Long-term moorings in Stratford-upon-Avon

Moorings in Stratford-upon-Avon are on two waters that meet at Bancroft Basin, beside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre: the South Stratford Canal, run by the Canal & River Trust, and the River Avon, run by the Avon Navigation Trust. The Warwickshire town has a large marina on the river and a small long-term site on the canal.

Moorings in Stratford-upon-Avon

• Shakespeare Marina (River Avon): 250 berths off Seven Meadows Road, each with water and electricity, about ten minutes' walk from the town centre. Run by Geomac Marinas, part of Land & Water.
• Western Road (Canal & River Trust, South Stratford Canal): about 215 metres for up to 11 boats, between Western Road Bridge 64A and Lock 52. Leisure use only, behind a locked gate.
• Western Road terms: permits run for one year and can be ended on four months' notice, because the land next door is due for redevelopment.
• Bancroft Basin: the Canal & River Trust's basin at the end of the canal, where a lock leads down to the river. Treat it as a place to stop on a visit, and ask the Trust about anything longer.
• Avon Navigation Trust moorings: the Trust lists a Stratford town mooring and Luddington Lock among its river moorings. Its public moorings are for stays of up to 48 hours.

On the water

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a narrow canal, with a maximum beam of 7ft. It runs 25 miles from Kings Norton in Birmingham and comes down the 11 locks at Wilmcote before it ends in Bancroft Basin.

The River Avon is navigable for 47 miles, from Alveston Weir just above Stratford to the River Severn at Tewkesbury, through 17 locks. On the Upper Avon, the Stratford end, the Avon Navigation Trust gives a maximum of 70ft long and 12ft 9in wide, with 3ft draught and 8ft headroom at normal levels.

Licences and wide beam boats

The two waters need two licences. A boat on the canal needs a Canal & River Trust licence. The river is outside the Trust's network, and every boat on it, moored or moving, needs an Avon Navigation Trust licence. A canal boat going through the lock for a trip on the river buys a short-term Avon licence, sold for one or two days or for 7, 14 or 30 days.

Since 15 April 2025 the Avon Navigation Trust has not sold short-term visitor licences to wide beam barges, which it defines as 10ft wide or more, and it says this will stay until further notice. Wide beam barges with an annual Avon licence are not affected.

Floods and closures

The canal route into Stratford has been shut for long spells two years running. Wilmcote Top Lock was closed for gate repairs from 24 January to 20 June 2025, and the South Stratford Canal from Lapworth to Lock 55 in Stratford was closed for low water from 3 August to 2 October 2026.

The Avon floods. The Avon Navigation Trust has a level gauge at every lock: green is safe to navigate, orange means increased flow, and red means moor up.