How far does a continuous cruiser actually have to move?

This is the most asked question on the network and the least satisfyingly answered, because the honest answer is that no fixed distance exists in law.

The requirement comes from the British Waterways Act 1995: a boat without a home mooring must be used for 'bona fide navigation'. Parliament did not attach a number to that phrase, and the Trust has consistently declined to publish one.

What the Trust does say

The first is the 14-day limit. You should not remain in one place beyond 14 days unless you have a genuine reason such as a breakdown, in which case you are expected to tell the Trust.

The second is an example rather than a rule. The Trust describes a boat that travels 30 miles to reach its chosen area, then stays between two places ten miles apart for the remaining eleven months, and says it is unlikely to consider that bona fide navigation. A figure of 20 miles is often repeated on the towpath, but the independent Commission on Boat Licensing called the idea that the rules require 20 miles "widely held but erroneous".

Range is not distance travelled

This is the part people most often get wrong, and it is worth being precise about. Range means how far apart the extremes of your journey are — not how many miles you covered.

A boat shuttling back and forth between two moorings two miles apart can cover hundreds of miles in a year and still have a range of two miles. That pattern is exactly what an assessment of range is designed to identify, and covering ground is no defence against it.

What counts as moving to a different place

Moving a few boat lengths, or to the other side of a bridge, is not moving to a new place. The expectation is a genuine change of neighbourhood. The Trust has not defined this numerically either, which is uncomfortable, but the underlying test is whether an ordinary person would say you had moved somewhere else.

Because the Trust publishes no fixed distance, CruiseProof shows you your range of movement and your days in each place, so you can judge them against its guidance. It cannot tell you that you are compliant, and no tool honestly can.