River Medway: bridges, locks and facilities for boaters
Bridge heights and profiles, locks and facilities for boaters on the River Medway.
Map of the Medway
Check where bridges, locks and facilities are on the River Medway navigation map: Allington to Tonbridge.
Launch and landing points for canoes, kayaks and small boats are shown from Tonbridge to Allington, near Maidstone.
The most suitable site for launching a large boat is Allington Lock which has parking and a 5 metre slipway.
The speed limit on the River Medway is 5 knots.
River Medway bridge heights
Check information on River Medway bridge profiles for over 30 bridges from Allington to Tonbridge. Please note that only small craft can navigate beyond the Big Bridge at Tonbridge.
Make sure you have enough headroom and be aware that height can vary according to the river level and the arches of the bridge.
River Medway locks
Distances between locks on the River Medway and information on how to operate them.
It’s better to share a lock with another boat than close the gates on an approaching boat. You could waste up to 250,000 gallons of water.
There are 10 locks on the River Medway. You can operate them all yourself except for Allington Lock, which marks the border between the tidal Medway and the non-tidal Medway.
Downstream of Allington Lock the River Medway is tidal. At times the river below the lock may be dry, please check tide times before you plan your river passage below the lock.
| Name of lock | Distance to next lock downstream (miles) | Distance to next lock downstream (km) | Estimated cruising time to next lock (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Lock | 1.5 | 2.4 | 40 |
| Eldridges Lock | 1.0 | 1.6 | 30 |
| Porters Lock | 1.25 | 2 | 30 |
| East Lock | 0.75 | 1.2 | 30 |
| Oak Weir Lock | 1.25 | 2 | 30 |
| Sluice Weir Lock | 2.25 | 3.6 | 40 |
| Hampstead Lock (Yalding Depot) | 3 | 4.8 | 40 |
| Teston Lock | 2 | 3.2 | 40 |
| East Farleigh Lock | 4.5 | 7.2 | 60 |
| Allington Lock | end of the navigation | - | - |
River Medway maximum drafts
The draft of a boat’s hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (or keel).
For the non-tidal River Medway (from Allington to Town Lock in Tonbridge), the draft of your boat must not be more than:
- Allington Lock to Maidstone: maximum draft 2 metres
- Maidstone to Yalding: maximum draft 1.7 metres
- Yalding to Tonbridge: maximum draft 1.2 metres
Please contact the Environment Agency if you need more information.
River Medway facilities: Tonbridge to Allington
Information about marinas, locks and facilities on the River Medway including shops, repairs and toilets.
Town Lock, Tonbridge
Token operated. Phone 01622 752 864 for cost and nearest availability.
Cannon Lane Bridge, Tonbridge
Free short term mooring is available (up to 48 hours). Timber mooring posts with mooring rings. Ship to shore plank required.
East Lock
Free short term mooring is available (up to 48 hours). One to three spots are available on the rear of the downstream landing stage.
Oak Weir Lock
Free short term mooring is available (up to 48 hours). One to three spots are available on the rear of the downstream landing stage.
Sluice Weir Lock
Free short term mooring is available (up to 48 hours). Timber mooring posts with mooring rings. Ship to shore plank required.
Stoneham Lock
Free short term mooring is available (up to 48 hours) at 3 sites for approximately 10 boats. Timber mooring posts with mooring rings. Ship to shore plank required.
Yalding lifting bridge
On the River Medway at Yalding there is a lifting bridge over the river that you need to operate yourself to pass through.
To buy a key for the bridge please visit Allington Lock near Maidstone (open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday), or contact the Environment Agency. You can also buy a key from the Yalding navigation officer. The key costs £20.
If you need help operating the bridge, a navigation officer is on duty at Yalding every day 9am, midday and 3pm.
Short term mooring is available, on the left bank looking upstream. Timber linear moorings just upstream of the Boathouse Pub. For cost, please phone 01622 752 864.
Adjacent to the lifting bridge: token operated pump out, a charge applies for this facility. Please phone 01622 752 864 for cost and nearest availability.
Yalding canoe platform
There is a purpose-built canoe and kayak launching and landing platform next to the road. Free parking is available.
Hampstead Lock
You can launch a canoe, kayak or small boat from the slipway or the adjacent canoe platform. There is free but very limited parking available.
Call 01622 752864 and give 24 hours notice to launch and/or take your boat out of the water.
East Farleigh
This launch is suitable for open canoes. It’s not easy for kayaks. Walk 100 metres to the riverside via a kissing gate, using the road with no pavement. There is parking at the station.
Short term mooring is available, approximately 250 metres below the lock. There are 12 mooring posts which are free to use for up to 48 hours.
Allington Lock
Allington Lock, Castle Road, Allington, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0LU.
Operating times
Lock keepers are available to operate Allington Lock at the following times:
- 1 March to 31 October: 3 hours before high water and 2 hours after where those hours fall between 7am and sunset
- 1 November to end of February: 3 hours before high water and 2 hours after where those hours fall between 8am and 4pm
When the lock is not open for operating, you must give the navigation officer 24 hours’ notice by calling 01622 752864 or by email to [email protected].
Facilities
- chemical toilet disposal
- boat pump out
- refuse disposal
- toilets
- showers
- limited electric hook up points
- water
- slipway and camping
- coin operated pump out (a charge applies)
Permanent and temporary moorings are available at Allington Lock. Please call the duty lock keeper on 01622 752 864 for details.
You can use the 5 metre slipway, which is suitable for most boats. Charges apply.
Car parking is available. Charges apply.
The Allington Lock toilet and shower block contain 2 combined toilet and shower rooms, one with disabled access. For those using the site, the toilets are free.
There is chemical toilet disposal and a pump-out facility at the front of the building. There is no charge for the chemical toilet disposal. A charge applies to use the pump out.
Doors to the boaters’ refuse disposal are on the side of the building; electrical hook-up points are available on some of the overnight moorings.
River Medway rules of navigation
What you must do
- register your boat
- obey the general rules of navigation and any local byelaws
- don’t damage banks and bankside vegetation, waterweed and gravel beds
- avoid dragging equipment over rock slab and boulders
- don’t disturb birds and other wildlife you find along the river; avoid areas used by wintering wildlife, nesting birds and spawning fish in the appropriate season
- stop what you’re doing if you’re disturbing wildlife
- don’t land on gravel shoals and islands between 1 April and 31 July
- don’t trespass on private banks or moorings
- never throw rubbish into the river or leave it on the banks
- moor sensibly without causing obstruction
- be as quiet as possible; have respect for other river users and avoid spoiling the enjoyment of others
- be friendly and polite to local residents
- follow the Countryside Code: have regard for others’ property
Speed limit
There is a speed limit of 5 knots on the Medway navigation.
Fishing from a boat
You can’t fish from a powered boat on the River Medway, only a non-powered boat.
To fish from a boat you will need:
- a valid rod licence
- a valid boat licence
- permission from the owner or tenant of the fishing rights
Don’t fish from a boat underneath power cables.
Email updates
The Environment Agency sends email updates on River Medway closures and restrictions, as well as a customer newsletter.
To subscribe to these, email [email protected] with the word ‘subscribe’ in the subject line and whether you would like to subscribe to closures and restrictions emails, newsletter emails, or both.
Updates to this page
Published 1 April 2014Last updated 18 April 2019 + show all updates
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Amended information for facilities at Town Lock, Tonbridge, Yalding lifting bridge and Allington Lock.
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Yalding lifting bridge key changed to £20
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Email updates section added.
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Link to tide information for river below Allington lock.
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First published.