Chesterfield Canal

Quick Facts

• Length: 46 miles total (Chesterfield to West Stockwith on the River Trent); 46 of 65 original locks are currently navigable
• Locks: 65 originally, 59 narrow and 6 broad. Currently navigable as two separated sections — restoration of the gap continues.
• Connects: Chesterfield (currently isolated western section) → West Stockwith on the tidal River Trent
• Build period & engineer: opened 1777; engineered by James Brindley with John Varley
• Boat dimensions: 71 ft 4 in long by 6 ft 10 in beam on the western Norwood-to-Retford section (very narrow); 72 ft by approximately 13 ft 6 in on the Trent section
• Typical cruise time: approximately 4 days one-way West Stockwith to the head of the eastern navigable section

What's it like to cruise?

A quiet, lightly-cruised canal that is one of the network's hidden gems. The Trent end gives easy lock-free river-canal cruising through Drakeholes Tunnel and the wooded reaches near Clayworth and Hayton; the western end (around Chesterfield to Staveley) is restored urban canal with a different character. The two ends are not currently connected — you cannot cruise from Trent to Chesterfield in one go. Most boating is on the eastern (Trent-connected) section.

Highlights along the route

• Drakeholes Tunnel — 154 yards, dark and dripping but manageable.
• Clayworth and Hayton — pretty rural villages with good moorings.
• Retford — handsome Georgian market town and a key stopping point.
• Worksop — the wharf with the historic Pickfords warehouse.
• West Stockwith Basin — the tidal junction with the Trent.

Connections & cruising rings

Joins the tidal River Trent at West Stockwith Lock. From the Trent you can reach the Fossdyke and the Witham (to Boston and the Wash) or the Trent & Mersey via Shardlow. The canal does not currently form a ring in its own right.

Suitable for

A confident hire crew or experienced owner. Locks are narrow and need handling care; the Trent lock at West Stockwith is tide-dependent. Wonderful for boaters who want quiet cruising away from the Cheshire Ring crowd. The very narrow western lock chambers (some only 6 ft 10 in beam) restrict beam to 6 ft 10 in maximum.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: West Stockwith Lock works on tide times — book passage with the lock-keeper.
• Water and elsan: at West Stockwith, Misterton, Clayworth, Retford, Worksop and Shireoaks.
• Mobile signal: generally good across the lowland section.
• Pump-out: limited — Tapton Lock visitor centre, Shireoaks Marina and West Stockwith are the main options.

Best time to cruise

May to September. The eastern section is reservoir-fed but has fewer water issues than the upland canals. Spring is particularly attractive in the rural Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire borders section.