Visiting narrow boats and cruisers

The Basingstoke Canal is an independent waterway, to bring your boat onto the canal you will need a Basingstoke Canal Authority licence for your type of boat – boat licences issued by other Navigation Authorities (such as Canal and River Trust) are not valid.

You can bring a boat registered on another Navigation Authority’s waters onto the Basingstoke Canal as a visiting boat for a maximum of 28 days. During your visit you may moor in any reasonable place on the towpath side for up to 72 hours and may live aboard your boat if it has a cabin designed as living space.

For smaller boats usually kept out of water and launched at a slipway please see instead our Trail Boat scheme.

Visitor Boat Licence

To purchase a Visitor Boat Licence for your boat, you must hold appropriate insurance and comply with the Boat Safety Scheme. You must provide a copy of your insurance certificate and your emailed receipt for your licence fee when meeting the duty Lock Keeper at Lock 1 at the start of your visit.

The majority of the Canal’s locks are managed by a Lock Keeper and are only open at certain times - all boat movements through locks need to be booked in advanced - see lock opening times.

You can apply to licence the following classes boats with this form:

• Private Leisure
• Hire Boat (from a yard not on the Basingstoke Canal)
• Commercial carrier (for example a Fuel Boat)
• Workboat.

For Passenger Boats or any other class please contact the Canal Office on 01252 370073 or [email protected] for more information.

Apply for your visiting licence

Once you have completed the form, the Canal Office will process your application, send you the necessary links to pay for your licence fees online, and check your boat into the lock movement calendar. If there are any issues with the dates you have selected for lock use the Canal Office will contact you using the details you have provided. Please allow two full working days for your application to be processed.

We accept online payments. Cash transactions are only available at the Canal Office during normal business hours. Find the Canal Office opening times.

Arriving at the Canal

If you are coming on from the River Thames via the River Wey you will also need a licence from the National Trust to use the River Wey Navigation (another independent waterway). If you are not also exploring the River Wey Navigation a reduced price “Basingstoke/Pyford transit licence” is available from the National Trust to allow you to travel up to the Basingstoke Canal at Woodham Junction from the Thames.

Winter moorings

The Basingstoke Canal Authority offers a small number of winter moorings at the Canal Visitor Centre, Mytchett for use by boats registered with another navigation authority over winter (November – March) and may suit those that are registered as continuously cruising boats on other waters.

These moorings and the associated “Special Visitor Licence” are limited to a maximum of six months, and you will still be classed as a visiting boat for the duration of your stay. These moorings are only for visiting boats and are not available for boats registered with the Basingstoke Canal Authority.

Please contact the Canal Office on 01252 370073 or [email protected] for further information about winter moorings.