Visiting Middlewood Locks?
Here’s our guide to boating access from Castlefield:
Click here to download a pdf version
Traveling from Castlefield to Middlewood Locks by boat is a relatively short journey, although it is necessary to book both passage through Pomona Lock and also entrance into Middlewood.
From Castlefield head away from Manchester on the Bridgewater canal. After around a mile you will see Pomona Lock on your right hand side. Access through Pomona Lock is controlled because leaving the Bridgewater canal at this point takes you onto the Manchester Ship canal which is a commercial waterway.
Booking Passage through Pomona Lock:
Pomona Lock is controlled by Peel L&P via the Bridgewater Canal Company. You can contact Peel to book passage as follows:
By email to – bridgewatercanal@peel.co.uk
Telephone – 0161 629 8432 between 2pm and 4pm Monday to Friday.
At time of writing access through the lock is only made available Monday to Saturday at 08.30. Peel will confirm details when passage is arranged.
Note that they generally Peel require 2 weeks notice to book and will require confirmation that you hold a boat safety certificate and insurance.
On exiting Pomona Lock you will initially be in Pomona Dock No. 3. Leaving the dock you should turn right onto the Manchester Ship canal. Travel along the Ship canal, which then becomes the River Irwell, for about a mile. On the left you will see the entrance to the Margaret Fletcher tunnel which takes you onto the Manchester Bury and Bolton canal, and through to Middlewood lock No. 1.
Access to Middlewood
Access to Middlewood is controlled by the Canal and River Trust (CRT). You can book a stay in Middlewood, and passage through the 2 locks by calling CRT customer support line: 0303 040 4040. (Please note this phone line is only open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.)
The CRT will be able to advise on access availability and any relevant information they would require.
Once you exit lock No. 1 you will pass through 2 pounds before passing under a road bridge. At the end you’ll enter Lock No. 3 (note that there is no lock No. 2!). Leaving this lock you enter the Middlewood mooring area. Winding is possible at the end of this section, and mooring is available on either side.
Facilities:
There are no boater facilities at Middlewood, however there is a co-op supermarket and a cafe adjacent to Lock No. 3. There are numerous cafes and restaurants within a 20 minute walk of Middlewood, mainly located on Chapel Street in Salford or across the river in the St Johns area of Manchester.
No Barbeques or Fire Pits
Though CRT owns the canal infrastructure at Middlewood, they don’t own the towpath or surrounding landscape. These are owned by the developer, Scarborough Group International, who have a “No Barbeques or Fire Pits” policy. Please respect this request.
Guide produced by Watch House Cruising Club and published by the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society
June 2025