How do I boat on Scotland's canals and what licence or mooring information does Scottish Canals provide?

Scottish Canals' website is the starting point for anyone planning to boat or moor on Scotland's canals. Under its Boating section, you can buy a Visitor Licence or a Short-Term Licence, read the licence terms and conditions, find mooring locations and prices, check waiting-list information, and review the rules you must follow before coming onto the canal. The site also covers boat launching, boater facilities and services, and a way to report an issue. If you want to boat on the Caledonian, Crinan, Forth & Clyde or Union Canal, this is where the practical information sits.

What the Boating section covers

The Boating menu is organised around the things a boater needs before and during a trip:

• Licences – Buy a Visitor Licence, plus a Short-Term Licence with its own terms and conditions.
• Moorings – Mooring locations, mooring prices, frequently asked questions, and waiting-list information.
• Important information – Rules and compliance, what to do before coming onto the canal, and boat launching.
• Support and facilities – Boating Customer Charter, boater facilities and services, how to boat on the canals, and a Report an Issue channel.

The canals themselves are listed separately: Caledonian Canal, Crinan Canal, Forth & Clyde Canal, Union Canal, and Monkland Canal. The network map and "How to plan a boat trip" page sit alongside these.

Licences: what you can buy and read

Two licence routes are shown on the site:

The site presents these as purchase entries with linked terms and conditions, so the licence conditions are the place to confirm what a given licence allows. The homepage does not state prices for licences, so check the relevant licence page for current figures rather than assuming a cost.

Moorings: locations, prices and waiting lists

If you need a permanent or longer-term place, the Moorings area is the relevant part of the site. It provides:

• Mooring locations – where moorings are available across the canal network.
• Mooring prices – the cost information published by Scottish Canals.
• Frequently asked questions – common mooring queries.
• Waiting list information – what to expect if a location is full.

Because availability and pricing can change, treat the site's own mooring pages as the current source rather than relying on second-hand summaries.

Before you come onto the canal

The "Important Information" area sets out what to sort out first:

1. Rules and compliance – the regulations that apply to boats on the canals.
2. Before coming on to the canal – preparatory steps to complete ahead of arrival.
3. Boat launching – guidance for getting a boat into the water.

Once on the network, the Boater Facilities and Services page covers what is provided along the canals, and the Boating Customer Charter sets out the standard of service boaters can expect. The How to Boat on the Canals page is the general guidance entry point.

If something goes wrong

The site includes a Report an Issue channel under Boating. Use it for problems encountered on the canal rather than trying to resolve them through general contact routes.

Planning the trip itself

Beyond licences and moorings, the Visit section supports trip planning: boat tours, canoe and kayak trails (including the Great Glen Canoe Trail), cycling, walking, fishing and magnet fishing, wildlife spotting, and canal holidays such as boating holidays, hotels on water, and motorhome stopovers. The Network map and How to plan a boat trip page help you connect the canals you want to use with what is available along them.

A practical sequence: decide which canal you want, check the licence you need and its terms, confirm mooring options and prices if you need them, read the rules and pre-arrival information, then use the network map and trip-planning pages to build the route.