May 2026 issue
On the cover of the May issue... Springtime cruising on the Trent & Mersey Canal at Fradley, by Brian Walker.
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May 2026 on sale from 27 March
Precision Cruising
Boat Review
Designed by an aerospace engineer and brought to life by Kingsground Narrowboats, La Sorciere II is a meticulously planned narrowboat built for efficient, long-term cruising. Mark Langley finds out more…
A Way Wonderland
Explore The River Way
Fiona Burt enjoys a spring cruise on the leafy Wey Navigation and takes time to explore Guildford
Absoboatly Fabulous
Reader's Boat
After painting her wide-beam liveaboard craft in a colourful palette, waterways newcomer Amy Guerrier saw the boat’s potential as a floating performance venue. Amelia Saxena finds out more…
WW Guide to Macclesfield Canal
Cruising Guide
Running from the edge of the Potteries to the hills of the Peak District, this spectacular waterway combines sweeping views with elegant stone-built engineering. Steve Elliott cruises its length…
Testing the Avon Ring
Looking Back
Looking back on a 1974 trip on the newly accessible Avon Ring, Hugh Potter pays tribute to lead canal restorer David Hutchings
Fradley Junction
Waterways Hotspot
One of the busiest spots on the network, canal history abounds at this rural Staffordshire site
Counting The Hours
Profile
Although Chris Clegg is giving up boating after more than 60 years, his legacy is a single-sheet map that taught generations of boaters to measure the waterways not in miles but in time
Onboard Businesses
Boating Businesses
Amelia Saxena meets three boaters who’ve transformed their floating homes into very different commercial ventures
The Ultimate Narrowboat Spec
Boat-Ownership
Prospective boat-buyer Hugh Moran dreams of the gadgets and gizmos he’d include on his new craft if money were no object
A weekend on the Norfolk Broads
Hire-Boat Holiday
East Anglia’s quiet network of waterways proved the perfect cruising ground for a laidback hire-holiday for food and travel writer Fiona Sims
My Wartime Boating Ancestors
Looking Back
Daniel Agee looks at how two branches of his family kept canal traffic moving during WWII
Exploring The BCN Old Main Line
Explore Birmingham
With the help of a 1980s guide, Alison Cannon retraces the BCN Old Main Line, exploring surviving loops, lost junctions and layers of industrial history – and asking how Birmingham’s canals have changed in the past 40 years
To Plan or Not to Plan?
Last Word
Adam Porter reflects on maps, guides and online planners – and how experience afloat reshapes route planning
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