure and able to cope with changing weather and water levels.
Ventilation and condensation: damp and mould can quickly take hold during the colder months, so good ventilation is essential.
Regular visits: if you're leaving your boat for extended periods, try to check on it regularly or arrange for someone else to do so.
In the next edition, we'll take a deeper dive into winterising, including practical advice on engines, plumbing, batteries and protecting your boat during freezing conditions.
What's your top winter boating tip?
Many of the best ideas come from experienced boaters. If you've got a tried-and-tested tip for preparing a boat for winter, we'd love to hear it. Whether it's something you've learned the hard way or a simple routine you've followed for years, send it to us and we’ll compile them in a future edition of Boaters' Update.
Winter on the canal
Thinking about staying put this winter?
In our article above, we looked at some of the steps you can take to prepare your boat for the colder months if you're planning to cruise less often over winter. If that sounds like you and you're considering remaining in one place for part or all of the season, our winter moorings could be an option.
Winter moorings for 1 November 2026 to 28 February 2027 are now available to view online and will go on sale at 8am on Thursday 1 October.
With more than 130 locations across the network, winter moorings provide a temporary base for boaters who would prefer not to continuously cruise during the winter months. Sites are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Before booking, please check the details of available locations and the latest information about any sites currently affected by drought-related restrictions or closures.
Permits can be purchased through your online licensing account or by calling 0303 040 4040.
Foundations of the future
Back in May, we told you about a major investment in the future of lock gate production: a £750,000 custom-built CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine that will help our workshop teams keep up with growing demand for replacement lock gates across the network.
Since then, work has been progressing behind the scenes, and we've now reached another milestone. Pictured below are the massive steels that will form the bed of the machine when it arrives at our Bradley workshop in the West Midlands.
Designed specifically for the manufacture of our lock gates, with each one being unique, the CNC machine will be the largest of its type in Europe. Once installed, it will precision-cut the oak components used to build lock gates at both our Bradley and Stanley Ferry workshops, helping increase production from around 150 to around 190 lock gate leaves each year.
While the new technology will transform the way components are produced, the craftsmanship behind every lock gate remains unchanged. Our skilled workshop teams will continue to hand-assemble and finish each gate before it is installed on the network.
There's still plenty of work to do before the machine arrives and is fully operational, but it's exciting to see the project starting to take shape. We'll keep you updated as work progresses and share some behind-the-scenes glimpses from the workshop along the way.
Maintenance this weekend that may affect cruising
Water levels are starting to recover, but we continue to manage a network low on water, so you may find that planned and unplanned works may affect cruising this weekend.
While we're doing everything possible to minimise disruption, some works will inevitably require navigation restrictions or temporary closures. Before setting off, it's worth checking the latest stoppage notices for your route and surrounding waterways. You can view all current notices for this weekend on our interactive map and sign up for personalised alerts, helping you stay informed about any issues that may affect your cruising plans.
If you’ve got a question about a specific closure, or you spot something that doesn’t look quite right, just get in touch — we’re happy to help.
Last Edited: 25 September 2026
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