Enjoy Britain's waterways with the Canoe England Licence
If you enjoy canoeing on rivers and canals you will need a boat licence to do so.
Canoe England have teamed up with British Waterways to offer members a great rate for the BW waterways licence in England. A licence to paddle over 5000km of navigations and canals is included in your Canoe England membership.
BRITISH WATERWAYS MAP
What the Waterways Can Offer
Many of England's inland waterways are ideal for canoeing - a sport that can be enjoyed by families and individuals of all ages. The network owned by British Waterways, offers a variety of canoeing waters - some passing through wooded cuttings like those on the Shropshire Union Canal, while others are broad rivers navigations like the Trent and Severn. There are excellent long distance routes for experienced canoeists, equally there are plenty of quiet stretches for beginners.
Individual Members
Canoe England members are provided with a membership card which also serves as the waterways licence. A lanyard is also provided for ease of display.
Affiliated Clubs
Clubs using the waterways listed below require a licence for each club boat. Canoe England affiliated clubs can be provided with identification stickers by Canoe England at a considerable cost saving to buying licences direct from the navigation authorities Current details are included on the Club Affiliation form
Where does my licence allow me to paddle?
5,000km of Waterways - Visit www.waterscape.com (British Waterways)
Ancholme (Environment Agency)
Basingstoke Canal (Basingstoke Canal Authority)
Bridgewater Canal (Manchester Ship Canal Company)
Cam, below Bottisham Lock (Environment Agency)
Glen (Environment Agency)
Great Ouse below Kempston (Environment Agency)
Great Ouse Flood Relief Channel, between the Head sluice lock at Denver and the Tail sluice at Saddlebow (Environment Agency)
Lark (Environment Agency)
Little Ouse below Brandon Staunch (Environment Agency)
Medway below Tonbridge (Environment Agency)
Nene below Northampton (Environment Agency)
Norfolk & Suffolk Broads and Rivers Ant, Bure, Chet, Thurne, Waveney, Wensum, Yare and associated Broads and Dykes (Broads Authority)
Stratford Avon from Alveston to Tewkesbury (Avon Navigation Trust)
Suffolk Stour below Brundon Milll, Sudbury (Environment Agency)
Thames - Cricklade Bridge to Teddington to include the Jubilee River and Maidenhead Waterway (Environment Agency)
Welland (Environment Agency)
Wey & Godalming Navigations (National Trust)
Wissey (Environment Agency)
Wilts and Berks Canal (Wilts and Berks Canal Trust)
Please carry your Canoe England membership card with you at all times, as you may be asked to show this to authorised officials.
The British Waterways Enforcement Teams are clearly recognisable. They all wear black trousers, with white shirts or polo shirts with the BW logo on them. Our lock keepers are also uniformed in blue polo shirts with BW logo.
Thames Licence
Amongst the many benefits of Canoe England membership, perhaps one of the real benefits is the Thames Licence.
Canoe England members attention is drawn to the following points:
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The Thames Conservancy Act, navigation and registration byelaws require registration of each vessel.
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Therefore members with more than one vessel and clubs owning vessels will be required to apply to the Agency for separate registration and licencing of each additional vessel.
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The navigation byelaws forbid the transfer of plates between vessels.