Moorings on the Droitwich Barge Canal

The Droitwich Barge Canal runs 9.7 kilometres from the River Severn at Hawford, near Worcester, east to Droitwich Spa. Engineered by James Brindley and opened in 1771 to carry salt from the Droitwich brine pits down to the Severn, it is a broad canal with locks built for Severn trows rather than narrowboats. Abandoned in 1939, it was restored by the Droitwich Canals Trust and reopened in 2011 alongside the Droitwich Junction Canal.

Together the two canals form the Mid Worcestershire Ring, linking the Severn, the Droitwich canals and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal into a compact and popular week-long circuit. The Barge Canal itself is quiet and green, following the valley of the River Salwarpe through farmland with only a handful of locks.

For boat owners the appeal is broad-beam access from the Severn combined with a peaceful rural setting and a genuinely useful cruising ring on the doorstep. Long-stay moorings are available at Droitwich Spa Marina, a large modern facility at the eastern end, with additional berths on the Severn at Worcester and Stourport. Droitwich Spa station gives direct trains to Birmingham and Worcester, and the M5 is minutes away.