Grand Union Canal

Grand Union Canal

Grand Union Canal has 346 locks and 693 recorded mooring sites (177 with a published Canal & River Trust time limit), plus 82 water points. There are currently 34 active navigation closures on this waterway.

Locks

346

Mooring sites

693

Timed moorings

177

Water points

82

Active navigation closures

Cattle Creepy 10K - 29 October - Grand Union Canal

Thu, Oct 29 → Thu, Oct 29

Fallen tree south of Bridge 156

Mon, Jul 6

Lock 23 Stoke Hammond

Mon, Jul 13

Visitor Mooring Suspension due to Dredging Works - Between Lock 61 Winkwell Bottom Lock to Lock 67 Apsley Bottom Lock, Grand Union Canal

Mon, Oct 12 → Fri, Nov 20

Long Buckby Lock Flight

Tue, Jul 28

Sunken vessel between Bridge 69 and Bridge 70

Wed, Sep 23

Calcutt Locks

Mon, Aug 24

Giffard Park Customer Service Facilities

Wed, Sep 30 → Fri, Oct 16

Bank Damage at Lock 36 Seabrook, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard

Fri, Mar 13

Stoke Bruerne Lock Flight

Tue, Jul 28

Between Springwell Lock (83) and Coppermill Lock

Sat, Aug 22

Sunken vessel at Horseshoe Weir

Thu, Jan 29

Braunston Lock Flight

Tue, Jul 28

Advice 3rd Party Works - Between Bridge 176, Springwell Lane & Bridge 176E, Copper Mill Footbridge , Maple Cross

Tue, Jul 28 → Fri, Nov 6

Sunken vessel Bridge 115C, Tiddenfoot Park Footbridge

Fri, Nov 28

Sunken vessel at Bridge 200, Station Road

Wed, Nov 26

Relocation of Refuse Site - Hatton Top Lock Refuse Disposal

Mon, Nov 10

Bridge 24 Warwickshire Fly Boats, Long Itchington, Grand Union Canal

Sun, May 1

Bridge 163, Lady Capels to Bridge 151, Two Waters Road

Sun, Oct 18 → Sun, Oct 18

Navigation Restriction - Grand Union Canal, Stockers Lock, Rickmansworth

Mon, Nov 2 → Wed, Nov 4

200 metres south of the M42 bridge, Knowle, Solihull

Thu, May 1

Lock 21, Cosgrove Lock to Aqueduct, Iron Trunk

Wed, Oct 21 → Mon, Oct 26

Navigation Closure – Grand Union Canal: Lock 46 (Cowroast Lock) to Lock 39, Including Lock 45 (Marsworth Flight)

Mon, Oct 5

Lock 84, Copper Mill Lock

Fri, Apr 24

Lock 76, Cassiobury Park to Lock 77, Ironbridge Lock

Wed, Oct 21 → Mon, Oct 26

Navigation Restriction - Grand Union Canal, Norwood Top Lock 90 to Hanwell Flight 97, Hanwell

Mon, Aug 3

Bridge 77, Linford Wharf to Bridge 115A (Railway)

Sun, Nov 8 → Sun, Nov 8

Hatton Lock Flight (Locks 46 to 37)

Mon, Aug 3

Navigation Restriction - Lock 86, Widewater Lock, Grand Union Canal,

Mon, Sep 28

Between Bulls Bridge and Lock 97 on the Hanwell Flight

Wed, Oct 22

Lock 23 Stoke Hammond

Wed, Jul 15

Apsley elsan

Thu, May 14

Relocation of Refuse Site – Knowle Locks

Mon, Nov 10

Bike in the water near lock 29 Church Lock

Fri, May 29

What size boat fits?

Canal & River Trust publish these maxima for the Grand Union Canal. Treat them as a rough guide rather than a guarantee — an individual bridge hole, lock chamber or shallow pound can be tighter than the headline figure, and draught in particular varies with rainfall and silting.

Max length

72ft (21.95m)

Max beam

14ft (4.27m)

Max draught

4ft 3in (1.3m)

Headroom

8ft 9in (2.67m)

Source: Canal & River Trust waterway dimensions (rough guide).

Frequently asked questions

How many locks are on the Grand Union Canal?

There are 346 locks recorded on the Grand Union Canal, based on Canal & River Trust reference data.

Where can I moor on the Grand Union Canal?

693 mooring sites are recorded on the Grand Union Canal, of which 177 have a published time limit — usually 14 days, but shorter in busy spots. Visitor moorings and their time limits are shown on the Itchy Tiller map.

Is the Grand Union Canal open at the moment?

There are currently 34 active navigation closures affecting the Grand Union Canal. Details and dates are listed on this page.

What size boat can navigate the Grand Union Canal?

Maximum length 72ft (21.95m), maximum beam 14ft (4.27m), maximum draught 4ft 3in (1.3m), minimum headroom 8ft 9in (2.67m). These are Canal & River Trust's published figures for the Grand Union Canal and are a rough guide — check individual structures before committing to a passage.

Are there water points on the Grand Union Canal?

Yes — 82 water points are recorded on the Grand Union Canal. Their locations are shown on the Itchy Tiller map alongside rubbish disposal and Elsan points.

Plan a route or track your stay on the Grand Union Canal

Itchy Tiller shows this canal's locks, moorings and live closures on an interactive map, with route planning and mooring time-limit tracking built in.

Open the map