Please note that derelict canals may be missing, and
current restorations-in-progress may not be well represented. Please
let me know (email address below) if you find any other online maps
that you like for this page.
When all else fails, you can always try Paper Maps
Overview Maps
These are only intended to provide an overview of the whole canal system,
i.e. you can't zoom in for details.
The map distinguishes between
wide and narrow canals.
(Jim has shut his website. This link is to a copy on archive.org, as it
existed on Jim's site on 13 Mar 2019. I believe it is still accurate. Note that archive.org pages can be VERY SLOW TO LOAD - BE PATIENT. Previously I had the map from 22 Sep 2019, and previous to that from 17 May 2020, but unfortunately neither of those pages now on archive.org shows the map. Don't know why archive.org is
losing the map image, but if you get a page with no map on it, you may need to change the archive.org date.)
On the map, you can
click on a waterway for info about the waterway. The response CAN BE
VERY SLOW.
Waterways World wide-beam map
- canals suitable for a boat of 12ft 6in beam. Waterways World not longer
has this map on its website - this copy is from the Internet Archive,
captured 4 Jan 2020. POSSIBLY SLOW LOADING.
Canalplan AC
- planning online via the web; free service; stared with UK and expanded onto
the continent, Ireland, USA/Canada, and Australia. The grand-daddy of all
the route planners.
Note: As far as I know the only route planning software that
can be used OFFLINE (i.e. without the internet) WAS that from WaterNav,
now apparently no longer available.
Hire-base Map
Harald Heindl's
map of hire bases in the UK and Ireland. Note: this is a work-in-progress
by Harald. If you find any problems, please email me at
and I will pass the information along.
Specialized Maps
Float
- Android/Iphone app for continuous cruisers to track the places they've moored; free and open-source
PaddlePoints
- free browser-based waterway map with information especially useful to "paddlers" (kayakers, canoers, and paddle boarders)
Defunct
Google Earth Canal Maps
- as of 15 Oct 2015, the creator of this project has ended it, saying
"I don’t have the time/energy to convert the maps to the new format that Google insists on using"
- canals highlighted on google map/satellite view; click on
canal to identify it. [Thanks to Dan Engstrom for suggesting this site.]
Canalmap - discontinued April 2019
Water Explorer Interactive Canal Map -
website defunct - Route planner also gone.
[Thanks to Dan Engstrom for initially suggesting this site.]
Canal Map UK ("CanCam")- Defunct
- free canal maps for Android phones
These were not exactly canal maps, but were useful until I had to
retire them (retired for the same reason as Google Earth Canal Maps above):
. Note: this is a work-in-progress
by Harald. If you find any problems, please email me at
and I will pass the information along.
