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# Living On A Narrowboat

All you need to know before considering Living On A Narrowboat

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## Posts

- [Articles](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/articles/)
- [Fifteen Reasons Why Living On A Narrowboat Is A Bad Idea](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/fifteen-reasons-why-living-on-a-narrowboat-is-a-bad-idea/) - Warning! Living on a narrowboat may be harder than you think. Here’s what you need to know before taking the plunge Summer is a dangerous time of the year for aspiring boat owners. Gaily painted narrowboat sirens lure novice liveaboard boaters onto the rocks of poorly researched decisions. Towpaths up and down the network are
- [The Cost Of Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-cost-of-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Do you want to live on a narrowboat because you think it’s a low cost alternative to living in a house? Living on a narrowboat is a fantastic lifestyle choice but the cost is possibly a little more than you expected. In this article ALL of the costs are detailed and explained. Below, I have
- [Keeping Your Narrowboat Safe While You're Away](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/keeping-your-narrowboat-safe-while-youre-away/) - I want to tell you about the trials and tribulations of living on a narrowboat on the inland waterways network during the winter months, the most challenging time of the year for live-aboard narrowboat owners. I want to tell you about the trials, tribulations and simple pleasures we feral waterways folk endure and embrace, but
- [2014 10 12 Newsletter – The Pros And Cons Of Buying An Ex Hire Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-10-12-newsletter-the-pros-and-cons-of-buying-an-ex-hire-boat/) - What a wet and windy start to the week. I started work at 8am, then went back to the boat to change my soaking clothes at 9am. But before that I had the pleasure of moving two boats; one off the boat cradle on the slipway back into the water and another off its mooring
- [Hire Boat And Live Aboard Narrowboat Heating Costs Compared](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hire-boat-and-live-aboard-narrowboat-heating-costs-compared/) - Continued from this post. I shed a tear and dropped on bended knees to plead with the CRT guys and gals to take me up the lift to the canal. The guy I spoke to was super helpful, which is more than I could say for the lady on duty. I assumed that she worked
- [Cruising North In The Fridge](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cruising-north-in-the-fridge/) - I found my temporary hire boat home moored beside a disused service point next to the Hureleston flight of four locks at the junction with the Llangollen and Shropshire Union canals. Although the January day was cold, it was warmer than the boat’s freezing cabin. I flicked the cabin’s Eberspacher switch and unpacked my bags
- [Comparing A Hire Boat With A Live Aboard Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/comparing-a-hire-boat-with-a-live-aboard-narrowboat/) - I’m back from the dead with my first blog post since May last year. Dear reader, I love writing to you, but I haven’t had the time. I had so many Discovery Day enquiries last year that I could only accommodate half of them. So I worked four days a week at the marina and
- [The Pros And Cons Of Narrowboat Marina Moorings](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-pros-and-cons-of-narrowboat-marina-moorings/) - Two months have passed since I returned from my nine-week winter break, tethered to a tiny area of England’s canal and river network by coronavirus restrictions, winter stoppages and ice. Despite thoroughly enjoying time off doing nothing more meaningful than rearranging my sock drawer, I missed aspects of marina life. There’s been an avalanche of
- [Bullock Battles And Sainsbury Silliness](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bullock-battles-and-sainsbury-silliness/)
- [Unexpected Canal Dredging And Another Remote Icy Mooring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/unexpected-canal-dredging-and-another-remote-icy-mooring/) - I mentioned towards the end of my last post the worrying list I developed on the South Oxford canal’s summit pound. My attempt to cruise this through route to Oxford and the River Thames didn’t end well. I moored for five days at Priors Hardwick. It’s the most tranquil place I’ve ever stopped. I had
- [Common Narrowboat Newbie Mistakes And How To Avoid Them](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/common-narrowboat-newbie-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/) - I wanted to send you an email weeks ago. My mind was willing, but my body weak. Life and the insidious ravages of time on my old bones thwarted my plans. I’ve been too busy, tired and obsessed with earning a crust to add any new posts to my website. I’m sorry. I consider myself
- [Snow, Ice And A Worrying List On The South Oxford Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/snow-ice-and-a-worrying-list-on-the-south-oxford-canal/) - So much for my plans to cruise far and wide on the inland waterways winter wonderland. I moved further on the first day of the month last year than I have all month in 2021. Still, I shouldn’t complain. I returned to Calcutt Boats for a couple of days to buy coal and gas and
- [Curtailed Cruising And The Lunacy Of A Lonely Lad](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/curtailed-cruising-and-the-lunacy-of-a-lonely-lad/) - I looked forward to my two-month break for so long. I worked long hours last year, often working seven days a week. I felt exhausted by the end of December, dizzy with fatigue, devoid of either energy or enthusiasm. The thought of recuperating while cruising gently along winter canals made my heart skip a beat.
- [The Life Of An Occasional Continuous Cruiser](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-life-of-an-occasional-continuous-cruiser/) - I’m not a big fan of Christmas. I see people buying masses of presents they can’t afford to give to extended family members they often don’t like. I’m being cynical of course, and these comments aren’t directed at my distant family. I always remember Christmas during my early married life as a stressful affair. My
- [A Positive View Of Life On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-positive-view-of-life-on-a-narrowboat/) - My last post was written from the point of view of an unhappy lady boater. I imagined what this sourpuss – she’s based on a miserable liveaboard boater I met a few years ago – would have said if she lived on Orient. In this post, I’ll tell you what I think about my floating
- [A negative View Of Life On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-negative-view-of-life-on-a-narrowboat/) - I’ve met thousands of current and aspiring boat owners over the last ten years. The people, like the boats they own, come in all shapes and sizes. They have varying outlooks on life in general and living on the inland waterways in particular. Some are content with very little. Others have all the bells and
- [Common Narrowboat Newbie Mistakes And How To Avoid Them Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/common-narrowboat-newbie-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them-part-2/) - The seasons are changing. We’ve swapped comfortable chairs under shady canal-side willows to even more comfortable seats in front of glowing coals. Aspiring narrowboat owners often ask me to name my favourite season. I wish they wouldn’t. I don’t have a clue. I adore quiet winter canals with their stark landscapes and plentiful moorings. I
- [Form Over Function: The Pros and Cons Of Pretty Narrowboat Ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/form-over-function-the-pros-and-cons-of-pretty-narrowboat-ownership/) - Everyone tells me that I own a beautiful floating home. Orient is sixty-two feet and twenty-two tonnes of gorgeously crafted steel. If that isn’t enough, there’s a beguiling vintage Lister two-stroke engine to turn the head of every middle-aged man on the cut. Because of the deep draught, Orient sits pleasingly low in the water,
- [Life After Lockdown And Why Social Distancing Can Be Fun](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/life-after-lockdown-and-why-social-distancing-can-be-fun/) - I wrote my last blog post at the beginning of March, shortly before the world closed down to slow the spread of Covid-19. The last three months have been a traumatic time for many as they lost freedom, livelihoods and lives. Please accept my sympathy and condolences if you have suffered financial hardship or the
- [It's Not All Roses And Castles](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/its-not-all-roses-and-castles/) - Pauline Roberts lives aboard The Woodsman. She loves the lifestyle but her family and friends don't understand what it's all about. She wrote the following to try and explain it to them... Hello all you land-living house or flat dwellers. Ever strolled along the cut on a sunny summer's day and seen tanned healthy-looking boaters
- [Fifteen Reasons Why Living On A Narrowboat Is A Bad Idea: Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/fifteen-reasons-why-living-on-a-narrowboat-is-a-bad-idea-part-2/) - Warning! Living on a narrowboat may be harder than you think. Here’s what you need to know before taking the plunge Summer is a dangerous time of the year for aspiring boat owners. Gaily painted narrowboat sirens lure novice liveaboard boaters onto the rocks of poorly researched decisions. Towpaths up and down the network are
- [Île de Ré – A Welcome Alternative to Winter on a Frigid Cruiser](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/ile-de-re-a-welcome-alternative-to-winter-on-a-frigid-cruiser/) - Preparing for a maiden voyage from Antwerp to Maastricht in a Linssen cruiser. The highs and lows of winter European cruising
- [From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean in Search of Winter Sun](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/from-the-atlantic-to-the-mediterranean-in-search-of-winter-sun/) - From the crashing surf of France's Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean's sun-soaked lagoons, our full-time living in our tiny home continues. It's an exciting and sometimes exhausting life which we wouldn't change for all the money in the world
- [A Welcome Return To Narrowboat Life](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-welcome-return-to-narrowboat-life-2/) - After two years, 27,000 miles, eleven countries and two Dutch boat purchases, Paul and Cynthia hang up their motorhome driving gloves and return to life on England's waterways
- [Moisture Misery and Tedious Train Travel](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/moisture-misery-and-tedious-train-travel/) - We’re still at war with the damp on our cold boat. And losing every skirmish. Dealing with unwanted moisture has become an exhausting daily ritual. Each morning while Cynthia slaves over two or three lit burners on our moisture making gas hob I invest half an hour scraping, mopping and wiping condensation from single glazed
- [Five Thousand Reasons To Use A Narrowboat Surveyor](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/five-thousand-reasons-to-use-a-narrowboat-surveyor/) - Paul knew a thing or two about narrowboats. Paul took a surveyor with him to view what he thought was a perfect boat. The Surveyor identified £5,000 in essential repairs.
- [A Creative Solution To Narrowboat Finance](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-creative-solution-to-narrowboat-finance/) - I sat with my head in my hands opposite broker, Steve Harral. He listened to me as I reeled off a list of faults unearthed during a two-hour survey. “There’s too much to do Steve,” I told him unhappily. “There are three different heat sources on the boat. All of them have problems which need
- [Looking Forward To Christmas On The Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/looking-forward-to-christmas-on-the-cut/) - What an unloved and unlovely place a Dutch marina is in the winter. Less than a hundred boats remain in the mostly empty berths. Most moorers here have taken their boats out of the water, and either moved them onto the once spacious marina car park or into covered docks or large sheds on farms
- [A Successful Move Back To The English Inland Waterways Network](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-successful-move-back-to-the-english-inland-waterways-network/) - I imagine that a narrowboat broker’s perfect sale would involve a potential buyer viewing a boat, saying he liked it and then returning the following day with a briefcase bulging with enough cash to pay the asking price. On a scale of one to ten with one being the simplest and most straightforward transaction, the
- [Battery Problems On An Aborted Shropshire Union Canal Cruise](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/battery-problems-on-and-aborted-shropshire-union-canal-cruise/) - Orient rested in Tattenhall Marina’s waterside workshop to have some long overdue TLC. A shiny new Morso Squirrel stove replaced the old cracked model, and I emptied my bank account to buy a ruinously expensive Ecofan to distribute the stove’s hot air. The Kabola boiler leaked more diesel than it burned. The system is now
- [Electrical Problem Solving And Pre Cruise Preparation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/electrical-problem-solving-and-pre-cruise-preparation/) - There was no great rush to return to Tattenhall marina. We had five days before the workshop guys could begin our electrical work. I stood at the tiller for two eight hour days on the twenty-three mile, twenty-eight lock cruise from Tattenhall to Market Drayton. It was exhausting. We allowed four four-hour cruising days for
- [A Winter Cruise On The Shropshire Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-winter-cruise-on-the-shropshire-union-canal/) - Sometimes it's best not to follow the crowds. Here's an idyllic winter cruise on the Shropshire Union Canal
- [Narrowboat Expenses For January 2019](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-expenses-for-january-2019/) - This is the first of an ongoing series of posts detailing my narrowboat expenses. Each post will break down my monthly costs for the previous month, the same month three years earlier and a third set of figures for three years before that. I will publish each post in the middle of the month. You
- [A Race On An Icy Canal To Beat A Birmingham Blockage](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-race-on-an-icy-canal-to-beat-a-birmingham-blockage/) - Seven days to go. Seven days to cover a mere forty-three miles. How difficult could that be? That was our goal when we left Market Drayton last Monday morning. The sky was clear and the canal untroubled by the fierce gusts which had buffeted us all the previous day. We needed to reach central Birmingham
- [A Fierce New Guard Dog For Narrowboat Orient](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-fierce-new-guard-dog-for-narrowboat-orient/) - We woke to a tranquil world. Mallards slipped and slid over the solid ice sheet covering the canal and surrounding Orient. The rest day I craved had become an unavoidable necessity. Despite a forecast temperature spike over the next few days, melting ice up to two inches thick would take a while. So we relaxed
- [Summer Weather In February On The Grand Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/summer-weather-in-february-on-the-grand-union-canal/) - Orient’s Zanussi washing machine isn’t performing quite as well as we would like. Its primary function at the moment seems to be to transfer the contents of our seven hundred litre water tank into the cabin bilge without washing any clothes. Removing the excess bilge water has proven a little challenging. My previous narrowboat, James,
- [Narrowboat Expenses For February 2019](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-expenses-for-february-2019/) - This is the first of an ongoing series of posts detailing my narrowboat expenses. Each post will break down my monthly costs for the previous month, the...
- [Broken Boilers and Costly Cratch Covers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/broken-boilers-and-costly-cratch-covers/) - We are now without a washing machine. After sliding, lifting and squeezing the cumbersome appliance through the boat’s narrow passageways, we examined the useless pile of junk thoroughly. I hoped for a simple solution, a cheap to fix split hose or loose connection. Life is rarely that easy. The cause of a soapy cascade from
- [Narrowboat Expenses For March 2019](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-expenses-for-march-2019/) - This is one of an ongoing series of posts detailing my narrowboat expenses. This post breaks down and compares my monthly costs for March 2019, March 2016 and March 2013
- [A Brush With The English Waterway's Silent Killer](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-brush-with-the-english-waterways-silent-killer/) - My alarm roused me from a deep and dreamless sleep. I rolled over and reached towards the bedroom’s tiny bedside drawer chest for my iPhone and the alarm’s snooze button. “That’s odd,” I thought, “my alarm rarely sounds like that.” Then I realised that the morning light streaming through the bedroom’s two portholes was missing
- [Cynthia](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cynthia/) - I receive emails every week thanking me for my sometimes funny, often useful blog posts which usually entertain and even inform my narrowboat site visitors. This isn’t one of them. I received some tragic news on “Good” Friday. Cynthia flew to the States a month ago in an ongoing quest to reverse her failing health.
- [Celebrating Shared Experiences And Moving Forward](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/celebrating-shared-experiences-and-moving-forward/) - All is quiet on board. The silence is broken only by the ticking of the galley clock and muted quacks from two squabbling mallards. Gone are reassuring sounds of domestic bliss; Cynthia’s tuneless humming and occasional curse as she juggled pans in the galley, creating another of her many gourmet delights. And there’s no more
- [Beware Narrowboat Buyer’s Freebies](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/beware-narrowboat-buyers-freebies/) - Remember my brush with carbon monoxide poisoning a month ago, when I was rudely disturbed in the middle of the night by a shrieking alarm and a boat filled with smoke? I had another slightly less dramatic episode earlier in the week. The first problem was caused by my Squirrel stove’s incorrect fitting. The airflow
- [Buying a Second Hand Narrowboat – Orient, Six Months On](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/buying-a-second-hand-narrowboat-orient-six-months-on/) - Time heals, so they say. But I don’t know who “they” are and why I should believe them. I think time dulls rather than heals. Cynthia has been gone now for two months. Two long, lonely and hectic months. Dik Trom, our Dutch boat, was a constant worry. The ongoing mooring, maintenance and insurance fees
- [Sid the Swan, Solar Savings and Troublesome Toilets](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/sid-the-swan-solar-savings-and-troublesome-toilets/)
- [Horrible Heatwaves and Newbie Cruising Catastrophes](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/horrible-heatwaves-and-newbie-cruising-catastrophes/) - Oh, for a boat with opening windows. The recent heatwave baked me to a crisp. The saving grace was that mosquitoes were notable by their absence. That was fortunate considering that I had to sleep with every hatch and door thrown wide open in the hopeless quest for a cooler craft. The nighttime heat became
- [Laughable Lockmates and Mirth in the Mikron Marquee](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/laughable-lockmates-and-mirth-in-the-mikron-marquee/) - Our lovely English weather is back to normal. Wet, windy and chilly days with occasional sunny spells. And nights cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. Like many other boaters at the marina, I have been toying with the idea of lighting my stove. I’ve resisted the temptation so far. The evenings
- [Bottom Blacking, Rust Removal and Aerial Advice](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bottom-blacking-rust-removal-and-aerial-advice/) - Narrowboat Orient is hauled out of the marina for some autumn TLC, plus advice on narrowboat aerials
- [A Creative Solution to Narrowboat Finance Part One](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-creative-solution-to-narrowboat-finance-part-one/) - A cash shortage may be all that's standing between you and your narrowboat dreams. Here are some creative solutions to narrowboat finance.
- [A Creative Solution to Narrowboat Finance Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-creative-solution-to-narrowboat-finance-part-2/)
- [The Pros and Cons of Narrowboat Pram Covers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-pros-and-cons-of-narrowboat-pram-covers/) - Narrowboat pram covers protect your rear deck and provide additional living and storage space, but are they a practical addition when cruising? I have a love-hate relationship with pram covers. I love to hate them. In case you’re not familiar with the term, a pram cover is canvass over a steel or aluminium frame. It’s
- [Why A Narrowboat Centre Line Is So Important For Solo Owners](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/why-a-narrowboat-centre-line-is-so-important-for-solo-owners/) - A correctly deployed narrowboat centre line can make a massive difference to your cruising pleasure and safety. Here's why it's so important. The most essential piece of kit for you as a helmsman is this length of rope, fastened in the right place and always to hand. I currently moor, and work, at Calcutt Boats
- [Discover the Answer to the Often Asked Question, “Is A Narrowboat Cold In Winter?”](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/discover-the-answer-to-the-often-asked-question-is-a-narrowboat-cold-in-winter/) - One of the most frequently asked questions during the colder months is, “Is a narrowboat cold in winter?” The standard response from boat owners is a laugh, a smile and the assurance that the craft is toasty warm. That’s not always the case, though. Here’s what you need to know to keep you warm in
- [All You Need to Know About Narrowboat Toilet Systems](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/all-you-need-to-know-about-narrowboat-toilet-systems/) - And a few things you don't want to read about narrowboat toilet systems if you have a delicate stomach If you own a narrowboat, sooner or later you will have a conversation with another boater about the relative merits of different types of toilets. You’ll discuss the logistics of emptying the end results of your
- [A Christmas Cruise to Market Harborough](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-christmas-cruise-to-market-harborough/) - Day one of my Christmas cruise, a day which felt like prison release. This year has been long and hard, filled with endless work and tragedy. Cynthia’s been gone now for eight months, two-thirds of a year which I’ve filled with seven-day working weeks. Everyone copes in different ways. My method, right or wrong, has
- [A Christmas cruise from Market Harborough to Calcutt Boats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-christmas-cruise-from-market-harborough-to-calcutt-boats/) - Filthy, stinking cold. I was a snot fountain, a drool reservoir, an old geezer with a red hooter and a hacking cough. On a cruising rest day moored at Union Wharf, Market Harborough, I had nothing to do but transfer bodily fluid to endless tissues and feel sorry for myself. Oh, woe is me. I
- [Which Are The Best Narrowboat Stern Types For Living Afloat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/which-are-the-best-narrowboat-stern-types-for-living-afloat/) - Life on a narrowboat is all about compromise. Different narrowboat stern types offer pros and cons depending on your preferred cruising and living style, so here’s what you need to know to make an informed decision. Your floating home’s stern design, its back end, can have a considerable impact on your day to day life.
- [Buying a Narrowboat: Pre Purchase Tips and Recommendations](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/buying-a-narrowboat-pre-purchase-tips-and-recommendations/) - If you are considering buying a narrowboat, don’t part with your hard earned cash before you read this post There’s a steep learning curve to life on the cut, steepest when you are buying a narrowboat and over your first few days on board. Apart from emptying your bank account and the physical challenge of
- [Buying A Narrowboat: Tools, Equipment and Security](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/buying-a-narrowboat-tools-equipment-and-security/) - Following the fun you had buying a narrowboat, you now need the right tools and equipment and learn how to stay safe on your maiden voyage This post continues from last week’s Buying a Narrowboat: Pre Purchase Tips and Recommendations. The post covered pre-purchase considerations and the importance of discovering all you can about your boat before
- [2016 0313 Newsletter - Complete Narrowboat Costs for 2015](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-0313-newsletter-complete-narrowboat-costs-for-2015/) - We finally left our mooring at Calcutt Boats at 5.30pm on Monday. We spent most of the day before we left taking advantage of having a car parked close to the boat. We shopped till we dropped, and then we shopped some more. We stocked up on dry goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, bottled water,
- [Is A Narrowboat Cold In Winter](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/is-a-narrowboat-cold-in-winter/) - Regularly every narrowboat owner is asked the question "Is your narrowboat cold in winter?" The standard response is a laugh, a smile and the assurance that the boat is toasty warm. That's not always the case, though. Here's what you need to know to keep you warm in winter. Several factors dictate whether you shiver
- [2015 12 06 Newsletter - Cruising in High Winds](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-12-06-newsletter-cruising-in-high-winds/) - Trying to reach locations for specific times is always a challenge when you’re moving at an average of two miles an hour. When you’re moving so slowly and battling a stiff breeze, getting anywhere on time is quite difficult. Our destination was Rugby town centre, just twenty minutes away by car, but five hours by
- [2014 06 08 Newsletter - Lock And Paddle Gear Types](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-06-08-newsletter-lock-and-paddle-gear-types/) - I'm afraid that there isn't a huge amount in the newsletter this week. I'm sorry, but I've been busy on two different areas of the site. Firstly, I'm on holiday at the moment, doing what I enjoy most of all; cruising aimlessly around the canal network without a care in the world. We're currently moored
- [2015 06 21 Newsletter - Common Lock Accidents and How To Avoid Them](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-06-21-newsletter-common-lock-accidents-and-how-to-avoid-them/) - Sally and I have been on a rare shopping spree. Neither of our mobile phones were very well. My phone, Sally’s cast off iPhone which I’ve been using for the last year, refused to have anything to do with WiFi after an operating system update six months ago, and Sally’s much loved Galaxy S4 didn’t
- [2014 05 18 Newsletter - Single Handed Boating Part 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-05-18-newsletter-single-handed-boating-part-1/) - I am now working part time for the Canal & River Trust as a volunteer groundsman, working hard to ensure that the landscaping next to their locks stay rubbish free and aesthetically pleasing. They haven't thanked me for the work I do probably because they don't know I'm doing it yet. As you approach Calcutt
- [2014 05 25 Newsletter - Single Handed Boating Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-05-25-newsletter-single-handed-boating-part-2/) - Crick! It's the biggest event in the inland waterways' boating calendar. The Crick Boat Show is always held on the Spring Bank Holiday, as is the local Napton Show, or the Napton Horse, Pony and Novelty Dog Show as it's properly called. Both are renowned for dismal weather. Last year was a welcome exception. Three
- [2014 06 01 Newsletter - Single Handed Boating Part 3](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-06-01-newsletter-single-handed-boating-part-3/) - It's raining AGAIN! More accurately, I should say it's STILL raining. The rain hasn't stopped for more than a few minutes since the beginning of the disastrous 2014 Crick Boat Show. Visitor numbers on Saturday were fair, Sunday was poor and Monday was abysmal. In fact, Monday was so bad that by mid afternoon many
- [2014 09 14 Newsletter - Cruising In Adverse Weather Conditions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-09-14-newsletter-cruising-in-adverse-weather-conditions/) - I have a habit of upsetting people. I don't mean to, but I've done it again. Last week I made a comment about two men engaging in a little precoital activity on the front deck of a passing boat. As a result of the comment I received several emails rebuking me for my homophobia. Just
- [2014 09 21 Newsletter - Cruising In Adverse Weather Conditions Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-09-21-newsletter-cruising-in-adverse-weather-conditions-part-2/) - I fired my new Kipor generator up for the first time on Sunday evening. I have to admit that the 35kg dead weight now the petrol tank is full is something I won't be moving very far. My original plan was to carry it from the engine room to the front of the boat each
- [2015 06 14 Newsletter - Boating Basics For Beginners](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-06-14-newsletter-boating-basics-for-beginners/) - My discovery day cruises are always fascinating. The route from Napton to Braunston junction snakes through beautiful Warwickshire countryside passing under fifteen bridges, some wide, most narrow, many with blind entrances and exits then on to an exciting turn at Braunston Junction with its central triangular grass covered island and narrow channel on two sides
- [Learn the Art of Tying Knots for Narrowboating](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/learn-the-art-of-tying-knots-for-boating/) - To knot or not to knot... that is the question! Do you know the difference between an albright and a woggle or an alpine butterfly and a west country whipping? Probably not. The good news is that you don't need to. As a traveller of the inland waterways there are really only two knots you
- [Whilton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/whilton-marina/) - Whilton Marina has mooring facilities for approximately 200 boats, each berth has 240 volt hook-up with all piers having water taps. Our aim is to try and offer mooring on a temporary basis to everyone who buys a boat from us. Longer term moorings are dependant upon availability and are at the discretion of the
- [Narrowboat Heating Part 2 - Central Heating](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-heating-part-2-central-heating/) - By Tim Davis Onboard Solar Central heating is as you would expect to have in a house. Some kind of central boiler that can be started by the press of a button or via a timer that heats the boat by radiators or possibly warm air. Warm air heating is quite rare on narrow boats
- [Heating Problems on the Belgian Kempesch Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/heating-problems-on-the-belgian-kempesch-canal/) - Preparing for a maiden voyage from Antwerp to Maastricht in a Linssen cruiser. The highs and lows of winter European cruising
- [2017 05 07 Newsletter - Playing the Waiting Game](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2017-05-07-newsletter-playing-the-waiting-game/) - Our exciting lifestyle of the last seven months is now driving me mad. After our thrilling maiden voyage at the beginning of last week, we’re now playing a waiting game. There’s much more work to do on the boat than we expected because, after being told that the boat’s heating service would just need a
- [Barmy Brokers and a Belgian Boater's Generosity](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/barmy-brokers-and-a-belgian-boaters-generosity/) - The differences between inland waterways cruising in England and in the Netherlands. An English live aboard narrowboat owner ventures onto the Dutch waterways.
- [Searching for a Winter Home in Maastricht](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/searching-for-a-winter-home-in-maastricht/) - The differences between inland waterways cruising in England and in the Netherlands. An English live aboard narrowboat owner ventures onto the Dutch waterways.
- [How NOT to Leave a Windy Mooring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-not-to-leave-a-windy-mooring/) - The differences between inland waterways cruising in England and in the Netherlands. An English live aboard narrowboat owner ventures onto the Dutch waterways.
- [Super Favorite 950AK Dutch Cruiser For Sale](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/super-favorite-950ak-dutch-cruiser-for-sale/) - Classic 6 berth Dutch cruiser for sale. Massively upgraded for very comfortable three season cruising. A much sought after and very popular boat for extended cruising.
- [Cruising Differences Between the Dutch and English Inland Waterways Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cruising-differences-between-the-dutch-and-english-inland-waterways-part-2/) - The differences between inland waterways cruising in England and in the Netherlands. An English live aboard narrowboat owner ventures onto the Dutch waterways.
- [Cruising Differences Between the Dutch and English Inland Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cruising-differences-between-the-dutch-and-english-inland-waterways/) - The pros and cons of taking small Dutch motor cruisers on the Netherlands' commercial canals
- [A Strange Request in a Remote Countryside Car Park](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-strange-request-in-a-remote-countryside-car-park/) - If you are one of the many, many hundreds of subscribers who completed last week’s survey, THANK YOU! Your comments were as useful as they were inspiring, apart from the solitary individual whose sole comment was ‘how do I unsubscribe from this smug and inane drivel?’ After I spent a few minutes weeping into
- [An Essential Addition to Dutch Waterways Cruising Kit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/an-essential-addition-to-dutch-waterways-cruising-kit/) - Our week began quietly enough. We enjoyed four delightful days parked in a peaceful car park overlooking a tranquil lake, wondering why no other motorhomes shared such an idyllic space with us. We decided that the one tonne maximum weight limit at the beginning of a narrow lane leading to the car park via a
- [Solar Sorrow and a Lofty Loo](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/solar-sorrow-and-a-lofty-loo/) - We finally managed to move on board Julisa on Wednesday, at least for the night. But before we could enjoy our first night afloat in an awfully long time - eight months for me, thirteen months for Cynthia - we slogged through a long day of testing, fault finding, organising and disposing. Most
- [Party Boats and Summer Sun](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/party-boats-and-summer-sun/) - Guess what? We’re still in Leiden, moored on a narrow canal arm, hemmed in by residential properties and endless lines of boats of all shapes and sizes. We will definitely be setting off on our summer cruise in the next few days but, for now, we’re quite happy moored where we are, relaxing on
- [Dodging Monster Barges on the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dodging-monster-barges-on-the-amsterdam-rijnkanaal/) - The pros and cons of taking small Dutch motor cruisers on the Netherlands' commercial canals
- [Misty Summer Mornings on the Dutch Canals](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/misty-summer-mornings-on-the-dutch-canals/) - The solar system comedy of errors continued this week, although most of the errors turned out to be mine, and I didn’t find the comedy very funny at all. On James, my narrowboat, I had a 3 x 100w solar array fitted by Tim David of Onboard Solar. Tim’s work, and the system he
- [Living Afloat Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-afloat-isnt-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/) - We were boating, and then we weren’t, and now we are again, this time, we hope, for the rest of the year. Last week we began our cruise under difficult circumstances. Cynthia, for the first time in many years, visited a conventional general practitioner in Leiden to try to resolve an ongoing and painful infection.
- [Dark Days on the Dutch Canals](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dark-days-on-the-dutch-canals/) - We live an idyllic lifestyle; the weather is good, we are fit and healthy, and we have all the time in the world, and just about enough money, to tour or cruise wherever we want in Europe, but there’s a dark and dismal cloud hanging over Julisa today. After two peaceful days on our
- [Netherlands Boating by Engine and Sail](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/netherlands-boating-by-engine-and-sail/) - Life goes on, at least for some of us. Florence’s passing becomes a little more bearable as the days go by. Cynthia still can’t bear the thought of visiting the island again where Florence died so, on the few occasions we passed that way recently, Cynthia hasn’t been able to even look in that direction.
- [How to Avoid Mooring Fees on the Dutch Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-avoid-mooring-fees-on-the-dutch-waterways/) - How was the beginning of your week? Ours was spectacular! We were moored on a quiet visitor berth at the Nieuwe Meer Jachthaven at the northern end of the Westeinderplassen on the outskirts of Aalsmeer town centre. This was one of the best moorings we’ve found to date. It wasn’t free, but at €9.20 (£8.24)
- [Open Water Cruising in Little Dutch Boats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/open-water-cruising-in-little-dutch-boats/) - We’re back again after a hectic, exhausting and ultimately successful three weeks. I flew to Philadelphia last week to collect our new basset hound, Abbie, named Agnes by someone with a dubious sense of humour for the first two years of her life. My morning walk to Leiden rail station The operation didn’t start well.
- [2017 04 30 The Transition From Wheels to Water](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2017-04-30-the-transition-from-wheels-to-water/) - If you're new to this site and you've been following the chronological post listing in the newsletter archive, you may be wondering why the last post before this one was way back in September 2016. There's  very good reason. Cynthia and I no longer live on a narrowboat on the English waterways. At the
- [The Transition From Water To Wheels](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-transition-from-water-to-wheels/) - This is my first post for nearly two months, a period of great change in my life. I moved onto the water on 2nd April 2010, my 50th birthday. At the time I was at an emotional, financial and physical low. The previous years had been exceptionally stressful. I had tried and failed to expand
- [2016 07 10 Newsletter - A Honeymoon Without A Wedding](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-07-10-newsletter-a-honeymoon-without-a-wedding/) - “Don’t come any further over to the right,” Cynthia warned me. Crunch. “Trust me, there’s no room over here. Move over to the left.” Scrape. “The other left. You’ve hit the bridge wall!” Bang. So, several contacts too late, I moved over to the left, flipping a row of plastic cones into the air towards
- [2016 06 26 Newsletter - Five Countries Closer to a Wedding](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-06-26-newsletter-five-countries-closer-to-a-wedding/) - After collecting Cynthia from Calais nine days ago, we’ve had a hugely enjoyable if rather tiring trek across France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. We’re now in Denmark, parked next to a tranquil freshwater lake half a mile from the coast. After hauling Cynthia and her luggage on board nine days ago, we drove out
- [2016 06 20 Newsletter - Engine Leaks, Barbed Wire and Lost Data](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-06-20-newsletter-engine-leaks-barbed-wire-and-lost-data/) - Please accept my apologies for the missing newsletter last week, and the lateness, brevity and lack of photo’s in this one. I’m in the village of Westenschouwen on an island on the Netherlands north west coast fifty miles from Rotterdam. I’ve been battling with technology again and losing. I’ve just transferred livingonanarrowboat.co.uk to a
- [2016 06 05 Newsletter - An Analysis Of A Well Specified Live Aboard Narrowboat Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-06-05-newsletter-an-analysis-of-a-well-specified-live-aboard-narrowboat-part-2/) - A few flies appeared in the bathroom on Friday. After a year of dealing with our composting toilet I recognised the signs. The solids tank needed emptying immediately. Bone tired after a long discovery day, I dug out my dedicated toilet cleaning tools from the cupboard beneath the bathroom sink, and my stainless steel Spear
- [2016 05 29 Newsletter - An Analysis Of A Well Specified Live Aboard Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-05-29-newsletter-an-analysis-of-a-well-specified-live-aboard-narrowboat/) - We visited Crick yesterday for day one of the inland waterway’s major boat show. We thought that we would beat the crowds by arriving early. The crowds had the same idea, so the final half mile crawl took us half an hour. The Crick Boat Show is renowned for rain, quagmire parking and hot toddies
- [2016 05 22 Newsletter - A New Service For Aspiring Boat Owners](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-05-22-newsletter-a-new-service-for-aspiring-boat-owners/) - May is racing towards its unhappy conclusion. A happy conclusion if you’re looking forward to the Crick Boat Show, but an unhappy one if you are either Cynthia or I. Monday 30th May is the final day of the Crick Boat Show, and Cynthia’s final day of her permitted stay in the UK. I’ll drive
- [2016 05 15 Newsletter - Colourful Tales From the Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-05-15-newsletter-colourful-tales-from-the-cut/) - I sat in the Hymer in Windsor Castle’s overcrowded car park. I was there for the penultimate day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show. To be more precise, Cynthia was there for the horse show. I wasn’t interested. Horses scare me, but the owners often scare me more. The car park was full of four
- [2016 05 08 Newsletter - The Reality Of Living On England's Inland Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-05-08-newsletter-the-reality-of-living-on-englands-inland-waterways/) - We’re moored a mile north of Braunston opposite a field full of cowslips. Actually, they could be either dandelions or buttercups. They’re yellow and they’re pretty, so I don’t really care what they are. I’ve just finished my first week back at Calcutt Boats. They’re a groundsman short and my bank account’s a few bob
- [2016 05 01 Newsletter - Bilge Pumps And Busy Bank Holiday Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-05-01-newsletter-bilge-pumps-and-busy-bank-holiday-waterways/) - We’ve been having a problem with our stove recently. I should have been able to identify the cause of the smoke wafting into the cabin from around the ill fitting stove door. I didn’t, so we regularly suffered the piercing shriek of the smoke alarm shortly after rising for the day and piling fresh coal
- [2015 05 03  Newsletter - Engine Room Storage Space Explained](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-05-03-newsletter-engine-room-storage-space-explained/) - Last Monday we headed north west past the acres of canal-side polytunnels at Whittington, then on to Huddlesford, the tranquility slightly marred by Virgin trains thundering past on the West Coast Main Line little more than a hundred feet away. The gardens of Whittington's canal-side properties were a joy after the industrial squalor of Birmingham.
- [2016 04 10 Newsletter - Bends, Hills and Nervous Breakdowns](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-04-10-newsletter-bends-hills-and-nervous-breakdowns/) - Last Sunday we stayed overnight at the Hereford Camping and Caravan Club site. I can see the appeal of staying on campsites regularly. Life is so much easier than wild camping. For a start, you know that you aren’t going to hear a knock on the door late at night asking you to move on.
- [2016 04 24 Newsletter - Electrical Problems And A Plea For Help](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-04-24-newsletter-electrical-problems-and-a-plea-for-help/) - Did you miss me last week? Maybe you didn’t notice, but there wasn’t a newsletter last Sunday. I was full of good intentions, but with every day for the last week and a half filled with ten hour discovery days, and with no 240v power for five of them due to a failed inverter, good
- [2016 04 03 Newsletter - Motorhomes, Mountains and Flu](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-04-03-newsletter-motorhomes-mountains-and-flu/) - I didn’t write a newsletter last week because of our workload as we prepared to collect our Hymer B754 motorhome. Because our life at the moment is more roads than rivers, I created a survey asking newsletter subscribers to let me know if they would be interested in reading accounts of our motorhome travels. The
- [2016 03 20 Newsletter - Toilets and Tearooms on the Ashby Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-03-20-newsletter-toilets-and-tearooms-on-the-ashby-canal/) - I think I’m finally getting the hang of living life in the slow lane. On two week breaks away from my work at Calcutt Boats I cruised to notch up miles and locks rather than with any real interest in visiting the fascinating places I passed at the blistering speed of 4mph. In April 2015
- [2016 02 21 Newsletter - Keeping Warm In Winter](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-02-21-newsletter-keeping-warm-in-winter/) - Another uneventful work week has passed as we race towards the start of this year’s cruising season. I have just four more working days until we set off on a mini cruise before returning to base and swapping boat for bus and our two week motorhome trip around the Scottish Highlands. Cynthia wanted to
- [2016 02 28 Newsletter - Narrowboat Communication](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-02-28-newsletter-narrowboat-communication/) - Excuse me while I take a minute to wash my hands. I’ve had an unexpectedly energetic start to the day. For the last month, Sunday has been omelette day. Cynthia creates something wonderful and different every week. The fluffy mixture of herbs, spices and vegetables is always accompanied by a fresh baked croissant or two.
- [2016 02 28 Newsletter - Narrowboat Heating Costs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-02-28-newsletter-narrowboat-heating-costs/) - That’s it. My last working week is over. At 4pm on Thursday I washed my last paint brush, put my sander away, and said goodbye to the staff at Calcutt Boats at a short impromptu cake tasting party organised by Cynthia in their reception area. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last two months improving my painting
- [2016 02 14 Newsletter - Keeping Romance Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-02-14-newsletter-keeping-romance-afloat/) - In the words of John Paul Young in his 1978 hit, “Love is in the air, everywhere I look around. Love is in the air, in every sight and every sound”. He’s certainly right today. This morning was completely still and clear. A light frost melted in the early morning sun, the birds sang in
- [2016 02 07 Newsletter - Building Boating Competence and Confidence](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-02-07-newsletter-building-boating-competence-and-confidence/) - I’m slowly but surely losing my mind. I urinated on my feet this week. It’s not something I did willingly or enthusiastically. In fact the whole experience was a little unsettling. Cynthia and I enjoyed a couple of hours away from the boat on Thursday evening with a discovery day guest from earlier in the
- [2016 01 31 Newsletter - Essential Narrowboat Tools](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-01-31-newsletter-essential-narrowboat-tools/) - With another work week successfully completed I’m now just four weeks away from the start of this year’s extended cruise. I can’t wait. Much as I enjoy the winter work I have been doing at Calcutt Boats, being stuck in one spot for months on end is driving me mad after nine months of continuous
- [2016 01 24 Newsletter - Stuck In Ice](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-01-24-newsletter-stuck-in-ice/) - DUE TO INTERNET CONNECTIVITY ISSUES ALL PHOTO'S WILL BE ADDED TOMORROW... There’s SO much to do. A hire boat takes a considerable amount of punishment during the cruising season. The handover to new holiday hirers at Calcutt Boats is considered very thorough for the inland waterways. The novice crews, often tired after spending half the
- [2016 01 17 Newsletter - Essential Onboard Equipment Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-01-17-newsletter-essential-onboard-equipment-part-2/) - My computer woes are almost over. We purchased a refurbished 13” MacBook Pro to replace Cynthia’s aged 15” MacBook with its coffee-washed keyboard. It’s a joy to use but we still only have the one device between us. I’m trying to get my two year old Samsung laptop working as well. The hard drive failed,
- [2016 01 10 Newsletter - Essential Onboard Equipment](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-01-10-newsletter-essential-onboard-equipment/) - As soon as I sent out last week’s newsletter, Cynthia and I endured the wettest cruise I’ve taken since I moved on board nearly six years ago. Cruising on lock free stretches of canal isn’t a problem at all. My Guy Coten trawlermen’s waterproofs are bomb proof. I can stand for endless hours in torrential
- [2016 01 03 Newsletter - Trials and Tribulations](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2016-01-03-newsletter-trials-and-tribulations/) - I’m back! I missed another week’s newsletter but I think I have a good enough reason. I’ll explain a little later. I spent my last three days at Calcutt Boats sanding one of their hire boats ready for painting early in January. I thoroughly enjoy the unfamiliar exercise but I’m always delighted when I can
- [2015 12 20 Newsletter - Near Misses and Christmas Wishes](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-12-20-newsletter-near-misses-and-christmas-wishes/) - Monday’s discovery day was memorable for a number of reasons; It was the last of the year, 6’6” Andy was my tallest guest on board to date, and, last but not least, I made a foolish and costly schoolboy error. The day started off as usual. After Cynthia had made the couple a hot drink,
- [2015 11 29 Newsletter - Diesel Central Heating System Installation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-11-29-newsletter-diesel-central-heating-system-installation/) - Oh God, how I have f***g computers! I spent four hours working on this newsletter yesterday to minimise the time I had to spend on it today. This morning I woke bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5am ready to put the finishing touches to it. Guess what? After a laborious twenty minutes for my
- [2015 11 22 Newsletter - Protection for your Four Legged Friends](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-11-22-newsletter-protection-for-your-four-legged-friends/) - After eight months “on the road” as it were, I’m back on my mooring pretty much full time now. I have to take the boat to Braunston on Tuesday to have the rest of my Webasto diesel central heating system fitted, and then a block of fourteen discovery days to do at the beginning of
- [2015 11 15 Newsletter - Engine and Lifestyle Improvements](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-11-15-newsletter-engine-and-lifestyle-improvements/) - On Wednesday morning I reversed off my rusty dump barge mooring and across the windblown marina to the back of the engineering workshop to see if engineer Ian could find the cause of my recent engine overheating. The first job was to remove the heat exchanger stack, a 21” long cylinder of hollow brass rods,
- [2015 11 08 Newsletter - New Video Content For Livingonanarrowboat.co.uk](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-11-08-newsletter-new-video-content-for-livingonanarrowboat-co-uk/) - On Sunday afternoon I dropped down the ten staircase locks of the Foxton flight while I chatted to fellow boat owner Trish and other half Andy. Trish doesn’t live on her boat full time yet but uses it as often as possible to escape the pressure of modern life. She’s certainly a step ahead of
- [2015 11 01 Newsletter - Stealth Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-11-01-newsletter-stealth-cruising/) - By mid-afternoon on Monday my long anticipated cooling system modification was complete. On Friday ten square feet of the port side swim, the tapered underwater section of the hull close to the propeller, was scraped back to bare steel, a keel tank manufactured and welded in place and the worn cup holding the bottom of
- [2015 10 25 Newsletter - Engine Cooling Modification](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-10-25-newsletter-engine-cooling-modification/) - After another run of uneventful cruises along unusually wind and rain free waterways I finished my last discovery day on Monday at 6pm at the head of the Calcutt flight. There’s a good mooring spot next to a straight section of towpath long enough for a single boat at the end of the lock landing.
- [2015 10 18 Newsletter - Engine Running and Electricity Generation Costs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-10-18-newsletter-engine-running-and-electricity-generation-costs/) - What is it with Sundays? I suffered a little more damage to my beloved boat on my Sunday discovery day last weekend. I wasn’t steering but I was in charge so the loss was entirely my fault. On the route to Braunston on the combined Oxford and Grand Union canals, the waterway twists and turns
- [2015 10 11 Newsletter - Catastrophic Overheating and Bilge Flooding](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-10-11-newsletter-catastrophic-overheating-and-bilge-flooding/) - Another week has flashed by. Another week of tranquil cruising combined with a day of unusual stress for me. My engine is a little smoky but generally very reliable. However, it’s nearly forty years old so needs a little TLC now and again. Sunday started well enough. Carl, my single discovery day guest, arrived just
- [2015 10 05 Newsletter - A LONG Overdue Central Heating System Installation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-10-05-newsletter-a-long-overdue-central-heating-system-installation/) - Last Sunday after lunch we cast off to do battle with the Sunday crowds at the ever popular destination for leather clad bikers, walkers and families visiting the locks to watch the steady stream of boats ascending or descending the ten lock flight. Dainty Cynthia strained against Foxton’s swinging two lane highway, then the much
- [2015 09 27 Newsletter - A cruise to Market Harborough: Rugby to Market Harborough](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-09-27-newsletter-a-cruise-to-market-harborough-rugby-to-market-harborough/) - Early on Sunday morning I walked a mile through Rugby’s quiet weekend streets to the important appointment I raced back from Llangollen for. Here she is. Cynthia arrived at 10.17am on platform five at Rugby station after twenty four hours of travel by car, train, taxi and plane from Arlington Vermont. That she arrived at
- [2015 09 20 Newsletter - A cruise to Llangollen: Gnosall Heath to Rugby](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-09-20-newsletter-a-cruise-to-llangollen-gnosall-heath-to-rugby/) - This week has been a rather busy one. I’ve spent far too much time racing to get from A to B rather than slowly enjoying the countryside around me. I’m going to have a very relaxing and enjoyable potter up the Grand Union Leicester Line for ten days before the start of my October discovery
- [2015 09 13 Newsletter - A cruise to Llangollen: Llangollen to Gnosall Heath](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-09-13-newsletter-a-cruise-to-llangollen-llangollen-to-gnosall-heath/) - After I sent off the newsletter last Sunday, I picked up my rucksack and Kindle then ambled down to the river Dee beneath Pontcysyllte aqueduct’s steel trough, perched on a rock by the water’s edge and sat quietly reading for two blissful hours before returning to my peaceful mooring at the end of Trevor basin.
- [2015 09 06 Newsletter - A cruise to Llangollen: Ellesmere to Llangollen](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-09-06-newsletter-a-cruise-to-llangollen-ellesmere-to-llangollen/) - Before I begin my week’s account, I want to clear up some confusion I caused last week. I mentioned that the boatyards on the Llangollen canal aren’t keen on allowing self-declaration on fuel sales. If, like the two people who emailed me last week, you don’t have the faintest idea what self-declaration is and what
- [2015 08 30 Newsletter - A cruise to Llangollen: Stoke to Ellesmere](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-08-30-newsletter-a-cruise-to-llangollen-stoke-to-ellesmere/) - Discretion is the better part of valour. Rather than spend another night moored next to Westport Lake on the north western outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, and suffer the unwanted attention of the small number of brain dead youth who like to regularly torment passing boaters who have the cheek to moor on “their” patch, on a
- [2015 08 23 Newsletter - A cruise to Llangollen: Fazeley Junction to Stoke](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-08-23-newsletter-a-cruise-to-llangollen-fazeley-junction-to-stoke/) - After I finished the newsletter last Sunday I cruised for an hour away from the comparative hustle and bustle of Fazeley Junction to a very peaceful mooring north of Hopwas village close to Hopwas Hayes wood. I love these woods. There are over four hundred varied and tranquil acres easily accessible thanks to a well-established
- [2015 08 16 Newsletter - A cruise to Llangollen: Napton to Fazeley Junction](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-08-16-newsletter-a-cruise-to-llangollen-napton-to-fazeley-junction/) - I’m back in my normal newsletter routine, full of energy and firing on all cylinders. Relationship issues aside, life is good. Very good. Once more. I want to say a huge “THANK YOU” to everyone who emailed me messages of support and several offers of a night out and a place to sleep afterwards. Narrowboat
- [2015 07 27  Newsletter - Closed Encounters of a Shared Kind](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-07-27-newsletter-closed-encounters-of-a-shared-kind/) - To be quite honest, for the first time since I started writing regular weekly newsletters three years ago, my heart just hasn’t been in it this week. You see, nine days ago I had a bit of a shock. Sally has decided that living afloat is not for her. More to the point, she’s decided
- [2015 07 19 Newsletter - Antisocial Behavior on the Thames](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-07-19-newsletter-antisocial-behavior-on-the-thames/) - After two very pleasant days on our very pleasant, very secluded mooring opposite Chimney Nature Reserve we cruised for seven hours to reach Lechlade. Through Rushey, Radcot, Grafton, Buscot locks, along miles of river with more twists and turns than a pubic hair, and finally to St John’s lock close to Lechlade and our first
- [2015 06 29 Newsletter - Narrowboat Sign Writing](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-06-29-newsletter-narrowboat-sign-writing/) - In last week’s newsletter I wrote about an idyllic afternoon on our rarely visited mooring, sitting in the sun doing nothing much at all other than feed occasional grapes to our two spaniels, Charlie and Daisy. Grapes are a treat both dogs have enjoyed for years. Both of them are happy and healthy. I want
- [2015 07 12 Newsletter - River Thames Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-07-12-newsletter-river-thames-cruising/) - Our sedate journey continues. We’ve been on our Oxford and Thames cruise for two weeks now and are now forty miles from our starting point as the crow flies. By boat the journey is a little more arduous. We’ve totalled an impressive sixty five miles and thirty seven locks during thirty nine engine running hours.
- [Narrowboat Electrics Part 1: Batteries](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-electrics-part-1-batteries/) - Understanding Onboard Power Systems By Tim Davis In this follow on from, I want to talk about power systems in general, the considerations, issues, best practices and trouble shooting of power problems. I have been working on “off grid” power systems for over 20 years, initially remote telecommunication facilities for the oil industry and for
- [2015 07 05 Newsletter - Broken Belts and Emergency Repairs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-07-05-newsletter-broken-belts-and-emergency-repairs/) - We certainly aren’t going to break any records on this trip. After a late start on Monday we cruised from our mooring above Calcut Top Lock for half an hour before finding a piece of Armco just long enough for one boat which was within an easy walk of The Folly at the bottom of
- [2015 05 24  Newsletter - Upgrading An Elderly Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-05-24-newsletter-upgrading-an-elderly-narrowboat/) - I’m afraid I haven’t written much at all about my travels over the last week. I started writing about the improvements I’ve made to my boat since I moved on board half a decade ago. Time waits for no man. I am certainly no exception. I’ve run out of time again to write anything else,
- [2015 06 07 Newsletter - Wide Beam Cruising Restrictions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-06-07-newsletter-wide-beam-cruising-restrictions/) - After nearly two months of doing very little other than enjoy ourselves tremendously, on Monday we had to head back to civilization. Sally wanted to make herself feel better by subjecting herself to a series of twelve hour night shifts at the care home in Daventry where she now occasionally works managing a team of
- [2015 05 31  Newsletter - On Board Electrics For Continuous Cruisers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-05-31-newsletter-on-board-electrics-for-continuous-cruisers/) - The Grand Union Leicester Line is a wonderful canal if you want quiet and peaceful moorings. Our mooring a mile north of Yelvertoft close to bridge 24 was possibly the quietest we’ve ever experienced. Although a steady stream of boats passed us over the two days we stayed there, only one person walked past on
- [2015 05 17  Newsletter - Composting Toilets And Off Grid Power Saving Tips](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-05-17-newsletter-composting-toilets-and-off-grid-power-saving-tips/) - Since Sally and I left our beautiful mooring on the northern fringe of Locks marina at Calcutt Boats just over a month ago, I’ve received a steady stream of emails from site subscribers asking whether our cruise to date has been as enjoyable and relaxing as we hoped when we began planning our semi-retirement cruise
- [2015 05 10  Newsletter - Engine Room Leaks](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-05-10-newsletter-engine-room-leaks/) - At the beginning of the week, Bank Holiday Monday we made the mistake of moving from Tixall Wide to the water point at Great Haywood junction to top up our tank and empty the full to the brim cassette. The junction was packed with bank holiday boaters, most of them trying to get on to
- [2015 04 26  Newsletter - Kingswood Junction to Hopwas](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-04-26-newsletter-kingswood-junction-to-hopwas/) - We're nine days in to the current forty six day leg of this year's eight month cruise. We're moored half a mile outside the quiet village of Hopwas on the Coventry canal in the south east corner of Shropshire. If I look out of the window in front of me, I can see Wood bridge
- [2015 04 19  Newsletter - The Warwick Ring: Braunston to Kingswood Junction](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-04-19-newsletter-the-warwick-ring-braunston-to-kingswood-junction/) - I started writing this newsletter at the crack of dawn but the web site gremlins were hiding in the shadows waiting for me to produce a hugely informative literary masterpiece before erasing my digital genius while I made myself a mid morning cup of coffee. Ah well, at least I have plenty of time now
- [2015 04 08  Newsletter - Mooring Guide For Continuous Cruisers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-04-08-newsletter-mooring-guide-for-continuous-cruisers/) - I lay in bed unable to sleep. I don't sleep well at the best of times these days but my insomnia on Monday night was understandable. A gale force wind howled across the marina pushing foot high waves in front of it wish crashed against the boat's port side, rocking the cabin from side to
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 7](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-7/) - Continued from part 6 26th of May 2011 Today I have to search around for signs of progress. There is a craftsman at work, and to do his crafting to his level of competence, Carpenter Nigel needs space and a great deal of time. Much of his work is done behind the scenes, and the
- [2014 08 24 Newsletter - Long Term Narrowboat Hire](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-08-24-newsletter-long-term-narrowboat-hire/) - It's been an expensive week. On Monday my lovely old boat was hauled out of the water for a hull survey. My insurer insists, as do most narrowboat insurers, that because of the boat's age it needs to have the hull surveyed every five years. Although I have always been assured that James' hull is
- [2015 03 29 Newsletter - Licencing Your Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-03-29-newsletter-licencing-your-boat/) - It's 10.20am on Sunday. I'm sitting on our double bed in the cabin at the back of the boat playing with my new toy. There isn't much space on a narrowboat for two people and two dogs to coexist in harmony. We spend our lives with us and everything we own crammed in to three
- [2015 03 15 Newsletter - Blacking Your Bottom](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-03-15-newsletter-blacking-your-bottom/) - Ten days to go. Two hundred and forty hours before the inland waterways network exploration begins in earnest. The days are flying by now. There's a part of me wanting the countdown to progress a little slower. Giving up a job which you love and which pays all the essential bills is a little scary,
- [2015 03 15 Newsletter - Five Live Aboard Boaters Share Their Experiences Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-03-15-newsletter-five-live-aboard-boaters-share-their-experiences-afloat/) - Seventeen days to go. Only thirteen of them are working days. Just thirteen days of full time employment after thirty eight years of working sixty hours a week. For many years they were very stressful working hours. For the last half decade my work has been stress free and immensely enjoyable. Stress free and enjoyable
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat James](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-james/) - This is my own boat, James. Some boaters will tell you that I'm not a "proper" live aboard boater. I'm moored in a marina with access to an unlimited water supply and mains electricity. The location and the lifestyle suit me though and may suit you if you're considering switching to a full time life
- [A Case Study Of Live Aboard Narrowboat The Lady C](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-live-aboard-narrowboat-the-lady-c/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [A Case Study Of Live Aboard Narrowboat Mr David](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-live-aboard-narrowboat-mr-david/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [A Case Study Of Live Aboard Narrowboat Mister Smiths](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-live-aboard-narrowboat-mister-smiths/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2015 03 08 Newsletter - Gas, Paint And A New Mooring For James No 194](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-03-08-newsletter-gas-paint-and-a-new-mooring-for-james-no-194/) - It's been a busy week as always. I can't believe how quickly the days are flashing by now. Being the sad individual that I am, I installed a countdown on my phone last October to remind me how many days remained before my release from the daily grind. At the time, one hundred and eighty
- [2015 03 01 Newsletter - Narrowboat Ownership On A Shoestring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-03-01-newsletter-narrowboat-ownership-on-a-shoestring/) - The days are racing by. In a month's time we'll be off on our travels with nothing to do all day, every day, other than relax, enjoy ourselves and, of course, worry about whether we have enough money to live on. I'm sure that we'll have no problems. My online income plus the remains of
- [A Case Study Of Live Aboard Narrowboat Eleftheria](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-live-aboard-narrowboat-eleftheria/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2015 02 22 Newsletter - Buying A Narrowboat Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-02-22-newsletter-buying-a-narrowboat-part-2/) - There are just thirty eight days to go now before the start of the next exciting chapter in our lives. In just over a month's time I will hang up my sheath my shears, stow my spade and finish with my fork before setting sail on this year's seven month waterways adventure. It's all terribly
- [2015 02 15 Newsletter - Buying A Narrowboat Part 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-02-15-newsletter-buying-a-narrowboat-part-1/) - I've spent much of the last week clearing ditches. It's a job which I enjoy despite spending much of my time being raked by blackthorn, hawthorn and bramble and trying to keep my balance on uneven wet clay. The two inch long hawthorn and blackthorn thorns are wicked. During my first winter here in early
- [A Case Study Of Live Aboard Narrowboat Andante](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-live-aboard-narrowboat-andante/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [Fenny Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/fenny-marina/) - Fenny Marina is set in a pretty rural location and is ideally placed for mooring in the South Midlands. We offer all the usual services, engineering, brokerage, chandlery, and, of course, diesel, gas, pump-out and elsan disposal. We also have Wi-fi internet connection via 'BT Openzone' [table id=26 /]
- [2015 02 08 Newsletter - Routine Engine Servicing](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-02-08-newsletter-routine-engine-servicing/) - Do you remember me telling you about the engine service booking saga with RCR? Well, the engineer, Kerry, was eventually scheduled to visit me at 10am last Tuesday to show me how to service my own engine. Because of the problems I had arranging his visit, I wasn't really sure whether he would show up.
- [Back to the Broads](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/back-to-the-broads/) - JIM SHEAD sets out from the capital of the Broads to cruise the most popular rivers I took my first boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads in May 1953, when I was 9¾ and did not return for another boating holiday on the Broads until July 2009. My extreme tardiness in returning should not be
- [2015 02 01 Newsletter - Running A Boat Based Business](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-02-01-newsletter-running-a-boat-based-business/) - The ongoing saga of booking a simple service with RCR continues. I've now had to phone them eight times. At the end of last week I was still waiting for a telephone call from them to confirm that they had amended an incorrectly scheduled visit from the wrong engineer. I was both surprised and delighted
- [The Hidden Cost Of Narrowboat Ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-hidden-cost-of-narrowboat-ownership/) - The thought of narrowboat ownership conjures images of long and lazy days gently cruising the tranquil connected waterways of the English and Welsh canal and river network, stopping when and where you want to enjoy a day or more sitting quietly on the towpath or river bank in the warm summer sun, enjoying a delicious
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Da Vinci](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-da-vinci/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Idlewild](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-idlewild/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 11 30 Newsletter - A Virtual Tour Of A Narrowboat Equipped For Continuous Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-11-30-newsletter-a-virtual-tour-of-a-narrowboat-equipped-for-continuous-cruising/) - I planned to have a quiet afternoon in front of the fire last Sunday to escape the heavy November rain, but an afternoon of doing nothing more than turning the pages of a good book didn't materialise. The rain stopped at lunchtime so I decided to take the boat up to our wharf and vacuum
- [2014 11 16 Newsletter - Narrowboat Fuel Consumption](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-11-16-newsletter-narrowboat-fuel-consumption/) - I've been feeling sorry for myself this week. I am very lucky. I work outside all of the time, away from often crowded heated work places which breed germs. I'm sometimes cold after a day's work, often wet but, generally, supremely fit and healthy. My last day sick day off work was Boxing Day 1983.
- [2014 12 14 Newsletter - A Cautionary Tale](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-12-14-newsletter-a-cautionary-tale/) - I don't like shopping any more. To be honest, I've never enjoyed shopping or high street crowds, but now I positively dislike them. We needed to pop in to Leamington Spa on Sunday to get a charger for Sally's iPad and to ask advice about my iPhone. About a month ago I automatically and foolishly
- [2014 12 28 Newsletter - Winter Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-12-28-newsletter-winter-cruising/) - Ninety four days to go. Three months and four days before I break the shackles of full time employment for a lifetime's canal and river exploration. I'm very, very excited, but a little frightened too. I won't be retiring. My pension was tied up in my business which went so terribly wrong six years ago.
- [2015 01 04 Newsletter - More Winter Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-01-04-newsletter-more-winter-cruising/) - What an interesting week. As you know from last week's newsletter, on Monday I was stuck in thickening ice just north of bridge 22 on the Grand Union Leicester Line close to Yelvertoft. Our original plan was to stop for a few days at Welford junction but the ice stopped us in our tracks. I'm
- [2015 01 11 Newsletter - Wind, Beer And Batteries](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/wind-beer-and-batteries/) - I'm on my own. Sally flew to the Philippines on Tuesday. I'm very sad. She will be away for three months, returning on 2nd April, my 55th birthday and my release from full time employment. The week before she left was a whirlwind of last minute cleaning, preparation for the trip and preparation for me spending
- [2015 01 18 Newsletter - An Unexpected Cruise](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-01-18-newsletter-an-unexpected-cruise/) - The dogs are driving me mad. I don't know what's worse, their needs or their claws but I'm sure that I'm teetering on the brink of insanity. Last April we replaced the tired and threadbare carpet I inherited with the boat for some beautiful and very easy to clean oak effect laminate flooring. The flooring
- [2015 01 25 Newsletter - Narrowboat Running Costs For December 2014](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2015-01-25-newsletter-narrowboat-running-costs-for-december-2014/) - Sally has been away now for two and a half weeks. While we suffer ice, sleet and snow with recent overnight lows of minus seven degrees, Sally is "enjoying" thirty five degree daytime highs and not too chilly lows of thirty degrees at night. The temperature is much higher than here, but perhaps too high
- [2014 12 21 Newsletter - Cooking On The Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-12-21-newsletter-cooking-on-the-cut/) - First of all, I would like to wish you a relaxing and stress free Christmas. I hope that the break from an arduous work regime helps to recharge your batteries ready for the year ahead Personally, I don't enjoy this time of the year at all. I find the commercial aspect of the festive period
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Misty Blue](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-misty-blue/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 12 07 Newsletter - The Pros And Cons Of Narrowboat Shared Ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-12-07-newsletter-the-pros-and-cons-of-narrowboat-shared-ownership/) - Is work getting you down? Do you fancy a change to something entirely more relaxing, more fulfilling and closer to nature? You do? Well, how about this? Imagine waking up on a Monday morning actually looking forward to the week ahead. No lengthy commute along noisy and dangerous motorways breathing in lungfuls of carbon monoxide
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Quaintrelle](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-quaintrelle/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 11 23 Newsletter - Cruising In London](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-11-23-newsletter-cruising-in-london/) - I am weak. I should know better by now, but I don't seem to learn. Over the last couple of months I've had the occasional request for recommendations for decent local bed and breakfast establishments close to the marina for those travelling to me from far and wide for my discovery days. The one I've
- [2014 11 09 Newsletter - How To Spot Bogus Narrowboat Adverts](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-11-09-newsletter-how-to-spot-bogus-narrowboat-adverts/) - The countdown continues. By the time you read this there will be just 143 days to go before the Grand Cruise. One hundred and forty three days is just a hop, skip and a jump away, but I'm not sure I'll make it. I nearly finished myself and the dogs off on Wednesday evening. As
- [2014 11 02 Newsletter - Narrowboat CO2 Emissions ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-11-02-newsletter-narrowboat-co2-emissions/) - My world is dark. I cannot see, and I don't like it. The clocks went back last Sunday so this week I started coming back from work in the dark. Most of the year as I wearily trudge up the gravel path from my battered old Nissan pickup to my beautiful floating home I enjoy
- [2014 10 26 Newsletter - A Directory Of RELIABLE Waterways Tradesmen](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-10-26-newsletter-a-directory-of-reliable-waterways-tradesmen/) - I've gone in to "last time" mode. On Wednesday when I started writing this newsletter I had 162 days to go until I set off for distant shores. Not-too-distant canal banks actually, but you know what I mean. When I installed a countdown app on my phone there were 210 days to go before the
- [UK Houseboats - A Typical Day On Board](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/uk-houseboats-a-typical-day-on-board-2/) - UK houseboats come in several forms; craft that can negotiate oceans, coastal waters, rivers and of course the traditional canal network narrowboats or, as they are sometimes called, canal boats. This article concentrates on the charming and gentle way of life that you can experience living on narrowboats. Narrowboats have earned their name because they
- [2014 10 19 Newsletter - Dealing With Anti Social Behaviour On The Canal Network](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-10-19-newsletter-dealing-with-anti-social-behaviour-on-the-canal-network/) - I'm wet, I'm dry, I'm cold, I'm hot, and I'm frustrated. I don't like this time of the year when the weather can't make its mind up what to do, and I can't decide what to wear, or what to do about heating the boat to deal with it. I can begin the day dressed
- [2014 10 05 Newsletter - Cruising The Idyllic South Oxford Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-10-05-newsletter-cruising-the-idyllic-south-oxford-canal/) - "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley" wrote Robert Burns in 1786. I know what I means. At least, I know what he means after I've looked up a translation. The best laid plans often go awry, as ours did last Sunday and Monday. We planned to do some repainting as
- [2014 09 28 Newsletter - Emergency Food On Board](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-09-28-newsletter-emergency-food-on-board/) - I fell in the canal on Wednesday. No one saw me but the fish sticking out of my pocket and the bandy-legged gait to stop my soaking work shorts from chafing was a bit of a give away. I was working next to the wharf raking out two tonnes of top soil delivered that morning
- [Steppin' Out; World Tour 2014, day 12 Saturday. Branston back home to Mercia marina, Willington.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-12-saturday-branston-back-home-to-mercia-marina-willington/) - Good evening as I write this and apologise for the lateness off the final instalment of my World Tour but settling back in and things, you know how it is. I arose reasonably early Saturday morning and got myself organised then checked if John my neighbour was up. I wasn't sure so didn't knock but
- [Steppin' Out; World Tour 2014. Day 11 Friday. Fradley Junction to Branston via Alrewas, stop for butcher, and Wychnor. ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-11-friday-fradley-junction-to-branston-via-alrewas-stop-for-butcher-and-wychnor/) - It's good Sunday morning as I write this so apologies but I've had a bit of trouble logging onto the site but all seems well now. Friday morning dawned and I was up fairly early and after popping over to use the CRT facilities I was ready to move by about 11 am. The facilities
- [Steppin' Out; World Tour 2014, Day 10, Cannock Chase to Fradley Jct, Including, excitement, near death and sun.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-10-cannock-chase-to-fradley-jct-including-excitement-near-death-and-sun/) - Good evening everyone. I did nothing yesterday and today it's been jam packed with excitement and incidents. I rose relatively early and was under-way before 11 am. There seemed to be lots of traffic moving in both directions as I'd sat and had breakfast and that was sort of the order of the day. However
- [Steppin' Out; World Tour 2014. Day 9 Wednesday. Lazy Wednesday afternoon.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-9-wednesday-lazy-wednesday-afternoon/) - Hi folks doesn't have the same ring as Lazy Sunday Afternoon by the Kinks but I've decided to recharge my batteries and have a day lounging about. I didn't surface till 10 o'clock. Bone idle no excuses. I think it will do me good as I feel quite worn out after yesterday. Only 3 locks
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Free Spirit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-free-spirit/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014, Day 8 Tuesday. The danger of water and more good folks.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-8-tuesday-the-danger-of-water-and-more-good-folks/) - Hi anyone. All the blogs should now have photos. I think I've found a cure but it hasn't solved the problem. The last 2 days I put captions on the photos and it wouldn't show them. So I took them off. Today has been a belter of a day. Wall to wall sunshine a little
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014, day 7 Monday. Stone to Hoo Mill lock](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-7-monday-stone-to-hoo-mill-lock/) - Good evening to you all. The sun is still burning the sky but I'm moored up by 17 o'clock as I want a bit of time to myself. I'm very selfish like that. I am in the middle of nowhere or it feels like that but after mooring up a man came past with his
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014, Day 6, Grt Haywood to Stone](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-6-grt-haywood-to-stone/) - Ha good evening I'm just settling down to write this alongside a glass of Capt Morgan's spiced rum having consumed a fine meal of thick sliced smoked bacon, this butcher, Parr's in Sutton in Ashfield, smokes it himself and it doesn't produce white gobbets of water when it's grilled or shrink hardly as it hasn't
- [2014 09 07 Newsletter - Following Your Dream](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-09-07-newsletter-following-your-dream/) - That's it. I've had enough. I stepped on to the hamster wheel in September 1977, almost exactly thirty seven years ago and I've been on it ever since running as fast as my little legs could carry me, never seeming to get anywhere or to have any time for myself and the leisure activities I
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014, Day 5 Sat, Cannock chase to Grt Haywood](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-4-sat-cannock-chase-to-grt-haywood/) - Good evening folks I've just had a really good day as I've been joined by a couple of friends and their eldest son, who is off to live in America very soon and it's been lovely. A gentle start and it really is a lovely place to moor between Rugeley and Little Haywood with the
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014. Day 4, Friday Armitage to Cannock Chase.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-4-friday-armitage-to-cannock-chase/) - Good evening to you all and a lovely day it's been. I haven't travelled far but have got one of my jobs done that I wanted to do in fact maybe nearly two. If you count swabbing down the side of the boat on which I was moored, I might do the other side in
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014 day 3. Thurs.  Alrewas to Armitage.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-3-thurs-alrewas-to-armitage/) - Good evening or morning depending. Day 3 started and finished well but had a little hiccough in the middle. A friend of mine joined me for today and he arrived at about 8.30 so we had a coffee and a bit of a chat to catch up on things. I also tried to explain some
- [Steppin' Out; World tour 2014 day 2, Burton to Alrewas, nice people.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-world-tour-2014-day-2-burton-to-alrewas-nice-people/) - Hi it's been a warm and lovely day with a few people restoring my faith in the human race. Rudely awakened by the building site, opposite where I moored last night, at 7.30 but hey ho it's a nice morning. A cup of milky coffee and grapes, yoghurt and honey for breakfast. After which I
- [Steppin' Out; 2014 world tour, day 1, Tuesday. Willington to Burton.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-2014-world-tour-day-1-tuesday/) - Hi to all of you. Sorry I haven't been on as much as I aught to be really but I'm having a couple of weeks out and about as I'm on holiday from work. How Paul manages to post every week and work is quite amazing. Dedicated. I intended to set out about 12 noon
- [2014 08 31 Newsletter - Route Finding For Narrowboat Owners](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-08-31-newsletter-route-finding-for-narrowboat-owners/) - What a difference a day makes. Last Sunday I took two single soon-to-be narrowboat owners out for a gentle cruise across a marina as flat as polished glass, up through the the three locks of the Calcutt Flight and along an M25-busy canal kissed by mid summer sun. There was so much traffic on the
- [2014 08 17 Newsletter - Popular Narrowboat Myths And Misconceptions ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-08-17-newsletter-popular-narrowboat-myths-and-misconceptions/) - Lat week I told you about my Australian bush hat's baptism of fire when I spent four hours cruising in torrential rain. I received a few suggested remedies. One of them (from my father in Australia) was to send the send the kangaroo skin hat adorned with crocodile heat back to the supplier and get
- [When your dream is just out of reach!](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/when-your-dream-is-just-out-of-reach/) - I had hoped by now to be writing, at the very least, about the building and fit-out of my boat. But yet again, I have delays that mean I can't put the order in for the hull just yet! I have a job overlooking the the Lee Valley Navigation, (Where? Exactly!...Oh come on points for
- [2014 08 10 Newsletter - Narrowboat electrics, heating and engine specifications ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-08-10-newsletter-narrowboat-electrics-heating-and-engine-specifications/) - Another week in paradise has flashed by. Here we are on Sunday again and I've spent so much time thinking about to write in the main section of the newsletter that I haven't had time to tell you about my working week at the marina. You're probably fed up heating about that anyway, so maybe
- [Narrowboat Heating Part 1 - Stoves](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-heating-part-1-stoves/) - By Tim Davis Onboard Solar As a long term live aboard and ex boat builder I have been involved with many different heating systems over the years. The aim of this article is to look at all the options and to give some insight into the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of the different
- [2014 08 03 Newsletter - Essential Boating Equipment](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-08-03-newsletter/) - The hire boats are out in force. Our wharf is empty. All of our boats are out, as are the boats of many of the hire companies in the area. Most are having a wonderful time but I met a not so happy hirer on the wharf last Sunday evening. I had just come back
- [2014 07 27 Newsletter - The Pros And Cons Of A Wide Beam Home](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-07-27-newsletter-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-wide-beam-home/) - I love the internet and the vast amount of information which is instantly available twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year. However, sometimes I think there is too much information available. Take this week for example. Meadows marina is beautiful. One hundred and forty boats rest on spacious moorings
- [2014 07 20 Newsletter - The Dreaded Weed Hatch](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-07-20-newsletter-the-dreaded-weed-hatch/) - What wonderful weather! When I finished work on Tuesday, I endured the long and painful commute from work to home (a five minute walk through the site and along a grassy bank overlooking the marina) to find tables and chairs set up on the peninsula next to the boat with a clear view of the
- [Grove Lock Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/grove-lock-marina/) - Set in spacious, landscaped grounds adjacent to both the lock and the pub that shares its name, Grove Lock marina offers all the facilities canal boat owners rightfully expect. We provide individual, fully equipped private shower and toilet rooms to each of four boats moored on Gold Service berths. This coupled with reserved parking, a
- [Kings Orchard Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/kings-orchard-marina/) - The marina comprises 89 berths each with its own metered electricity and water on fully secure pontoons incorporating non-slip decking that are serviced by two sets of toilet and showers. There are also nine Gold Service private showers and toilets for the sole and exclusive use of individual boat owners and their families and friend
- [2014 07 13 Newsletter - Digital Aids For Narrowboat Owners](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-07-13-newsletter-digital-aids-for-narrowboat-owners/) - I've just bought a new fridge. It's not just any old fridge. It's a fridge designed specifically for boats and because it's a boat fridge it costs three times as much as a similar 230v fridge. This one was just under £500. Why not just buy the much cheaper and apparently equally cheap to run
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Lady River Mouse](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-lady-river-mouse/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 07 06 - Practical Experience For Lone Boaters](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-07-06-practical-experience-for-lone-boaters/) - My knob's fallen off. Sally's not very happy about it, but it's all her fault. During her time off she likes to twist it regularly throughout the day. Even after a tiring twelve hour shift she can't resist giving it a tweak as soon as she walks in the boat. I suppose it was bound
- [2014 06 29 - Extending Your Boat's Storage Space](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-06-29-extending-your-boats-storage-space/) - At this time of the year, I am food. My usual uniform is shorts and one of the half dozen embroidered Disley polo shirts I salvaged from the wreckage of my failed cleaning business. The tops are both comfortable and durable but but neither shirt nor shorts offer me any protection from the site's summertime
- [In praise of Pram Hoods and Cruiser Sterns](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/in-praise-of-pram-hoods-and-cruiser-sterns-2/) - I have been aflost now for about 14 months and I love the cruiser stern with it's pram hood and thought it time to put a post on my blog in praise of said Pram Hood. I've been very lax of late, thanks for any concern but no it's not a bowel problem it's just
- [2014 06 22 Newsletter - Naming Your Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-06-22-newsletter-naming-your-boat/) - Are you thinking of mooring your boat on one of Calcutt Boats' two Warwickshire marinas? Don't! OK, the marinas are located at the heart of the inland waterways network just a stone's throw away from the canal capital at Braunston. From here you can head north west along the Grand Union towards Leamington Spa, Warwick
- [Your place or mine?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/your-place-or-mine/) - There are a lot of things on which I hold an opinion! Some I know more about than others. Some I know nowt about but have an opinion anyway! As any woman can tell you its a "man thing! One thing I do know is when someone is making legal claims that the case law
- [2014 06 15 Newsletter - Speeding Boats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-06-15-newsletter-speeding-boats/) - I'm sorry, but I haven't done a very good job of writing my holiday blog. I've been too busy setting up the new service. The more I think about the service, the more I find to do, and the more emails I deal with from those of you interested in coming on a discovery day.
- [Try and stay on the towpath...That stuff in the cut is wet!](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/try-and-stay-on-the-towpath-that-stuff-in-the-cut-is-wet/) - I can confirm that Canal water is wet! Cycling along the tow path from Ricky to Watford, as I do on a regular basis, the other night I was balancing a strimmer on the handle bars in the direction or travel when I struck a bump (BW used building rubble in places to shore up
- [Calcutt Marina To Welford Junction](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/calcutt-marina-to-welford-junction/) - As a beginning to a canal cruise, it wasn't very impressive. We had one or two jobs to do on Sunday before we could leave. The first and most important, although Sally may disagree, was to finish off the newsletter. I made an early start to get it out of the way so that we
- [Limehouse Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/limehouse-marina/) - Limehouse Marina is located to the East of London, and connects the River Lee (via the Limehouse Cut), the Regents Canal and the River Thames. This is an ideal location for all river, canal and sea going pleasure craft. The 90 berth marina with excellent modern facilities is an oasis of calm in London. The
- [Beware The Ebay Buyer Protection Narrowboat Scam](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/beware-the-ebay-buyer-protection-narrowboat-scam/) - A few days ago, I receceived an email from subscriber Sylvia Archer-Longden. She and her husband have been trawling the internet looking for narrowboats. They found one advertised on the Boats & Outboards web site that they liked the look of. The advert was a free listing on Boats & outboards, but the photo's of
- [Boatie folk!](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/boatie-folk/) - This weekend saw me at the Rickmansworth Canal Festival. Booze, bands and Boatie Folk at the "Boatie Folk" night on Friday when all the Canal community and those who have moored up for the festival get together, then all day Saturday with my two little boys looking at boats and buying ice cream! The sheer
- [Made in Britain](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/made-in-britain/) - Sounds like I'm ready to knock something and yes I am but please don't get me wrong. I know a lot of what was made in Britain and what still is made in Britain is excellent ... excellent engineering, innovation and of the highest quality. But not swing bridges no - ok, ok I know
- [2014 05 11 Newsletter - How To Avoid Common Narrowboat Accidents](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-05-11-newsletter-how-to-avoid-common-narrowboat-accidents/) - IMPORTANT NOTE: If you've arrived here after clicking on the link in the introductory email for the 18th May newsletter, you're out of luck. You're out of luck because I'm stupid. I should have linked to the correct newsletter for 18th May here. And if you arrived here via any other route, please ignore what
- [Me and my Morso](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/me-and-my-morso/) - So I came down the hillock and headed for Adlington Ellerbeck boatyard (I highly recommend this Boatyard as they do a good job with other jobs done as part of the deal and their pricing is fair compared to what I have experienced elsewhere) and had some necessary work done. I had my ballast re-sorted
- [They’re Weighing You Up](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/theyre-weighing-you-up/) - We had signed up for one of the “theme nights” at “our” newly discovered local tea room “Kay’s” located in Willington -- a small Derbyshire village about 20 minutes down the towpath from Mercia Marina where “Stardust” was to have her winter mooring. “Kay’s” is the epitome of a charming English tea room, run by
- [Wooden you just know...?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/wooden-you-just-know/) - As I get (slightly) closer to getting my own boat a strange thing happened. You see, I predicated my budget on doing the fit out myself, I have been sparkys mate, wired houses, am a dab hand with the plumbing and always considered myself to be a decent chippy. So when a friend said could
- [2014 05 04 Newsletter  - How To Find A Residential Mooring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-05-04-newsletter-how-to-find-a-residential-mooring/) - Firstly let me start with an apology if you're on the newsletter mailing list. Last Sunday, as ever in a bit of a rush, I drafted the introductory email and scheduled it as usual to go out at 1pm. One o'clock came and went but I didn't receive a conformation that the email batch had
- [Do I Need A Residential Mooring To Stay On My Narrowboat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/do-i-need-a-residential-mooring-to-stay-on-my-narrowboat/) - You won't need to get a residential mooring for occasional visits. Residential moorings are only needed if you're going to live on the boat full time. Every marina should allow you to visit your boat on an occasional basis. Just how flexible the arrangement is depends upon the individual marina. Staying on board some nights
- [What Is The Difference Between Residential And Leisure Moorings?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-residential-and-leisure-moorings/) - A leisure mooring is for mooring your boat when you aren't using it. The mooring may have all the facilities you need to live on board (electricity, water and sewage disposal) but you aren't allowed to live there. You are allowed to visit and you are usually allowed to stay on board for days or
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Manouche](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-manouche/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 04 27 Newsletter - My Perfect Live Aboard Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-04-27-newsletter-my-perfect-live-aboard-narrowboat/) - The bank holiday weekend is behind us so many of our hire boats are back on the wharf. One of the boats which should have been back on Tuesday didn't return on time. It wasn't very well. The engine seized in the middle of Braunston tunnel as the crew were on the final leg of
- [Well, we finally made it! Almost ....](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/well-we-finally-made-it-almost/) - Having launched in Liverpool Marina in December, having Christmas in Salthouse Dock & wintering at Scarisbrick Marina, we left at the end of March on our way back to Yorkshire (having left in August '13 to live in a caravan whilst the boat was being made). Our first couple & of nights were spent moored
- [2014 04 20 Newsletter - Wide Beam Mooring Problems](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-04-20-newsletter-wide-beam-mooring-problems/) - We've had another week of glorious weather here in rural Warwickshire. Daytime highs in the mid teens have allowed me to work comfortably in shorts and tee shirt for at least part of every day. I love it! The nights are still chilly though and a real pain if your only form of heating is
- [Up and Down the Hillock](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/up-and-down-the-hillock/) - I'm grounded at least I feel as if I am grounded. I knew about an appointment at the hosp I have to attend at the end of the month and had planned to get a train to the hosp from wherever I was, then I needed to sort the boat out so I could safely
- [2014 04 13 Newsletter - An A to Z of everything narrowboat Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-04-13-newsletter-an-a-to-z-of-everything-narrowboat-part-2/) - I love the job I do. It's about as perfect as a job can get. It's actually the first work as an employee that I've had since I ended my twelve year career in pub management in 1990. After that, and until I started working here at Calcutt Boats, I ran my own businesses, mostly
- [A kick up the proverbial](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-kick-up-the-proverbial/) - I am wondering why I bothered with the survey. It cost me £395 and although it did tell me the hull density it excused itself of committing to the density test as the survey only had limited access even though the dry-dock cost £245. It did tell me that the boat was of a good
- ["Taking the 'Ahhhh!' out of Agas!" or "Fuel for thought!"](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/taking-the-ahhhh-out-of-agas-or-fuel-for-thought/) - Among the many strains of research I have come across in my desire for life afloat/off grid/independant - or as much as you can get on this crowded and over-regulated island is the matter of stoves. Most boats have a solid fuel stove of some kind. From the traditional "Boatmans Cabin" to a nice Morso
- [Choosing the best type of toilet for a narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/choosing-the-best-type-of-toilet-for-a-narrowboat/) - There are two types of toilet you can use on your narrowboat; there's the pump out toilet and the cassette toilet (sometimes referred to as a "Porta Potti). Each has advantages and disadvantages but which is best for you? The Narrowboat Cassette Toilet The cheapest to buy and maintain is the cassette toilet. It's basically
- [2014 04 06 Newsletter - An A to Z of everything narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-04-06-newsletter-an-a-to-z-of-everything-narrowboat/) - I love writing my weekly newsletters. In addition to providing information to help aspiring boat owners realise their dream of owning a floating home, the newsletters are my personal diary. I know that reading what I have written in years to come will bring the memories flooding back. I love writing them but they take
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-1/) - Early June 2010 I've had one narrow-boat, a 55' cruiser-stern Liverpool Boat. I did a great deal of work on that, most of it involving rust removal or rust prevention, and I found that my efforts would need to be ongoing if it was to remain in reasonable condition. The worst two jobs were the
- [I have a list of paranoias ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/i-have-a-list-of-paranoias/) - I have a list of paranoia's or are they just worries...the weed hatch paranoia, the lack of water one, the water in the boat one, the flat battery one, the misfiring engine one, the was I ripped off when I bought it one and is the Morso too close to the bed one..., the am
- [2014 03 30 Newsletter - Earning Money On The Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-03-30-newsletter-earning-money-on-the-cut/) - After I stepped off the plane at Heathrow after my month away in the sun, the frigid air reminded me why it's so good to get away from the British weather occasionally. However, after a couple of days of rain during my first week back on the boat, the weather improved so much that I
- [2014 03 16 Newsletter - Sharing Your Narrowboat Space](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-03-16-newsletter-sharing-your-narrowboat-space/) - I've had Matty Smith here on the boat again this week. He came on Friday afternoon to fit seven LED ceiling domes and my new Smartgauge battery monitor. The ceiling lights were a mess. I suspect that they were the original lights fitted when the boat was built in 1977. On several, the catches which
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Pengalanty](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-pengalanty/) - I knew Allan's case study was going to make an interesting read when he said, "I was working full time until I was 77 when doing two or three jobs became a bit much for me." - And then he mentioned that he cruises with his ex wife who also has her own narrowboat! Enjoy
- [Right says Fred...](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/right-says-fred/) - A boating friend I have recently made said I was paranoid about my weed hatch which I now check every day. I've found so many things down there and always feel a bit like James Herriot as I role up my sleeve and plunge my hand in to clear the various obstructions that cling to
- [In the beginning ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/in-the-beginning/) - I sit here full of everything to write and can find few words to say, few words to put down on paper...I hardly want to think or say I might have made a mistake. I might have forked out 27.5k on a boat that is totally unready and just not in the least but suitable
- [Blindly going where most men have gone before](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/blindly-going-where-most-men-have-gone-before/) - Ok let's not all faint at once...I of no strength in my hands, no confidence in electrics fixed the pump and it actually works very well. One thing I did was to take photos of the pump whilst it was still fitted so I would know how to put it all back together again...but I
- [The scream of the ambulance is sounding...](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-scream-of-the-ambulance-is-sounding/) - There’s a lot to be said for marina life especially in a major city - hot showers, toilet facilities, washer/drier facilities, pump-out and Elsan - friendly helpful and chatty neighbours it’s all happening here in New Islington marina in the center ish of Manchester What’s more the first week is free and then it’s just
- [Electricity and Water do not mix! Ha!](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/electricity-and-water-do-not-mix-ha/) - Electricity and water do not mix! At least not according to most of the perceived wisdom. But, I beg to differ and so do a few adventurous souls. Who, when I get my own laptop back and can find their web pages, will get a mention. Confused? Don't be...at least not yet! You see, I
- [...its still the begining isn't it...?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/its-still-the-begining-isnt-it/) - Of course I am most worried about the end coming early through ignorance, stupidity lack of money. I have met a few people on benefits who live on their boats in Marina's and claim. I've never been too keen on claiming anything as I would rather work but working in my various industries seems to
- [Dreaming the Dream!](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dreaming-the-dream/) - Dr Martin Luther King once said to the world "I have a dream!" Well so do I! Mine is a bit smaller than his. A little less grandiose and much more selfish. I want to live on a boat! I have wanted it for nearly 30 years. In fact ever since I was a young
- [2014 03 16 Newsletter - Paying For A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-03-16-newsletter-paying-for-a-narrowboat/) - We've had a week of frantic activity at Calcutt. It's always the same. When we put the hire fleet to bed for the winter at the end of October, the start of the following season seems an impossible distance in the future and then, all of a sudden, the future has arrived and we're not
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Morialta 11](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-morialta-11/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 8](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-8/) - Continued from part 7 6th of August 2011 My gearbox has been replaced, and my 20 hour service has been carried out. We're at Kate Boats at Stockton Locks, and there is now a crew of 6 family members including 1-year old Chloe on board, all ready for a cruise to Stratford. All goes swimmingly,
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 9](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-9/) - Continued from part eight 9th & final Sea Otter Boat progress report. 16th of January 2014. Me and my Sea Otter Boat are now on the Lancaster Canal, and I'm looking back over the last two and a half years. I have had a few major teething problems a couple of years ago, and some
- [What it's all about and Willington pubs too.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/what-its-all-about-and-willington-pubs-too/) - Good morning everyone and with the sunshine streaming through my windows and warming my legs up as well as the cockles of my heart it feels good so thought I'd share my ramblings. As you may have spotted yesterday was glorious so after checking my oil, water and gearbox fluid, on which I have a
- [2014 03 09 Newsletter - Narrowboat Knots](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-03-09-newsletter-narrowboat-knots/) - I don't want to go on holiday again. I spent a month doing very little physical work so I've found the last week pretty hard. Fellow groundsman Patrick went into hospital to have an operation on his shoulder just before I went away. He had a piece of bone removed. The surgeon recommended that he
- [A Month In Paradise Part Four](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-month-in-paradise-part-four/) - Continued from part three We left Manila after an exhausting, expensive and rather tedious three days. We were there as treat for Sally's sister and her husband Corizon as a thank you for taking such good care of Sally's house in her absence. At the end of the three days, I'm not entirely sure whether
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Joanie M](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-joanie-m/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 03 02 Newsletter - Composting Toilets](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-03-02-newsletter-composting-toilets/) - I'm back. I had a gentle introduction to the English weather after a month of constant thirty degree daytime highs. We stopped at Hong Kong to changes planes. The temperature had dropped ten degrees and, just to make me feel really at home, there was a grey mist hanging over the water next to the
- [A Month In Paradise Part Three](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-month-in-paradise-part-three/) - Continued from part two I consider myself pretty fit. I work a forty five hour week doing a physically demanding job without any problem at all. In fact, I enjoy the challenge and relish the exercise. I have more stamina than most people half my age and just about everyone the same age as me.
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 6](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-6/) - Continued from part 5 7th of April 2011. Another week has flown by and I visit Sea Otter Boats again. The engine has just been unpacked from its crate. I suspect that I pushed the amiable repartee which had developed between us over the last few months to a perilous new level when I told
- [Composting Toilets](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/composting-toilets/) - The information below has been kindly provided by liveaboard narrowboat owner Allan Cazely. It's additional information on the subject which many narrowboat owners are obsessed with. I wrote briefly about the subject in this post several years ago. Composting v Other Types of Toilet I have read a couple of issues regarding fitting out of
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Victoria Plum](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-victoria-plumb/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 02 23 Newsletter - Living Life In The Slow Lane](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-02-23-newsletter-living-life-in-the-slow-lane/) - Time has flown again. It only seems like five minutes ago that I landed in Manila, dreading meeting Sally's relatives, hoping that I could get on with them and hoping that we could communicate given that their native tongue is Llongo with a smattering of English, not the more widely spoken Tagalog which I thought
- [Narrowboat Builders?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-builders/) - We would like some suggestions, as to who to go to, to get quotes for a live-aboard new build. It may well turn out to be a "sailaway + bits fitted" for us to finish ourselves but we want the basics to be right for us and we don't think we need/can afford a complete
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 5](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-5/) - Continued from part 4 2nd of March 2011. I normally call at Sea Otter Boats weekly but it has been almost 2 weeks since my last visit (because of the intervening Birmingham boat show) and the internal layout is well under way. The 240v Dimplex fan heater that I supplied has been neatly fitted into
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 4](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-4/) - Continued from part 3 I return again with my wife, because today is the day for choosing carpets, seat materials, and curtain colours, so lots of decisions to be made. Paul had also previously asked about how I wanted the boat painted. Today I give him a photograph of my old boat, which had red
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 3](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-3/) - Continued from part two 20th of January 2011 Again I’m impressed by the progress made since my last visit just a few weeks ago, particularly considering the festive period fell within that time. The most obvious difference from the outside is that all ten of the curved-top holes for the windows have been cut out,
- [Just a lovely day.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/just-a-lovely-day/) - Good morning to you all and today's weather looks like being the same as yesterdays, warm, dry and maybe a little bit of sunshine too. Yesterday was my first day off of four, I work 12hr shifts 4 days on 4 days off, and lounged in bed till about 7.30, I know I'm an idle
- [2014 02 16 Newsletter - First Winter On Board](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-02-16-newsletter-first-winter-on-board/) - I'm struggling with my choice of internet café. There are two in La Carlota. One is at the rear of a grocery store. In fact, the internet room doubles as a store room. You have to step over and around stacks of boxes and cases to reach the work stations. The connection is quite slow
- [A Month In Paradise](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-month-in-paradise/) - An Unpleasant Arrival We left for the airport with remarkably little luggage. I suppose one of the benefits of living on a narrowboat is that you get used to needing very little and have few aspirations to “live it large” if you ever go away. All we had with us was a sports bag sized
- [A Month In Paradise Part Two](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-month-in-paradise-part-two/) - Continued from Part One Suckling Pig Sally works at a care home just outside Daventry in Northamptonshire. It's hard and very demanding work. She works twelve hour shifts on an understaffed floor, providing personal care to both men and women too infirm to look after themselves, often enduring kicks, punches, scratches, slaps, spitting and biting.
- [Building An Aluminium Narrowboat - Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/building-an-aluminium-narrowboat-part-2/) - Continued from part one. I return to Otter Boats on the 14th of December 2010 by which time some of the previously flat-packed aluminium panels had been joined and bent to produce a semblance of a water craft. But most of the engineering work done so far had been in the construction of the V-shaped
- [Winter pleasures](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/winter-pleasures/) - My first winter afloat and so far it's not been a really cold one but still it is a test of coping with the dark nights in a confined space and keeping warm. Keeping warm? Friends still ask if it's cold on a boat and I suppose it's a fair question seeing how we are
- [2014 02 09 Newsletter - Building An Aluminium Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-02-09-newsletter-building-an-aluminium-narrowboat/) - I'm sending this newsletter out today courtesy of an internet cafe at the rear of a general grocery store in La Carlota on the island of Negros about 500km south of Manilla. I've been on the island since Monday after spending a couple of days in frantic, filthy Manilla. In contrast with a city housing
- [2014 02 02 Newsletter - Monitoring Your Boat From Afar](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-02-02-newsletter-monitoring-your-boat-from-afar/) - Tuesday evening... Boy, am I glad we're getting on a plane and heading towards warmer weather on Saturday. I love living on the boat but this weather is a real pain. Things aren't just wet, they're sodden. I spend my working days slipping and sliding through shallow pools of liquid mud, dodging showers and trying
- [Julynian - A Wide Beam Self Fit Out Part 3](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/julynian-a-wide-beam-self-fit-out-part-3/) - Continued from Part 2 It’s now November 06 and having been on the water for 18 months we decide to take the boat out of the canal and place on dry land. This was mainly due to changes and expansion with our business, but gave an opportunity to re Black the hull and finish all
- [Calder & Hebble Navigation. A Rough Guide](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/calder-hebble-navigation-a-rough-guide/) - The Calder &Hebble is my favourite waterway, being a mix of canal, quirky lock gear and river with some great views, sturdy Yorkshire towns and plenty of pubs selling good beer. However, its the river sections that cause some people, Jeannette included, some disquiet. The river floods often with the canal sections protected by flood
- [2014 01 26 Newsletter - Keeping Your Feet Warm On Board](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-01-26-newsletter-keeping-your-feet-warm-on-board/) - Spring is on its way. I love this time of the year. I know that its all plain sailing when I arrive back at the boat after a hard day's work and I can see the path from the car parking bay where I leave the truck up to the mooring. It's quite a steep
- [2014 01 19 Newsletter - Is Weil's Disease Something To Worry About?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-01-19-newsletter-is-weils-disease-something-to-worry-about/) - After I pushed the button to send out last Sunday's newsletter, Sally uttered the phrase I had been dreading for the previous two or three days, "Let's go shopping!" I suppose it's necessary sometimes to join the swarming humanity jammed into soulless shopping malls spending money they can ill afford on things they don't really
- [Julynian - A Wide Beam Self Fit Out](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/julynian-a-wide-beam-self-fit-out/) - We initially became interested in boating in 2003 when My younger brother following a divorce, decided to purchase a narrowboat to live on. After talking with him at some length about it Lynn and myself decided to look into it further. We did a lot of research on the internet and subscribed to a couple
- [Julynian - A Wide Beam Self Fit Out Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/julynian-a-wide-beam-self-fit-out-part-2/) - Continued from Part 1 The boat yard is on the river with steel floating pontoons. We paid to moor the boat here over the winter period. The pontoons were quite large so plenty of room for working outside in the warmer weather and a constant 240 volt supply. This is when the boat was ballasted,
- [2014 01 12  Newsletter - How To Fit Out Your Own Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-01-12-newsletter-how-to-fit-out-your-own-boat/) - Sometimes I feel like a hamster on a wheel, running as fast as I can but not moving forward an inch. This week has been one of those weeks. For a start, I feel awful. On Thursday I had enough injections to make any self respecting pin cushion wince. Sally and I are going on
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Wide Beam Julynian](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-wide-beam-julynian/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2014 01 05  Newsletter - New Year Resolutions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2014-01-05-newsletter-new-year-resolutions/) - A Happy New Year to you! Did you celebrate? Did you party until the wee hours or, like me, enjoy a quiet night in? Sally and I aren't party people. Most of the time we enjoy each other's company and the peace and quiet on the boat. On Tuesday afternoon we paid a quick visit
- [Galgate Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/galgate-marina/) - A British Waterways Marina Galgate is a rural village close to the south of Lancaster. Just off the A6, and near Junction 33 of the M6, the marina has excellent access to the motorway network and to public transport. It is within easy reach of Lancaster's many tourist and leisure attractions as well as the
- [2013 12 29  Newsletter - Managing Christmas Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-12-29-newsletter-managing-christmas-afloat/) - My working year is over. Over as far as Calcutt Boats is concerned anyway. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be spending quite a few more hours working on this site before I see the annual fireworks over Big Ben. I had an exciting few days before we closed for business on Monday afternoon.
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat The Pearl](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-the-pearl/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2013 12 22  Newsletter - Narrowboat Storage Space](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-12-22-newsletter-narrowboat-storage-space/) - I love it when a plan comes together. Over the last two years I've been working hard to improve a key area of the site here and one which spoiled an otherwise beautiful marina. Calcutt Boats own 110 acres in total. Seventy acres are accessible agricultural land but the main part of the site is
- [Choosing A Marina For Your Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/choosing-a-marina-for-your-narrowboat-2/) - This article was written for narrowboat owners but whether you own a seagoing yacht, a barge, a cruiser or a narrowboat, you still need somewhere to moor. Many, if not all of the following considerations will apply to you. There are literally hundreds of marinas to choose from. Not all of them will be able
- [2013 15  Newsletter - Roses And Castles Canal Art](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-15-newsletter-roses-and-castles-canal-art/) - What a wonderful way to start the week. I was asked to collect a boat from Wigram's Turn marina at Napton Junction and bring it back to the engineering workshop at the southern end of our Locks marina. The weather was beautiful on Monday. A weak autumnal sun was trying to break through a grey
- [2013 12 08 Newsletter - Fitting Secondary Double Glazing](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-12-08-newsletter-fitting-secondary-double-glazing/) - We still have water on our pontoon which is an indication of the mild autumn weather so far. We usually turn the water off to the above ground taps on Meadows marina at the beginning of December when sub zero nights and marginally warmer days can cause damage to the plastic pipes. We've only had
- [A Near Death experience, CO alarms a must and a costly mistake.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-near-death-experience-co-alarms-a-must-and-a-costly-mistake/) - Hi everyone no I'm not writing this from the other side. This is not a ghostly missive but maybe it could have been. Here are a couple of reminders for everyone about CO alarms and chimney cleaning and a slightly embarassing not knowing your boat's electical system as well as you should. Firstly I was
- [2013 12 01 Newsletter - Narrowboat Secondary Double Glazing](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-12-01-newsletter-narrowboat-secondary-double-glazing/) - There's not much been happening on the water over the last week. Our wharf is practically full. All of our twelve hire boats are moored up for the winter. About half of them will make the short journey down through two locks and into our marina for blacking before they start to go out again
- [The Downside Of Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-downside-of-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Oh, what a life! Seven days a week of gentle relaxation watching the world go by as you sip a never-ending supply of gin and tonics from the comfort of your luxurious floating home. That’s the dream but not quite the reality. Finding A Place To Moor On dry land it’s easy. The home you
- [The Downside To Living On A Narrowboat ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-downside-to-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Oh, what a life! Seven days a week of gentle relaxation watching the world go by as you sip a never-ending supply of gin and tonics from the comfort of your luxurious floating home. That’s the dream but not quite the reality. Finding A Place To Moor On dry land it’s easy. The home you
- [How To Collect Snail Mail When You Live Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-collect-snail-mail-when-you-live-afloat/) - Most of the mail you receive at home may be a nuisance - bills, junk mail, reminder notices for eye tests, hearing tests, doctor and hospital appointments etc - but at least you can throw it away when you don't want it. But how do you deal with this necessary evil when you're living afloat
- [2013 11 17 Newsletter Narrowboat Central Heating](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-11-17-newsletter-narrowboat-central-heating/) - Before I talk about this week's subject narrowboat central heating, let me just say a huge "thank you" for the many, many emails I've received offering Sally and her family moral support. I'm delighted to be able to report that Sally's family are OK. We tried and failed to contact Sally's sister, Corazon, for four
- [2013 11 24 Newsletter - Winter Fuel Allowance](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-11-24-newsletter-winter-fuel-allowance/) - It's official. I'm now fully trained to cut down the same size trees I was cutting down quite happily before the four day training course I endured last weekend. Don't get me wrong, I think that comprehensive training is necessary when working with dangerous tools and chainsaws are very dangerous. There are far more serious
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Progress](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-progress/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [Chilling With Rich](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/chilling-with-rich/) - “I feel like I’ve been in a bubble these last 15 years -- the world has passed me by -- and passed by these skills.” While we talked, he deftly carved off any useful meat from the ribs of the lamb, put it in a container labeled “sausage” and then held the whole rib cage,
- [Calcutt Boats Marina Review](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/calcutt-boats-marina-new/) - Calcutt Boats offer peaceful moorings in the heart of the country. The Locks Marina was opened in 1988 and covers approximately 4.5 acres, with moorings for a maximum of 100 narrowboats (room to water-ski - but please don't!). Fully fendered piers of varying lengths are generously spaced so that each berth can be vacated without
- [2013 11 10 Newsletter - Narrowboat Running Costs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-11-10-newsletter-narrowboat-running-costs/) - Narrowboat terms are a mystery to most potential narrowboat owners. Here's a comprehensive list of terms and what they mean.
- [2013 11 03 Newsletter - Know Your Narrowboat Terminology](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-11-03-newsletter-know-your-narrowboat-terminology/) - Narrowboat terms are a mystery to most potential narrowboat owners. Here's a comprehensive list of terms and what they mean.
- [2013 10 27 Narrowboat Newsletter - Feeling The Effects Of Excess Wind](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-10-27-newsletter-feeling-the-effects-of-excess-wind/) - Adequate heating and sufficient heating isn't the only consideration when keeping your boat warm is at stake. The wind also plays a big part. Here's why...
- [A Review Of The Liveaboard Guide By Tony Jones](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-review-of-the-liveaboard-guide-by-tony-jones/) - I've just been sent a book to review. It's "The Liveaboard Guide" by Tony Jones. Tony Jones has lived aboard his 50ft narrowboat for 7 years, in which time he has traversed 500 miles of canals and rivers, navigated through 400 locks and moveable bridges, run aground 4 times, sunk once, and broken down more
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Moon Shadow](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-moon-shadow/) - Retired Aussie couple Peter & Meagan O'Sullivan have spent the last two and a half years continuously cruising the canals and rivers of England and Wales.
- [2013 06 09 Newsletter - Cruising Notes For Narrowboat Owners](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-06-09-newsletter-cruising-notes-for-narrowboat-owners/) - Even with an up to date Nicholson or Pearson map to hand there's always room for more information. Here's an additional cruising guide for you.
- [2013 10 06 Newsletter - Water, Water Everywhere... And Not A Drop To Drink](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-10-06-newsletter-water-water-everywhere-and-not-a-drop-to-drink/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 6th October 2013 Last week I told you that I had taken one of our hire boats to Braunston and moored it there ready to tow a broken down boat back to Calcutt. I set off for Braunston on Sunday as soon as I finished the newsletter. It wasn't the
- [2013 10 13 Newsletter - On Demand Water Heater Problems](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-10-13-newsletter-on-demand-water-heater-problems/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 13th October 2013 Over the last week I've been working hard on my latest obsession; building up a store of firewood to use in my stove to help me cut down on my astronomical heating bill. Between August 2012 and July 2013 I spent £889 on coal and on heat
- [2013 10 20 Newsletter - Dealing With Condensation On Boats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-10-20-newsletter-dealing-with-condensation-on-boats/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 20th October 2013 I'm in Nottingham this morning. I have a hangover. I can't understand why. I had two small cans of Foster's last night. That's all. I don't ever enjoy a hangover but I can at least accept one when there's good reason. I'm drinking less and less these
- [Narrowboat Electrics Part 2: Generators and Inverters](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-electrics-part-2-generators-and-inverters/) - By Tim Davis This is the second of two articles exploring power generation and use on board narrowboats. The first part is a very detailed look at batteries. You can read it here. Generators come in different types. The petrol hand pull type, and the more expensive “suitcase” type which are now very quiet. Petrol
- [JetMeg1 - the beginning of a new life.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/jetmeg1-the-beginning-of-a-new-life/) - I was reading a blog about a couple who had sold their house & bought a liveaboard, following the husband's brush with cancer. I could have written it myself! In February 2011, Chris had (we were told later) 48 hours before a tumour on his spine severed his spinal chord, which would have led
- [2013 08 04 Newsletter - The PERFECT Narrowboat Washing Machine?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-08-04-newsletter-the-perfect-narrowboat-washing-machine/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 4th August 2013 I love working at the marina. Every day is different. There I was on Thursday, minding my own business cutting the reeds around the moorings on Meadows marina, when I was called upon to do a bit of rescue work. Both marinas are generally quite windy. Meadows marina
- [2013 08 11 Newsletter - A Free Narrowboat Guide For You](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-08-11-newsletter-a-free-narrowboat-guide-for-you/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 11th August 2013 Doesn't time fly? It seems like only yesterday I was looking at the first spring flowers and anticipating the long hot summer ahead. Now here we are, approaching the middle of August, darker evenings and early morning grass wet with dew. I've just taken Charlie and Daisy
- [2013 08 18 Newsletter - Narrowboat Insurance](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-08-18-newsletter-narrowboat-insurance/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 18th August 2013 In the last week I've spent my time either tearing my hair out or considering putting the fire on. The thermometer has dropped particularly low over the past week but it's been cool enough to be not quite comfortable on the boat early mornings and evenings. The
- [2013 08 25 Newsletter - How NOT To Kill Pests On Boats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-08-25-newsletter-how-not-to-kill-pests-on-boats/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 25th August 2013 I've been driven to distraction over the last two weeks. As I sit quietly in my office area, minding my own business, typing and trying to concentrate on what I'm writing trying ever so hard to ignore the distractions around me, two new friends have been clamouring
- [2013 09 01 Newsletter - A Solution To A Leaky Engine Room](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-09-01-newsletter-a-solution-to-a-leaky-engine-room/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 1st September 2013 I think I have a problem. I've been burying my head in the sand but it's not going to go away. I have a leak. I don't know where the water's coming from, but it ends up in the engine room and there's plenty of it. When
- [2013 09 15 Newsletter  - Managing Your Narrowboat's Water Supply](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/managing-your-narrowboats-water-supply/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 15th September 2013 Monday 9th September marked the passing of summer and the onset of autumn. Monday marked the onset of autumn as far as Sally and I were concerned anyway. We lit the stove for the first time since, I think, 8th June. Last winter and spring weren't particularly
- [2013 09 22 Newsletter - A Tragedy At Calcutt](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-09-22-newsletter-a-tragedy-at-calcutt/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 22nd September 2013 I moor my boat on Calcutt Boats' Meadows marina. I also work full time for Calcutt Boats as a groundsman. When I first created this site I mistakenly assumed that most liveaboard narrowboat owners moored on marinas. I was wrong but by the time I realised that
- [2013 09 29 Newsletter - The Folly Of Using Unseasoned Logs For Your Stove](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-09-29-newsletter-the-folly-of-using-unseasoned-logs-for-your-stove/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 29th September 2013 Have I ever mentioned that I love my job? Yesterday, Saturday, was - for me - a perfect day. I spent an hour in the morning cutting back the low hanging ash branches on the wharf lawn and the elder branches above the grassy bank where we
- [The Room Of Kindness](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-room-of-kindness/) - The room was filled with kindness itself. As we walked into Aldin’s Tea Rooms, a long, slender arm was quickly extended upward to me in greeting and I shook and held the smooth unresponsive hand of an older man who smiled back at me and silently pointed to his prominent lapel button. I leaned in
- [The Best And Sweetest Apples](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-best-and-sweetest-apples/) - Today we happened upon a small cafe-type restaurant in Atherstone, Staffordshire called “The Larder” -- a simple store-front converted into a restaurant with an unusual theme: the life of sacrifice (that included food) experienced by most of the British during WWII. The walls are covered with old food and petrol ration cards, original and reproduced
- [Me Missus](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/me-missus/) - There is an unwritten code of proper conduct among canal folk. Actually, most real canal folk would not have anything to do with a "code of conduct". What they would say is simply :"we look out for each other." Part of that looking out is a sense of courtesy melded with practicality. For example, if
- [Mercia Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/mercia-marina/) - On the peaceful and tranquil non-flooding Trent and Mersey Canal, halfway between Fradley Junction and Trent Lock/Sawley, in the heart of England’s canal country, our location offers great cruising routes plus easy road access, being minutes from the junction of the A38 and A50, with Derby, Burton and Nottingham being an easy drive. {{{0}}} [table
- [UK Houseboats - A Typical Day On Board](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/uk-houseboats-a-typical-day-on-board/) - UK houseboats come in several forms; craft that can negotiate oceans, coastal waters, rivers and of course the traditional canal network narrowboats or, as they are sometimes called, canal boats. This article concentrates on the charming and gentle way of life that you can experience living on narrowboats. Narrowboats have earned their name because they
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Miss George](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-miss-george/) - After testing the lifestyle by taking a narrowboat holiday in the depths of winter, Jaks and Andy have now lived on their own narrowboat for four years on a rustic farm mooring on the cut with no facilities. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Jaks
- [Steppin'out; Solo Jolly day 7 Branston to Mercia marina.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-jolly-day-7-branston-to-mercia-marina/) - A bit chilly this morning and put the central heating on to warm things up. Quite a few boaters up and about early and not all of them very curteous as they were passind a good line of moored boats. Some of the boats and some of the people looked like they should know better.
- [Steppin'out; Solo Jolly Day 6 Fradley to Branston](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-jolly-day-6-fradley-to-branston/) - What a beautiful morning to wake up to. Came as a bit of a surprise as I was expectin the same as yesterday. Took my rubbish to the bins and used their toilets then cup of coffee and mop out the engine and bay and decided to fill my grease gun and tighten the stern
- [Steppin'out; Solo Jolly day 5, Great Haywood to Fradley.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-jolly-day-5-great-haywood-to-fradley/) - Hey what happended overnight? It's about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday and it's a good bit breezier too. This is going to be a little bit of a different day to last few but never mind. There seems to be a few folks up and about and they seem to be in a hurry too.
- [Steppin'out; Solo jolly day 4](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-jolly-day-4/) - It's been an enjoyable, funny, different sort of day today. With friends meeting me it was always going to be a round trip back to where we started kind of day. Rather overcast and drizzly which actually turned into heavy drizzle and while planning routes on the computer, I'd opened the side hatch as I
- [Steppin'out; Solo Jolly day 3](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-jolly-day-3/) - I jumped out of bed at the crack of 8.40 to the sound of absolutely nothing, well pretty close I could hear the sound of a few birds singing but basically nothing else. I thought about what I needed to do today and decided I would get the steak and kidney into the oven before
- [Steppin'out; solo day two](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-day-two/) - A rather drizzly start to the day along with the noise of the gravel pit behind me starting the monday morning shift so I'm awake quite early. A cup of milky coffee to get the system going and before I know what's happening I'm setting off at about 8.15 and was gentle past the other
- [Steppin'out; Solo voyage day one.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-solo-voyage-day-one/) - Hi it all seemed a bit scary when I got up Sunday morning and started checking over things. Bread and a few odds n sods was all I required on the food front. Fridge and cupboards would last at least a fortnight if not more. Bag of coal, stuff for the loo and a bleed
- [Steppin'out: My first solo venture.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-my-first-solo-venture/) - Just a couple of nice pics I took yesterday when some friends came round and made me walk it into Willington village. It must be the best part of a mile, then they forced me to have a couple of pints and walk it back again in the lovely warm sunshine. Friends hey? Today
- [Hilda](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hilda/) - On Tuesday I took the Great Western train out west to visit my old friend Hilda B who lives in Somerton, Somerset. Unfortunatey, Somerton's rail stop was eliminated many years ago and so the closest station is Castle Cary and from their you take a cab or bus. Going at this time of year required
- [Taking The Stick](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/taking-the-stick/) - A few months ago I wrote briefly about our encounter with an old (circa 1937) seventy-foot working boat still on the canals -- now selling diesel, propane and solid fuel to clients between Milton Keynes and Marswoth. The boat "Towcester" (pronounced "toaster") is owned by Jules and her husband Richard, the business being: "Jules' Fuels".
- [Ice](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/ice/) - Well, it was bound to happen -- after arriving for the coldest March in recorded history we are now "basking" (as The Times says) in record summer heat, meaning: mid to upper 80's F. So, a daily ritual has been to locate and buy a bag of ice each afternoon for cold evening drinks on
- [The Professor of Fish](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-professor-of-fish/) - Beside the wind-rippled greenish water of the old canal, at the center of Europe’s largest city, a Grey Heron has followed the canal in from the Middlesex countryside sixteen miles away. Last night, from the stern of our boat in Paddington Basin, I watched this quiet professor of fish hunt in the glom of late
- [The Fuel Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-fuel-boat/) - After dominating inland trade from about 1790 to 1840, the canals as a means of commercial transport were gradally eclipsed by the railroads until most boat traffic had ceased by the 1930's. Almost all working boats have now disappeared from the cut as it is called, with some few remaining to haul gravel or sand
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Clay Hammer](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-clay-hammer/) - David describes himself as MANKY - it's not as bad as it sounds - who is single and who hasn't become jaded to the point where he's reluctant to change his status. Until last month he was in full time employment. Now his options are open. Will he cruise the network full time? Who are
- [Natalie](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/natalie/) - There are sometimes moments when you do not know what to do with what you have just seen or been part of. Recently we met Natalie and her live-in care-giver Michael on a Thames ferry. Natalie suffers from very limited vision, among many other things, and was captivated when Valari showed her images from an
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Festina Lente](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-festina-lente/) - After a brush with bowel cancer, Andy and his wife Sue decided to live life to the full, retire early and continuously cruise the canal network. They now have no fixed abode and love every minute of their new lifestyle. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Lorien](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-lorien/) - Julie and Jim love life afloat so much they've brought a little person into the world to share the adventure with them. Although they both work they constantly cruise the network, never staying longer than two weeks in the same spot. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Lucy Lowther](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-lucy-lowther/) - Alan had a choice to make. He could either do nothing but feel sorry for himself when his wife sadly passed away, or he could seize life with both hands and move ahead with his plans to buy a liveaboard narrowboat. A year later he's continuously cruising the inland waterways network with his rescue border
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - Heading North](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-heading-north/) - I haven't posted for a while now so I'll just precis where we've been otherwise it will take up too much of Pauls space. We had to hang around a bit in Birmingham as we were due into the drydock at Hockley Port so we spent the time by going up to Brownhills where we
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Antioch](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-antioch/) - I am in awe of Sarah. She's a lady who can do stuff with her hands (as apposed to me, a man, who struggles to change a plug.). She lives on board a widebeam with two of her three children on the Leeds/Liverpool canal. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Doublefracture](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-doublefracture/) - Mick and Marlene are committed to their life afloat. They burned their bridges and sold their house to fund the purchase of their liveaboard narrowboat Doublefracture. Wierd name, lovely boat! Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) We are Mick and Marlene Masters. I am a
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Forty Winks](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-forty-winks/) - Our Nige thinks he's a lucky fella. He's just sold his house and bought a liveaboard narrowboat. He's just cruised back from where he bought it to his new home mooring. Read on to find out what he thinks about life afloat and what he thought of his first cruise as a narrowboat owner. Who
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Etive II](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-etive-ii/) - Mary Anne, fed up paying rent to unappreciative landlords, took out a personal loan and bought herself a floating home. Now she runs her own business from the boat. Just look at the view from her new office! Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Mary
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Badger Sett](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-badger-sett/) - Keith and Nicky downsized their property in Jersey, used the released capital to buy their 57' "go anywhere" narrowboat and now live on their boat full time while they continuously cruise the canal network. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) We’re Keith and Nicky from
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Stardust](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-stardust/) - Richard Varnes and wife Valerie have sold their home in Colarado to fund a very different floating home on the inland waterways of England and Wales. Professional photographer Valerie takes photo's to add to Richard's written account of their travels. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have
- [Survey Result: The Downside To Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/survey-result-the-downside-to-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - As a result of Pauline Roberts article about the problems she has experienced as a liveaboard narrowboat owner, I created a survey and asked the boat owners who subscribe to this site to give me their point of view. There were eight questions in the survey. The questions and their answers are below. Question 1:
- [The Blacksmith](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-blacksmith/) - Today I met Bob Nightingale a blacksmith of forty years who runs his shop just near the entrance to the Blisworth Tunnel. Bob is an honest man with honest stories to tell -- and he will tell them to you until your ears fall off.... He's the sort of relentless raconteur that part of you
- [Walking With Chris](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/walking-with-chris/) - Yesterday we, at last, managed to get together with our friend Chris whose taxi service has become our regular means of getting from Heathrow to the boat. After riding with him for a short while last year, we knew he was a special one and that we were happily moving into friendship beyond business. Chris
- [Steppin' Out; Settling in, Fishing and things.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-settling-in-fishing-and-things/) - Hi everyone hope the weather is to your liking as there isn't much we can do about it except enjoy. I find myself being very grateful for how things have and are turning out for me. We have at last been blessed with a decent summer to ease me gently into the boating life. A
- [Downsizing From A Three Bed Semi To A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/downsizing-from-a-three-bed-semi-to-a-narrowboat/) - In a way, I was lucky when I moved onto James. I had just moved out of my marital home after an unreconcilable breakdown of my marriage. I took very few material possessions with me; a suitcase stuffed with clothes, a collection of my favourite kitchen knives and, bizarrely, my hiking equipment. James, for a
- [Living With Children On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-with-children-on-a-narrowboat/) - Is it possible to live on a narrowboat with young children? Aren't there too many risks living on the water? Here are some suggestions if you are considering a family life afloat. Here's some advice from Peggy Melmoth who lives on board her 70' narrowboat with two children. "My children were born on the boat
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - BCN - The Northern Reaches](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-bcn-the-northern-reaches/) - The Northern parts of the BCN consist of the Wyrley & Essington, Walsall, Daw End, Rushall and Tame Valley Canals and can be a bit of a challenge to boaters. These are all remainder canals but even so a great part of them have been dredged in recent years. Most boaters enter the Wyrley &
- [Steppin'Out; Hell of a time. Any ideas on the heat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-hell-of-a-time-any-ideas-on-the-heat/) - Hi everyone and isn't it great that we're actually having a summer this year, which I forecasted shortly after the start of May, I have been forecasting a good summer for the last few years too so I was bound to get it right sooner or later. I love the sun and warm weather and
- [2013 07 28 Newsletter - It's Official; There's No Need To Pay Mooring Fees](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-07-28-newsletter-its-official-theres-no-need-to-pay-mooring-fees/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 28th July 2013 I heard many people complaining about the hot weather over the last week or two but I loved every minute of it. OK, I found sleeping a bit of a challenge on some nights when the temperature in our bedroom hovered at the twenty five degree mark
- [2013 07 21 Newsletter - A Complete 2012 Newsletter Index](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-07-21-newsletter-a-complete-2012-newsletter-index/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 21st July 2013 Do you like cherries? I don't. One of our woods is full of wild cherry and there are more of them growing every day. The canal-side wood was planted in 1994. It's a beautiful shaded area of wild cherry, oak, ash, hemlock, Douglas fir, silver birch and
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - BCN, the Southern Bit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-bcn-the-southern-bit/) - The Southern BCN, also known as ‘Back of the Map’, is a useful and attractive alternative link between the Staffs & Worcs and Birmingham. We enter it from the New Main Line and through Netherton Tunnel. At 3027 yards long, this is one of the longest in the country, built by John Walker in 1858
- [2013 07 14 Newsletter - Fenland River Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-07-14-newsletter-fenland-river-cruising/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 14th July 2013 Hasn't the weather been wonderful over the last week or so? With the daytime temperature hovering around the mid twenties, strenuous physical activity has been very demanding. Grass cutting has slowed down a little now that we're enjoying drier days so there's a little more time for
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - BCN Summary](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-bcn-summary/) - There will be 4 parts to the BCN bits but I should warn you that the BCN is addictive. We first travelled on it in 1982, going around the Northern reaches. After a while you will want to cruise every last mile of them, and there are about 100 miles to choose from. Despite being
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - BCN The Middle Bits Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-bcn-the-middle-bits-part-2/) - We left the Old Main Line at Smethwick but if we continued up the locks instead and onto the Wolverhampton level we shortly make an intimate acquaintance with the M5. The motorway builders elected to follow the canal route for the next mile or so with the motorway either above or to one side. To
- [2013 07 07 Newsletter - Enjoy The Summer, Plan For The Winter](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-07-07-newsletter-enjoy-the-summer-plan-for-the-winter/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 7th July 2013 It's hard staying focussed enough to write the newsletter this time of the year. In the winter it's easy. The early mornings and evenings are dark and cold so it's a pleasure sitting in my cosy "office" listening to the wind howling and the rain beating against
- [2013 06 30 Newsletter - Braunston Historic Boat Rally](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-06-30-newsletter-braunston-historic-boat-rally/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 30th June 2013 It's been a difficult week for several reasons; I've made a bit of a boo boo at work, the site has been crashing on a regular basis and last but not least, I've been forced to light my fire a few times in the evening because of
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - BCN The Middle Bit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-bcn-the-middle-bit/) - I've always liked Birmingham and have cruised through it most years since 1982. When we first came it was a fairly secret world, cut off from the rest of the city. Over time, new access points have been made, opening up the towpaths to all, buildings have gone and more have come. Sometimes I would
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser - Into Birmingham ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-into-birmingham/) - As our cruising around Birmingham involves back and forth along several of the same bits, I thought that firstly I would split it into 3 or 4 sections and rather than an account of our daily activities it would be more like a travel guide with a few personal bits thrown in. Travelling towards Birmingham
- [2013 06 23  Newsletter - The Cost Of A Two Week Cruise](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-06-23-newsletter-the-cost-of-a-two-week-cruise/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 23rd June 2013 I've been back in the real world for a week now. In my previous life as a stressed out business owner, going on holiday usually wasn't worth the hassle. Even for a two week break I had to spend weeks preparing for my time away. As a
- [Narrowboat Smoke Detectors: Why You Need At Least One Fitted In Your Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-smoke-detectors-why-you-need-at-least-one-fitted-in-your-boat/) - It’s just as important to have a fire safety system in place on a narrowboat as it is in your home, and a fire detector can mean the difference between life and death if an accident does happen. Those in charge of a narrowboat are encouraged to regularly maintain their fire safety systems to ensure
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a continuous cruiser - Stratford to Birmingham](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-stratford-to-birmingham/) - We left Stratford in the sunshine, planning to stop near the Park & Ride where we expected to find Tom & Christine moored. Unfortunately they had the same idea and had started down the canal the other way. Isn't communication wonderful! After a hurried conversation we moored below the Wilmcote flight and after lunch cycled
- [2013 06 16 Newsletter - Considerate Boating On The Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-06-16-newsletter-considerate-boating-on-the-cut/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 16th June 2013 We're back "home" after two weeks away. I've faithfully recorded our journey each day. Writing the daily updates has taken up much of my free time. I know I've been on holiday so it's all been "free" time but there's only so much time I can spend
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Thirteen: Hillmorton To Willoughby Wharf ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-thirteen-hillmorton-to-willoughby-wharf/) - Yesteerday was a relaxing and extremely enjoyable day; a day at odds with the plans we'd made. Our intention was to cruise from Hillmorton, up through the six locks of the Braunston flight, through the mile and a quarter long tunnel, cruise another hour and a half to Norton Junction, turn round and look for
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Twelve: Ansty To Hillmorton](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-twelve-ansty-to-hillmorton/) - Yesterday was a late start. We slept surprisingly well considering we were moored closed to a busy railway line - a railway line which was our companion for much of the day. The weather forecast warned of gale force winds and heavy rain. However, most of the cruise was in bright sunshine with little more
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Eleven: Coventry Basin](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-eleven-coventry-basin/) - What a busy day we had yesterday. We cruised none stop from 8.00am until 5.00pm with just an hour's break in the centre of Coventry. Within fifteen minutes we were off the Ashby and back onto the Coventry canal. What a difference a little bit of water makes. I hadn't realised quite how shallow the
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Ten: Sutton Wharf To Marston Jabbett](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-ten-sutton-wharf-to-marston-jabbett/) - The weather has turned. Rain is running down my office window as I write this post. The sky is a uniform dirty grey, I can hear trains thundering past on the West Coast Mainline less than half a mile away and there's a row of electricity pylons marching across the landscape. Our mooring is the
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Nine: Gopsall Woods To Sutton Wharf](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-nine-gopsall-woods-to-sutton-wharf/) - Do you know how many moving boats we passed yesterday? Go on, take a guess. No, you're way out. In four hours cruising we saw just one other boat on the move. In four hours cruising along half the length of the Ashby canal in the middle of June there wasn't another boat cruising apart
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Eight: Congerstone To Gopsall Woods](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-eight-congerstone-to-gopsall-woods/) - We're still having problems with excess water in the engine room. With the bilge pump not working, we're having to bail it out with a measuring jug and a bucket. Yesterday we removed eight bucketfulls before we set off and then a further four when we stopped for the night. I think I know where
- [Travels of Joanie M. Life as a Continuous Cruiser @ Stratford](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-stratford/) - My last post had us stuck at Bidford on Avon waiting for the river level to subside. It peaked on the Thursday night but remained at that level for most of the Friday. The owners of the hire boat moored in front arrived to take it back to Evesham, which must have been an interesting,
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Seven: Sutton Wharf To Congerstone](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-seven-sutton-wharf-to-congerstone/) - After a very relaxing two days at Sutton Wharf we resumed our snail's pace cruise yesterday. We moored at the closest point to the town centre, on the visitor moorings just after bridge 42. Station Road is one of the main roads running into Market Bosworth so there was a fair amount of traffic thundering
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Six: A Lazy Day At Sutton Cheyney Wharf](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-six-a-lazy-day-at-sutton-cheyney-wharf/) - We're not playing this cruising game very well at all. We didn't move at all yesterday. I felt a little guilty for a while. How could we achieve the goals we had set for ourselves by moving just a couple of miles a day or, like yesterday, not moving at all? We want to tick
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Five: Stoke Golding To Sutton Cheyney Wharf](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-five-stoke-golding-to-sutton-cheyney-wharf/) - Oh dear! We're not making very much progress. We managed a rather underwhelming two miles yesterday, but we had a great time. The early morning was overcast and quite chilly so I lit the fire. By 11.00 the sun came out and rapidly heated the boat, in addition to the heat to the stove which
- [A two week cruise to the Ashby canal - Day Four: Burton Hastings To Stoke Golding](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-two-week-cruise-to-the-ashby-canal-day-four-burton-hastings-to-stoke-golding/) - What a difference a day makes. The English summer has reverted to normal; a leaden sky and a bit of a nip in the air. As usual, I was up at the crack of dawn but unlike the previous three days, the boat was cold enough to warrant lighting the fire. Oh, for the convenience
- [Brinklow marina to Burton Hastings](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/brinklow-marina-to-burton-hastings/) - I woke up this moring to the sound of birds twittering in the trees on the far bank, fish splashing in the water... and the rumble of trains passing on the West Coast Main Line. The trains aren't close enough to bother us but they do remind us that there's a real world out there
- [Braunston to Brinklow marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/braunston-to-brinklow-marina/) - We had another slow start to the day. Sally and I left the dogs on the boat and walked back to Braunston Junction just after Midland Chandlers opened at 9am. We didn't really need to go but we're both addicted to making improvements to James. Sally wanted to get a couple of adhesive pads for
- [Calcutt to Braunston](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/calcutt-to-braunston/) - We started the trip the way we intend to continue. SLOWLY. As an instructor for the Calcutt hire fleet, I see dozens of professional types with their strict schedules and to do lists. The hassled hirers invariably arrive at Calcutt late because of last minute work obligations. They want to get the holiday started as
- [2013 06 02 Newsletter - Pre Cruise Checklist](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-06-02-newsletter-pre-cruise-checklist/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 2nd June 2013 I'm moving house today. I'm not moving out of my home, I'm taking it with me. The ability to undo a couple of ropes and move your home to another location with a better view is one of the many wonderful aspects of living on a narrowboat.
- [Travels of 'Joanie M' - Life as a Continuous Cruiser 30 May 2013](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-30-may-2013/) - The spring cartridge to repair our toilet didn't arrive on the Tuesday so I went back to the Post Office the next day after visiting the Gloster Regimental Museum on the Quay. From the comments written on the envelope it appeared that a dyslexic postman had first delivered it to the Debenhams store opposite. As
- [2013 05 26 Newsletter - From Nervous Anticipation To Confident Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-05-26-newsletter-from-nervous-anticipation-to-confident-cruising/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 26th May 2013 Let me tell you a story. It's a horror story. The main characters are my bank, my laptop, an unknown individual of debatable parentage and I. About a month ago I told you that I had my identity stolen. My new laptop was hacked, I was locked
- [Crick Show](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/crick-show/) - Not much more to report. We are visiting the Crick show on Sunday, to see more boats and hopefully get more ideas for the "fit out". If any of you are there, look out for us - we'll have our Ginger Cockerpoo pup with us, she loves going on boats already, including going up
- [2013 05 19 Newsletter - Keeping Dry On The Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-05-19-newsletter-keeping-dry-on-the-cut/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 19th May 2013 I try not to upset people when I write the weekly newsletters. After all, living on a narrowboat is supposed to be a stress free alternative to living in a bricks and mortar home. I don't always succeed though. I upset at least one couple with the
- [Our Nige; B****y Technology, steaming ears and high blood pressure.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/our-nige-by-technology-steaming-ears-and-high-blood-pressure/) - Sodding narrowboats are supposed to be relaxing well not when you're trying to link your stupid blog posts with the even more stupid b****y facebook account and you've gone through it 177 times checking you've done what you're supposed to and then finding out you missed a bit. Agggghhhhhhh SSSSSSSuuuuuuggg gaarrr. Then it still won't
- [Life change - Selling up to live on a Wide Beam](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/life-change-selling-up-to-live-on-a-wide-beam/) - Hi there, Let me introduce ourselves to you; I'm Rob, I work as a teacher/outdoor education instuctor in a special school for "naughty boys" (I'm not allowed to say that, so please don't quote me!) it's officially classified as SEBD, basically boys who for whatever reason have had no boundaries put in place! I was
- [Steppin' Out; the epiblog part 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-the-epiblog-part-1/) - Hi to all and everyone who followed our progress. This has been an amazing journey for me and my crew. Some journeys aren't just about the mileage involved sometimes it's the inter-dimensional space time continuum transponders too. A time to just not think about anything other than the event happening to you right now. Nine
- [Travels of Joanie M. Life as a Continuous Cruiser 13 May 2013](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser-13-may-2013/) - We arrived in Gloucester off the River Severn on 9 April seeing a pair of Dunlins, a Kingfisher and our first Swallows on the way. Both of us glad to be here as rivers are not our favourite thing. We have been here by boat before, in 1991. Not much has changed around the docks
- [Detailed narrowboat running costs for March 2013](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/detailed-narrowboat-running-costs-for-march-2013/) - Oh boy, oh boy oh boy! The expenses keep on coming. I'm determined to get James in a suitable condition for long term cruising after the boat's spent over a decade of decline stuck on a marina mooring. There's been a huge amount to do. Sometimes I think I might have been better off spending
- [2013 05 12 Newsletter - An Interview With The Trust's Head Of Boating](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-05-12-newsletter-an-interview-with-the-trusts-head-of-boating/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 12th May 2013 I'm always amazed how quickly you make new friends on the cut. After years of living and working in London where even my immediate neighbours were strangers, the easy going and approachable nature of most liveaboard narrowboat owners is truly refreshing. I spent a very pleasant couple
- [Our Nige; Joys of sunny days and The Dangers of The Dark Side.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/our-nige-joys-of-sunny-days-and-the-dangers-of-the-dark-side/) - Bear with me folks on the Epiblog but there's so much to do now I'm home. People visiting, getting used to the marina, fetching my worldly possessions from other peoples houses and seeing what can be dispensed with as I still need to downsize some more. What a bank holiday we had. Wall to wall
- [2013 05 05 Newsletter - Narrowboat Fuel Tank Range And An Encounter With Snakes](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-05-05-newsletter-narrowboat-fuel-tank-range-and-an-encounter-with-snakes/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 5th May 2013 I took James out for another cruise last week. I was out for longer but didn't travel as far, not did I have nearly as much fun. I took James along to our workshops to have some more work on the engine. River Canal Rescue serviced my
- [Steppin' Out; Fradley jct to Home, Willington](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-fradley-jct-to-home-willington/) - Hi to all welcome to the last post for this adventure. That really is what it's been for me and Steve and Linda an adventure. Scary at times but a lot of fun and well worth the effort. Now it's about a new life style but let us not get ahead of ourselves. We had
- [Steppin' Out; Day 8 Great Haywood to Fradley Jct](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-day-8-great-haywood-to-fradley-jct/) - A beautiful morning to wake up to, even if I didn't see it till ten past nine. A top coat warmer it was, only two t shirts and a fleece, summer must have arrived early. I wonder if last nights drinking has anything to do with it, surely not. We frequented a place called the
- [2013 04 28 Newsletter - Narrowboat Blogs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-04-28-newsletter-narrowboat-blogs/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 28th April 2013 I've been reading Our Nige's blog, Steppin' Out, with great interest and a certain amount of nostalgia. He picked up his new floating home last Sunday and over the last week has been learning all about the boat as he cruised towards Mercia marina. He reminded me
- [A Day Trip To Braunston](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-day-trip-to-braunston/) - I don't get out much. Sorry; on reflection I should say, I don't go out cruising on James much. On further reflection, I'll revert to I don't get out much. Whatever the case, I've decided to do much, much more cruising in the future. The main problem has been my lack of confidence in the engine. As
- [Steppin' Out; Day 7 Stone to Great Haywood](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-day-7-stone-to-great-haywood/) - Good evening and a wonderful steady relaxing day we have had. Posted blog this morning and after Steve and Linda returned from a little shopping we got ready and set off. Twenty yards later we stopped. We set off again and twenty yards later we stopped again. The engine was cutting out once we were
- [Steppin' Out; Day 6 Congleton through the Harecastle to Stone.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-day-6-congleton-through-the-harecastle-to-stone/) - Good morning peoples I was rudely awoken by Cath ringing at 8o'clock to complain where yesterdays Blog was. So at least someones reading it. Sorry it wasn't done last night but we started at 9am and moored up at 8pm with a canal side Pub beckoning us once we'd eaten. This shows you were my
- [Steppin' out; Day 5, Fourlane-ends to Congleton.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-day-5-fourlane-ends-to-congleton/) - Hello out there, a bloody long day today. Set off at 20 to 9 and we headed for Bollington as we needed some diesel and a pumpout. We were level when we saw the signs so carried on as reversing wasn't an option. We found a boatyard in Macclesfield, Buxton Rd Wharf who deserve a
- [Steppin' Out; Day 4 Marple bottom lock to Fourlane-ends](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-day-4-marple-bottom-lock-to-fourlane-ends/) - Hello out there we have had a much nice and better day today. No Manchester, sorry to any Mancunians but I don't like cities. Our first lock was all of 300 yds from where we were moored and we attacked the beginning of the Marple flight at 9.00. Very nice area and lots of trees
- [Steppin' Out; Day 3 from Velodrome to Marple bottom lock.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-day-3-from-velodrome-to-marple-bottom-lock/) - Hi everyone or no one as the case maybe. 9.10 we set off to do 11 locks on the Ashton and then on to the Peak Forest with 10 miles of crusing after the locks. They are deep single locks taking us through some different types of places. I'm glad we were advised to moor
- [Steppin' Out; Castlefield through the Rochdale 9 to the Velodrome.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-castlefield-through-the-rochdale-9-to-the-velodrome/) - The overnight mooring at Castlefield which I was a little concerned about turned out to be very nice. Waterfront pubs, a bit Yuppy and mondern for us old fogeys but not blaring music and a fine choice of real ales. I sampled the Happy Daze cider and then the Cheshire Cat blonde beer and then
- [Steppin' Out; The maiden voyage, Lymm to Castlefield.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-the-maiden-voyage-lymm-to-castlefield/) - The pic if it's still there is myself, left, then Harry, Cath and Steve. Hi everyone the first days cruising on my wonderful boat. I sat with my coffee this morning and realised "oh it's here". My dream of several years has arrived and in a few short minutes my co pilot Steve will arrive
- [2013 04 21 Newsletter - The Trust Target Illegal Moorers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-04-21-newsletter-the-trust-tighten-up-on-illegal-moorers/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 21st April 2013 I've suffered quite badly with wind over the last week. Fortunately for Sally and the dogs not the type of wind that involves a furtive spray up and down the boat with an air freshener. Real wind, the sort of wind that encourages full time boater to
- [2013 04 14 Newsletter - Mobile Broadband Allowance On Narrowboats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-04-14-newsletter-mobile-broadband-allowance-on-narrowboats/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 14th April 2013 Last week I reported that my laptop was hacked into and my identity stolen. I think I'm back on track now, but there was one further quite scary additional development. I had an email from Google to let me know that my site was producing phishing URLs
- [2013 04 07 Newsletter - Narrowboat Security](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-04-07-newsletter-narrowboat-security/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 7th April 2013 I "celebrated" my 53rd birthday last Tuesday. How did I celebrate? A relaxing day on the boat? A fancy meal out? A fancy meal in? No. I worked during the day and then returned to the boat at the end of the day to discover that my
- [2013 03 31 Newsletter - No More Excuses](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-03-31-newsletter/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 31st March 2013 It's Easter at last. A time for sitting outside with your face turned to the early spring sunshine, happy in the knowledge that the winter is behind you. Dream on! It's minus five at the moment, there's a layer of ice on the marina and a decidedly
- [2013 03 24 Newsletter - Essential Boating Equipment](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-03-24-newsletter/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 24th March 2013 Why is the weather such a popular topic in the UK? Because you don't know what's going to happen from one day to the next! Easter is less than a week away and parts of Britain are without power, roads are impassable due to snow drifts and
- [2013 03 17 Newsletter - Getting Rid Of Unwelcome Visitors](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-03-17-newsletter-getting-rid-of-unwelcome-visitors/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 17th March 2013 Yippee! It's grass cutting time again. On Wednesday last week I cut the site grass for the first time this year. It's a sign that spring in on the way. The grass doesn't start to grow in the new year until the weather warms up a bit.
- [2013 03 11 Newsletter - Fitting Solar Panels](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-03-11-newsletter-fitting-solar-panels/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 11th March 2013 Nothing's ever as easy or straightforward as it should be. It's so frustrating. I've just had a Sterling Pure Sine Wave 1600w inverter fitted. It's more than enough to run the smaller electrical appliances I have on board. It will run my laptop, iPad, two mobile phones and the
- [2013 03 03 Newsletter - Stove Fuel Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-03-03-newsletter/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 3rd March 2013 It may be the beginning of March and ever so close to the start of much needed warmer spring weather, but my stove is still in use twenty four hours a day. I use Pureheat, compressed coal briquettes. It burns well, produces plenty of heat and stays
- [2013 02 20 Newsletter ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-02-20-newsletter/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 20th February 2013 2013 is going to be an expensive year for Sally and I. I've lived on James now for just under three years and, although I've made essential improvements, the boat needs a great deal more doing to get it to the standard that we want. When I
- [2013 02 10 Newsletter - Login Problems Resolved](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2013-02-10-newsletter-login-problems-resolved/) - Living on a Narrowboat News 10th February 2013 It's the middle of February. Can you believe it? The snowdrops are out, the daffodils are poking their heads through the recently frozen ground and there's just a hint of warmth in the sun (when it's out). I always feel that the winter's on its way out
- [2013 01 20 Newsletter - Your Homework for a Cold and Snowy Sunday Afternoon](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/your-homework-for-a-cold-and-snowy-sunday-afternoon/) - Living On A Narrowboat News 20th January 2013If you're thinking of buying a narrowboat, especially one to live on, you need to know how much the boat is likely to cost you to buy and to maintain. This useful guide details all the costs I've incurred during the two and a half years that I've
- [2013 01 08 Newsletter - Your Waterways Crystal Ball](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/your-waterways-crystal-ball/) - Living On A Narrowboat News 8th January 2013If you're thinking of buying a narrowboat, especially one to live on, you need to know how much the boat is likely to cost you to buy and to maintain. This useful guide details all the costs I've incurred during the two and a half years that I've
- [2012 12 24 Newsletter - Merry Christmas and a happy New Year (on the waterways)](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/merry-christmas-and-a-happy-new-year-on-the-waterways/) - Living On A Narrowboat News 24th December 2012If you're thinking of buying a narrowboat, especially one to live on, you need to know how much the boat is likely to cost you to buy and to maintain. This useful guide details all the costs I've incurred during the two and a half years that I've
- [2012 12 18 Newsletter - Understanding Narrowboat Electrics](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/understanding-narrowboat-electrics/) - Living On A Narrowboat News 18th December 2012 Christmas is drawing ever closer. We have a few holly bushes around the site but sadly none of them are bearing berries as yet. Maybe that's a good sign. Abundant berries on trees and bushes is supposed to be a sign of a hard winter to come. A
- [Steppin' out; The maiden voyage approacheth, ooh mother what'll I do now](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-the-maiden-voyage-approacheth-ooh-mother-whatll-i-do-now/) - A big warm scarred and excited hello to everyone as after a couple of years of planning and waiting for the house to sell and looking and waffle, waffle I looked round yesterday and thought oh sh... dear its hear. About five years ago I had an idea that a dream could be possibly a
- [Badger Sett - Unscheduled visit to a dry dock !](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/badger-sett-unscheduled-visit-to-a-dry-dock/) - Firstly, a huge thanks and recommendation from us for River Canal Rescue www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk and Anderton Marina www.andertonmarina.com both of whom have been extremely efficient and helpful to us over this past week. The drama started last Saturday, luckily, just after our last son and his girlfriends holiday had finished with us and they were on their way
- [Steppin' out; a  few plans and thoughts before the maiden voyage.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-a-few-plans-and-thoughts-before-the-maiden-voyage/) - Yes I've just about recovered from my days outing and I am getting quite excited and nervous as the day of reckoning approaches. The survey is Monday and I really hope it goes through with out any real issues then my crew member and me will go up the following Sunday to bring her back
- [Steppin' Out; A day out and some locking experience.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-a-day-out-and-some-locking-experience/) - Hi to everyone hope you're enjoying the recent sweltering temperatures? It is nice though now we have a few degrees more warmth. Last week a friend of mine, Richard who is off cruising for the summer, offered me a trip out to do a few locks as he was moving up from Shardlow to Willington
- [Badger Sett - The Anderton Lift](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/badger-sett-the-anderton-lift/) - Hi We’ve had our sons over with us last week and this week so not much free time, but having done the Anderton Lift on the Trent and Mersey Canal / River Weaver, I thought this would be worthy of a quick standalone blog. It was built in 1875, was closed in 1983 due to
- [Detailed narrowboat running costs for February 2013](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/detailed-narrowboat-running-costs-for-february-2013/) - Here are my bang up to date expenses for my own liveaboard narrowboat James. Not all narrowboat owners will incur the costs that I do. Many of the costs below will apply though so if you're considering buying your own narrowboat, you need to be aware of the costs. You may wonder why I have
- [Goole Boathouse](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/goole-boathouse/) - GOOLE BOATHOUSE is located in a basin beside the Aire & Calder Canal which was formerly used for storage of timber. The water is kept at a constant level so that boats remain floating at all times. Mooring is to modern floating pontoons which can be approached by a security gate, making Goole Boathouse one
- ["Pendragon" starting the trip" day 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/pendragon-starting-the-trip-day-1/) - Hi to you all, The day had finaly come to make my way to Shardlow Marina to get aboard Pendragon and start to make my way back home towards Coventry. On the morning of Saturday 23rd I woke early, looked out of the window to find snow covering the ground with a strong easterly wind blowing,
- [Steppin'Out; Second opinion, does everything work, trial run.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-second-opinion-does-everything-work-trial-run/) - It seems to have been a long day today. Up at 7am and a couple of hours to get to Manchester then a couple of hours on the boat in the fresh air and a couple of hours back and a strange "oh dear me. What have I done?" feeling. I've just put a small
- [Steppin'Out; Second viewing, surveys, and questions.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppinout-second-viewing-surveys-and-questions/) - Hi everyone a rather nervouse entry on my blog tonight. I hadn't got round to telling you I saw a boat two Sundays ago which I sort of took rather a shine to. After a little negotiation we have agreed a price which is the top end of what I can afford and I shall
- [An Essential Check List Before You Consider Buying A Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/an-essential-check-list-before-you-consider-buying-a-boat/) - A narrowboat is likely to be the single most expensive purchase you will ever make after your house. It may even become your new house and cost you in excess of £100,000. Your purchase is not something you should rush into. I know you can't wait to cruise through tranquil countryside, stop for a pint
- [More info. Ideas on the ideal layout.](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/more-info-ideas-on-the-ideal-layout/) - Hi to everyone on this snowy day. I'll offer you a little more information about who I am and why and other things of that nature. My name is Nige Buttery and at 56 I'm nearly in my prime. I worked in warehousing for 14 years rising from shop floor to warehouse manager, suit and
- [Steppin' Out. The first date](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/steppin-out-the-first-date/) - Hi to everyone this is my first blog post for Living On A Narrowboat or for anyone else for that matter. I decided to take up Paul's offer of blogging as I have no real previous boating experience in recent years and what has happened to me over the last couple of years and what
- [NB Badger Sett](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/nb-badger-sett/) - Hi There A quick background to start off. We are Keith and Nicky from Jersey and liveaboard full time with our two dogs Binks and Benji. We're fairly new to this having brought our first narrowboat in January 2012, moved aboard full-time in October 2012 and started to continiously cruise at the beginning of February
- [Getting ready for "Pendragon"](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/getting-ready-for-pendragon/) - Hi to you all, I was asked by Paul, as I'm new to narrow boating, if I'd share with the forum my experiences in my new venture in the form of a blog. Now, before I go any further I'd just like to say that this type of writing is completely new to me, the
- [Narrowboat Stove Fuel Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-stove-fuel-test/) - Waterways World tested stove fuel in their March 2013 edition. It's fascinating reading if your boat's main heat source is going to be a solid fuel stove. They tested coal briquettes, wood briquettes, wood, straw logs, newspaper logs and peat. The testers recorded stove heat, room heat and the volume of ash and unburned
- [Warwick Ring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/warwick-ring/) - The Warwickshire ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit around the West Midlands area of England. The ring is formed from the Coventry Canal, the Oxford Canal, the Grand Union Canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is a popular route with tourists due to its circular route
- [Living On A Narrowboat In Winter](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat-in-winter/) - If you've ever considered living on a narrowboat, you've probably imagined lazy days cruising gently down a tranquil waterway under a cloudless blue sky, evenings on the tow path with chilled wine and barbecued food and tranquil nights lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of the countryside through open windows. Of course narrowboat life
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Mischief](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-mischief/) - I love life on a narrowboat but there are those who prefer the extra three or four feet in width that a widebeam offers. Paul and Allayne Roper fall into that category. Here's what they think of life afloat... and how Allayne's cancer affects their way of life. Who are you? (and your significant other
- [How To Deal With Swans And Spiders On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-deal-with-swans-and-spiders-on-a-narrowboat/) - I had an email yesterday from Debbie Smith. She wanted some advice on dealing with a couple of her pet hates; swans and spiders. They're spoiling her enjoyment of the canals and everything on them. I'm sure that she's not on her own, so here's her question and my suggestions. "This is going to sound
- [Tewitfield Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tewitfield-marina/) - Tewitfield Marina is a purpose built hamlet with its own luxury holiday accommodation complex. Situated on the Lancashire and Cumbria border alongside Tewitfield Locks on the Lancaster Canal we provide our guests with the perfect place to stay with easy access to some of Britain’s best loved countryside, with both the Lake District and the
- [Overwater Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/overwater-marina/) - OverWater Marina is on the Shropshire Union Canal. It is surrounded by Cheshire farmland, overlooking the River Weaver valley and is a 15 minute walk from the vibrant canal village Audlem. Update 6th February 2013: "Regarding the info for Overwater Marina, the quoted time to walk from the Marina into the village of Audlem is
- [Poplar Dock Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/poplar-dock-marina/) - The 90 berth marina has been designed to offer boaters the highest quality facilities available in terms of safety, security, comfort and style. It is within easy reach of a host of specialist shops, restaurants, pubs and attractions on the thriving Canary Wharf Estate, and central London is just minutes away on the Jubilee Line
- [Upton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/upton-marina/) - On the mighty River Severn, Britain's longest river, lies Upton Marina, south of historic Worcester and north of Tewkesbury, Upton Marina offers secure pontoon and bankside moorings for all types of craft with hardstanding storage space and visitor berths, where you may take advantage of all the modern facilities you would expect from a large,
- [Moving From Living Abroad To Living On A Narrowboat In The UK](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/moving-from-living-abroad-to-living-on-a-narrowboat-in-the-uk/) - Hi Paul, thanks for creating the website and frequently posting new material! I read your content often as my husband and I have dreamt of a life on the canals for years and are working towards making this happen 2013. However, we are looking for others to share their real life experiences regarding a move
- [Moons Bridge Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/moons-bridge-marina/) - Moons Bridge Marina offers secure country moorings for over 100 boats within just a few minutes drive of the M6. Enjoy 42 miles of lock free cruising through pleasant pasturelands, overlooked only by the foothills of the Pennines! The Jackson family have been at Moons Bridge for over 20 years, developing the marina and its
- [Oundle Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/oundle-marina/) - The marina offers a secure site for 200 non-residential moorings. We can accomodate vessels upto 63ft inllength and a maximium width of 10ft 6ins. The marina has shared finger type and bankside moorings, see below for annual charges. Please contact us for current availability. {{{0}}} We also offer short term moorings, which are dependant on
- [Stanstead marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/stanistead-marina/) - The marina is situated within a mile of the confluence of the Lee and Stort at the gateway to the East of England. Benefiting from access to the Hertfordshire countryside, the marina is ideally placed for walking, cycling, fishing and birdwatching with Lee Valley Regional Park. Boasting 200 berths, all general board yard facilities are
- [Pyrford Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/pyrford-marina/) - Pyrford Marina lies alongside the River Wey Navigation which stretches over 20 miles through the heart of Surrey. The marina is located in a tranquil and beautiful spot and is within 3 hours cruising of the Thames, which then allows access on to the Kennet & Avon Canal at Reading and the Grand Union Canal
- [Bath Marina And Caravan Park](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bath-marina-and-caravan-park/) - Up to 88 caravan pitches available and 50 boat moorings. All pitches are hard standing and have electrical hookup, heated toilet and shower blocks available 24 hrs. On site laundry facility and childrens play area, site security and easy access to River Avon / Bristol and Kennet and Avon Canal to Reading. {{{0}}} [table id=93
- [Hilperton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hilperton-marina/) - Hilperton Marina is located by the Kennet and Avon Canal on the outskirts of Trowbridge in Wiltshire. The marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there are boats for sale, boat building, moorings with electric hook ups, wi fi and full marina services including
- [Hartford Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hartford-marina/) - Located in the heart of the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside, conveniently close to the main towns of Huntingdon and St. Ives, Hartford Marina offers you the perfect location for mooring your narrowboat or cruiser. Situated on the River Great Ouse, with excellent travel links by road (A1 and A14) or rail to London, Cambridge and Peterborough,
- [Shobnall Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/shobnall-marina/) - We have pleasure in offering moorings in a secure and pleasant environment, and yet close enough to the town centre to be convenient for shopping, eating out etc. The railway station is only half a mile away and we are located close to A38, A50, giving easy access to M1 or M6 and M42. {{{0}}}
- [Lime Farm Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/lime-farm-marina/) - The moorings at Lime Farm have been created with their surroundings being as untouched as possible to keep the natural habitats, flora and fauna intact. Access to your boat is via raised walkways which allow vegetation to grow beneath, whilst providing a safe haven for wildlife at the waters edge. So if rural scenery along
- [Tewkesbury Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tewkesbury-marina/) - Tewkesbury Marina has 400 flood protected berths, set in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside. Located where the River Severn and Avon meet, you have a choice of cruising areas including the beautiful River Avon which meanders gently to Statford-upon-Avon. The larger River Severn flows down through Gloucester to the Bristol Channel and up to Worcester and
- [Bugbrooke Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bugbrooke-marina/) - Bugbrooke Marina is a small friendly marina situated in the Northamptonshire countryside not far from Weedon and on a 15-mile lock-free pound stretching from Whilton Locks to Stoke Bruerne. Facilities on site include water and electricity points, toilet facilities, portapotti disposal, rubbish disposal and a resident security warden. There is a village shop within easy
- [Goytre Wharf](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/goytre-wharf/) - The marina is located by the Monmouth and Brecon Canal between Abbergavenny and Pontypool in Monmouthshire with spectacular scenery. The marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there is boat sales, wi fi and full marina services. The marina has a dry dock for
- [Shepperton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/shepperton-marina/) - The marina is set in a series of delightful lakes by grassy banks and established woodland. At first glance, it is hard to imagine that this tranquil setting offers such a convenient location, yet it has access to the main channel of the Lower Thames and the heart of London is only 30 minutes away
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Adagio](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-adagio/) - Meet Sue and Barry enjoying early retirement on board their narrowboat with Duffy the lurcher living the dream (Barry and Sue - not Duffy). This is the first of the site's liveaboard case studies. {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Barry & Sue Horne
- [Aqueduct Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/aqueduct-marina/) - Opened February 2009 – Aqueduct Marina is a new 147-berth marina and boatyard in Church Minshull, at the heart of Cheshire's canal network. With long and short term moorings, slipway and boat repair facilities, the Marina offers excellent facilities in a superb rural setting. {{{0}}} Located on the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal,
- [Wigrams Turn Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/wigrams-turn-marina/) - Wigrams Turn Marina, at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford Canals, was built and completed three years ago and can accomodate 220 narrowboats.Wigrams Turn is probably the best mooring site in the country. At a canal junction choices abound going North, South, East or West. The marina is within 20 minutes drive of
- [Barton Grange Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/barton-grange-marina/) - Barton Grange Marina sits in a beautiful countryside location and enjoys some truly breathtaking views. Committed to excellent quality and first class customer service, our intention from the outset has been to provide a superior, first-rate marina incorporating the following facilities: {{{0}}} The Marina at Barton Grange State of the art security Safe car parking
- [Cherry Willingham Marina Proposed Development](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cherry-willingham-marina-proposed-development/) - The proposed 220 berth river Witham marina at Cherry Willingham just outside Lincoln is currently at the pre-planning stage. Find out more about the new development by following the links below. {{{0}}} New Marina to Boost Local Economy - The Linconite 8th November 2010
- [The Rolls Royce Of Narrowboats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-rolls-royce-of-narrowboats/) - Last Sunday (22nd July 2012) I drove up to Glascote Basin in Tamworth with Sally and the dogs to do a bit of boaty window shopping. I love my boat James. Although it's 35 years old it's in pretty good condition. The hull is sound and, now that I've had the cabin overplated, the top
- [Crick Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/crick-marina/) - Crick Marina is owned and operated by Tim Langer, who began business on the inland waterways in 1992 when he founded Canal Craft Narrowboat Brokerage. Canal Craft started at North Kilworth, but moved to larger premises at Bugbrooke in 1994, and was sold in 1997. The frequent difficulty of finding moorings for narrow-boat purchasers prompted
- [Stenson Marina aka Midland Canal Centre](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/stenson-marina-aka-midland-canal-centre/) - Stenson Marina is situated in South Derbyshire, convenient for Derby and Nottingham. The marina has approximately 80 berths and provides a traditional community spirit among our moorers. All main services of electricity, water, diesel, pumpout and waste are available, without additional service charge. Stenson also has one of the best equipped yards for service and
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Widebeam Takey Tezey](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-widebeam-takey-tezey/) - Heth and Dave are a little larger than your average narrowboaters... or at least there boat is. They own a widebeam and it's a beauty. They came close to missing out though but good old Lady Luck was smiling...{{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one)
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat HOBO](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-hobo/) - Annie is a freelance writer. John is a farmer. Annie works from her boat. John has to commute to work... by light aircraft. He makes me feel quite embarrassed about my daily three minute journey to my "office" {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one)
- [Swanley Bridge Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/swanley-bridge-marina/) - Swanley Bridge Marina is a brand new 315 berth marina. This pristine development is located on the beautiful Llangollen Canal just two miles from the junction of the Shropshire Union. Our rural setting includes 10 acres of water and a seven acre wood, providing a spectacular environment to moor your boat. We are only two
- [Pillings Lock Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/pillings-lock-marina/) - Pilling’s Lock Marina is a new breed of marina to the East Midlands area. Situated ideally for cruising any part of the canal & river network, it’s modern facilities raise the standard of a traditional inland marina and bring them into the 21st century. It’s setting is idyllic and peaceful whilst only being minutes away
- [Saltford Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/saltford-marina/) - We are a small, family run, independent marina situated on a delightful stretch of the river Avon between Bath & Bristol. We offer long term moorings to both live aboard & non live aboard boaters. As a family run business we are able to offer friendly service with top quality facilities to all our customers.
- [Alvecote Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/alvecote-marina/) - Is this business boat sales only? There is no information about their marina... {{{0}}} [table id=4 /] PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait......
- [Debdale Wharf Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/debdale-wharf-marina/) - We are a family run business that has been operating at Debdale Wharf Since 1974. The narrowboat marina is set in 25 acres of quiet, secluded, rural countryside 25 minutes cruising from Foxton Locks, on the Leicester section of the Grand Union Canal with 14 miles of lock free cruising. The marina has grown over
- [Shireoaks Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/shireoaks-marina/) - Shireoaks Marina is a relatively new and large marina on the Chesterfield Canal, situated in the little village of the same name, a few miles west of Worksop. The Marina was opened in May 2000, along with an eight mile stretch of restored canal west of Worksop. Formerly the site of a barge loading area
- [Brinklow Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/brinklow-marina/) - Set among 44 acres of rolling Warwickshire countryside, Brinklow Marina offers a modern fully serviced mooring in a prime canal location. Relax and enjoy the carefully landscaped grounds in harmony with the stunning views, or cruise off and take advantage of the leafy North/South corridor that is the Oxford Canal. {{{0}}}
- [Satellite Television for Narrowboats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/satellite-television-for-narrowboats/) - Narrowboat satellite system installer Martin Hicks emailed me to ask if I would be interested in letting you know about satellite television for narrowboats. In the spirit of providing you with as much information as possible about all aspects of narrowboats and what goes into them, I have copied his information below. Please note that
- [Scarisbrick Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/scarisbrick-marina/) - The new marina is located to the west of Scarisbrick Bridge 27A on the A570 Southport Road in Scarisbrick set in beautiful countryside between the seaside town of Southport and the market town of Ormskirk. The marina enjoys access to the canal with over 20 miles of lock free cruising on the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
- [Free Online Narrowboat Budgeting Application](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/free-online-narrowboat-budgeting-application/) - I just thought I would write this quick post to let you know about a very exciting addition to the site. It's a comprehensive, sophisticated and absolutely free tool for you to use to calculate the real cost of owning a narrowboat, particularly with a view to living on it. About two months ago I
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Blue Moon](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-blue-moon/) - Mike Barrett cruises the waterways using his narrowboat as a floating office. The canal's tranquility enhances his creative spirit for the work he does as a graphic artist. His blog reflects his desire to design. I love it! {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one)
- [Bill Fen Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bill-fen-marina/) - Bill Fen Marina is located on the Middle Level Navigations close to the unspoiled market town of Ramsey. The Marina is situated on a beautifully landscaped thirty one acre site amidst open farmland. Substantial planting of over 2000 trees has created a new wood as part of the Marina site, adding to the beauty of
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Lucky Duck](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-lucky-duck/) - Amy and James have been living on their narrowboat since their early twenties. They love the lifestyle. In fact, they're about to sell their current boat so that they can buy and restore their own historic narrowboat. Rather them than me! Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you
- [Chirk Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/chirk-marina/) - Welcome to the website of Marine Services (Chirk) Ltd, we are a family run business operating two inland waterway marinas. Chirk Marina on the beautiful Llangollen Canal is situated in the middle of the 11 mile canal corridor granted World Heritage status by U.N.E.S.C.O. in July 2009, only the third site in Wales to achieve
- [Barby Moorings](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/barby-moorings/) - Barby Moorings on the Oxford canal is 2 miles from Hillmorton locks and just 5 miles from Braunston Junction. Two types of premium mooring each fully serviced with electrical power, water, wired internet and digital ready TV aerial socket. Unique bankside moorings with private leisure plots are offered as an alternative to pontoon moorings. Although
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Tournesol](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-tournesol/) - Early retirement in 1999, nine months cruising in the UK and then ten years living in France. But for the last eighteen months Anne and Keith have been back in the UK cruising the canal network on their narrowboat.{{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one)
- [Aspley Wharf Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/aspley-wharf-marina/) - We are a family run business established here in Huddersfield for over 25 years with our Marina conveniently based at the point where the Broad and Narrow canals meet near the centre of town. {{{0}}} Aspley Wharf Marina has moorings and good facilities for thirty plus narrow boats and a chandlery shop catering for your
- [Yelvertoft Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/yelvertoft-marina/) - The Yelvertoft Marina project encompasses the establishment of an inland Marina, initially catering for 150 boats. It is situated on land within the boundaries of Flint Hill Farm, Yelvertoft, in the heart of the picturesque Northamptonshire countryside. The marina is a new development alongside the existing Grand Union Canal. This historically and environmentally important canal
- [Barton Turns Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/barton-turns-marina/) - Barton Marina, situated on the Trent & Mersey canal, is the ideal central base to explore the Midland's waterways and beyond. Purpose built in 2001, Barton Marina is privately owned and we are very proud of the reputation we maintain as the finest inland waterways marina in the UK. Permanent, centrally-heated buildings house our showers,
- [Apperley Bridge Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/apperley-bridge-marina/) - A purpose built marina, part of a prestigious waterfront development, offering quality moorings on the picturesque Leeds Liverpool Canal between Leeds and Bingley. {{{0}}} Located just off the A658 Harrogate Road, Apperley Bridge Marina is well placed for access to Rail and Road links and even Air Transport (Leeds Bradford Airport is only 15 minutes
- [Penton Hook Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/penton-hook-marina/) - Set in 80 acres and with 575 berths, Penton Hook is Britain's largest inland marina. It is situated on one of the loveliest reaches of the River Thames, close to the Chertsey and about a mile downstream from Runnymede where King John signed the Magna Carta. There are numerous other places to visit on the
- [Narrowboat Safety](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-safety/) - Yesterday was the first day of the autumn with a below zero overnight low. There was a light frost on the grass next to the boat and a bitterly cold wind racing across the marina. It wasn't really the best day of the year for me to take an involuntary dip in the marina. I'm
- [Hallingbury Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hallingbury-marina/) - Hallingbury Marina provides moorings for around 140 canal craft, in tranquil settings on the River Stort in Hertfordshire. The focal point of the marina is Hallingbury Mill, built in 1874, and stands to the south end of the marina. The history of milling on this site dates back to the Doomsday Book. The marina boasts
- [Droylsden Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/droylsden-marina/) - A short section of the canal in Droylsden will be back in water shortly, as redevelopment of the area between Manchester Road and Fairfield Lock is now underway! This will include the construction of a marina behind the present Library building. The former swimming baths have been demolished in preparation for the development and have
- [Reedley Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/reedley-marina/) - Ideally situated on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, at the gateway to the Dales, Reedley Marina provides narrowboat owners the opportunity to moor in a beautiful location with stunning views across the valley up to Pendle Hill. With 100 berths, the Kingfisher Café Bar, excellent facilities and extensive car parking, it has everything required for
- [Droitwich Spa Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/droitwich-spa-marina/) - Droitwich Spa Marina will comprise of 238 moorings for various narrowboats up to 70ft length. Droitwich Spa Marina is on the Droitwich Junction Canal which together with the Barge Canal is being restored at the cost of ?12.5m (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Advantage West Midlands). These two canals will re-open as Droitwich
- [Staniland Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/staniland-marina/) - We are an independent family run business with almost 40 years experience of pleasure boating behind us. Whether you are looking for someone to fit-out your next boat, or somewhere to visit whilst cruising the waterways, you will always find a warm welcome from the Staff and Boaters at staniland marina. {{{0}}} [table id=67 /]
- [Fazeley Mill Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/fazeley-mill-marina/) - Fazeley Mill Marina is a delightful spot to moor. Surrounded by mature trees and grass banks, it is an oasis of calm, yet close to a main road and within easy walking distance of many amenities. Our pontoons provide secure moorings with access to water and metered electricity, while those choosing to tie up bank-side
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Far Star](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-far-star/) - Meet Jan, her partner Ian and Pepper the blue merle border collie (don't know what kind of dog that is but it sounds posh). Jan, like many liveaboards, has forsaken her stressful full time job to lead a life of tranquility while she paints canal artwork and does a little gardening in the warmer months.
- [Willowtree Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/willowtree-marina/) - Willowtree Marina, located on the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal in West London, offers that rare combination of easy accessibility, security and attractiveness for so many canal based activities. There is a quiet pride in what is on offer here and we hope you will feel this too. Willowtree Marina has set its
- [Lee Valley Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/lee-valley-marina/) - Springfield has been owned, operated and developed as a Boatyard/Marina by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority since the late 1960’s, when it was purchased by the Authority from the Radley family. {{{0}}} In the Authority's records it is noted that the Radley family had owned the site since the early 1890’s, however, it is
- [Fettlers Wharf Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/fettlers-wharf-marina/) - The marina was completed in November 2003 and is a beautifully landscaped marina which, over the past few years has grown amongst its surroundings to become a part of the natural beauty, offering the perfect haven to moor your boat. {{{0}}} [table id=27 /] PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait...
- [Not Everyone Enjoys Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/not-everyone-enjoys-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Is life really so bad Natasha? I came across the article below yesterday. It was published recently in the online version of the Uxbridge Gazette. It's a new blog by reluctant narrowboat liveaboard Natasha Gorbert-Hopkins. What do you think of her take on life on a narrowboat? Life, warts and all, on a canal narrowboat
- [Saul Junction Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/saul-junction-marina/) - Each mooring at Saul Junction Marina has the use of a service bollard that provides electricity, fresh water and lighting. Diesel fuel, coal and gas are available for the service area adjacent to the main office. The marina now has fully functioning WC facilities with a new shower block. There will also be a continuing
- [Diglis Basin Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/diglis-basin-marina/) - A British Waterways Marina Diglis Basin is situated in the beautiful city of Worcester. In the centre of England, at the heart of one of the most beautiful parts of the country surrounded by glorious landscapes and charming, historic towns and villages, the city has a rich history of culture, architecture and events of international
- [York Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/york-marina/) - York Marina is based on the non tidal stretch of the river ouse just 4 miles south of the historic city of York. It is situated only a short distance from Naburn locks and serves both novice and experienced boaters equally well with many miles of safe scenic waterways - North to Ripon, and for
- [Boatsales: An Essential Check List Before You Consider Buying A Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/boatsales-an-essential-check-list-before-you-consider-buying-a-boat/) - A narrowboat is likely to be the single most expensive purchase you will ever make after your house. It may even become your new house and cost you in excess of ?100,000. Your purchase is not something you should rush into. I know you can't wait to cruise through tranquil countryside, stop for a pint
- [Nottingham Castle Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/nottingham-castle-marina/) - Nottingham Marina offers excellent moorings for Class 1 (high usage) and Class 2 (leisure) boaters who require superb facilities in the city centre of Nottingham. The marina has 200 moorings on fixed pontoons. {{{0}}} * Launderette * Male and Female Showers * Toilet Block * Cassette and Holding Tank Disposal Points * Storage Sheds *
- [Pike And Eel Hotel And Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/pike-and-eel-hotel-and-marina/) - The Pike and Eel Marina offers private moorings for upto 180 boats. We offer the following range of facilities and services: * A range of moorings with/without electric hookup * Diesel & water available * Boatyard with overwintering/boat storage (not undercover) * Slipway and boat removal facilities {{{0}}} [table id=52 /] PR: wait... I: wait...
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Willow](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-willow/) - I first met Hilary and Graeme in March or April 2012 when they hired a boat at Calcutt with the intention of buying their own boat before they handed the hire boat back and then cruise for the rest of the spring and summer. It was quite an ambitious undertaking, but they managed it. Here's
- [Roydon Marina Village](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/roydon-marina-village/) - At Roydon Mill Marina our aim is to provide first-class facilities for boat owners at competitive rates in an attractive, welcoming and safe environment. The quiet River Stort runs past watermills and country houses through some of the prettiest landscape in southern England. The river is a tributary of the River Lee and extends the
- [Narrowboat Shared Ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-shared-ownership/) - Narrowboat shared ownership might not be something that you've considered so far, in fact, it might not be something that you've actually heard about. But if you're thinking about buying a narrowboat but aren't really sure whether narrowboat ownership is something you are going to enjoy, shared ownership offers you a lower cost way of
- [Victoria Quays](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/victoria-quays/) - Calder Valley Marine now occupy offices and the waterspace at the prestigious Victoria Quays in Sheffield and will be operating the Quays as a fully operational marina. This is excellent news for this business which has been based primarily in the West Yorkshire area. {{{0}}} Victoria Quays is only a matter of yards from the
- [Whixall Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/whixall-marina/) - Is Whixall home to Britain’s most rural canal marina? Journey down the Prees Branch off the Llangollen Canal, surrounded by fields and farms, framed by mighty oaks close by important nature reserves, and hear the dawn chorus and laughing water fowl greet another day. Here you will find Whixall Marina - a tranquil haven for
- [Important changes to the site login process](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/important-changes-to-the-site-login-process/) - Over the last month or so I've talked about changes to the site login process. I'm sorry if you found some of the instructions both confusing and contradictory. Logging in to a site should be a straightforward process. it wasn't, but it is now. This site is built using Wordpress. It's blogging software that's pretty
- [Viking Marine](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/viking-marine/) - Viking Marine - sits at the end of the Aire and Calder canal in Goole, where the inland waterways meet the tidal rivers of the Ouse and Humber. The Marina's secure moorings provide a home to a diverse flotilla of yachts, power boats, barges and converted commercial vessels. {{{0}}} Facilities include a 20 Ton hoist,
- [Beckett's Park Marina - New Development](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/becketts-park-marina-new-development/) - Currently under construction, Beckett's Park Marina will offer a total of eighty moorings (including six residential) on an old rowing lake in Beckett's Park on the river Nene in Northampton. The marina is scheduled to open in March 2011. {{{0}}} View location on map New bridge installed 17th January 2011 Charity boat is first to
- [Stanley Ferry Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/stanley-ferry-marina/) - We offer an extensive array of mooring births, in the marina basing and along the canal side. 240V electric Available. {{{0}}} [table id=68 /] PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...
- [Detailed narrowboat running costs for January 2013](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/detailed-narrowboat-running-costs-for-january-2013/) - This year (2013) is going to be an expensive year for Sally and I. We have a huge amount of work to do to get James up to scratch. I've had some of the more major work done already. In November 2011 I replaced the old perished leaking and rotten wooden top with a new
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat The Cat's Whiskers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-the-cats-whiskers/) - Here's a twist to the liveaboard case study. Roger and Pat aren't yet full time liveaboards because their boat is still under construction. If you're thinking about having your own narrowboat built, you need to read about their experience to date.{{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you
- [Devizes Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/devizes-marina/) - We have over 100 recreational moorings and 7 residential moorings here at Devizes Marina, catering for boats up to 70ft. The marina is in a peaceful location and the moorings are set in secure landscaped grounds. We are ideally situated at the top of the Caen Hill Flight and on a 14 mile lock-free pound,
- [Buckden Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/buckden-marina/) - Nestled in 92 acres of unspoilt tranquil Cambridgeshire countryside with the River Great Ouse on its eastern boundary, this marina is a delightful place to moor your narrowboat or cruiser. Situated on the A1 with good links to the M25 and A14, 20 minutes from Cambridge and an hour from London. {{{0}}} Buckden Marina has
- [Milton Keynes Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/milton-keynes-marina/) - Welcome to Milton Keynes Marina Milton Keynes Marina is a modern city centre marina nestling in a 15 miles lock free stretch of the Grand Union canal. The Marina is owned and run as a family business, aiming to offer a friendly and professional service. All facilities are on hand including a workshop, slipway, and
- [Cowroast Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cowroast-marina/) - Nestled in the Chilterns, adjacent to the Ashridge estate, on the Tring summit of the Grand Union Canal, you will find Cowroast marina, a family run business, offering secure moorings for around 100 boats, with the benefit of parking your car next to your mooring. Located at the southern end of the Tring summit adjacent
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Ouse Dunit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-ouse-dunit/) - Paul and Helen Newby only live on their narrowboat for six months of the year but they certainly put in the miles. One thousand of them actually AND 600 locks. That's some serious cruising! {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) There are 3 of
- [Gayton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/gayton-marina/) - Gayton Marina is located on the Blisworth Arm of the Grand Union Canal between the villages of Gayton and Blisworth in Northamptonshire. {{{0}}} The attractive marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there are boats for sale, moorings with electric hook ups, wi fi
- [Bridgehouse Marina And Caravan Park](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bridgehouse-marina-and-caravan-park/) - Bridgehouse Marina & Caravan Park is situated in the Northwest Lancashire area of England. Situated ten miles north of Preston, close to the market town of Garstang, Bridgehouse Marina & Caravan Park is conveniently placed to visit all the Lancashire, South Cumbria and North Yorkshire attractions. {{{0}}} Our family owned and run site has been
- [Anderton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/anderton-marina/) - Anderton Marina is located by the Trent and Mersey Canal at Anderton village on the outskirts of Northwich in Cheshire and adjacent to the restored Victorian Anderton Boat Lift. The attractive marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there are boats for sale, moorings
- [Harefield Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/harefield-marina/) - 250 secure, rural moorings for cruisers and narrowboats in secluded countryside setting. 5 minutes from M25 / M40. Only one day's cruising from the River Thames. The above sentence is the only information available. If you are the owner or manager of Harefield Marina, please contact me to update your listing. {{{0}}} [table id=34 /]
- [How To Choose A Narrowboat To Live On](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-choose-a-narrowboat-to-live-on/) - So you want to live on a narrowboat. Good for you. But before you spend your hard earned pennies, you need to think very carefully about the boat you intend to buy. Living on board full time is very different from a two week break away from work and your home on dry land. Answer
- [Lemonroyd Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/lemonroyd-marina/) - Lemonroyd Marina is a quaint marina situated on the outskirts of Castleford, West Yorkshire on the Aire and Calder Navigation. Lemonroyd Marina offers moorings for up to 85 boats including narrowboats, wide-beams and canal cruisers. Local shops are situated in the village of Methley. Local walks throughout the delightful Methley Woods. {{{0}}} [table id=40 /]
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Badger](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-badger/) - Why own just one narrowboat when you can have two? James and Lorraine Spencer have been narrowboat owners for over twenty years. Even though they now live on board full time, they still have a house as a postal address. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Willow 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-willow-2/) - Gary enjoys the best of both worlds. He's enjoys the cosy comforts of his liveaboard narrowboat during the week on his own, then takes his washing home to his overjoyed wife at the weekends. Marital bliss! Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) I am Garry
- [Stourport Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/stourport-marina/) - Stourport Marina is set in rural Worcestershire on the River Severn situated close to the M5 and M42 Motorways, 20 miles south of Birmingham and 3 - 5 hours from London. Convenient for cruising on the Worcester and Staffordshire canal system, 5 hours cruising from the from the river Avon and 10 hours from the
- [Napton Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/napton-marina/) - A Narrowboat holiday is a unique experience and an opportunity to explore the English countryside with a completely new and relaxing outlook. Our family-run fleet now gives you the best choice in style of Narrowboat to suit your requirements and holiday budget. {{{0}}} View Larger Map Napton Narrowboats offers a wide choice in style of
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Violet Mae](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-violet-mae/) - Meet Peggy Melmoth; wife, mother of two small children, blogger and freelance writer. She does all this from the cosy confines of her traditional narrowboat. How does she manage? {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Peggy Melmoth, living aboard with husband, and two daughters
- [Blackwater Meadow Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/blackwater-meadow-marina/) - Blackwater Meadow Marina is located by the Llangollen Canal on the outskirts of the beautiful market town of Ellesmere in Shropshire which dates back to at least Anglo Saxon times. {{{0}}} The attractive marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there are boats for
- [St Marys Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/st-marys-marina/) - St Mary's Marina opened in January 2006 providing a range of moorings on the wonderful Rufford Branch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal. At the marina we offer a range of services, which include long-term moorings with fully-equipped facilities. So, whether you are a visiting boater who's just passing through, or looking for a longer term
- [Aston Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/aston-marina/) - Aston Marina is a new and exciting marina development located in a tranquil part of Staffordshire, at Aston Lock, near Stone on the Trent & Mersey canal. The unique feature of an entrance and exit facilitates easy navigation. The development of the180 berth marina spans over 12 acres. Within the marina there is a Farm
- [Trinity Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/trinity-marina/) - Trinity Marinas is a well established narrowboat marina situated on the Ashby Canal in Leicestershire. Its Heart of England location, served also by a superb motorway network, makes it extremely accessible from all areas of the country. Trinity Marinas is a large and well laid out marina with 114 moorings for narrowboats from 40ft to
- [Uplands Basin Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/uplands-basin-marina/) - Uplands Basin Marina provides safe and secure moorings for 120 boats in a beautiful peaceful setting in the heart of the Cheshire countryside. Situated next to the top of the Anderton Boat Lift, it gives direct access to 14 miles of lock free cruising on the Trent & Mersey Canal along the spectacularly beautiful Weaver
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Osprey](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-osprey/) - One still working and one retired. How does that work? Narrowboat liveaboards Alice and Phil Rosser give you their take on life afloat from their floating home on the Lancaster canal{{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Phil and Alice Rosser and Jack the whippet,
- [Great Haywood Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/great-haywood-marina/) - This quality marina on the Trent & Mersey Canal at Great Haywood was completed in July 2007 The marina is situated close to the historic junction of the Staffs & Worcs Canal and offers a wide choice of scenic cruising routes. Great Haywood still has that friendly village atmosphere and boaters are particularly welcome. Largely
- [Braunston Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/braunston-marina/) - Braunston Marina is ideally located for the canal enthusiast. It lies at the crossroads of the Grand Union and Oxford canals, and indeed of the whole waterways. The opportunities for exploration are near limitless. The Marina itself is easily located by road lying beside the A45 between Daventry and Rugby. It is only 20 minutes
- [Thames And Kennet Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/thames-and-kennet-marina/) - The Thames & Kennet Marina is based just outside Reading in a nature reserve and incorporates a narrow boat and cruiser marina. With the ability to cater for a number of types of boats, including Dutch barges, the facility is unique in the area and has the best access to the Thames River and Kennet
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Snowdrop](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-snowdrop/) - Toni writes children's stories as she cruises the network with her ex husband Allan. She doesn't share the same boat with him though. They have one each; Toni on Snowdrop and Allan on Pengalanty Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) My name is Antoinette (Toni)
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Lois-Jane](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-lois-jane/) - James and Debbie are the wrong side of forty. They have decided to take a belated gap year cruising the inland waterways of Englarand and Wales. Will the gap year last more than a year and can you forgive James for being an estate agent? Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course,
- [Blue Water Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/blue-water-marina/) - We are a friendly, family run Marina and have a large selection of new & used Narrowboats for you to view on site. Whether you're a first time buyer or a seasoned sailor we may just have the right boat for you......Come and visit us to have a look! {{{0}}} [table id=116 /]
- [Tattenhall Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tattenhall-marina/) - he new quality marina on the Shropshire Union Canal near the village of Tattenhall was officially opened in July 2009 Tattenhall Marina is situated in beautiful Cheshire countryside with views of Beeston Castle and easy cruising to some of the most delightful stretches of the canal network, just seven miles from the centre of the
- [A View From The Engineroom Of Narrowboat James](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-view-from-the-engineroom-of-narrowboat-james/) - My boat is moored on the west side of Calcutt Boats' Meadows marina. It's a stunning location. To the west - in front of the boat - are open fields and the entrance to the larger of our two woodland areas. To the south is the view from my galley windows; a grassed peninsula between
- [Painting A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/painting-a-narrowboat/) - I've just painted my narrowboat. I haven't achieved the same finish the professionals manage, but I've saved thousands of pounds and I'm very pleased with the result. Here's how I did it and a list of the materials I used and how much they cost me. Before you read this, please let me emphasise to
- [Priory Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/priory-marina/) - Only two miles from Bedford town centre, yet surrounded by rich and diverse wildlife, Priory is the natural anchor for life on the River Great Ouse. You can rest assured that with our established reputation for safety, security and reliability, at Priory you will have chosen one of the best in the region. {{{0}}} Priory
- [Ventnor Farm Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/ventnior-farm-marina/) - Situated in the heart of the peaceful Warwickshire countryside, Ventnor Farm Marina easily lives up to its reputation as one of the country's leading marinas. {{{0}}} Offering permanent moorings with excellent service and maintaining a high level of security at all times. Landscaped promontories divide the marina into little bays, each containing around a dozen
- [Frouds Bridge Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/frouds-bridge-marina/) - Built in 1997 Frouds Bridge Marina on the Kennet & Avon Canal is situated about half way between Newbury (11 miles) and the River Thames at Reading (12 miles) and provides all the amenities that boaters now require. {{{0}}} To find us by road, turn South into Frouds Lane off the A4 trunk road about
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Song of the Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-song-of-the-waterways/) - Living on a narrowboat named by a folk singer, watching sunrises and sunsets and practicing a bit of canal side crafting. It's a simple life for Christine and Anton. Would it suit you? Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Christine & Anton Tell me a
- [Packet Boat Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/packet-boat-marina/) - Packet Boat Marina is a modern marina in a semi rural location. Situated in a green belt with its own parkland it provides secure moorings in an ideal location. On one of the longest lengths of lock free canal (23 miles) in the country, Little Venice/Camden and the Thames at Brentford are only six hours
- [Alvechurch Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/alvechurch-narrowboat-marina/) - Alvechurch Marina is located by the Worcester Birmingham Canal on the outskirts of the village of Alvechurch Worcestershire, and conveniently adjacent to the railway station. The attractive marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there are boats for sale, boat building, moorings with electric
- [Narrowboat Glass Fire Door Cleaning](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-glass-fire-door-cleaning/) - One of the real joys of a solid fuel stove is relaxing and watching the flames flicker through the glass window. Unfortunately the glass is often too dirty to see through so needs constant cleaning. Here's a solution to your glass cleaning problems{{{0}}} Written by Allan Cazaly nb.Pengalanty I have a diesel “Corner Bubble Stove”
- [Orchard Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/orchard-marina/) - Privately situated Orchard Marina is set on a beautiful 5 acre site in the heart of the peaceful and tranquil Cheshire country side. Running on the banks of the Trent and Mersey Canal just outside bridge 183, which is ideally situated for cruising the Cheshire ring and accessing the Anderton boat lift. {{{0}}} Originally built
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Ghosties](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-ghosties/) - Rachel isn't your typical liveaboard narrowboat owner but I thought I would include her case study for those of you who are worried about making a sudden switch from bricks and mortar to steel and water. Rachel splits her time between her cottage and her narrowboat on the Thames. Who are you? (and your significant
- [Ripon Racecourse Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/ripon-racecourse-marina/) - Ripon is one of the smallest cities in England. Picturesque with medieval and georgian buildings lining twisty lanes. The market square leads to the cathedral and Minstergate. Ripon Racecourse Marina is located to the south of the City on Boroughbridge Road. It is adjacent to Ripon Racecourse and is situated on Ripon Canal. The Canal
- [Thrupp Wharf Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/thrupp-wharf-marina/) - Thrupp Wharf Marina is a friendly family run marina situated on the Grand Union Canal, adjacent to the Navigation Inn. It is conveniently located in South Northamptonshire near to the village of Cosgrove, just north of Milton Keynes. {{{0}}} At Thrupp Wharf Marina we provide 60 secure private moorings in a peaceful country setting. With
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Lyra](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-lyra/) - Another Questions and Answers session with boaters living afloat full time.Isn't this the retirement that most people can only dream about. Bob and Cath Hawkins think it is. {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Bob & Cath Hawkins Tell me a little about yourself
- [Heyford Fields Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/heyford-fields-marina/) - A new 100 berth non-residential marina situated on the Grand Union Canal between the picturesque Northamptonshire villages of Bugbrooke and Nether Heyford. Even though the site is non residential, boat owners are able to stay on board in the marina and enjoy the tranquil surroundings. Heyford Fields Marina is in a peaceful, rural location, set
- [Redhill Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/redhill-marina/) - Redhill Marina offers you a friendly and thoroughly professional boating service at the heart of the East Midlands waterway network that ranges from riverside and marina mooring to chandlery, marine storage, boat hire and boat sales. Our slipway is available for day and general access to the river and canal network. Cranage is also available
- [Introducing The Only Canal Map You'll Ever Need](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/introducing-the-only-canal-map-youll-ever-need/) - 2,200 miles of inland waterways, dozens of canals, hundreds of marinas, thousands of pubs and waterside cafes, and access to more tourist atractions than you can count. How do you know where to go, what route to take, how long to allow for your journey and what to do and see when you get there?
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard The Mothership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-the-mothership/) - Here's another case study of a couple living in harmony together... on separate boats. John and Lowrie offer an outstanding example of what you can do if you can't find a decent residential mooring. In this case they built one of their own. Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog
- [Raynsway Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/raynsway-marina/) - Raynsway marina Leicester is situated in an idyllic location on the River Soar, north of Leicester, between Birstall and Thurmaston locks. Adjoining the marina is the Watermead Country Park which offers pleasant walks, a wild bird sanctuary with observation points and cycle routes. {{{0}}} Raynsway Marina Leicester has 160 berths in total both residential and
- [Springwood Haven Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/springwood-haven-marina/) - There is a one-off non-refundable entrance fee of ?300. Marina members qualify for discounts off pump out, diesel, servicing, repairs and other services, also most of our range of chandlery. {{{0}}} We operate a waiting list system for moorings. Customers automatically drop off after one year unless they re-new [table id=66 /] PR: wait... I:
- [Weltonfield Narrowboats](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/weltonfield-narrowboats/) - Welton Hythe and Welton Haven are set in open countryside just a short distance from Norton Junction. Being at the heart of the canal system, our customers have a vast choice of cruising routes whether for weekend or longer use. Easy access from the major motorway and rail networks mean that your weekend can be
- [Narrowboat TV Aerial: The Perfect Choice For Your Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-tv-aerial-the-perfect-choice-for-your-boat/) - If you've read through the posts on this site, you'll know by now that I don't think much of television. In my opinion it's a waste of reading time, it's a waste of time that could otherwise be spent enjoying the beautiful countryside that surrounds me and it's a waste of what little electricity it
- [Narrowboat Mooring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-mooring/) - PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...
- [Boat TV - Narrowboat Television License Requirements](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/boat-tv-narrowboat-television-license-requirements/) - Most boats have a television on board, but how many of them are licensed and do you really need a license to watch boat TV? Here's a guide to legal television watching on your boat. Personally, I don't watch very much television. In fact, I don't watch any television as far as the licensing authority
- [Sawley Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/sawley-marina/) - Sawley Marina is located on a navigational cut of the River Trent near Long Eaton, Nottingham and is the largest Inland Marina in the United Kingdom, with a water space of 23 acres. Quality flood protected moorings with electricity and water at each location are provided for 600 boats and works are taking place to
- [What is narrowboat "blacking"?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/what-is-narrowboat-blacking/) - In simple terms narrowboat blacking is the process of applying a protective coating to the hull to help prevent rust.
- [Westview Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/westfield-marina/) - Westview Marina is on the River Great Ouse in the village of Earith in Cambridgeshire. The marina is located with good access to major trunk roads and lies 6 miles from the riverside town of St Ives and 10 miles from Cambridge. It is a family owned marina set away from busy roads and enjoying
- [Shardlow Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/shardlow-marina/) - Shardlow Marina and Caravan Park are situated in the rural setting of the historic, canalside village of Shardlow. The site is about 6 miles south of Derby, ten minutes from M1 Junction 24 (map) - an ideal location for both boaters and caravanners. We are on the River Trent and within easy reach of the
- [An Alternative To Smoking On Board](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/an-alternative-to-smoking-on-board/) - A narrowboat offers a relatively small living space so you don't want to fill it with cigarette smoke. Here's a healthy alternative for those of you who need a nicotine boost My name is Allan, from the South West of England UK and I have been helping people all my life in various ways. Many
- [Brundall Bay Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/brundall-bay-marina/) - Situated on the beautiful Norfolk Broads, Brundall Bay Marina is the largest and best equipped marina on the Broads, with moorings for over 300 boats, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Brundall Bay Marina is set in 50 acres of beautiful and peaceful parkland in an area of outstanding natural beauty with National Park status.
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Shepherds Rest](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-shepherds-rest/) - After a stressful high-flying career, Tim now has a much more relaxed life. After building his own boat he now cruises the waterways offering a full solar power fitting service. He's recently written an excellent and easy to understand article about the effectiveness of solar power and why he thinks every liveaboard boater should make
- [Choosing A Marina For Your Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/choosing-a-marina-for-your-narrowboat/) - This article was written for narrowboat owners but whether you own a seagoing yacht, a barge, a cruiser or a narrowboat, you still need somewhere to moor. Many, if not all of the following considerations will apply to you. There are literally hundreds of marinas to choose from. Not all of them will be able
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat The Watchman](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-the-watchman/) - Tony Jones is a freelance writer living on and working full time from his narrowboat "The Watchman". Tony's book "The Liveaboard Guide" will be released later this month. The nature of Tony's work allows him the flexibility to enjoy a nomadic lifestyle that is usually only practical for retirees. I'm just a tiny bit jealous!{{{0}}}
- [Lower Park Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/lower-park-marina/) - Lower Park Marina is a small family run business that was established in 1984. We offer a warm, friendly and helpful service and are pleased to accommodate everyone, including your family pets. Situated on the beautiful summit pound of the Leeds and Liverpool canal at Barnoldswick, in the borough of Pendle, on the Lancashire /
- [Otherton Boat Haven](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/otherton-boat-haven/) - Otherton Boat Haven, sitting in beautiful Staffordshire countryside, is situated on one of the most popular cruising routes in the country. The marina nestles between bridges 82 and 83 on the Staffs & Worcester Canal, on the outskirts of Penkridge and is close to village shops and pubs. {{{0}}} The boat haven can be easily
- [Living On The River Cam](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-the-river-cam/) - Luther Phillips lives on a widebeam boat on the river Cam with his partner Lisa and their two young boys. He talks here about the pleasures of living on the river, but not of the pleasure of the increased mooring fees! {{{0}}} I currently live aboard a 70ft Widebeam Barge moored on Stourbridge Common, with
- [Blisworth Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/blisworth-marina/) - We are snugly nestled at Gayton Junction on the Grand Union Canal, offering a wealth of cruising options in every direction, making this a popular choice for moorers. We are situated between Northampton and the charming market town of Towcester, adjacent to the A43 and easily accessible from the M1. We offer water and electric
- [How Do I Pump Out My Narrowboat Toilet](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-do-i-pump-out-my-narrowboat-toilet/) - Living on a narrowboat draws you closer to nature and the pleasures of a simple uncluttered life. Unfortunately the simple life also brings you closer to your toilet and its contents. It's one of the few unpleasant aspects of life on board but you soon get used to it. Here are a few tips to
- [Why I Thank My Lucky Stars Every Night](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/why-i-thank-my-lucky-stars-every-night/) - Before I knew anything about boating in general and narrowboats in particular I thought that people who lived on boats were unfortunate, unlucky and should be pitied. When my eldest son first started playing football for the local team, there was a boy playing alongside him who lived on a narrowboat with his parents. I
- [Narrowboat Solar Power](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-solar-power/) - By Tim Davis Before we start exploring all the ins and outs of solar power, an introductory paragraph to “set the scene“ as it were. Firstly a bit about me and my involvement in solar energy; I have been a live aboard boater for 12 years now and during that time have worked exclusively in
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Olive Rose](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-olive-rose/) - Another Questions and Answers session with boaters living afloat full time. Meet the married couple living aboard with a pair of cats. {{{0}}} Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) Lina Noyes, husband Warren and the cats Sammie and Sheila, who are sisters Tell me a
- [Continuous Cruisers: How To Constantly Cruise The Canal Network](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/continuous-cruisers-how-to-constantly-cruise-the-canal-network/) - Continuous cruiser Peter Earley emailed me after reading Pauline Roberts article about living on a narrowboat. Peter wrote the following article for the Residential Boat Owner's Association about four years ago. He though it would be a good counter argument for what many consider unneccessary pessimism in Pauline's article. {{{0}}} A little background information about
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat Xanadu](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-xanadu/) - Mike is a kindred spirit. He moved onto his boat after his marriage failed although his first floating home was far more of a challenge than mine... a 27ft GRP cruiser. His current 50' widebeam must feel SO spacious after that! Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you
- [Kings Bromley Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/kings-bromley-marina/) - Built in 2002 and extended in 2004 The marina offers 275 secure berths in a rural setting within 20 minutes of the M6 toll. {{{0}}} [table id=38 /] PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...
- [A Facelift For The Heart Of Calcutt Boats Marinas](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-facelift-for-the-heart-of-calcutt-boats-marinas/) - The site around Calcutt Boats Locks and Meadows marinas is beautiful. Over twenty acres of well maintained landscaping, some of the richest wild flower meadows in Warwickshire and over 8,000 trees in two woodland areas. Unfortunately, there's one small part of it that, to my mind, spoils the site. The tip. At the moment the
- [Beeston Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/beeston-marina/) - We are a family run business now in our second generation. We provide all the services and facilities you would expect from a long standing and well established marina. We cater for over 100 moorers, both residential and visitors. Plus a mobile home park, for that idillic life by the river. A well stocked Chandlery,
- [Stainforth Marina - New Development](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/stainforth-marina-new-development/) - The location of an old coal tip on land between the Stainforth and Keadby Canal and Stainforth settlement, together with the need for the tip to be re-engineered has enabled Waystone to consider the re-development of a total area of eighty acres. In compliance with BWB policy for the development of off-line marinas, Waystone is
- [White Bear Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/white-bear-marina/) - Linked to over 2000 miles of inland waterways the marina attracts many visitors from all walks of life including Cyclists, Anglers, Walkers, and Boat Owners. Located just a few miles from both the M6 (J27) and M61 (J6). The Marina boasts a choice of facilities including new and used boat sales, over 100 moorings, a
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat La Licorne](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-la-licorne/) - Mike and Judith Annan love travelling. After nearly a decade touring the world in their Mercedes motorhome, they've now started to explore the canal network in a floating moterhome. Now there's a lifestyle to envy! Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have one) I am Mike Annan
- [Billing Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/billing-marina/) - Billing Marina is part of Pure Leisure's country park of Billing Aquadrome. Situated on the River Nene in Northamptonshire in the heart of the UK it is easily accessible from all parts of the country. It is a large marina with 180 berths and full facilities. All berths on the marina are on floating moorings,
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Narrowboat The Woodsman](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-the-woodsman/) - Pauline is the second narrowboat owner featured in the case study section who has a partner who also owns and lives on a narrowboat. Is this a growing trend and a solution to the lack of space on a narrowboat? Who are you? (and your significant other and, of course, your dog if you have
- [Introducing Your New Narrowboat Budgeting Software](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/introducing-your-new-narrowboat-budgeting-software/) - The application is almost ready for release. I know you’re going to love it. It’ll remove all the mystery from planning your great escape. You’ll be able to see at a glance whether you can afford to buy and maintain your dream narrowboat or whether you need to rethink your options. The application will work
- [Living On A Narrowboat Forum Survey: The Results](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat-forum-survey-the-results/) - A huge thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and tell me why you either wanted or didn't want a forum on the site. Virtually everyone who completed the surveyoffered constructive comments; even those who said that they didn't think a forum would be beneficial..And the result was… You want a
- [A Case Study Of Liveaboard Rose Of Arden](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-case-study-of-liveaboard-rose-of-arden/) - With a double redundancy payment to fund their boat, Mike and Mags are enjoying their life in the slow lane. They cruise for the nine months of more pleasant English weather before escaping the ice and snow for a few winter months abroad. Come on Mike, you're missing out on one of the great pleasures
- [Ashby Canal Centre](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/ashby-canal-centre/) - There is no information about the moorings at this location on the company web site. If you own or manage Ashby Canal Centre and would like update your listing, please contact me. {{{0}}} [table id=87 /]
- [Cruising On The River Soar](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cruising-on-the-river-soar/) - Allan almost lives with his ex wife Toni. They cruise the waterways network together but on their own seperate boats Pengalanty & Snowdrop. Allan is a very experienced continuous cruiser but here's what can happen if you cruise on a windy day. {{{0}}} An Eventful Day in March 2012 written by Allan Cazaly. It was
- [Guide Download](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/guide-download/) - Just click on the link below to download your free guide. It contains all the blah, blah, blah Fact sheet on wildflower meadows and cornfields[1] PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...
- [living-on-a-narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat/) - To add an excerpt to a post, simply write one in the Excerpt field under the post edit box. An excerpt can be as short or as long as you wish. Usually, given its purpose, a couple of sentences is fine. Interestingly, since the WordPress excerpt is similar in purpose to the META description of
- [Are you too wide for a narrowboat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/are-you-too-wide-for-a-narrowboat/) - Some text here
- [Mooring UK](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/mooring-uk/) - Welcome to Living On A Narrowboat. You'll find plentty of information throughout the site about life on the cut and what it's really like to move from dry land to a life on the waterways of Britain. You may want to spend all of your time exploring more than 2,200 miles of navigable waterways but,
- [Venetian Marina Village](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/venetian-marina-village/) - There is no description of this marina available on the company web site. If you own or manage Venetian Marina Village, please contact me regarding your marina details
- [Victoria Basin](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/victoria-basin/) - Victoria Basin is in close proximity to the historic city centre and the site is dominated by a range of massive and imposing Victorian Warehouses. The entire location is a conservation area, but nearly all of the historic buildings have been sympathetically and successfully restored and redeveloped as offices, apartments and visitor attractions. The working
- [Marina Master Table](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/marina-master-table/) - [table id=99 /]
- [My Own Little Marina Peninsula](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/my-own-little-marina-peninsula/) - The worst of the winter weather is behind us. The ridiculously cold nights (minus fifteen one night) and sub zero days, frozen marinas and ice bound boats are a distant and slightly unpleasant dream. There's a hint of spring in the air. The snowdrops are out in force and the daffodils are coming through. On
- [Calcutt Top Lock Repairs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/calcutt-top-lock-repairs/) - They're still at it. The British Waterways contractor May Gurney is cracking on with the repair work to Calcutt Top Lock. And what pleasure it is to work with them. May Gurney must only recruit staff who can easily interact with the general public because every one of their guys on site is a credit
- [The First Flowers Are Out At Calcutt Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-first-flowers-are-out-at-calcutt-marina/) - It's been a long, hard winter. At least it's felt that way. With the uncharacteristically cold six week spell of sub zero days and bitterly cold nights between the end of November and the beginning of January, winter has dragged on, and on, and on. I can see light at the end of the tunnel
- [Contact Me](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/contact-me/) - [contact-form-7 id="1777" title="Contact form 1"]
- [test post](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/test-post/) - Test post to see if there is a link created to the forum

## Pages

- [Welcome to living on a narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/) - Over 4,000 posts and pages to let you tell you everything you need to know about living on a narrowboat
- [Hub - Sid the Swan, Solar Savings and Troublesome Toilets](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-sid-the-swan-solar-savings-and-troublesome-toilets/) - Sid the Swan, Solar Savings and Troublesome Toilets I am a prisoner in my own home, the victim of relentless aggression, intimidation and bad-tempered nastiness. I worry about opening my front deck cratch cover or the galley’s side doors. Even walking along my gunnel fills me with nervous anticipation. This is not the tranquil lifestyle
- [Boatyard Blog Posts](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/boatyard-blog-posts/) - This is a chronological listing of the blog posts I added to my website from 2nd April 2010, when I moved onto my first narrowboat, James No 194. Most contain helpful information about life on the inland waterways, narrowboats and the pros and cons of different styles, designs and on-board kit. I’ve included the list
- [Hub - Living On A Narrowboat With Children](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-living-on-a-narrowboat-with-children/) - Is it possible to live on a narrowboat with young children? Aren’t there too many risks living on the water? Here are some suggestions if you are considering a family life afloat. Here’s some advice from Peggy Melmoth, who lives on board her 70′ narrowboat with two children. “My children were born on the boat
- [Hub - A Case Study of Liveaboard Narrowboat James No 194](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-case-study-of-liveaboard-narrowboat-james-no-194/) - Some boaters will tell you that I’m not a “proper” live-aboard boater. I moor at a marina with an unlimited water supply and mains electricity. The location and the lifestyle suit me, though, and may suit you if you’re considering switching to a full-time life afloat. I wrote the original answers to the questions in
- [Hub The Cost Of Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-the-cost-of-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Do you want to live on a narrowboat because you think it’s a low-cost alternative to living in a house? Living on a narrowboat is a fantastic lifestyle choice, but the cost is possibly a little more than you expected. In this article, ALL of the costs are detailed and explained. I have detailed the
- [How much does a narrowboat survey cost?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-much-does-a-narrowboat-survey-cost-2/) - Type of Survey Typical Cost Range (UK, 2025) What’s Included / Notes Full Pre-purchase Survey £500 – £1,000+ technicalsupport.ltd.uk+3abnb.co.uk+3northernstarmarine.co.uk+3 Covers hull (out of water), engines, electrics, plumbing, structural & finish. For larger/widebeam boats or more remote locations, you may pay more. Hull-only Survey (out of water with thickness testing etc.) ~£350 – £600 dbmarinesurvey.co.uk+2smallcraftservices.com+2 Focus
- [Form Over Function](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/form-over-function/) - Everyone tells me that I own a beautiful floating home. Orient is sixty-two feet and twenty-two tonnes of gorgeously crafted steel. If that isn’t enough, there’s a beguiling vintage Lister two-stroke engine to turn the head of every middle-aged man on the cut. Because of the deep draught, Orient sits pleasingly low in the water,
- [Should I Buy New, Second-Hand, or a Project Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/should-i-buy-new-second-hand-or-a-project-boat-2/) - Every boater faces this decision. Do you want a shiny new boat, a tried-and-tested second-hand one, or a fixer-upper you can shape into your dream home? Each option has clear pros and cons. 1. Buying New Pros: Built to your exact layout and spec. Comes with warranties on hull, engine, and fit-out. No hidden surprises
- [Choosing And Finding A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/choosing-and-finding-a-narrowboat/) - Narrowboats are designed and equipped for differing living and cruising styles. You must consider yours before viewing boat listings and visiting brokers. A fat boat offering more spacious living accommodation than a narrowboat, but it limits your cruising range. Although many aspiring boaters take on the accepted wisdom that a 57′ narrowboat will allow you
- [Is Living Aboard Cheaper Than Renting or Owning a House?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/is-living-aboard-cheaper-than-renting-or-owning-a-house/) - When I first considered moving onto a narrowboat, one of the major selling points was the cost. I’d convinced myself I’d be living some kind of low-cost utopia: no council tax, no gas bill, no standing charges for electricity. Just me, my boat, and a pocket full of cash I’d saved compared to renting a
- [Understanding Boat Surveys](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/understanding-boat-surveys/) - (Written by Tom Keeling, Surveyor) EVERY DAY ACROSS THE NETWORK, surveys of private leisure steel-built narrowboats are completed in dry docks, on hardstandings and slipways. Surveys are carried out for insurance purposes, on behalf of prospective buyers and for owners’ general information, and there are three main types: Hull The boat is docked to allow
- [A Walkthrough of a High-Spec Off-Grid Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-walkthrough-of-a-high-spec-off-grid-narrowboat/) - This is a transcript of the walk-through of my narrowboat at the start of my Discovery Day cruises. I sincerely hope that the information helps you move forward with your boating plans. If you’ve been considering buying a narrowboat for a while, you probably have a rough idea about the best length, design and style
- [Engine Room Storage Space (and Essential Equipment)](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/engine-room-storage-space-and-essential-equipment/) - Narrowboat Engine Room Equipment I extracted the information below from a website post I wrote in 2015 on an extended cruise on my first narrowboat with my partner, Sally. Neither the boat nor the lady is in my life now, but the subject matter is as important now as it was then. If you haven’t
- [Which are the Best Stern Types for Living Afloat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/which-are-the-best-stern-types-for-living-afloat/) - What Are The Best Stern Types For Living Afloat? Your floating home’s stern design, its back end, can have a considerable impact on your day to day life. One design offers you more secure living and storage space, another gives you plenty of space for cruising companions and the third is a hybrid of both.
- [How Boat Dimensions Restrict Where You Can Go](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-boat-dimensions-restrict-where-you-can-go/) - 1. Beam (Width) Narrowbeam (6’10” / 2.08m): Fits the entire connected inland canal and river network in England and Wales. The only way to see everything, including small historic canals like the Calder & Hebble or the Huddersfield Narrow. Widebeam (7–14ft / 2–4.3m): Restricted to wide canals and navigable rivers (Grand Union south, Kennet &
- [Wide Beam Cruising Restrictions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/wide-beam-cruising-restrictions/) - Wide Beam Cruising Restrictions have sometimes been accused of casting wide-beam boats in an unnecessarily bad light. I have absolutely nothing against wide beam craft or their owners. I welcomed the many knowledgeable contributions on my website forum made by owners of wider craft, so I certainly didn’t want to offend them. I’m simply
- [Narrowboat vs Widebeam: What’s Best?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-vs-widebeam-whats-best/) - Narrowboat vs Widebeam: What’s Best? There’s no one-size-fits-all here — what suits someone else might annoy you two days in. It comes down to what you want from life afloat: cruising versus comfort, freedom versus room, cost versus convenience. What’s a Narrowboat? Usually about 6 ft 10 in – 7ft 0 in (?2.08 m) beam,
- [Hub - A Fierce New Guard Dog For Narrowboat Orient](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-fierce-new-guard-dog-for-narrowboat-orient/) - We woke to a tranquil world. Mallards slid over the solid ice sheet covering the canal and surrounding Orient. The rest day I craved had become an unavoidable necessity. Despite a forecast temperature spike over the next few days, melting ice up to two inches thick would take a while. So we relaxed into the
- [Moisture Misery & Tedious Train Travel](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/moisture-misery-tedious-train-travel/) - We’re still at war with the damp on our cold boat. And losing every skirmish. Dealing with unwanted moisture has become an exhausting daily ritual. Each morning while Cynthia slaves over two or three lit burners on our moisture-making gas hob, I invest half an hour scraping, mopping and wiping condensation from single-glazed windows, aluminium
- [Hub - A Brush With the Inland Waterways' Silent Killer](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-brush-with-the-inland-waterways-silent-killer/) - My alarm roused me from a deep and dreamless sleep. I rolled over and reached towards the bedroom’s tiny bedside drawer chest for my iPhone and the alarm’s snooze button. “That’s odd,” I thought, “my alarm rarely sounds like that.” Then I realised that the morning light streaming through the bedroom’s two portholes was missing,
- [Hub - Cynthia](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-cynthia/) - I receive weekly emails thanking me for my sometimes funny, often helpful blog posts, which usually entertain and even inform my narrowboat site visitors. This isn’t one of them. I received some tragic news on “Good” Friday. Cynthia flew to the States a month ago in an ongoing quest to reverse her failing health. She
- [Navigator Home](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/navigator-home/) - Welcome to the World’s Most Comprehensive Resource for Aspiring Narrowboat Owners and Liveaboard Boaters. Put the kettle on, make a cuppa, find a comfortable chair and settle down for a good read. I’ve invested hundreds of hours in this guide’s creation. You’ll find all the information you need to choose and buy the right boat
- [FAQ Narrowboat Basics](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-narrowboat-basics/) - Narrowboat Basics What is day-to-day life like on a narrowboat? Is Living Aboard Cheaper Than Renting or Owning a House? How Much Living Space Is There on Board Compared to a Flat? Inland Waterways Narrowboat Terminology Explained The Main Cons of Narrowboat Life (Read First) The Main Pros of Narrowboat Life (Read Second) Can I Live on
- [2025 Running Costs For A 62' Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2025-running-costs-for-a-62-narrowboat/) - Introduction There is a popular misconception that living afloat is much cheaper than living in a brick-and-mortar home. Sure, the purchase price of a narrowboat is likely to be much less than a house, but you may be surprised by the cost of keeping your floating home in good order. My goal for this guide
- [Hub - How Much Does A Brand New Narrowboat Cost?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-how-much-does-a-brand-new-narrowboat-cost/) - Buying a new narrowboat is exciting, but it’s also expensive. The cost depends heavily on size, specification, fittings, and who builds it. It’s satisfying to own a brand-new boat, but the accepted wisdom is to purchase a used boat unless you have extensive boating experience. You don’t know what narrowboat style, layout or onboard equipment
- [Narrowboat Buyer’s Guide: Features, Pros and Cons](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-buyers-guide-features-pros-and-cons/) - There’s no such animal as a perfect boat. A 70′ boat costs more to buy, moor, license and maintain, but gives you plenty of living space. The shorter the boat, the less it costs, but the greater the challenge of shoehorning your life into it. You can make your life doubly difficult by choosing a
- [Hub - Battery Problems On An Aborted Shropshire Union Canal Cruise](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-battery-problems-on-an-aborted-shropshire-union-canal-cruise/) - Orient rested in Tattenhall Marina’s waterside workshop to have some long-overdue TLC. A shiny new Morso Squirrel stove replaced the old cracked model, and I emptied my bank account to buy a ruinously expensive Ecofan to distribute the stove’s hot air. The Kabola boiler leaked more diesel than it burned. The system is now leak-free
- [Bah Humbug!](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/bah-humbug/) - First of all, I would like to wish you a relaxing and stress-free Christmas. I hope the break from an arduous work regime helps recharge your batteries and prepare you for the year ahead. Personally, I don’t enjoy this time of the year at all. I find the commercial aspect of the festive period irritating
- [Inland Waterways Narrowboat Terminology Explained](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/inland-waterways-narrowboat-terminology-explained/) - I’m sure you’ll be relieved to discover that inland waterways boaters aren’t quite so precious about using nautical terminology as saltwater sailors. You’ll hear boaters referring to their craft’s bow and stern, but that’s about it. Port and starboard rarely describe the boat’s left and right sides; you’ll park your boat just as often as
- [Hub - How To Find A Narrowboat To Live On](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-how-to-find-a-narrowboat-to-live-on/) - So you want to live on a narrowboat. Good for you. But before you spend your hard-earned pennies, you need to think very carefully about the boat you intend to buy. Living on board full-time is very different from a two-week break away from work and your home on dry land. Answer the following questions
- [Hub - Living On A Narrowboat In Winter](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-living-on-a-narrowboat-in-winter/) - If you’ve ever considered living on a narrowboat, you’ve probably imagined lazy days cruising gently down a tranquil waterway under a cloudless blue sky, evenings on the tow path with chilled wine and barbecued food and tranquil nights lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of the countryside through open windows. Of course, narrowboat life
- [Hub - Fifteen Reasons Why Living On A Narrowboat Is A Bad Idea](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-fifteen-reasons-why-living-on-a-narrowboat-is-a-bad-idea/) - Fifteen Reasons Why Living On A Narrowboat Is A Bad Idea Warning! Living on a narrowboat may be harder than you think. Here’s what you need to know before taking the plunge… An unhappy narrowboat owner Summer is a dangerous time of the year for aspiring boat owners. Gaily painted narrowboat sirens lure novice liveaboard
- [The Ultimate Guide To Narrowboat Solar Power – Part 3](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-ultimate-guide-to-narrowboat-solar-power-part-3/) - You can read part 2 of this 3 part narrowboat solar power article here. SECTION 3 – ONBOARD SOLAR – WHAT WE OFFER NOW My approach is to offer a complete functioning solar system mixing the best available panels and controllers with in house developed mounting and cabling systems Customers will often ask us to
- [The Ultimate Guide To Narrowboat Solar Power – Part 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-ultimate-guide-to-narrowboat-solar-power-part-1/) - Written by Tim Davis of Onboard Solar Back in 2012, I wrote a series of articles on boat electrical systems, power management and an introduction to solar systems. At the time I had just completed the first full year as Onboard Solar, at the time of writing I was on my vintage tug at Penkridge
- [The Ultimate Guide To Narrowboat Solar Power – Part 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-ultimate-guide-to-narrowboat-solar-power-part-2/) - Continued from Section 1 – BACKGROUND, TECHNICALITIES AND PREPARING Written by Tim Davis of Onboard Solar SECTION 2 ONBOARD SOLAR – HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT Right from the onset I decided rather than supplying a myriad of options, panels, controllers, cables, brackets etc, I decided to spec up complete fully operational systems sourcing all the best available,
- [Search Results](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/search-results/)
- [FAQ 1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-1/) - Narrowboat Navigator A giant step forward on your narrowboat adventure What is day-to-day life like on a narrowboat? Living on a narrowboat is unlike any other lifestyle in the UK. It combines elements of minimalism, self-sufficiency, and adventure, with a touch of unpredictability. Day-to-day life depends on whether you’re moored in one spot or continuously
- [FAQ Costs Finances](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-costs-finances/) - Costs & Finances How Much Does a Brand-New Narrowboat Cost? How Much Does a Second-hand Boat Usually Cost? What Affects Boat Insurance Premiums? How Much to Budget for Fuel Each Year? Actual Annual Maintenance Costs for a 62′ Narrowboat Blacking and Hull Maintenance Costs Do Boats Depreciate Quickly, or Can They Hold Value? Can You
- [FAQ Moorings](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-moorings/) - Moorings Residential vs Leisure vs Long-Term Moorings: What’s the Difference? How Do You Find a Residential Mooring? Can You Legally Live Aboard on a Leisure Mooring? How Long Are Waiting Lists for Popular Moorings?What Facilities Do Most Moorings Provide? How Much Mooring Costs Vary by Location Can You Share a Mooring with Another Boat? What’s
- [FAQ Daily Living & Comfort](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-daily-living-comfort/) - Daily Living & Comfort
- [Mooring Finder](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/mooring-finder/) - Finding a decent residential mooring is arguably more challenging than finding a suitable boat. Here’s a map listing all the major inland waterways and marinas on the connected network, along with what they have to offer… Here’s how to use the map. Use the + and – Symbols top left on the map to zoom in
- [FAQ Daily Maintenance & Practicality](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-daily-maintenance-practicality/) - Frequently Asked Questions – Maintenance & Stuff
- [Navigator Budget Calculator](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/navigator-budget-calculator/) - Calculate Now that you’ve delved into the Frequently Asked Questions section, you will have a much clearer idea of your boat type, style and layout and understand the pros and cons of residential moorings and a continuous cruising lifestyle. Now it’s time to work out how much your preferred lifestyle will cost. (Warning – Living on
- [Commit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/commit/) - Not sure what to put here yet!
- [FAQ Rules Regulations](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-rules-regulations/) - Rules & Regulations What Type of Licence Do You Need from CRT? Continuous Cruiser Licence vs Home Mooring Licence: What’s the Difference? How Far Do I Need to Move Every 14 Days as a Continuous Cruiser? Are There Restrictions on Where You Can Moor? Penalties for Overstaying on Visitor Moorings Do You Need Formal Qualifications
- [FAQ Lifestyle & Community](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-lifestyle-community/) - Lifestyle & Community Is There a Strong Sense of Community among Boaters on the Canals? Are There Social Events, Gatherings, or Clubs for Boaters? Seasonal Calendar of Major UK Boating Events What’s It Like Living in Rural vs. City Areas on the Canals? How Safe Is Life on the Waterways? Is Boat Life Safe for
- [FAQ Work & Income](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-work-income/) - Work & Income Can I Work Remotely from a Narrowboat? How Reliable Is Internet Access for Work? Comparison Table of Mobile Internet vs Starlink Can I Run a Business from a Boat (e.g. Café, Workshop)? Can I Claim Expenses If I Work From a Boat? Do Liveaboards Have to Pay Council Tax in Some Moorings?
- [FAQ Buying & Choosing a Boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-buying-choosing-a-boat/) - Buying & Choosing a Boat Narrowboat vs Widebeam: What’s Best? Wide Beam Cruising Restrictions How Boat Dimensions Restrict Where You Can Go Which are the Best Stern Types for Living Afloat? Should I Buy New, Second-Hand, or a Project Boat? Engine Room Storage Space (and Essential Equipment) A Walkthrough of a High-Spec Off-Grid Narrowboat Form
- [FAQ Travel & Cruising](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/faq-travel-cruising/) - Travel & Cruising What Are the Speed Limits on the Inland Waterways? How Many Miles Can I Realistically Cover in a Day? Can I Cruise All Year Round? What Happens When Canals Freeze in Winter? Can I Travel Freely Across the Whole Canal Network? Are There Sections of Canal Too Shallow or Restricted? Can Narrowboats
- [A Typical Day On A Liveaboard Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-typical-day-on-a-liveaboard-narrowboat/) - A Typical Day On A Liveaboard Narrowboat There’s no such thing as the perfect boat or a right or wrong way to live on it. However, understanding and accepting the limitations and challenges of life on the water is essential if you want a tranquil lifestyle. Here’s a post I wrote for my website in
- [How Much Living Space Is There on Board Compared to a Flat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-much-living-space-is-there-on-board-compared-to-a-flat/) - How Much Living Space Is There on Board Compared to a Flat? The first thing that surprises most new boaters is just how small a narrowboat feels once you’re living on it full-time. On paper, it sounds fine: “57 feet long, 6 feet 10 inches wide — plenty of room!” In reality, when you factor
- [The Main Pros of Narrowboat Life](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-main-pros-of-narrowboat-life/) - The Pros & Cons of Narrowboat Life – A Positive View Pauline Roberts lived afloat on The Woodsman. She sent me a copy of a letter she sent to friends and relatives to ‘educate’ them about life on a narrowboat. Boaters approach our peculiar lifestyle with varying degrees of optimism or pessimism, a glass-half-full or
- [The Main Cons of Narrowboat Life](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-main-cons-of-narrowboat-life/) - The Pros & Cons of Narrowboat Life – A Negative View Pauline Roberts lives aboard The Woodsman. She says she loves the lifestyle but her family and friends don’t understand what it’s all about. She wrote the following to try and explain it to them… Hello, all you land-living house or flat dwellers. Ever strolled
- [Can I Live on a Narrowboat All Year Round, Including Winter?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/can-i-live-on-a-narrowboat-all-year-round-including-winter/) - Can I Live on a Narrowboat All Year Round, Including Winter? Yes, you absolutely can live on a narrowboat all year round. In fact, thousands of people do. But winter afloat is very different from summer afloat, and if you’re only picturing golden evenings and lazy summer cruises, you might be in for a bit
- [Is Boat Life Suitable for Families, Couples, or Solo Living?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/is-boat-life-suitable-for-families-couples-or-solo-living/) - Is Boat Life Suitable for Families, Couples, or Solo Living? Yes — boat life can work for anyone. I’ve met solo boaters, couples, families with kids, and even retired grandparents looking after grandchildren during the holidays. However, how suitable it really is depends on your space, layout, and tolerance for living close together. Solo Living
- [Do I Need Prior Boating Experience to Manage a Narrowboat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/do-i-need-prior-boating-experience-to-manage-a-narrowboat/) - Do I Need Prior Boating Experience to Manage a Narrowboat? No, you don’t need any prior boating experience to manage a narrowboat. Thousands of people buy their first boat, having never touched a tiller before. But — and this is important — while you don’t need experience, you do need a willingness to learn, a
- [Is Narrowboat Life Best for People Who Like Travelling, or Those Who Prefer Staying Put?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/is-narrowboat-life-best-for-people-who-like-travelling-or-those-who-prefer-staying-put/) - Is Narrowboat Life Best for People Who Like Travelling, or Those Who Prefer Staying Put? The honest answer is: it can suit both — but the way you approach boat life will be very different depending on whether you’re a wanderer or a homebody. For People Who Love Travelling If you like the idea of
- [Continuous Cruising vs Residential Mooring: A Side-by-Side Comparison](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/continuous-cruising-vs-residential-mooring-a-side-by-side-comparison/) - Continuous Cruising vs Residential Mooring: A Side-by-Side Comparison One of the biggest decisions you’ll face when living aboard is choosing between continuous cruising and securing a residential mooring. Each path offers a distinctly different lifestyle, with unique freedoms, responsibilities, and costs. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know to make the right
- [Should You Be a Continuous Cruiser or Have a Residential Mooring?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/should-you-be-a-continuous-cruiser-or-have-a-residential-mooring/) - Should You Be a Continuous Cruiser or Have a Residential Mooring? Start Here ? Do you enjoy travelling and exploring new places? Yes ? Go to Question 2 No ? Residential Mooring is probably better for you Are you happy to move every 14 days, even in winter? Yes ? Go to Question 3 No
- [How Much Time Does Living Afloat Require Compared to Living in a House](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-much-time-does-living-afloat-require-compared-to-living-in-a-house/) - How Much Time Does Living Afloat Require Compared to Living in a House? One of the biggest surprises for new liveaboards is just how much time narrowboat life takes. Yes, you can get it down to a rhythm eventually, but compared to a house — where water, power, heat, and waste all just “happen” —
- [Residential vs Leisure vs Long-Term Moorings: What’s the Difference?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/residential-vs-leisure-vs-long-term-moorings-whats-the-difference/)
- [How Do You Find a Residential Mooring?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-do-you-find-a-residential-mooring/)
- [Can You Legally Live Aboard on a Leisure Mooring?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/can-you-legally-live-aboard-on-a-leisure-mooring/)
- [How Long Are Waiting Lists for Popular Moorings?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-long-are-waiting-lists-for-popular-moorings/)
- [What Facilities Do Most Moorings Provide?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/what-facilities-do-most-moorings-provide/)
- [Should I Buy New, Second-Hand, or a Project Boat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/should-i-buy-new-second-hand-or-a-project-boat/) - Should I Buy New, Second-Hand, or a Project Boat? Every boater faces this decision. Do you want a shiny new boat, a tried-and-tested second-hand one, or a fixer-upper you can shape into your dream home? Each option has clear pros and cons. 1. Buying New Pros: Built to your exact layout and spec. Comes with
- [Equipment, Layout and Design Considerations](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/equipment-layout-and-design-considerations/) - Equipment, Layout and Design Considerations Brokers, like estate agents, use phrases to describe a boat’s negative aspects in positive terms. Beware the description, ‘Open plan – Ideal for living on board’. What they really mean is that the boat has been built cheaply without much, or any, built in storage space. I see boat interiors
- [Common Newbie Mistakes and How to Avoid Them](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/common-newbie-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/) - Common Newbie Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (Copied from a website post I wrote in September 2020) Add the content of the post below BEFORE the rest of this page’s text. It’s part one of a 2 part articlehttps://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/common-narrowboat-newbie-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/ I live and work on one of the busiest sections of the inland waterways. The
- [2020 09 Orient Running Repairs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/2020-09-orient-running-repairs/) - Orient’s Running Repairs (Published September 2020) ? I wanted to email you weeks ago. My mind was willing, but my body was weak. Life and the insidious ravages of time on my old bones thwarted my plans. I’ve been too busy, tired and obsessed with earning a crust to add any new posts to my
- [Following Your Narrowboat Dream](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/following-your-narrowboat-dream/) - Following Your Narrowboat Dream That’s it. I’ve had enough. I stepped onto the hamster wheel in September 1977, almost exactly thirty-seven years ago, and I’ve been on it ever since, running as fast as my little legs could carry me, never seeming to get anywhere or to have any time for myself and the leisure
- [Practical Boating](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/practical-boating/) - Practical Boating Morse & Traditional Controls The Centre Line Inland Waterways Etiquette Enter your text here…
- [Hub - How To Constantly Cruise The Canal Network](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-how-to-constantly-cruise-the-canal-network/) - How To Constantly Cruise The Canal Network Continuous cruiser Peter Earley emailed me after reading a negative guest article about living afloat. Peter wrote the following article for the Residential Boat Owner’s Association about four years ago. He thought it would be a good counterargument for what many consider unnecessary pessimism in that piece. A
- [Hub - Actual Annual Running Costs For A 62' Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-actual-annual-running-costs-for-a-62-narrowboat/) - Actual Annual Running Costs For A 62′ Narrowboat Introduction There is a popular misconception that living afloat is much cheaper than living in a brick-and-mortar home. Sure, the purchase price of a narrowboat is likely to be much less than a house, but you may be surprised by the cost of keeping your floating home
- [Hub - A Wellcome Return To Narrowboat Life](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-wellcome-return-to-narrowboat-life/) - A Welcome Return To Narrowboat Life Phew! That was exciting. Since my last proper narrowboat post, a little over two years ago, Cynthia and I have been very, very busy. I sold my lovely narrowboat, James No. 194, and left England’s historic canal network for a life of happy exploration in mainland Europe. We clocked up
- [Hub - 5,000 Reasons To Use A Narrowboat Surveyor](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-5000-reasons-to-use-a-narrowboat-surveyor/) - 5,000 Reasons To Use A Narrowboat Surveyor I don’t know why I make plans. Things rarely work out the way I want them to. Everything seemed so straightforward on my survey day To Do list.• Ask permission to black Orient while it’s out of the water• Make sure there’s a pressure washer available• Buy bitumen,
- [Hub - A Creative Solution To Narrowboat Finance](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-creative-solution-to-narrowboat-finance/) - A Creative Solution To Narrowboat Finance I sat with my head in my hands opposite the broker, Steve Harral. He listened to me as I reeled off a list of faults unearthed during a two-hour survey. “There’s too much to do, Steve,” I told him unhappily. “There are three different heat sources on the boat.
- [Hub - Looking Forward To Christmas On The Cut](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-looking-forward-to-christmas-on-the-cut/) - Looking Forward To Christmas On The Cut What an unloved and unlovely place a Dutch marina is in the winter. Less than a hundred boats remain in the mostly empty berths. Most moorers here have taken their boats out of the water, and either moved them onto the once spacious marina car park or into
- [Hub - A Successful Return To The English Inland Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-successful-return-to-the-english-inland-waterways/) - A Successful Return To The English Inland Waterways I imagine that a narrowboat broker’s perfect sale would involve a potential buyer viewing a boat, saying he liked it and then returning the following day with a briefcase bulging with enough cash to pay the asking price. On a scale of one to ten, with one
- [Hub - Electrical Problem Solving And Pre-Cruise Preparation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-electrical-problem-solving-and-pre-cruise-preparation/) - Electrical Problem Solving And Pre-Cruise Preparation There was no great rush to return to Tattenhall Marina. We had five days before the workshop guys could begin our electrical work. I stood at the tiller for two 8-hour days on the 23-mile, 28-lock cruise from Tattenhall to Market Drayton. It was exhausting. We allowed four days
- [Hub - A Winter Cruise On The Shropshire Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-winter-cruise-on-the-shropshire-union-canal/) - A Winter Cruise On The Shropshire Union Canal “I want to be able to relax more. I’m fed up working so hard. I will sell my house and use the equity to live a life of leisure on England’s inland waterways. My lifestyle will be much easier than the hectic pace I endure now.” I’ve
- [Hub - A Race On An Icy Canal To Beat A Birmingham Blockage](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-a-race-on-an-icy-canal-to-beat-a-birmingham-blockage/) - A Race On An Icy Canal To Beat A Birmingham Blockage Seven days to go. Seven days to cover a mere forty-three miles. How difficult could that be? That was our goal when we left Market Drayton last Monday morning. The sky was clear, and the canal was untroubled by the fierce gusts which had
- [Hub - Summer Weather In February On The Grand Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-summer-weather-in-february-on-the-grand-union-canal/) - Summer Weather In February On The Grand Union Canal Orient’s Zanussi washing machine isn’t performing quite as well as we would like. Its primary function at the moment seems to be to transfer the contents of our 700-litre water tank into the cabin bilge, without washing any clothes. Removing the excess bilge water has proven
- [Hub - Broken Boilers & Costly Cratch Covers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-broken-boilers-costly-cratch-covers/) - Broken Boilers And Costly Cratch Covers We are now without a washing machine. After sliding, lifting and squeezing the cumbersome appliance through the boat’s narrow passageways, we thoroughly examined the useless pile of junk. I hoped for a simple solution, a cheap-to-fix split hose or loose connection. Life is rarely that easy. The cause of
- [Hub - Celebrating Shared Experiences And Moving Forward](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-celebrating-shared-experiences-and-moving-forward/) - Celebrating Shared Experiences And Moving Forward All is quiet on board. The silence is broken only by the ticking of the galley clock and muted quacks from two squabbling mallards. Gone are the reassuring sounds of domestic bliss; Cynthia’s tuneless humming and occasional curse as she juggled pans in the galley, creating another of her
- [Hub - Beware New Boat Freebies](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/hub-beware-new-boat-freebies/) - Beware New Boat Freebies Remember my brush with carbon monoxide poisoning a month ago, when I was rudely disturbed in the middle of the night by a shrieking alarm and a boat filled with smoke? I had another slightly less dramatic episode earlier in the week. The first problem was caused by an incorrect fit
- [Discovery Day Selection](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/discovery-day-selection/) - You’re A Step Closer To An Idyllic Life Afloat. Click on The Appropriate Link Below to Book Your Date. Click the ‘Book Now’ link below the Discovery Day option which suits you best. Add your contact details to the booking form to provisionally secure your date. You’ll receive an email almost instantly containing a link
- [Narrowboat Costs Explained](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-costs-explained/) - A complete and comprehensive guide to all the narrowboat running costs you need to know before considering living afloat on England's inland waterways.
- [Discovery Day Information](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/discovery-day-information/) - Deanna Sharratt Braunston We both wanted to slow down and bit and get out of the rat race. We had built up a fair bit of equity in our house and were considering downsizing to a cottage or enjoying the live aboard lifestyle. Attending the Discovery Day enabled us to decide that life on a
- [Navigator 30 Days](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/navigator-30-days/) - First 30 Days Survival Kit for New Narrowboat Owners First 30-Day Survival Kit 1. Quick-Start Essentials Common Newbie Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Checklist: “What to do in your first 48 hours on board”(lighting the stove, connecting to shore power, topping up water, emptying loo, checking batteries) Boat handover guide (understanding your survey report, engine basics,
- [Narrowboat Navigator Sales](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-navigator-sales/) - Narrowboat Navigator – Your Complete Membership Portal for Living afloat on England’s Waterways Network “Everything you need to buy, budget, build and live aboard with confidence.” Hello there, I’m Paul Smith — your fellow narrowboat owner, living the life in steel on water. If you’re reading this, you’ve already taken one of the biggest leaps:
- [Narrowboat Navigator Checkout](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-navigator-checkout/) - English Inland Waterways Worker, Cruiser And Die-Hard Enthusiast You are seconds away from access to the most comprehensive information you will find anywhere on the internet about narrowboats and living afloat in the inland waterways network. ? i © 2017 Paul Smith
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- [Navigator FAQ](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/navigator-faq/) - Step 1 – Consider (these frequently asked questions) Whatever stage you have reached on your narrowboat journey, I implore you to put the kettle on, make a cuppa and browse through the 100+ questions and answers in the hub’s frequently asked questions section. The Basics of Narrowboat Living Costs & Finances Licences, Rules & Regulations
- [Navigator Template](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/navigator-template/) - Narrowboat Navigator A giant step forward on your narrowboat adventure New Here? Read the getting started guide Thinking of buying?Pick the right boat style and search for it Already Afloat?First 30 days survival kit Enter your text here…
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- [What is day-to-day life like on a narrowboat?](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/what-is-day-to-day-life-like-on-a-narrowboat/) - Narrowboat Navigator A giant step forward on your narrowboat adventure! What is day-to-day life like on a narrowboat? Living on a narrowboat is unlike any other lifestyle in the UK. It combines elements of minimalism, self-sufficiency, and adventure, with a touch of unpredictability. Day-to-day life depends on whether you’re moored in one spot or continuously
- [Navigator 30 Days Old](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/navigator-30-days-old/) - Narrowboat Navigator A giant step forward on your narrowboat adventure! New Here? Read the introduction and the starter guide below Thinking of Buying?Buying roadmap + checklist Already Afloat?First 30 days survival kit WELCOME TEXT GOES HERE As a knee jerk reaction to a marriage breakdown following the failure and subsequent bankruptcy of my national cleaning
- [Block editor test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/block-editor-test/) - Narrowboat Navigator A giant step forward on your narrowboat adventure! New Here? Read the introduction and the starter guide below Thinking of Buying?Buying roadmap + checklist Already Afloat?First 30 days survival kit WELCOME TEXT GOES HERE As a knee jerk reaction to a marriage breakdown following the failure and subsequent bankruptcy of my national cleaning
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- [Privacy Policy](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/privacy-policy/) - Last updated February 22, 2024 This privacy notice for Paul Smith T/A Living On A Narrowboat (‘we‘, ‘us‘, or ‘our‘), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share (‘process‘) your information when you use our services (‘Services‘), such as when you: Visit our website at https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk, or any website of ours that
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- [How To Find Me](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-find-me/) - If you’re planning on visiting me, you’ll need to follow the directions below. Please note that there are two different sets of directions. One is to my mooring within the marina. The other is to the location I use for the beginning of my discovery days. The two locations are only a few hundred metres
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- [Inland Waterways Narrowboat Terminology](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/inland-waterways-narrowboat-terminology/) - I’m sure you’ll be relieved to discover that inland waterways boaters aren’t quite so precious about using nautical terminology as saltwater sailors. You’ll hear boaters referring to their craft’s bow and stern, but that’s about it. Port and starboard rarely describe the boat’s left and right sides, you’ll park your boat just as often as
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- [Canal Network Map](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-network-map/) - There are over 2,200 miles of navigable canals and rivers for you to explore, but where are they, where do they go to and how long have they been there? You’ll find all the information you need to know below. Jim Sheads Canal Map Although you can explore all of the connecting network from the
- [The Ultimate Guide To Living On England’s Inland Waterways](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-ultimate-guide-to-living-on-englands-inland-waterways/) - The ultimate guide to living afloat Save Hundreds Of Hours Of Frustrating Research (Providing You Know What To Look For) And Discover All You Need To Know About Living Afloat On England’s Inland Waterways ? Thanks for your interest but, despite swapping my tiller for a MacBook keyboard for the duration of my favourite cruising
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- [Narrowboat Virtual Assistant Checkout](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-virtual-assistant-checkout/) - Thank you for your interest in my Narrowboat Buyer’s Concierge service. You’re about to invest £49.99 in a monthly subscription. The subscription entitles you to unlimited emails during your subscription period. One of the more popular uses of this bespoke service is to ask me to cast a beady eye over a boat listing. Here’s
- [Narrowboat Advisor Sales](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-advisor-sales/) - Here’s How To Avoid Catastrophic Mistakes When You Buy Your First Narrowboat There are legions of newbie boat owners who could have saved thousands of pounds and untold misery if they had access to some decent advice before they parted with their hard earned cash MORE HERE Buying a narrowboat is so much more expensive and difficult
- [Narrowboat Discovery Day](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-discovery-day/) - Join me In My Beautiful Floating Home for a narrowboat training and experience day… and learn all about the live aboard lifestyle Enjoy a full day’s cruise on the tranquil canals of rural Warwickshire where you’ll learn how to handle a narrowboat either as part of a crew or on your own. Find out what
- [Contact Me](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/contact-me/) - I’m staring expectantly at my inbox, waiting for your message… Please complete this form if you have any questions at all. I’m passionate about living afloat, something you may have gathered if you’ve read any of my blog posts. I love to receive messages from fellow narrowboat enthusiasts so tell me what’s on your mind.
- [Quiz Page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/quiz-page/) - [tqb_quiz id=’33753′]
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- [Narrowboat Advisor](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-advisor/) - Welcome To Your Personal Narrowboat Advisor This page is a distillation of everything I’ve learned – everything I’ve written over the last ten years. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, use the form at the bottom of the page to ask me to write one. ‘ ‘My goal is to provide a
- [Narrowboat Advisor Checkout 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-advisor-checkout-2/) - Final Step! Book Your Session(s) With Me English Inland Waterways Worker, Cruiser And Die-Hard Enthusiast Please book your session on the calendar below. Click on the green Redeem Coupon button. A coupon was assigned to your email address when you made your purchase. Please enter the same email address you used to make your purchase in
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- [All Living On A Narrowboat Posts Published IN 2020](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/all-living-on-a-narrowboat-posts-published-in-2020/) - Newsletter ArchiveLife After Lockdown And Why Social Distancing Can Be FunI wrote my last blog post at the beginning of March, shortly before the world closed down to slow the ?Read MoreNewsletter ArchiveFifteen Reasons Why Living On A Narrowboat Is A Bad Idea: Part 2Warning! Living on a narrowboat may be harder than you think.
- [Site Subscription](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/site-subscription/) - Thank you for taking the time to visit this page. You've probably found a link to it after browsing the site. I'm sure you've discovered, there's a tremendous amount of information here about the practicalities of living afloat. The site's creation has been a labour of love since I moved onboard a very sad looking
- [Add Discovery Day Comments](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/add-discovery-day-comments/) - Discovery Day Feedback Thank you for spending a day with me on the cut. I hope that the experience has given you the knowledge and confidence to move forward with your boating plans. My aim was to make an instructive day as pleasant for you as possible. With that in mind, I will be eternally
- [Narrowboat Helmsman Training Course](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-helmsman-training-course/) - Discover the Importance of Narrowboat Helmsman Training BEFORE You Buy Your Boat Did you know that there is no formal requirement for narrowboat helmsman training before you take either your own boat or one from a hire company out on England’s inland waterways? Did you know that this boat sometimes stretches seventy feet in front
- [Narrowboat Helmsmanship Training](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-helmsmanship-training/) - Discover the Importance of Narrowboat Helmsman Training BEFORE You Buy Your Boat Did you know that there is no formal requirement for narrowboat helmsman training before you take either your own boat or one from a hire company out on England’s inland waterways? Did you know that this boat sometimes stretches seventy feet in front
- [The Steve Hudson Narrowboat Register](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-steve-hudson-narrowboat-register/) - This is where the text will go...
- [Home Page Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/home-page-test/) - Paul Smith +44 (0)7497 094028 Discover all you need to know about living afloat Our classes Introductory? Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nam consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor. Intermediate Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nam consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor. Advanced Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nam consectetur adipisicing elit, sed
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- [Discovery Day Selection eBay](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/discovery-day-selection-ebay/) - You’re A Step Closer To An Idyllic Life Afloat. Click on The Appropriate Link Below to Book Your Date. My availability calendar is currently wide open. The new season begins in April 2019 and extends to the end of December. Weekend dates have always been the most popular. They’re all free at the moment so
- [Narrowboat Discovery Day eBay](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-discovery-day-ebay/) - Join me on my own boat for a narrowboat training and experience day… and learn all about the live aboard lifestyle Enjoy a full day’s cruise on the tranquil canals of rural Warwickshire where you’ll learn how to handle a narrowboat either as part of a crew or on your own. Find out what style
- [ChristmasGift](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/christmasgift/) - You Are VERY Lucky. Look What You’ve Been Given For Christmas Someone loves you very much indeed. Stop reading this right now, give that special someone a big hug, and then come back to me. Have you done that? Good! See how much better your Christmas Day is before you find out about this extraordinary
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- [Narrowboat Costs Explained Subscriber Confirmation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-costs-explained-subscriber-confirmation/) - A complete and comprehensive guide to all the narrowboat running costs you need to know before considering living afloat on England's inland waterways.
- [Subscription Confirmation Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/subscription-confirmation-test/) - “Eight Years Ago I Began Living On A Narrowboat Out Of Desperation – Here’s What I’ve Learned Since…” Veteran Narrowboat Owner Reveals How To AvoidThe Number One Most Costly MistakeOf Living On The Water Dear Aspiring Narrowboat Owner, My name is Paul Smith, and I live on a narrowboat. I wake up every morning to
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- [Courses](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/courses-2/) - [wpcw_courses]
- [Account](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/account/) - [wpcw_account]
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- [Checkout](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/checkout-2/) - [wpcw_checkout]
- [Order Received](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/order-received/) - [wpcw_order_received]
- [Courses](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/courses/) - [wpcw_courses]
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- [ArmchairDiscoveryCheckout](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/armchairdiscoverycheckout/) - Congratulations! You’re One Big Step Closer To A Gentle And Tranquil Life On England’s Inland Waterways… Beth Cross Devon “The Skype sessions I found brilliant. Your knowledge of narrow boats, marinas and all associated is just from another spectrum! Thank you so much. I can now approach buying our narrow boat, and with your input,
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- [Narrowbudget Gold Confirmation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowbudget-gold-confirmation/) - Thank you for your purchase. It's a wise investment in your boating future. There's a wealth of free information available online, but sorting the wheat from the chaff is a really difficult exercise. Believe me, I've tried! Your Narrowbudget Gold package will guide you through all the costs you'll face from your initial purchase and
- [Narrowboat Forum](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-forum/) - Main Site Guide to Narrowboat Costs Latest Posts liveaboard case studies Narrowboat Marinas Contact Me
- [IND](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/ind/)
- [Armchair Discovery Day](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/armchair-discovery-day/) - Here’s the TRUTH. Moving afloat without thorough research Can Be a recipe for disaster! Living afloat on England’s inland waterways can be a relaxing, stress free and idyllic lifestyle, but only for those who get it right. YOU need to make sure you know ALL the facts before you move afloat. Let me cut to the
- [Inland Waterways Course Module 6: The Cost of Living Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/inland-waterways-course-module-6-the-cost-of-living-afloat/) - At Last! Here's the secret to learning the true cost of living on England's inland waterways without spending endless hours on frustrating and ineffective online research.
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- [Living Afloat Armchair Discovery Sessions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-afloat-armchair-discovery-sessions/) - Watch The Short Video Below: What all aspiring narrowboat owners need to know about eliminating the live aboard learning curve Here’s a unique opportunity to learn everything you need to know about living afloat on England’s waterways without suffering the embarrassment and financial hardship of learning from your own mistakes. You can learn from mine instead!
- [Armchair Discovery Imformation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/armchair-discovery-imformation/) - Armchair Discovery Information (Stuff for you to think about) English Inland Waterways Worker, Cruiser And Die-Hard Enthusiast Booking Your Session Please book your session on the calendar on this page. You’ll find full instructions above the calendar. How To Call Me The most cost effective way of calling me is via Skype. The call is
- [Armchair Discovery Scheduling](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/armchair-discovery-scheduling/) - Final Step! Book Your Session(s) With Me English Inland Waterways Worker, Cruiser And Die-Hard Enthusiast Please book your session on the calendar below. Click on the green Redeem Coupon button. A coupon was assigned to your email address when you made your purchase. Please enter the same email address you used to make your purchase in
- [Module 6 The Cost of Living Afloat OLD](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/module-6-the-cost-of-living-afloat-old-2/)
- [Thank you for your purchase](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/thank-you-for-your-purchase/) - Thank You for your purchase! Invoice ID: 100134326787 Invoice Date: Feb 3, 2016 Invoice ID: Invoice Date: February 17, 2026 Thanks for your Order! Your order details are listed below. Your Address John Smith 500 ABC Street San Diego, CA 91121 , Order Details Item Name Qty Amount Product Name 1 $15.00 Shipping $5.00 0.00
- [ModuleSixCheckout](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/modulesixcheckout/) - Congratulations! You’re One Big Step Closer To A Gentle And Tranquil Life On England’s Inland Waterways… Christine Pritchard Glasgow ” I have found your course amazingly informative. You have obviouslyworked extremely hard in amassing all the information. The ability to add notes to sections within the course units is particularly useful. Because of you, I
- [Living Afloat Armchair Discovery Taster Session](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-afloat-armchair-discovery-taster-session/) - Living Afloat Armchair Discovery Taster Session Headline Here
- [Living Afloat Armchair Discovery Sessions Ten Pack](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-afloat-armchair-discovery-sessions-ten-pack/) - Living Afloat Armchair Discovery Sessions Ten Pack Headline Here
- [Module 6 The Cost of Living Afloat Old](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/module-6-the-cost-of-living-afloat-old/) - At Last! Here’s The Secret To Learning The Real Cost Of Life On England’s Waterways Without Spend Weeks Of Valuable Time On Frustrating Online Research … Guaranteed!
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- [Course Landing Page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/course-landing-page/) - The Course Summary Page This is where the introductory text will go. It’s my change to wax lyrical about the premium courses after a site visitor has completed the free course. Module 1: An Introduction to Life in a Boat. A FREE introduction to living afloat on England’s inland waterways.Click here to find out more Module
- [Live Aboard Course Survey](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/live-aboard-course-survey/) - Thank you for taking the time to help me decide which course module to release first. I will let you know as soon as the introductory module 1, which is completely free of charge, is ready for you to try. Click your browser's back button to return to the newsletter's introductory email.
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- [Narrowbudget](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowbudget/) - Welcome to Narrowbudget, the world's only budget calculator designed specifically for narrowboat owners. It's the only resource you need to determine once and for all what costs you're likely to incur when both buying and maintaining your narrowboat.
- [DAP Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dap-test/)
- [Dutch Discovery Days](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dutch-discovery-days/) - Thank you for your interest. Much as I would like to start the new service, we'll have to think long and hard about the increased financial burden and associated stress if we upgrade to a bigger and more expensive boat. Your feedback will allow us to make a more informed decision. I'll let you know
- [Sales Page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/30899-2/)
- [Course Login Page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/course-login-page/) - [wpcourse_enroll courses="1" enroll_text="Click Here To Begin Your Course!"/]
- [My Content Old](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/my-content-old/) - %%USERLINKS%% %%USERPROFILE%% %%AFFDETAILS%%
- [Infographics](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/infographics/)
- [New Narrowboat Course](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/new-narrowboat-course/) - Thank you for your interest. If the web site elves have done their jobs correctly, your details have now been filed with those of other aspiring narrowboat owners. The new course will have two different levels to each section; a 'taster' introduction, and then a far more comprehensive main section. The taster will still provide
- [Useful Narrowboat Information](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/useful-narrowboat-information/) - When I began adding subscribers to this site in 2010, I thought they would like to receive regular information about life on England's inland waterways network. Many did, but a significant minority asked me to stop sending information they didn't have time to read. They wanted all the information they could find on the lifestyle,
- [Agile Form Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/agile-form-test/) - Web Form One Get your free guide here Email First Name Submit
- [Narrowboat James Sale](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-james-sale/) - Thank you for your interest. I will email you with a link to the full specification next week.
- [Register](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/site_register/) - [wppb-register]
- [Site Content Index](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/site-content-index/) - Since I created the site at the beginning of 2010 this site has grown from a few pages detailing my new life on board to a treasure chest of narrowboat related information containing nearly 6,000 posts and pages. With so much information available in so many different areas of the site, historically it's been difficult
- [alok](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/alok/) - %%LOGIN_FORM%% %%FIRST_NAME%% %%EMAIL%% %%LOGIN_FORM%%
- [More Discovery Day Testimonials](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/more-discovery-day-testimonials/) - This is where some text will go
- [Agile CRM Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/agile-crm-test/) - This is some text here first Subscribe Us Get your free guide here Email First Name Submit
- [My Account](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/my-account/) - [woocommerce_my_account]
- [Cart](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/cart/) - [woocommerce_cart]
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- [Shop](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/shop/)
- [Thank you for registering your interest in the new service for boat buyers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/thank-you-for-registering-your-interest-in-the-new-service-for-boat-buyers/) - Thanks for letting me know you're interested in the new service. I'll now be able to keep you up to date with any developments. Click here to go to this week's newsletter to find out more about the proposed service.
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- [Forum](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/forum/) - [adrotate group="5"]
- [Inland Waterways Services Directory](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/inland-waterways-services-directory/) - [businessdirectory]
- [DD](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dd/) - Discovery day redirect for YouTube video
- [Routes](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/routes/) - {BLOGGEDROUTES}
- [A Free Narrowboat Guide For CART Visitors](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/a-free-narrowboat-guide-for-cart-visitors/) - Here's a comprehensive free guide to living on a narrowboat
- [DAP Details](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/dap-details/) - [insert_php] $dapuser = Dap_User::loadUserById( '8592' ); echo trim( $dapuser->getFirst_name() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getLast_name() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getEmail() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getAddress1() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getAddress2() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getCity() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getState() ) . ""; echo trim( $dapuser->getZip() ) . ""; echo
- [Marina Listing Map](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/marina-listing-map/) - Your choice of marina is so important. You can find out what you need to know . There are over one hundred narrowboat friendly marinas in England and Wales with more and more opening for business. Location is a majot consideration for your narrowboat's home. You need to find one that's reasonably easy to get
- [Infusionsoft Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/infusionsoft-test/) - Welcome to Narrowbudget, the world's only budget calculator designed specifically for narrowboat owners. It's the only resource you need to determine once and for all what costs you're likely to incur when both buying and maintaining your narrowboat. [insert_php] // Get the user's email address. global $current_user; get_currentuserinfo(); $userEmailAddress = $current_user->user_email; if ( is_user_logged_in() )
- [How To Find The Right Narrowboat For Sale](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-find-the-right-narrowboat-for-sale/) - If you're looking for a narrowboat for sale, you need to know exactly how much it's going to cost you to both buy and maintain. Here's everything you need to know.
- [Lost Password](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/lostpassword/) - [theme-my-login]
- [Reset Password](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/resetpass/) - [theme-my-login]
- [Log Out](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/logout/) - [theme-my-login]
- [tillergraph](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tillergraph/) - Welcome to Living On A Narrowboat dear Tillergraph reader. I've invested literally thousands of hours in this site researching and writing content. If you've landed on this page you've probably just read an excellent article on narrowboat stoves written by site contributor and liveaboard narrowboat owner Tim Davis. The stoves article is one of dozens
- [Newsletter Archive](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/newsletter-archive-2/)
- [Meet Our Sponsors](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/meet-our-sponsors/) - Carefree Cruising Founded in 2003, we are proud to say that Carefree Cruising is the oldest and longest established of the major shared ownership narrowboat schemes. We now have 15 shared ownership narrowboats under management. Our experience and approach set us out as being a cut above the rest. Artie & Ruth Chalmers were boaters
- [Adding Content To Your Narrowboat Blog](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/adding-content-to-your-narrowboat-blog/) - You're probably reading this page because I've just set up your blog on the site and I've directed you here to let you know how to add text and pictures to your blog post. If you've stumbled upon this page by accident and you want to know what it's all about, please read this post.
- [new contact page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/new-contact-page/) - Fill out my online form.
- [GRP Cruiser For Sale](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/grp-cruiser-for-sale/) - Last week I received an email which I've copied below. I offered to mention the boat in my next newsletter and asked Norah to send me additional information. I know it's not a narrowboat. In fact, it's the first time in three years that a GRP cruiser has appeared anywhere on the site. It's not
- [Amazon Kindle Review](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/amazon-kindle-review/) - Here's Why - For Book Lovers Everywhere - The Amazon Kindle Reader Is The Greatest Invention Since The Printing Press After reading one Amazon Kindle review after another, I've finally bought a Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device I love to read. I am fifty now and have read continuously and enthusiastically since I was seven or eight.
- [How To Create Your Own Narrowboat Blog](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/how-to-create-your-own-narrowboat-blog/) - Buying your own narrowboat is an adventure in itself, but the real adventure begins when you slip your mooring lines and head off into the sunset. You've over 2,000 miles of connected rivers and canals to explore. You can travel as far north as Lancaster and Ripon, as far south as Godalming in Surrey, as
- [All you need to know about living on a narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you didn't) about the reality of living on a narrowboat Have you ever considered living on a narrowboat? I mean really thought about it? Sure, the thought of sitting on a peaceful canal bank on a warm summer evening, gin an tonic in hand hand,
- [Canal Map](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-map/) - 2,200 miles of inland waterways, dozens of canals, hundreds of marinas, thousands of pubs and waterside cafes, and access to more tourist atractions than you can count. How do you know where to go, what route to take, how long to allow for your journey and what to do and see when you get there?
- [Grand Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/grand-union-canal/) - Grand Union Canal Introduction The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton. The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for
- [Marina Listing](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/marina-listing/) - Listed below are all of the narrowboat friendly marinas in England and Wales. At least I think it's a complete list. If I've missed one or more though please let me know. If you'd rather search by location, just use the Marinas By Waterway tab on the menu bar.
- [Narrowboats - A Brief History](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboats/) - A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of England and Wales. In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals (where locks and
- [Canals - The Waterways Network In England And Wales](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canals-the-waterways-network-in-england-and-wales/) - The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating. Despite a period of abandonment, today the canal system in
- [The Canal Boat - A Brief History](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-boat/) - A canal boat (also known as a narrowboat or narrow boat) is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of England and Wales. In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on
- [Everything You Need To Know About Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/everything-you-need-to-know-about-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - Everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you didn't) about the reality of living on a narrowboat Have you ever considered living on a narrowboat? I mean really thought about it? Sure, the thought of sitting on a peaceful canal bank on a warm summer evening, gin an tonic in hand hand,
- [Download narrowboat costs guide](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/download-narrowboat-costs-guide/) - Thank you for purchasing Living On A Narrowboat: The REAL Cost Of A Life Afloat. I hope you find the guide useful. This is the PDF version of the guide. The guide is in PDF format so you will need a PDF reader to view the document. You probably have one installed on your computer
- [The REAL Cost Of Living On A Narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/the-real-cost-of-living-on-a-narrowboat/) - I've lived on my own narrowboat James now for two and a half years. I moved onto a boat almost out of desperation after the breakdown of my marriage and the failure of my business. I needed somewhere cheap to live. I couldn't afford the rent for even a modest flat and a house of
- [The Warwick Ring](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-route/the-warwick-ring/) - We are fortunate that our base lies on one of the few circular cruising routes which can reasonably be completed in a week. Following the Four Locks Route to join the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury leads in turn to the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal at Fazeley Junction. A gentle climb through the splendidly isolated Curdworth
- [Calcutt Boats Marina Photo's](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/calcutt-boats-marina-photos/) - Back to album list [album=2,compact] Download your FREE guide to Living On A Narrowboat PLUS descriptions, locations and photo's for every UK canal
- [exit](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/exit/) - You probably found this site after doing a Google search or from information you read about narrowboats or narrowboat life in an article directory. This is the fastest growing and most constantly updated narrowboat site on the web. Everything you need to know about narrowboat life is here... and (at the moment) it's free. I've
- [Popup Test](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/popup-test/) - What a great tip. It's only when you try to use a loo with very little flowing water that you realise what a mess you can make when you go to the loo. Using a cassette toilet for anything other than a wee is quite offputting for that very reason. That's why I use dry
- [Living On A Narrowboat Options](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat-option/) - The A-Z Of Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Living On A Narrowboat [table id=117 cellspacing="0" /] * Costs: Discover exactly what the day to day costs are for a liveaboard narrowboat* Hundreds of articles covering every aspect of narrowboat life * Case studies: Meet the full time liveaboards and find out what they think
- [UK Canal Map](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/uk-canal-map/) - [googlemaps http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fmaps.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fms%3Fhl%3Den%26ie%3DUTF8%26vps%3D1%26jsv%3D212a%26msa%3D0%26output%3Dnl%26msid%3D103049940867236035801.000481633cedad3dadbe7&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=15.299029,39.506836&ie=UTF8&ll=52.467724,-1.532593&spn=0.585636,1.167297&z=9&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
- [Article Listing](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/article-listing/)
- [Living On A Narrowboat Option 2](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat-option-2/) - The A-Z Of Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Living On A Narrowboat [table id=117 cellspacing="0" /] * Costs: Discover exactly what the day to day costs are for a liveaboard narrowboat* Hundreds of articles covering every aspect of narrowboat life * Case studies: Meet the full time liveaboards and find out what they think
- [Counts](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/counts/) - low cost web hosting
- [Living on a Narrowboat: The REAL Cost of a Life Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat-the-real-cost-of-a-life-afloat/) - Home Affiliate Info My Profile My Content Living on a Narrowboat: The REAL Cost of a Life Afloat 21 Liveaboard Case Studies Paypal should have redirected you to the download page after you made your purchase. If you haven't yet successfully downloaded your copy of the guide, go to your "My Content" section by clicking
- [Living On A Narrowboat Costs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/living-on-a-narrowboat-costs/) - Here Are The TRUE Costs Of Living On A Narrowboat [table id=118 cellspacing="0" /] Discover the real cost of buying, maintaining and living on a narrowboat. You'll learn what essentials you need on a liveaboard narrowboat and why some narrowboats just aren't right for you. You'll learn the cost of transporting, surveying and purchasing your
- [Canal Marinas In England And Wales](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-marinas-in-england-and-wales/) - Welcome to Living On A Narrowboat and your guide to every one of the narrowboat friendly canal marinas in England and Wales. You've probably found this page through a search engine as there are no internal links to it, so what's the site all about? You can read a site introduction . The site started
- [Download 21 Case Studies](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/download-21-case-studies/) - Thank you for purchasing Living On A Narrowboat: 21 Liveaboard Case Studies. I hope you find the guide useful. This is the PDF version of the guide. The guide is in PDF format so you will need a PDF reader to view the document. You probably have one installed on your computer already. If you
- [Membership Options](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/membership-options/) - You've tried to access some restricted content so you need to either login if you are already a subscriber. If you aren't a subscriber yet, you need to register. Don't worry, it's completely free to register so go ahead and register now, or find out what the site is all about by reading below....
- [Download: The REAL Cost of a Life Afloat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/download-the-real-cost-of-a-life-afloat/) - Thank you for purchasing Living On A Narrowboat: The REAL Cost Of A Life Afloat. I hope you find the guide useful. This is the PDF version of the guide. The guide is in PDF format so you will need a PDF reader to view the document. You probably have one installed on your computer
- [Narrobudget Trial](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrobudget-trial/) - Home Affiliate Details Your Content Your Profile Hello %%FIRST_NAME%%, Welcome to the Narrobudget trial. That's what the application is called for now. If you can think of a better name, please let me know. I'm sure there's a better name out there. In addition to testing the budgeting software, you're also testing
- [User Profile](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/user-profile/) - Home Affiliate Details Your Content Your Profile This is the information we have on file for you %%FIRST_NAME%%. If you want to alter anything, make sure you click the update button at the bottom of your profie before you leave the page. %%USERPROFILE%%
- [User Content](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/user-content/) - Home Affiliate Details Your Content Your Profile %%USERLINKS%%
- [Narrobudget Data](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrobudget-data/) - This is where the protected content is going to go for the Narrrobudget appication trial
- [Site Access](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/testsignup/) - Email: First Name: Last Name: Are you a narrowboat owner?: If you plan to buy a narrowboat, how soon?: Budget: Source:
- [Test sales page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/test-sales-page-2/) - First Name: Email:
- [test sales page](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/test-sales-page/)
- [poll](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/poll/) - Heth and Dave are a little larger than your average narrowboaters… or at least their boat is. They own a wide beam and it’s a beauty. They came close to missing out though but good old Lady Luck was smiling… First of all does a wide beam count?
- [Updated membership options](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/updated-membership-options/) - You might have been directed here away from a post you wanted to read. Don't worry. Access is free. Just register for the site and see below for more essential narrowboat information waiting for you inside. Discover exactly what the day to day costs are for a liveaboard narrowboat Hundreds of articles covering every aspect
- [The South Oxford Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-route/the-south-oxford-canal/) - One of the finest rural waterways in Britain, passing through consistently beautiful countryside as it follows its restful route to the Thames. Climbing the famous Napton Locks the traveller reaches the remote and winding summit, with stunning views over rich Warwickshire farmland. At Claydon the Canal starts its descent to Oxford, passing through historic Cropredy
- [narrowboat life](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/narrowboat-life/) - You might have been directed here away from a post you wanted to read. Don't worry. Access is free. Just register for the site and see below for more essential narrowboat information waiting for you inside. Discover exactly what the day to day costs are for a liveaboard narrowboat Hundreds of articles covering every aspect
- [Discover Why, For Active Holidays, Narrowboat Breaks Are Best](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/discover-why-for-active-holidays-narrowboat-breaks-are-best/) - 2,200 Miles Of Quiet Waterways Passing Through Historic England Are Waiting For You And Your Narrowboat Places In UK To Visit – Attractions Stratford Upon Avon Places In UK To Visit – Warwick Places In UK To Visit – Royal Leamington Spa A narrowboat is the UK canal network’s equivalent to the much maligned traffic-jam-causing
- [Forums](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/forums/)
- [ForumPress](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/forumpress/) - [forumServer]
- [Members](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/members/)
- [Activity](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/activity/)
- [Groups](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/groups/)
- [Register](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/register/)
- [Activate](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/activate/)
- [join](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/join/) - some text here
- [Site-Map](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/site-map/)
- [Canal Route](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/canal-route/)
- [Newsletter](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/newsletter/) - [gwa-autoresponder]

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## Thrive Lightboxes

- [Discovery Day Walkthrough Transcript](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/?tcb_lightbox=discovery-day-walkthrough-transcript)
- [Lightbox – Homepage free guide download](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/?tcb_lightbox=lightbox-homepage-free-guide-download) - Enter your details below to download your FREE narrowboat guide…
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## Categories

- [General](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/general/)
- [canal route](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/canal-route/)
- [Narrowboat Marinas](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/narrowboatmoorings/narrowboat-marinas/)
- [Liveaboard](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/mooring-status/liveaboard/)
- [Mooring Status](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/mooring-status/)
- [Mooring Only](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/mooring-status/mooring-only/)
- [Waste Disposal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/waste-disposal/)
- [Elan Disposal Point](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/waste-disposal/elan-disposal-point/)
- [Pump Out](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/waste-disposal/pump-out/)
- [Berth Availability](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/berth-availability/)
- [Berths Available](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/berth-availability/berths-available/)
- [Living On A Narrowboat Articles](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/living-on-a-narrowboat-articles/)
- [Narrowboat Moorings](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/narrowboatmoorings/) - The most comprehensive narrowboat moorings guide on the web.
- [Frequently Asked Narrowboat Questions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/frequently-asked-narrowboat-questions/)
- [Worcester Birmingham Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/worcester-birmingham-canal/)
- [Coventry Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/coventry-canal/)
- [Shropshire Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/shropshire-union-canal/)
- [Leeds Liverpool Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/leeds-liverpool-canal/)
- [Trent And Mersey](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/trent-and-mersey/)
- [Grand Union Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/grand-union-canal/)
- [Lancaster Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/lancaster-canal/)
- [Middle Level Navigations](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/middle-level-navigations/)
- [River Nene](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-nene/)
- [Llangollen Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/llangollen-canal/)
- [River Great Ouse](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-great-ouse/)
- [River Yare](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-yare/)
- [Kennet And Avon Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/kennet-and-avon-canal/)
- [Birmingham & Fazeley Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/birmingham-fazeley-canal/)
- [South Oxford Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/south-oxford-canal/)
- [Oxford Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/oxford-canal/)
- [River Stort](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-stort/)
- [Monmouth And Brecon Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/monmouth-and-brecon-canal/)
- [River Lee](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-lee/)
- [Canals](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/)
- [Rivers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/)
- [Aire And Calder Navigation](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/aire-and-calder-navigation/)
- [River Trent](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-trent/)
- [Nottingham Beeston Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/nottingham-beeston-canal/)
- [River Thames](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-thames/)
- [Canal Map](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/canal-map/)
- [River Wey](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-wey/)
- [River Soar](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-soar/)
- [Ripon Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/ripon-canal/)
- [Gloucester and Sharpness Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/gloucester-and-sharpness-canal/)
- [Stainforth and Keadby Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/stainforth-and-keadby-canal/)
- [Ashby Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/ashby-canal/)
- [River Severn](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-severn/)
- [Sheffield And Tinsley Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/sheffield-and-tinsley-canal/)
- [Huddersfield Broad Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/huddersfield-broad-canal/)
- [River Avon](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-avon/)
- [Droitwich Barge Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/droitwich-barge-canal/)
- [Ashton Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/ashton-canal/)
- [Chesterfield Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/chesterfield-canal/)
- [Staffordshire And Worcestershire Canal](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/canals/staffordshire-and-worcestershire-canal/)
- [River Witham](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/marinas-by-waterway/rivers/river-witham/)
- [liveaboard case studies](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/liveaboard-case-studies/)
- [blog from a boatyard](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blog-from-a-boatyard/)
- [boatsales](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/boatsales/)
- [Blogs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/)
- [Newsletter Archive](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/newsletter-archive/)
- [Narrowbudget Gold](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/narrowbudget-gold/)
- [NB Pendragon](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/nb-pendragon/)
- [NB Badger Sett](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/nb-badger-sett/)
- [steppinout](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/steppinout/)
- [Travels of Joanie M - Life as a Continuous Cruiser](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/travels-of-joanie-m-life-as-a-continuous-cruiser/)
- [New Wide Beam Liveaboard](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/new-wide-beam-liveaboard/)
- [NB Stardust](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/stardust/)
- [JetMeg1](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/jetmeg1/)
- [Julynian](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/julynian/)
- [On Cloud Wine](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/on-cloud-wine/)
- [Gypsy Lady](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/gypsy-lady/)
- [Dunelm 11](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/blogs/dunelm-11/)
- [Navigator](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/category/navigator/)

## Tags

- [guide to living on a narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/guide-to-living-on-a-narrowboat/)
- [canal maps of uk](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/canal-maps-of-uk/)
- [rock wool narrow boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/rock-wool-narrow-boat/)
- [can you extend the height of a narrow boat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/can-you-extend-the-height-of-a-narrow-boat/)
- [important details about login form](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/important-details-about-login-form/)
- [narrowboat shared ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/narrowboat-shared-ownership/)
- [provisions](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/provisions/)
- [Willington](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/willington/)
- [shared ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/shared-ownership/)
- [canal boat shared ownership](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/canal-boat-shared-ownership/)
- [Mercia Marina](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/mercia-marina/)
- [SP Helmsmanship](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/sp-helmsmanship/)
- [SP narrowboat running costs](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/sp-narrowboat-running-costs/)
- [2020](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/2020/)
- [2019](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/2019/)
- [2018](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/2018/)
- [choosing and finding a narrowboat](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/choosing-and-finding-a-narrowboat/)
- [Narrowboat Basics](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/narrowboat-basics/)
- [Boatyard Blog](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tag/boatyard-blog/)

## Symbols

- [Headers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tcb_symbol/headers/)
- [Footers](https://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/tcb_symbol/footers/)