Lifting of restrictions causes boating boom for canals

The Canal & River Trust says it is seeing so many boats returning to the water as restrictions lift, it could be a record-breaking summer.

Its data (collated at locks to understand the changing patterns in use across the waterways) compares the latest figures from mid-July, which show a five per cent increase in average lockage counts compared to 2019, and an eleven per cent increase compared to 2020 (when boaters were able to take advantage of the reopening after the first national lockdown).

Comparing the weekly lockages in 2019, 2020 and 2021 for the three busiest lock sites in each of the charity’s six regions indicates that the numbers of boats out cruising have recovered and in some regions are higher than before the pandemic.

Matthew Symonds, national boating manager at Canal & River Trust, says: “It is said that boating is the fastest way to slow down, and it is clear to see that boaters are keen to get back out on the water cruising after a year that has seen them moored up for months at a time, or unable to take their hireboat holidays.

“The four-mile an hour maximum speed gives people the perfect opportunity to unwind, take in the changing landscape, spot wildlife, and let the stress of the past year float away.”