Moorings on the Stainforth & Keadby Canal

The Stainforth & Keadby Canal runs 24 kilometres east across the flat carrlands of South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, from Bramwith Junction near Doncaster to Keadby Lock on the tidal River Trent. Opened in 1802 and now part of the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation, it is a broad, straight commercial waterway built for keels and barges rather than narrowboats.

That commercial heritage is the canal's main attraction for modern boat owners: generous beam and depth, few locks, and long lock-free pounds make it comfortable cruising for wide-beam craft and Dutch barges that cannot use the narrow canals further south. Thorne and Stainforth are the main settlements, with Thorne in particular a well-established boating centre.

Long-stay moorings are available at Blue Water Marina at Thorne and at several smaller yards along the route, generally at prices well below the southern network. Keadby Lock gives access to the tidal Trent for passages to the Humber, Trent Falls and the east coast — a serious piece of water requiring planning and a suitable boat, but it opens up cruising to Hull, York and the Yorkshire Ouse. The canal itself is quiet, wildlife-rich and surrounded by the peatlands of Thorne and Hatfield Moors, with rail connections at Thorne and Crowle.