Is there a marina in Hebden Bridge?
No. Hebden Bridge has no marina. Its long-term berths are a Canal & River Trust towpath site just west of the town, and Hebden Bridge Wharf is a hire boat base with a 24 hour limit on its moorings.
CanalYorkshire & The Humber1 waterway
Long-term moorings in Hebden Bridge
Moorings in Hebden Bridge on the Rochdale Canal: the Canal & River Trust leisure site, summit booking rules, lock hours and summer water closures.
Area
West Yorkshire, Yorkshire & The Humber
Type
Canal
Waterways
1 waterway
Moorings
1 listed
Location guide
A closer look at Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calder valley in West Yorkshire, on the Rochdale Canal between Sowerby Bridge and the Pennine summit. Moorings in Hebden Bridge are scarce: the town has no marina, and its one Canal & River Trust long-term site is for leisure use only.
Moorings in Hebden Bridge
- Hebden Bridge long-term moorings (Canal & River Trust): towpath berths just west of the town, let through the Trust's Waterside Moorings site. Leisure only, with no residential planning consent.
- At that site there is no gate, facilities block or car park. The water point and Elsan disposal are about 300 metres away in the town centre.
- Hebden Bridge Wharf: the base of the hire firm Bronte Boats, by Black Pit Lock (Lock 9). A canal directory lists diesel, gas, a dry dock and a slipway, and a 24 hour limit on the moorings.
The Trust's mooring search shows only one other long-term site within 12 miles, at Salterhebble Basin on a different waterway. Anyone wanting a residential berth will need to look beyond the town.
On the water
The Rochdale Canal is run by the Canal & River Trust, and a boat needs the Trust's licence. It has 91 locks in 32 miles between Sowerby Bridge and Manchester, and takes boats up to 72ft long.
- Hebden Bridge locks: since 13 April 2026, Locks 8 to 11 have opened only from 10am to 6pm daily, with last entry at 5pm, and are locked outside those hours.
- Tuel Lane Lock, Sowerby Bridge: since 30 March 2026, passage is on Mondays and Fridays, 8am to 4pm, booked at least 72 hours ahead.
- The summit: the pound between Lock 36 and Lock 37 must be booked from April to October, by 11am the day before, through a Trust online account.
Floods and closures
The canal has run short of water in each of the last two summers. Check the Canal & River Trust stoppage notices before planning a summer trip.
- 2025: the Trust closed Locks 1 to 33, the whole length through Hebden Bridge, from 29 August, and reopened Locks 5 to 33 on 22 September.
- 2026: Locks 6 to 16 were shut from 17 to 27 July after vandalism drained the pounds, and Locks 37 to 48, west of the summit, from 10 to 21 August.
The Trust rebuilt the canal at Hebden Bridge after the Boxing Day floods of 2015. A flood scheme for the town costing £81 million won planning approval on 17 February 2026.
Last checked October 2026
Listed mooring sites
Mooring sites in Hebden Bridge
1 site
Frequently asked questions
Can I live on a boat at the Hebden Bridge moorings?
Not at the Canal & River Trust site. The Trust lets it for leisure use only and says it has no planning consent for residential use.
Do I need to book to cross the Rochdale Canal summit?
Yes, from April to October. Passage over the summit pound between Lock 36 and Lock 37 must be booked by 11am the day before, through a Canal & River Trust online account.
Does the Rochdale Canal close at Hebden Bridge in summer?
It has in both of the last two summers. Low water closed Locks 1 to 33 from 29 August 2025, with Locks 5 to 33 reopening on 22 September, and Locks 6 to 16 were shut from 17 to 27 July 2026.
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