Water management FAQs

Managing the water in a 200-year-old canal system throws up lots of challenges, particularly in a dry year. British Waterways’ water management team are often asked questions about their work by boaters or members of the public. Here, they’ve collected some of the most common questions and explained the answers. If you have any further questions on water management or drought mitigation, please feel free to post them in the comments. The water management team will either respond to them directly, or include them in future FAQs.

Top tips for winterising your narrowboat

We’ve got to that time of year when the temperatures start to drop dramatically and the country’s obsession with grit supplies takes hold. Summer cruising is well and truly over and for those of you who own boats on Britain’s canals and rivers it’s time to think about winterising your boat.

Cruising towards a greener future

Could this former British Waterways maintenance boat hold the key to green fuels for the future? The narrowboat Ross Barlow is powered by an innovative new hydrogen fuel cell developed by a team at Birmingham University. The scientist in charge of the project tells waterscape why he hopes this technology could one day be adopted across the canal system and beyond.

Cooking on a narrowboat: Boaters’ recipes

Travelling the canals in a narrowboat is a wonderfully relaxing way to see the country and many boaters do not want the stress of cooking elaborate meals, especially if they are on their annual holidays. However, cooking on a narrowboat doesn’t have to be a hassle.

Boating with kids

With the summer holidays approaching, it’s the perfect time to book a hire boat for a week or even take an extended cruise. Narrowboating is the kind of family holiday where you can take everything with you – including the kitchen sink! But how do you keep the kids clean, dry, amused and safe? With a few top tips you can cruise through the stunning English countryside practically stress-free.

Boating off the beaten track

If you are tired of the same old routes, or want to escape the crowds on your next canal boat trip, then why not try something a little different? The canal network is full of hidden gems – lesser-known routes that have so much to offer the intrepid boater – and who knows them better than experienced hire boat operators and local waterway campaigners? Waterscape asks some canal experts to share their favourite places to get off the beaten track on the waterways.

British Waterways’ Reservoir Watch

Waterscape is now the best place to find out the latest information about British Waterways’ reservoir holdings. We’ll be letting you know how the glorious British weather affects reservoir levels and how this may impact on our canals and rivers.

Life as a volunteer waterway ranger

Volunteers have always played a vital part in helping British Waterways to preserve and promote the canals, and their work looks set to become even more valuable as the organisation prepares for the transition into a charitable trust in 2012. Waterscape interviews Dek Owen, a volunteer waterway ranger at Audlem, Cheshire about his work and what he gets out of volunteering.

Boaters' Update

Welcome to the British Waterways' (BW) monthly e-newsletter, The Boaters' Update on Waterscape.com.

Keep clean with The Green Blue

Since 2005 The Green Blue has been helping the country’s boaters, boating related businesses and water-loving public develop their environmental outlook. Waterscape speaks to Dan Reading, The Green Blue’s sustainability officer, to find out how the programme’s work benefits our canals and rivers.

Boating FAQs

How to licence your new boat, where to find stoppages and other answers to the questions we're most frequently asked by boaters.

Top tips for winter boating

Ice on the canal, freezing pipes and slippery surfaces - boating in winter is a whole new ball game. Stay safe with these top ten tips for boating in colder weather.

River Canal Rescue saving the day

Even if we’ve been lucky enough not to need their services, we’re all familiar with the heroic work of the AA and RAC, who rescue troubled motorists from roadsides all over the UK. However, not as many people will be aware of the work of River Canal Rescue (RCR), which has been coming to the aid of broken down boaters (and their boats) for almost a decade now.

Novices on a narrowboat holiday

Eric Harlow tells us about his first narrowboat holiday on the Shropshire Union Canal.

Safe boating

As soon as the weather starts to improve thousands of people flock to Britain’s canals and rivers to try their hand at narrowboating.

Where to take your canal holiday

The UK canal network is so vast that sometimes deciding where to take your canal holiday can be a pretty daunting task.

The pleasures of a canal holiday

With a unique mixture of bucolic countryside, industrial heritage, and sprawling urban scenery, it’s no wonder the UK canal network is undergoing something of a renaissance.

Celebrity boaters

They spend their days jetting to and from exotic destinations, living it up in five-star hotels, and getting stalked by paparazzi. So you may be surprised to learn that quite a few celebrities have tried their hand at boating on the humble British canals.

A day in the life of a lock keeper

What's it like to be a lock keeper? Natalie Bennett spent a day with Sam Thomas, keeper of Thames Lock on the Grand Union Canal in Brentford.

Learn the boating lingo

Do you know your port from your starboard? Do you know the difference between an on-line and an off-line mooring?

If not, the Waterscape.com beginners' terminology is just what you need to brush up on your boating language.

How do locks work?

Part one of our first time boater series explains what locks are and how you should operate them.

Cruising rings in the West Midlands

Explore timeless English countryside, traditional market towns and cosmopolitan cities - all in one holiday. Take a voyage around these popular cruising rings in the West Midlands.

40 years of memories

Life continues at 40: How messing about on boats saved Britain’s waterways.

Cost-conscious boating in the credit crunch

Times are tough, but there are simple ways to save money behind the tiller. Careful and considerate boating can lead to cost-savings for boaters and help to keep the waterways in a good condition. A win win situation for all!

Planning to protect our canals and rivers

A new way of planning how our water environment is protected and improved has been launched by the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.

Watch the Hatton Flight lock gates replacement

What really happens at a stoppage? What's actually involved with the replacement of lock gates? Find out, with a unique opportunity to watch the replacement of lock gates at Hatton Flight.

Weird and wonderful canal boats

Although you may not think it to look at them, narrowboats and barges can be used for all sorts of unusual purposes. From floating cheese shops to bike-selling barges, the simple canal boat can come in many different guises.

Top five boating holidays

Spring is in the air and the Easter break is just around the corner. But where are the best places to go boating in spring 2009? Take a look at our top five holiday ideas.

Water resource investigations

The Water Management team in British Waterways are working to get a better understanding of the water resources that are available to keep the canal system open during drought conditions.

Boaters' Update June 2011

This month we report on three exciting developments in the countdown to become a charity in England & Wales next year. There are some great prizes for winners of our latest photo competition and find out why you’re the key to unlocking millions from an iron trunk.