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 […] The post Keeping Your Narrowboat Safe While You’re Away first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 do […] The post Snow, Ice And A Worrying List On The South Oxford Canal first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 lawyer […] The post The Life Of An Occasional Continuous Cruiser first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 for CRT […] The post Hire Boat And Live Aboard Narrowboat Heating Costs Compared first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 while […] The post Cruising North In The Fridge first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 then […] The post Comparing A Hire Boat With A Live Aboard Narrowboat first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 waterways […] The post The Pros And Cons Of Narrowboat Marina Moorings first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

I’m back on my Calcutt Boats mooring now following my two months cruising break. Not that I managed to do any cruising. I moved less than a mile a day during my sixty-day holiday thanks to Lockdown 3.0. I couldn’t complain. I moored for weeks at a time, far from the stresses and strains of […] The post Bullock Battles And Sainsbury Silliness first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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 a […] The post Unexpected Canal Dredging And Another Remote Icy Mooring first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more

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. My […] The post Curtailed Cruising And The Lunacy Of A Lonely Lad first appeared on Living On A Narrowboat ..read more