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Fund Britain's Waterways - Future Events

Read about  the events and activities planned to continue promotion of the Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign.

Fund Britain's Waterways - Future Events

Fund Britain’s Waterways – Campaign Cruise 2025

The FBW Campaign Cruise for 2025 is going to be bigger than in previous years.

During late March and April, boats will travel from their home locations to Little Venice, London to attend IWA’s Canalway Cavalcade over the bank holiday weekend of 3rd to 5th May.

Our plan is that boats will call in at marinas or cruising clubs on route where the local people have organised an event to which local politicians, including MPs have been invited.

We expect boats will form small convoys and will moor together. The boats’ crews will post on social media as they progress. The whole aim of the cruise is to generate positive publicity for the FBW campaign getting local people and their political representatives involved.

Following IWA’s Canalway Cavalcade, a group of boats will move to Limehouse Basin and on Wednesday 7th May they will cruise to the Palace of Westminster on a rising tide, arriving at the Palace from 10.30 a.m.  High Water Westminster Bridge is at 11.00 a.m.  After making our voices heard for a suitable length of time, boats will head downriver on the ebbing tide, passing Limehouse, for overnight moorings in West India Dock.

On Thursday 8th May, we will have an IWA Cavalcade Dispersal Cruise. Boats will cruise from West India Dock to Brentford or Teddington. As water levels allow, boats will depart the Dock on a rising tide inbound for Brentford and Teddington. High Water Brentford and Teddington is 1.00 p.m.  There will also be an opportunity for boats to depart the tideway at Limehouse Lock.

Following the Cavalcade Dispersal cruise, individual boats will then cruise to Boston to cross The Wash.  Those boats who exit the Thames at Brentford will take the Grand Union Canal north to Braunston and will head up to Huddlesford Junction and then along the Trent and Mersey Canal to Torksey Junction and down to Boston for to cross The Wash to Wisbech. The first available window for the transit begins on Sunday 8th June, and it’s this date that we are using in our planning. Each Wash crossing will be limited to ten boats, but multiple crossings are being planned for. Once boats have reached Wisbech, we expect they will travel into the Middle Level Navigation and possibly out to River Great Ouse and its tributaries.

Boats that choose to go up to Teddington will then transit the Thames to Oxford follow the Oxford Canal up to Braunston, then the Grand Union Canal to Leicester, River Soar and join the rest of the group at Boston. Obviously, some boats will do something slightly different, but the idea is to use water in the care of as many different navigation authorities as possible.

The following week by week itinerary will give an indication of which area we plan to cruise.  Our Facebook page Fund Britain’s Waterways – Cruises for 2025 will be updated each day.

Week 1 Saturday 29th March 2025 – Saturday 5th April 2025 – Strawberry Island Boat Club, Doncaster to Soar Boat Club, Normanton on Soar – Cruising the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation, Stainforth & Keadby Canal, River Trent & River Soar

Week 2 Sunday 6th April – Saturday 12th April – Soar Boat Club, Normanton on Soar to Taveners Boat Club, Thrupp – Cruising the River Soar, Leicester Section Grand Union and Grand Union

Week 3 Sunday 13th April – Saturday 19th April – Taveners Boat Club, Thrupp to Marsworth – Cruising the Grand Union Canal

Week 4 Sunday 20th April to Saturday 27th April – Marsworth – St Pancras Cruising Club – Cruising the Grand Union Canal, its Paddington Arm and The Regent’s Canal

Week 5 Sunday 27th April – Saturday 3rd May – St Pancras Cruising Club to Little Venice for IWA Cavalcade Bank Holiday Weekend – Cruising The Regent’s Canal

Week 6 Sunday 4th May – Saturday 10th May – Busy week this week – Little Venice IWA Cavalcade – 6th May to Limehouse – 7th May Campaign Cruise to Palace of Westminster – 8th May Dispersal Cruise with boats heading for Brentford and Teddington – Boats Coming through Brentford Lock will head for Hillingdon Canal Club – Cruising the Regents Canal, River Thames, Grand Union Canal – Boats Heading to Teddington will be continuing up the Thames

Week 7 Sunday 11th May to Saturday 17th May – Hillingdon Canal Club to Dunstable District Cruising Club Cook’s Wharf – Cruising the Grand Union Canal

Week 8 Sunday 18th May to Saturday 24th May – Dunstable District Cruising Club Cook’s Wharf to Lichfield Cruising Club, Huddlesford Junction – Cruising the Grand Union, Northern Oxford and Coventry canals

 Week 9 Sunday 25th May to Saturday 31st May – Lichfield Cruising Club (Huddlesford Junction) – Derby Motorboat Club – Cruising the Coventry and Trent & Mersey canals

Week 10 Sunday 1st June to Saturday 7th June – Derby Motorboat Club to Boston – Cruising the River Trent, Fossdyke Navigation and River Witham,

Week 11 Sunday 8th June to Saturday 14th June – Boston to Denver Sluice Cruising Club Dependent on weather – Cruising the The Wash and River Nene

Week 12 Sunday 15th June to Saturday 21st June – Denver Sluice Cruising Club to Cambridge – Cruising the River Nene, Middle Level Navigations, River Great Ouse and River Cam

Week 13 Sunday 22nd June to Saturday 28th June – Cambridge to St Ives – Cruising the River Cam and River Great Ouse

Week 14 Sunday 29th June to Saturday 5th July – St Ives – March – Cruising the River Great Ouse and Middle Level Navigations

Week 15 Sunday 6th July to Saturday 12th July – March – Peterborough – Cruising the Middle Level Navigations and River Nene

Week 16 Sunday 13th July to Saturday 19th July – Peterborough – Oundle – Cruising the River Nene

Week 17 Sunday 20th July to Saturday 26th July – Oundle – Northampton – Cruising the River Nene

Week 18 Sunday 27th July to Saturday 2nd August – Northampton to Hinkley – Cruising the River Nene, Northampton Arm, Grand Union, Northern Oxford, Coventry and Ashby canals

Week 19 Sunday 3rd August to Saturday 9th August – Hinkley to Swarkestone – Cruising the Ashby, Coventry and Trent & Mersey canals

Week 20 Sunday 3rd August to Saturday 9th August – Swarkestone to Doncaster – Cruising the Trent & Mersey Canal, River Trent, Stainforth & Keadby Canal, Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation.

Future Events with a Fund Britain’s Waterways presence

If you can help promote the FBW cause at any events you are involved in at any time, please contact Hazel Owen: [email protected] and 07929 204811.

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