The 9 Best Canals in the UK

The Grand Union Canal

The Grand Union Canal earned its name honestly by linking London with Birmingham across 137 miles of constantly changing countryside. As the longest canal route in Britain, it’s a clear contender for one of the best UK waterways, having carried everything from pottery to coal and now transporting plenty of holidaymakers every year.

Modern narrowboaters favour this route because it offers both bustling market towns and peaceful countryside stretches. Whether you’re navigating through suburban London or drifting past medieval churches, it’s a well-loved waterway for good reason.

A highlight of the Grand Union Canal is the Blisworth Tunnel, stretching for 3,076 yards through solid limestone beneath Northamptonshire’s rolling hills. When it opened in 1805, this engineering triumph was the longest navigable tunnel in the world, carved entirely by hand. 

The journey through the tunnel takes about 45 minutes, and halfway through, you pass a section where the original builders hit particularly hard rock, and you can still see the tool marks they left behind over two centuries ago.

The Oxford Canal

The Oxford Canal from Napton to Coventry is another popular route, with the ultimate destination being Birmingham. Passing through Hawkesbury Junction and the Coventry Canal on the way, this 78-mile UK waterway takes a famously winding route that was designed to follow the natural contours of the land

The canal once carried enormous amounts of limestone, grain, salt, coal and steel through to London after being finished in 1790, but only had a few years of superiority before the Grand Union Canal was built and offered a shorter route. If you’re looking for a quieter option for the best canal boat holidays in the UK, this is a great choice.

Stop off along the way at the typical canal village of Braunston, which has a vast array of traditional old pubs, boat chandlery firms and little souvenir shops. The village grew around the junction where the Oxford Canal meets the Grand Union, making it a natural gathering place for boat people, traders, and travellers for over two centuries.

Shropshire Union Canal

The Shropshire Union Canal slices through some of England’s most unspoiled countryside. This 66-mile main line connects the industrial Midlands with the Welsh borders, passing through wonderful rural landscapes that make it one of the most beautiful canals in England.

Chester’s Roman walls provide a dramatic backdrop as the canal approaches the River Dee, while the southern sections wind through Shropshire’s gentle hills past villages that drowse in afternoon sunshine. Lock flights are mercifully short along most of the route, so if you’re looking for the best canal boat holidays for beginners, this is a good destination!

The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port offers a fascinating dive into the world that created Britain’s canal network, housed in historic buildings that once housed cargo. Interactive exhibits bring to life the backbreaking work of building these waterways by hand, while restored narrowboats show how entire families lived in compact spaces. The museum sits right beside the Shropshire Union Canal, so you can easily combine your visit with a gentle cruise through the Wirral countryside.

The Caledonian Canal

The Caledonian Canal transforms a Scottish Highland journey into pure magic. Thomas Telford designed this waterway to create a safe passage for ships that wanted to avoid the treacherous waters around Cape Wrath, but today it serves as one of the best canal routes in the UK.

Ben Nevis looms majestically over the western sections of the Caledonian Canal, while Loch Ness adds its own mysterious allure to any journey along these storied waters. The canal connects sea to sea, allowing boats to travel from the North Sea to the Atlantic without braving Scotland’s notoriously challenging coastal waters. 

Neptune’s Staircase presents one of Scotland’s most impressive engineering achievements, lifting boats 64 feet in eight consecutive locks that climb like giant steps. This flight of locks near Fort William took six years to build and remains the longest staircase lock in Britain, making it a must-visit attraction for canal fanatics. The whole process takes about 90 minutes, but few boaters mind the wait when the views stretch across some of Scotland’s most magnificent scenery.

The Fenlands

The Fenlands offer a completely different canal experience from many others in this article, which is why they’ve made it onto our top nine canals in the UK. These waterways follow routes that Dutch engineers created centuries ago when they drained the marshes to create the agricultural heartland that feeds much of eastern England.

Spread over an area of almost 3,900 km2, ‘The Fens’ are surrounded by nature reserves, which makes wildlife spotting on board a canal boat one of the best things to do in the area. Bitterns croon from hidden reedbeds and marsh harriers patrol the skies, dragonflies dart over the water, and you might even spot an endangered water vole on the banks.

If you’re looking to soak up some history along your narrowboat holiday in The Fenlands and stretch your legs, Cambridge is the perfect place to moor up. You can take in the stunning architecture and have a relaxing picnic in the park, or head into the city centre and take in a theatre performance or some live music. 

The Kennet and Avon Canal

Spanning 87 miles of countryside between London and Bristol, the Kennet and Avon Canal showcases southern England at its finest. This waterway links two rivers with a man-made section that climbs through the North Wessex Downs, creating a journey that feels like travelling through a Jane Austen novel and making it one of the most picturesque UK waterways. 

Restoration of this canal took decades of volunteer effort, creating a waterway that feels both historic and perfectly maintained. A highlight, and a key reason why it’s one of the best canals in England, is the Caen Hill Locks; one of the most spectacular and challenging sequences in British canal navigation.

Canal boats are lifted 237 feet in a flight of 29 locks that stretch for over two miles, climbing the hillside in three distinct sections, with the central flight of 16 consecutive locks creating the most dramatic ascent. This engineering masterpiece took over a decade to plan and build, and the whole process takes most of a day, but few boaters mind the effort when the achievement feels so monumental.

The Union Canal

Scotland’s Union Canal winds 31 miles from Edinburgh to Falkirk through countryside that combines industrial heritage with natural beauty. This UK waterway was built to transport coal from Scotland’s central belt to Edinburgh’s growing population, but today it mainly carries holidaymakers through classic Highland landscapes between popular destinations in the area.

The western terminus connects with the Forth and Clyde Canal via the famous Falkirk Wheel, creating a circular route that showcases central Scotland’s industrial heritage alongside its natural splendour. The wheel, in place since 2002, is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world and is truly spectacular to see in action.

If you’re willing to travel up to Scotland, then some of the best canal boat holidays in the UK are enjoyed on the Union Canal, especially if you combine your trip with a stay in Edinburgh. The canal climbs gently westward, passing through small towns and alongside rolling hills covered in heather and gorse whilst red kites circle overhead.