Guidance

River Thames: distances and measurements for boaters

Distances between locks on the River Thames and measurements restricting navigation.

• From: Environment Agency
• Published: 12 February 2020
• Last updated: 21 November 2024 — See all updates

If you are planning to boat on the River Thames, you may also find our locks and facilities for boaters page useful.

Distances and travel times between locks

The following table lists the distances between locks from Cricklade Bridge downstream to Teddington Lock. It also gives an estimated travel time based on the speed limit of 8 kilometres per hour (approximately 5 miles per hour).

Name of lock	Distance to next lock downstream (km)	Distance to next lock downstream (miles)	Time to next lock downstream at 8 km/h (minutes)
Cricklade Bridge	18.88	11.73	142
St John’s Lock	1.85	1.15	15
Buscot Lock	5.37	3.34	41
Grafton Lock	2.98	1.85	23
Radcot Lock	4.23	2.63	32
Rushey Lock	6.92	4.30	52
Shifford Lock	7.63	4.74	58
Northmoor Lock	6.21	3.86	47
Pinkhill Lock	2.38	1.48	18
Eynsham Lock	4.37	2.71	33
Kings Lock	1.81	1.13	14
Godstow Lock	3.87	2.40	30
Osney Lock	3.73	2.32	28
Iffley Lock	2.70	1.68	21
Sandford Lock	7.38	4.58	56
Abingdon Lock	4.15	2.58	32
Culham Lock	4.52	2.81	34
Clifton Lock	4.80	2.98	36
Days Lock	6.37	3.96	48
Benson Lock	10.46	6.50	79
Cleeve Lock	1.00	0.62	8
Goring Lock	6.55	4.07	50
Whitchurch Lock	3.67	2.28	28
Mapledurham Lock	7.08	4.40	54
Caversham Lock	4.23	2.63	32
Sonning Lock	4.68	2.91	36
Shiplake Lock	4.80	2.98	36
Marsh Lock	4.59	2.85	35
Hambleden Lock	5.89	3.66	45
Hurley Lock	1.03	0.64	8
Temple Lock	2.70	1.68	22
Marlow Lock	6.44	4.00	49
Cookham Lock	3.35	2.08	26
Boulters Lock	3.43	2.13	26
Bray Lock	5.10	3.17	39
Boveney Lock	3.75	2.33	29
Romney Lock	4.83	3.00	37
Old Windsor Lock	4.70	2.92	36
Bell Weir Lock	4.57	2.84	35
Penton Hook Lock	3.13	1.95	24
Chertsey Lock	3.32	2.06	25
Shepperton Lock	4.75	2.95	36
Sunbury Lock	4.79	2.98	36
Molesey Lock	7.74	4.81	59
Teddington Lock (to Teddington Boundary Obelisk)	0.39	0.24	3

Bridge heights

The following table gives the headway of bridges over the River Thames. This is the distance between the standard water level and the highest point of the underside of the bridge.

These distances are approximate. Remember that river levels fluctuate and these distances will change with the river conditions.

The central arch at Temple bridge is currently closed for navigation. Boaters are to navigate with extreme caution using adjacent arches. Please see our Temple Bridge safety works 2024: river restriction notice for more guidance.

Bridge	Headway (metres)	Headway (feet)
Halfpenny Bridge, Lechlade	4.73	15’6”
St John’s Bridge	4.22	13’10”
Bloomers Hole footbridge	3.50	11’6”
Eaton footbridge	2.97	9’9”
Radcot Bridge	3.45	11’4”
Old Man’s footbridge	4.27	14’0”
Tadpole Bridge	4.52	14’10”
Tenfoot footbridge	3.71	12’2”
Shifford Lock Cut Bridge	3.66	12’0”
Newbridge	3.50	11’6”
Hart’s footbridge	3.27	10’9”
Swinford Bridge	4.49	14’9”
Oxford Western Bypass Bridge	4.11	13’6”
Godstow Bridge	2.56	8’5”
Medley footbridge	3.05	10’0”
Osney Bridge	2.28	7’6”
Osney Railway Bridge	3.55	11’8”
Road Bridge	3.71	12’2”
Grandpont Bridge	3.91	12’10”
Folly Bridge	3.12	10’3”
Donnington Bridge	5.03	16’6”
Isis Bridge	5.03	16’6”
Kennington Railway Bridge	4.11	13’6”
Nuneham Railway Bridge	4.80	15’9”
Abingdon Bridge	4.24	13’11”
Culham Lock Cut Bridge	3.78	12’5”
Culham Road Bridge	4.49	14’9”
Appleford Railway Bridge	3.96	13’0”
Clifton Lock Cut Bridge	4.06	13’4”
Clifton Hampden Bridge	4.09	13’5”
Days footbridge	4.64	15’3”
Shillingford Bridge	5.26	17’3”
Wallingford Bridge	5.00	16’5”
Wallingford Bypass Bridge	5.10	16’9”
Moulsford Railway Bridge	6.60	21’8”
Goring Bridge	5.15	16’11”
Gatehampton Railway Bridge	6.96	22’10”
Whitchurch Bridge	4.14	13’7”
Caversham Bridge	4.57	15’0”
Reading Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge	4.57	15’0”
Reading Bridge	5.38	17’8”
Sonning Bridge	4.32	14’2”
Shiplake Railway Bridge	5.43	17’10”
Henley Bridge	4.34	14’3”
Hurley Upper Towpath Bridge	3.98	13’1”
Hurley Lower Towpath Bridge	4.39	14’5”
Temple Bridge	Please see Temple Bridge safety works 2024: river restriction notice for more information
Marlow Bridge	3.86	12’8”
Marlow Bypass Bridge	6.02	19’9”
Bourne End Railway Bridge	4.72	15’6”
Cookham Bridge	4.62	15’2”
Cookham Lock Cut Bridge	3.81	12’6”
Boulters Lock Bridge	5.26	17’3”
Maidenhead Bridge	5.66	18’7”
Maidenhead Railway Bridge	9.80	32’2”
M4 Motorway Bridge	7.77	25’6”
Summerleaze Bridge	7.30	23’11”
Windsor Bypass Bridge	6.25	20’6”
Windsor Railway Bridge	5.41	17’9”
Windsor Bridge	4.01	13’2”
Black Pott’s Railway Bridge	5.94	19’6”
Victoria Bridge	6.17	20’3”
Albert Bridge	5.69	18’8”
Old Windsor Lock Cut Bridge	4.34	14’3”
Runnymede (M25) Bridge	7.01	23’0”
Staines Bridge	5.94	19’6”
Staines Railway Bridge	6.40	21’0”
M3 Motorway Bridge	6.50	21’4”
Chertsey Bridge	5.82	19’1”
Desborough Channel Upper Bridge	5.18	17’0”
Desborough Channel Lower Bridge	5.18	17’0”
Walton Bridge	5.56	18’3”
Sunbury Lock Cut Bridge	5.94	19’6”
Hampton Court Bridge	5.92	19’5”
Kingston Bridge	7.29	23’11”
Kingston Railway Bridge	6.51	21’4”
Teddington Lock Cut Bridge	5.58	18’4”

Maximum drafts

The River Thames varies in depth of water between Cricklade and Teddington.

Sometimes, parts of the River Thames between Cricklade and Inglesham are only navigable by small boats. Downstream of Lechlade, the navigation channel is normally available for boats of the following approximate drafts.

Area	Approximate maximum draft (metres)	Approximate maximum draft (feet)
Lechlade to Oxford	0.9m	3’0”
Oxford to Reading	1.2m	4’0”
Reading to Windsor	1.3m	4’6”
Windsor to Staines	1.7m	5’6”
Staines to Teddington	2.0m	6’6”

Lock sizes

The following tables list the dimensions of the locks on the River Thames. The first table gives the sizes in metres and the second table uses feet and inches.

Lock sizes: Metres

Boulters Lock tail gates on the pedestal side do not open fully. Width of the tail gates is restricted to no more than 5.5 metres (18’)

Lock	Length (metres)	Width (metres)	Depth upper sill (metres)	Depth lower sill (metres)	Fall (metres)
St John’s	33.60	4.52	1.32	1.32	0.85
Buscot	33.47	4.47	1.47	1.47	1.69
Grafton	34.59	4.59	1.67	1.44	1.11
Radcot	34.59	4.57	1.49	1.54	1.48
Rushey	34.59	4.59	1.67	1.52	1.82
Shifford	34.64	4.59	1.67	1.6	2.23
Northmoor	34.59	4.59	1.65	1.44	1.24
Pinkhill	34.59	4.90	1.67	1.62	1.05
Eynsham	34.51	4.97	1.65	1.72	0.84
Kings	34.46	4.97	1.67	1.67	0.77
Godstow	33.52	4.95	1.52	1.62	1.57
Osney	34.64	5.25	2.74	2.10	1.89
Iffley	46.96	6.47	2.26	2.26	0.81
Sandford	53.03	6.62	2.31	2.31	2.69
Abingdon	36.57	5.71	2.64	1.52	1.89
Culham	39.87	5.33	2.41	1.62	2.41
Clifton	39.57	5.79	2.36	1.75	1.03
Days	46.93	6.45	2.26	1.93	1.58
Benson	40.56	5.46	2.23	2.13	1.87
Cleeve	40.71	5.53	2.13	2.22	0.89
Goring	54.68	6.40	2.97	2.56	1.77
Whitchurch	41.22	5.48	1.85	1.93	1.01
Mapledurham	61.69	6.42	2.18	2.13	2.05
Caversham	40.03	5.46	1.82	1.88	1.44
Blakes	37.39	5.75	1.80	1.63	1.07
Sonning	47.57	5.46	2.00	1.93	1.63
Shiplake	40.64	5.56	1.98	1.90	1.55
Marsh	41.19	6.42	2.18	2.18	1.33
Hambleden	59.63	7.74	2.20	2.20	1.44
Hurley	39.82	6.07	1.88	1.88	1.05
Temple	41.02	5.46	2.13	2.10	1.23
Marlow	46.10	6.07	2.13	1.95	2.16
Cookham	55.77	7.62	2.51	2.48	1.30
Boulters	60.80	6.47	3.12	2.13	2.39
Bray	40.94	5.46	2.13	2.13	1.46
Boveney	45.59	5.43	2.38	2.13	1.47
Romney	78.50	7.45	2.83	2.62	2.01
Old Windsor	54.55	7.36	2.48	2.54	1.74
Bell Weir	78.51	7.44	2.61	2.61	1.82
Penton Hook	81.28	7.56	2.74	2.56	1.22
Chertsey	61.16	6.40	2.66	2.46	1.22
Shepperton	53.16	6.04	2.43	2.59	2.03
Sunbury Old	47.15	5.86	3.07	2.26	1.87
Sunbury New	62.78	7.41	2.76	2.48	1.87
Molesey	81.78	7.56	2.84	2.41	1.85
Teddington Barge	198.12	7.54	3.15	2.61	2.68
Teddington Launch	54.22	7.41	4.26	2.79	2.68
Teddington Skiff	15.08	1.77	1.09	1.34	2.68

Lock sizes: Feet and inches

Boulters Lock tail gates on the pedestal side do not open fully. Width of the tail gates is restricted to no more than 5.5 metres (18’)

Lock	Length (feet)	Width (feet)	Depth upper sill (feet)	Depth lower sill (feet)	Fall (feet)
St John’s	110’3’’	14’10’’	4’4’’	4’4’’	2’10’’
Buscot	109’10’’	14’8’’	4’10’’	4’10’’	5’7’’
Grafton	113’6’’	15’1’’	5’6’’	4’9’’	3’8’’
Radcot	113’6’’	15’0’’	4’11’’	5’1’’	4’10’’
Rushey	113’6’’	15’1’’	5’6’’	5’0’’	6’0’’
Shifford	113’8’’	15’1’’	5’6’’	5’3’’	7’4’’
Northmoor	113’6’’	15’1’’	5’5’’	4’9’’	4’1’’
Pinkhill	113’6’’	16’1’’	5’6’’	5’4’’	3’6’’
Eynsham	113’3’’	16’4’’	5’5’’	5’8’’	2’9’’
Kings	113’1’’	16’4’’	5’6’’	5’6’’	2’6’’
Godstow	110’0’’	16’3’’	5’0’’	5’4’’	5’2’’
Osney	113’8’’	17’3’’	9’0’’	6’11’’	6’3’’
Iffley	154’1’’	21’3’’	7’5’’	7’5’’	2’8’’
Sandford	174’0’’	21’9’’	7’7’’	7’7’’	8’10’’
Abingdon	120’0’’	18’9’’	8’8’’	5’0’’	6’2’’
Culham	130’10’’	17’6’’	7’11’’	5’4’’	7’11’’
Clifton	129’10’’	19’0’’	7’0’’	5’9’’	3’5’’
Days	154’10’’	21’2’’	7’5’’	6’4’’	5’2’’
Benson	133’1’’	17’11’’	7’4’’	7’0’’	6’2’’
Cleeve	133’7’’	18’2’’	7’0’’	7’3’’	2’11’’
Goring	179’5’’	21’0’’	9’9’’	8’5’’	5’10’’
Whitchurch	135’3’’	18’0’’	6’1’’	6’4’’	3’4’’
Mapledurham	202’5’’	21’1’’	7’2’’	7’0’’	6’9’’
Caversham	131’4’’	17’11’’	6’0’’	6’2’’	4’9’’
Blakes	122’8’’	18’11’’	5’11’’	5’5’’	3’6’’
Sonning	156’1’’	17’11’’	6’7’’	6’4’’	5’4’’
Shiplake	133’4’’	18’3’’	6’6’’	6’3’’	5’1’’
Marsh	135’2’’	21’1’’	7’2’’	7’2’’	4’4’’
Hambleden	195’7’’	25’5’’	7’3’’	7’3’’	4’9’’
Hurley	130’8’’	19’11’’	6’2’’	6’2’’	3’5’’
Temple	134’7’’	17’11’’	7’0’’	6’11’’	4’1’’
Marlow	151’3’’	19’11’’	7’0’’	6’5’’	7’1’’
Cookham	183’0’’	25’0’’	8’3’’	8’2’’	4’3’’
Boulters	199’6’’	21’3’’	10’3’’	7’0’’	7’10’’
Bray	134’4’’	17’11’’	7’0’’	7’0’’	4’9’’
Boveney	149’7’’	17’10’’	7’10’’	7’0’’	4’10’’
Romney	257’7’’	24’5’’	9’3’’	8’7’’	6’7’’
Old Windsor	179’0’’	24’2’’	8’2’’	8’4’’	5’9’’
Bell Weir	257’7’’	24’5’’	8’7’’	8’7’’	6’0’’
Penton Hook	266’8’’	24’10’’	9’0’’	8’5’’	4’0’’
Chertsey	200’8’’	21’0’’	8’9’’	8’1’’	4’0’’
Shepperton	174’5’’	19’10’’	8’0’’	8’6’’	6’8’’
Sunbury Old	154’8’’	19’3’’	10’1’’	7’5’’	6’2’’
Sunbury New	206’0’’	24’4’’	9’1’’	8’2’’	6’2’’
Molesey	268’4’’	24’10’’	9’4’’	7’11’’	6’1’’
Teddington Barge	650’0’’	24’9’’	10’4’’	8’7’’	8’10’’
Teddington Launch	177’11’’	24’4’’	14’0’’	9’2’’	8’10’’
Teddington Skiff	49’6’’	5’10’’	3’7’’	4’5’’	8’10’’

Published 12 February 2020
Last updated 21 November 2024 + show all updates

1. 21 November 2024

   The central arch at Temple bridge is currently closed for navigation. Boaters are to navigate with extreme caution using the adjacent arches. Please see our river restriction notice updated on our River Thames: restrictions and closures guidance page for more information.

2. 20 September 2024

   Mapledurham Lock head gates now open fully. There is no width restriction to navigation.

3. 20 September 2024

   Mapledurham Lock head gates do not open fully. Passable width is restricted to no more than 3.9 metres (13’)

4. 21 February 2023

   Update to lock sizes. Boulters Lock tail gates do not open fully. Width of the tail gates is restricted to no more than 5.5 metres (18’).

5. 12 February 2020

   First published.