Canal Boat Diaries

Canal Boat Diaries is a TV show on BBC4. Robbie Cumming offers a look at life on his narrowboat while travelling through England. The program has been available since 2025. A total of 37 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in March 2026.
Last broadcast:07/03/2026 at 16:00
Last episode
1:00:00
1:00:00Canal Boat Diaries
Robbie's narrowboat gets stuck under a low bridge on the challenging Basingstoke Canal as he battles through water weed. Can he make it to journey's end?
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1:00:00While exploring the Wey and Godalming Navigations, Robbie gets caught in a storm and falls off his narrowboat. He also uncovers rock history in Guildford.
1:00:00Robbie visits a former Beatle's home in Henley, uncovers horror history in Marlow and struggles to find a mooring in Maidenhead on the River Thames.
1:00:00Robbie's narrowboat gets a makeover before he explores the River Thames, he moors in Abingdon and tackles an emergency DIY repair to fix a leak.
1:00:00Robbie navigates the Oxford Canal, bumps into a hire boat and a hedge and tackles large river locks on the scenic Upper River Thames.
1:00:00Robbie Cumming navigates the scenic Oxford Canal onboard Naughty Lass, explores its twists and turns, and helps tow a stranded broken-down boater.
Series 5
1:00:00
1:00:00During a cold snap Robbie Cumming gets iced in on the Grand Union Canal. Later, his parents pay a visit and help him through Marsworth Locks.
1:00:00A window gets smashed onboard the Naughty Lass and Robbie Cumming receives a soaking inside the very wet Blisworth Tunnel on the Grand Union Canal.
1:00:00Robbie Cumming takes a tumble at Buckby Locks in Northamptonshire and has a problem with his power supply and battery bank.
1:00:00Robbie Cumming discovers a mysterious message in a bottle on the Ashby Canal and calls in to meet a mate who lives on an old narrowboat.
1:00:00Robbie Cumming encounters a leaky lock pound on the Perry Barr Flight and gets marooned in the mud before travelling under Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham.
1:00:00It's Robbie's toughest trip yet as he battles through water weed on the Bradley Arm and gets stuck in silt on the Ridgacre Branch.
1:00:00Robbie explores the picturesque Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.
1:00:00Disaster strikes when the Naughty Lass collides with a low bridge on the Bumble Hole Canal Branch damaging a chimney.
1:00:00Robbie Cumming sets out to explore the meandering waterways of inner city Birmingham including the Soho Loop and the Engine Arm Canal.
1:00:00Robbie Cumming journeys through Royal Leamington Spa and the historic town of Warwick with its medieval castle.
Series 4
35:00
35:00Robbie Cumming has problems with ice on the Grand Union Canal, and ends his journey in Braunston, Northamptonshire.
30:00Narrowboater Robbie Cumming faces a journey of many challenges as he runs aground and breaks down in Nottingham.
30:00Robbie Cumming tackles the fast-flowing River Trent and is invited to join a night-time illuminated boat parade.
30:00Robbie Cumming makes a running repair to his narrowboat on the Tinsley lock flight in South Yorkshire, then cruises beneath Conisbrough's magnificent viaduct.