Boating on the Rochdale Canal

From 14 March 2025 to 2 November 2025: 

• Monday and Friday - 8am to 4pm (last entry to Tuel lock going down and Lock 1 coming up)
• Saturday and Sunday - 10am to 3pm (last entry as above) 
• Wednesday - passage is between 10am and 2pm and must be pre-booked. 
• Tuesday and Thursday - passage is not available. 

Winter opening: 

Available to book for passage Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. 

Bookings can be made online or over the phone (03030 404040 during office hours) and require 48hours notice.  

Available passage may be subject to change, in accordance with any water resource challenges.

Volunteer assistance along the Manchester 9 and the Manchester 18, between Lock 65 at Failsworth and Lock 92 at Castlefield is available via prior arrangement, however it is not guaranteed.

Wide beam boats wanting to navigate past the Floating Towpath under the M62 between Lock 52 and Lock 53, Trub, are required to make a booking.  

Please contact our local team to discuss these matters further.

To help us manage water resources on the summit pound of the Rochdale canal, Lock 36 to Lock 37, bookings are required between April and October. Bookings must be made by 11 am the day before your intended passage. Advanced bookings are encouraged to optimise the efficient utilisation of water resources and due to limited availability at times. You can book via your online account by selecting "Rochdale Summit”.

Bridgewater Canal customers can now spend up to ten days cruising away from their home navigation free of charge. There are no restrictions about how far you can travel, but you will need to book your passage online and return to your home navigation authority within the ten days. You can revisit the other authority's water again after a 28-day period. 

You can see more information on booking a passage, here.