Moorings on the Hertford Union Canal

The Hertford Union Canal, known to boaters as Duckett's Cut after its promoter Sir George Duckett, is a 2.4-kilometre canal running along the southern edge of Victoria Park in east London. It leaves the Regent's Canal at Old Ford and drops through three locks to join the Lee Navigation at Hackney Wick, completing the ring that lets boats travel between Camden, the Olympic Park and the Thames at Limehouse without retracing their route.

Opened in 1830 and never commercially successful, the canal was rescued from dereliction and is now one of the most attractive short cuts in London: Victoria Park on one bank, the towpath busy with cyclists and runners, and the regenerated warehouses and breweries of Hackney Wick at its eastern end.

Mooring on the Hertford Union is entirely towpath-based and closely managed by the Canal & River Trust — there are no marinas on the cut itself. Demand is intense, and most boats here are continuous cruisers working the wider east London network rather than holders of permanent residential berths. For boaters seeking a long-stay base, the nearby Lee Navigation and Limehouse Basin offer more realistic options, with the Hertford Union serving as the connecting route. Hackney Wick and Cambridge Heath stations are both close by.