A warm sunny day, a boat moored on the right of a canal with a man in a t-shirts fishing close by. The canal is surrounded by grass and trees.

Chesterfield Canal

The Chesterfield Canal, known locally as the 'Cuckoo Dyke’ is beautifully green and peaceful, with barely a house in sight at the eastern end.

At 46 miles long, the Chesterfield Canal runs from the River Trent to the middle of Chesterfield, linking Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire in the Yorkshire & North East region.

It is a serene and beautiful waterway, with some areas so peaceful you're unlikely to come across any houses or boats. One area (Drakeholes) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the presence of rare aquatic plant life, including linton's pondweed, short-leaved water starwort, and brackish water crowfoot.

The Cuckoo Dyke also boasts some of the earliest staircase locks ever built, which are now over 250 years old.

Colourful flowers on the towpath in front of a moored white narrowboat named 'The Boat'.

Boating the Chesterfield Canal

All you need to know about boating the Chesterfield Canal

Things to do on the Chesterfield Canal

The Chesterfield Canal is popular for walking, cycling, fishing and nature spotting.

Boats on Chesterfield Canal, with people on grassy towpath

Chesterfield canoe trail

Enjoy a paddle along a stretch of the Chesterfield Canal, which has been isolated from the rest of the network

Young person with adult learning how to fish on the canal

Go fishing

You can fish along certain parts of the Chesterfield Canal

Discover Hollingwood Common Canal

This underground canal ran for nearly two miles beneath what is now the Hollingwood Estate and Ringwood Hall to Westwood

A young boy with dark hair in a green coat and red life jacket leans on the side of a yellow boat, looking out at the canal.

Enjoy a boat trip

The Chesterfield Canal Trust has four locations you can take a boat from

Places to visit near the Chesterfield Canal

If you enjoy time in nature, the Chesterfield Canal is a must visit. Drakeholes provides the perfect place to admire rare flora, whilst the pretty hamlet of Turnerwood is home to the Turnerwood Lock Flight, which forms part of the Giant's Staircase.

History of the Chesterfield Canal
Discover more about the history of the Chesterfield Canal
History of the Chesterfield Canal
Discover more about the history of the Chesterfield Canal

Where does the water come from?

The Chesterfield Canal runs downhill from Norwood Tunnel to its junction with the River Trent at West Stockwith Lock. The western part of the canal is steep and has narrow locks. The flatter eastern part has broad locks.

Harthill and Pebley Reservoirs provide water to the summit pound. This water is augmented in the Broadbridge Dyke Feeder by runoff from an abandoned mine, local surface water runoff and groundwater from Norwood Tunnel.