Katona to King's Cross

Route lengthabout 280 miles

Lock passages164

Moving time125–145 hours

Cruising-day equivalent21–24 six-hour days

Passage constraintsClosures and restrictions that may affect the schedule.

CLOSED · 5 OCT–20 NOV

Heales Lock 93 closes 5 October–20 November 2026

Completing the passage in October is not possible at a six-hour cruising-day pace. Plan a proper long-term pause west of the closure, then recheck before resuming.

Open CRT notice

CLOSED · 2 NOV–13 DEC

Newbury closes 2 November–13 December 2026

Unless Katona is east of the works before 2 November, the west-side wait may extend to 14 December. Treat reopening on 14 December as provisional and confirm before moving.

Open CRT notice

RESTRICTED · CONFIRM FIRST

Sharpness leisure lockage is currently restricted

Leisure locking has been restricted since 31 July 2026 and may depend on sharing a suitable commercial movement. The next stated review is 30 September; confirm directly before the estuary leg.

Open CRT notice

STATUS UNCERTAIN · CHECK FIRST

Sulhamstead Lock 100 remains uncertain

The notice is ongoing, with its next review stated for 11 September 2026. A special 4–7 September opening did not mean permanent reopening.

Open CRT notice

PILOT + TIDE WINDOW

Sharpness–Bristol requires two pilot-led tidal legs

Plan Sharpness to Portishead on the ebb, then Portishead to Bristol on a suitable flood. The dashed map line is an overview only, never a navigational track.

Open Gloucester Pilots guidance

CLOSED OVERNIGHT

Camden locks currently close overnight

Hampstead Road, Hawley and Kentish Town locks are shown shut 15:30–09:00 until further notice. Recheck before the final London leg.

Open CRT notice

How to use this map

Tap a marker for details. Toggle marker types along the bottom of the map. Locks and facilities are mapped references, not guarantees: check the navigation authority's current guide before each section.

Route stages

Six hours underway is the usual target. Times include lock work, not overnight stops.

Bell towers near the route

Practice details come from Dove/belfry.world. Sunday service ringing is rarely published in their datasets: follow the Dove link and contact the tower before travelling.

CHECK BEFORE MOVING

Navigation notes & sources

Katona

The estuary leg is outside ordinary inland cruising. Confirm draught, air draught, engine cooling, fuel range, anchor and chain, VHF arrangements, lifejackets and insurance with the pilot.

October conditions

Shorter daylight, river flows, fallen leaves, drought restrictions and autumn maintenance can all alter the estimate. River authority warnings override this planner.

Facilities

Water, refuse and Elsan markers are nearby OpenStreetMap records, including some private/customer-only points. Treat unnamed markers as leads to verify, not promised services.

Sources

Dataset checked .