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The situation varies depending on where you are in the United Kingdom.
In Scotland, since 2005, there is a general right of access to all land and water provided that rights are exercised responsibly. The Scottish Canoe Association produce an excellent publication, "Key Points of the Access Code for Padlers", which gives a quick reference guide to situation since 2005. You can download a copy here.
In England and Wales the situation is much more restrictive. In almost all cases you can paddle legally on tidal waters, though you may need to pay harbour dues; you can paddle on common law navigations such as the Wye below Hay-on-Wye and the Severn below Pool Quay near Welshpool, though a licence is needed below Stourport.
On most other waterways you will need a licence obtainable from the individual waterway authority (such as British Waterways, The Environment Agency for the River Thames and the Basingstoke Canal Authority). Alternatively you can join the British Canoe Union. Among the many other benefits, BCU membership includes a British Waterways and Environment Agency licence that enables you to paddle on many of Britain's canals, statutory navigations, and on some private waterways. The cost of an Adult Basic membership for 2008 is £31.75.
A more detailed list of the waterways covered by BCU membership is as follows:-
Locks and Tunnels
On the British Waterways licenced network the use of locks by canoes is prohibited. This is principally to conserve scarce water resources although there may also be some safety considerations. It is a different matter on the Thames where the lock keepers are generally happy to take canoes through the locks.
The situation regarding canal tunnels is that BW has three classes of tunnels. canoes are prohibited from using class 1 tunnels, may use class 2 tunnels subject to specific regulations and have unrestricted used of class 3 tunnels. See here for details of which tunnels are in which class.