Moorings on the Coventry Canal
Key facts
- Type
- Canal
- Managed by
- Canal & River Trust
- Total length
- 61 km(38 miles)
- Region
- West Midlands
The Coventry Canal runs 61 kilometres from Hawkesbury Junction in the Midlands (near the centre of Coventry, where it meets the Oxford Canal) north-east through Bedworth, Nuneaton, Atherstone and Tamworth to Fradley Junction, where it joins the Trent & Mersey Canal. Engineered by James Brindley and opened in stages from 1769, the Coventry is a key piece of the inland network — every cruiser heading from the Birmingham canals toward the Trent, Soar or East Midlands rings will pass through it. For boat owners, the Coventry combines easy cruising character (only 13 locks across its full length) with strong network connectivity. Coventry Basin itself, restored in recent years, offers a city-centre mooring within walking distance of the cathedral and the city's regenerated cultural quarter. Long-stay moorings are available at Coventry Basin, Springwood Haven Marina (Nuneaton), Atherstone, Glascote and Streethay Wharf near Lichfield. Industrial heritage is everywhere — coal-field landscape, restored wharves, pottery towns — and the towpath is largely paved and cycle-friendly throughout. Liveaboards on the Coventry enjoy reasonable mooring prices, easy lock-light cruising and reliable rail access at Coventry, Nuneaton, Atherstone and Tamworth (all on the West Coast Main Line). A practical, well-connected liveaboard waterway with strong character.