Canal Map: UK Waterways

Dane Dev

About this app

Canal Map: UK Waterways is a free, fully offline map of the UK's connected navigable network — the canals and navigable rivers that narrowboats actually cruise. Everything is built into the app, so it keeps working with zero signal for days at a time, deep in a cutting or miles from anywhere.

No ads. No accounts. No tracking. No sign-up. Just the map.

THE MAP
• Nationwide canals and navigable rivers, rendered from your device.
• Facilities with clear icons: locks, water points, Elsan / sanitary, pump-out, refuse disposal, pubs, moorings and winding holes (turning points).
• Numbered canal bridges, town and village names.
• Tidal sections flagged as a hazard.
• Show/hide map layers — choose exactly which facilities, notice types and winding holes you want to see.
• Optional aerial (satellite) imagery when you're online.
• Light and dark mode, plus a choice of colour themes.

PLAN YOUR CRUISE
• On-device route planning: tap a start and destination and get the distance, lock count and estimated time.
• Multi-day planning: set your hours per day and see day markers along the route, with a day-by-day breakdown.
• Save routes to reuse them, export as GPX, or download a branded PDF plan — day-by-day, with a route map — to print or share.
• Popular cruising rings (Cheshire, Four Counties, Warwickshire, Stourport, Avon, Llangollen and more) — tap to see one on the map.
• "Route here" straight from any facility you tap.

STAY INFORMED
• Live Canal & River Trust stoppages and navigation notices, refreshed daily, with an offline fallback.
• A searchable, filterable list of every notice — by closure, restriction or advisory — with show-on-map.
• Toggle to show planned / future (e.g. winter) stoppages.

SEARCH & LOCATION
• Search places and waterways, or use "near me" to find what's closest.
• GPS follow-me shows where you are on the network (works offline).

KEEP A RECORD
• A boat log for continuous cruisers: log your position with a nearest-place label and your own note, delete entries individually, and export the whole log as CSV or GPX. Save exports straight to your device.

HELP & SAFETY
• A built-in guide to staying safe and cruising considerately: life jackets, working locks, speed and wash, tunnels and bridges, tidal waters, mooring and more.

There's also a desktop map on the website if you'd rather plan on a bigger screen.

IMPORTANT
Distances, lock counts and journey times are estimates, and map data can be incomplete or out of date. Always check current conditions, signage and official notices, and navigate responsibly — this app is a guide, not a substitute for your own judgement. Tidal waters are hazardous and need suitable experience and preparation.

DATA & ATTRIBUTION
Contains information from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Canal & River Trust Open Data and Environment Agency Open Data, under their respective open licences. Optional aerial imagery © Esri and its suppliers. This app is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these organisations.

What’s new

• Download your route as a PDF plan — day-by-day, with a route map.
• Show/hide map layers: choose which facilities, notice types and winding holes you see.
• Plan multi-day trips — set your hours per day and see day markers along the route.
• Winding holes (turning points) added to the map.
• Clearer lock markers.