The charity making life better by water
Making life better by water
Short-stay moorings, also called visitor moorings, are where boaters can moor for the signposted time.
Popular places can get very busy, so visitor moorings with short stay times help as many boaters as possible find space to tie up.
Our visitor moorings are marked by a red mooring icon on our maps. If you're on one of our waterway maps pages (and anywhere with our interactive map) zoom into the map to enlarge the icons.
The image below is an example of our waterway maps, which clearly displays the red mooring icons.
Please read all signage carefully. Short-stay/visitor moorings can be for:
Mooring is free for the time shown on our visitor mooring signs.
If you decide to stay for longer, you may need to pay a £25 extended stay charge for each extra day you are moored. We'll contact you to let you know this is going to happen if our sightings show you have exceeded the free mooring time.
These are ultra-short stay moorings to allow boaters to top up their supplies at the nearby shops.
Please don't stay any longer than needed to do your shopping and never longer than the maximum stay time shown on the towpath signs.
From 1 November until 31 March, some short stay moorings operate as winter moorings for those without a long-term permit. These allow you to moor up for a period of one, two, three or four months during the winter if you wish.
Please make sure you check the signs carefully as in very popular areas the time restriction applies all year round.
If you're planning a visit to central London and want certainty that you will have somewhere to moor when you arrive, you can pre-book a mooring for a small charge.
Our canals and waterways are peaceful and tranquil places where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, please help us keep them that way.
In some places where waterways and buildings are in close proximity to one another there can be a risk of noise that may cause a disturbance. Quiet zones are advisory areas where we ask canal users to keep noise to an absolute minimum.
In a quiet zone we ask that people avoid:
The decision to create quiet zones is made by waterway managers, but they would be expected to consult with local people, groups and parish/local councils before establishing a quiet zone.
Read the guidance on factors to be considered before creating a Quiet Zone
Please be considerate to the needs of everyone. Moor up in a way that makes the best use of the available space, be prepared to shuffle up and share the space.
Respect the maximum stay time, no triple mooring, no running of engines or generators before 8am or after 8pm and be mindful of smoke from stoves and exhaust fumes and noise from engines and generators, particularly in built up areas.
Read our Waterway Code to look after yourself, others and our network.
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