April 2026 issue
On the cover of the April issue… Review boat Knot Again cruising the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, by Mark Langley.
Buy this issue
On Sale Now
April 2026 on sale from 27 February
Rally Round-Up
On The Cut
Visit a canal festival or rally this year with our comprehensive diary of what’s on and where
A Tested Formula
Boat Review
By basing a new narrowboat on a proven hire design, Knot Again shows how bespoke thinking doesn’t have to mean bespoke prices. Mark Langley finds out more…
Long Stay on a Short Canal
Explore The Ashby Canal
For Rachel Eglinton, a four-day trip on the Ashby Canal turned into nearly three months
Modern Classics
Waterway Reads
We asked the WW team to share their favourite 21st-century waterway reads
WW Guide to Huddersfield Canals
Cruising Guide
With 74 locks and the UK’s longest canal tunnel, the Huddersfield Narrow provides one of the most exhilarating and arduous boating experiences on the system. Steve Eliott meets the challenge and also cruises its broad sister canal
Gongoozling Down the Ages
Looking Back
The activity of watching boats go by is as old as the canals themselves. We look at a selection of pictures showing gongoozling throughout history
Etruria Junction
Waterways Hotspot
Industrial heritage abounds at this meeting point of the Trent & Mersey and Caldon canals
A Kennet Return
Cruising the Kennet & Avon
Cruising the Kennet & Avon again after 20 years, Andrew Denny takes in the delightful central stretch from Newbury to Devizes
Muck and Brass
Boat-Ownership
Andy Tidy takes a shine to his new method of brightening brasswork
Learning on the Job
Boater's Story
After buying his first narrowboat, septuagenarian David Moore set off on a 180-mile solo cruise to bring it home. The only issue: he had never helmed a boat before
Trip-Boats in Sheffield: Past and Present
Looking Back
Forty-plus years ago, the canalsides of Sheffield were notably different. John Tarry provides a then-and-now perspective
24 Hours in Great Haywood
Explore
Andy Tidy spends time at the landmark junction of the Trent & Mersey and Staffs & Worcs canals
A Boat to Explore Britain
Reader's Boat
Relocating to the UK from the USA, Tim Holden and his wife bought a narrowboat and became continuous cruisers. After three years afloat, he reflects on this steep learning curve
Th Battle of Tower Wharf
Last Word
Providing a snapshot of liveaboard life half a century ago, Chris Leah recalls arriving in Chester with two salvaged boats and getting a front-row seat in a waterways culture clash
All our Regular Features –
On the Cut
Place to go and things to do
Waterlines
Debate and opinions
Reviews
New waterway publications
Waterways News
All the latest from around the waterways
Boats & Pieces
New products for boatowners
Boating Forum
Your technical questions answered by our team of experts
