Results from an experiment in living differently

Our “Let’s give it 2 years and see what happens” experiment in living and working afloat has just passed 5 years!


In that time with our 50ft floating home/office/workshop we have travelled 3,530 miles, worked her through 2,328 locks (counting locks we’ve officially lock wheeled for others in that time we have worked 3,043 locks).

It was our response to the pandemic. A wonderful catalyst that forced us to stop saying “If only…” and say “Why not? What have we got to lose?”



It’s been five years in which we have travelled with our boat to the heart of London, to the glorious countryside of Yorkshire and Lancashire, into Wales and this year we went down to Bath via Oxfordshire, taking in the Thames, and a section of the tidal Thames. We have taken in every one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways.

We set out accompanied by the incomparable cocker Cola. Having lost him after 15 years together and several happy years afloat we were joined by furry Freya Boatdog – the cockerpoo. 

Right now we are stationary. Low water has brought us along with many boaters to a halt, waiting for rain to refill reservoirs and restock water courses. We are patiently locked in Northamptonshire in a beautiful spot and as we are still afloat, there’s no hardship right now. We aren’t where we aimed to be for winter, but maybe we will be able to move before then. Low water levels caused by severely reduced rainfall over the past two years plus heatwaves has resulted in over 400 miles of waterways being temporarily closed by Canal and River Trust.



It’s a chance for us to take stock on another year afloat. We started this year in Church Lawton, Stoke-on-Trent on the Trent and Mersey canal and we ended it in Grafton Regis in Northamptonshire. In between we travelled a waterway new to us – the unexpectedly delightful Caldon Canal. Winding its way from the industrial heartland of Etruria, through Potteries villages and the scenic Staffordshire countryside, its two very distinct arms took us to Leek and then through the incredibly low Froghall Tunnel – possibly the lowest on the network- to Froghall Basin. 9

That gave me a chance to meet up with an old school friend I hadn’t seen for years, and what a delightful catch up that was and led to further meets too – thanks Karen Webb. I do hope that extensions to the Caldon can be completed in years to come taking boat traffic into Leek (which we adore) and Uttoxeter. Both market towns would, as similar sized places already do, benefit from having the focal points of canal basins encouraging water-borne and other tourism.



From the Caldon we headed south along the Trent and Mersey to make it onto the Erewash Canal. We have dipped our boating toes onto the Erewash before but Covid struck us down and we never finished its whole length. This time we did, through the rural, the industrial, through locks that were seriously hard work and sections with sunken boats to Langley Mill. Once more we discovered new places and met up with old friends and colleagues who introduced us to more cafes and pubs.

Whilst on the Erewash we made it to the unique and renowned Sheetstores Marina for welding work to the battery tray in readiness for a new era on nb Preaux, and then found ourselves trapped by a lock repair outage at Ratcliffe that was delayed by flooding. For the first time in our boating history we booked ourselves a winter mooring. But it was the other side of the lock – at Barrow upon Soar.



Fifteen days after we began paying for our mooring, we finally reached it, and began a new way of boatlife for a few months. Family, walks to and from school, standing on the sidelines of football matches and training nights, and two highly successful Christmas trading markets on land.



On 6 January waters rose. We know the Soar and know it floods, but this flood was unexpectedly high. I hate the overused word unprecedented but that’s what they were. Higher than ever before. People were evacuated by the Fire Brigade from boats, caravans, and houses. We sat tight once we had splashed back to the boat, lengthened the ropes and checked them every few hours. At 2pm the peak was reached and a slow subsidence began. We breathed more easily knowing we had survived even though months of mud would follow.

By the end of January waters were navigable again and we made it to our location for new battery fitting. The highly knowledgeable and efficient Ed Shiers of Four Counties Marine installed a LifeFE PO4 battery with a new alternator, alternator controller and all associated wiring. It really has changed how we live and saved us so much on diesel. It allows us to maximise and store the solar available. We no longer have to run the engine on days without solar when we aren’t moving but need power, and it has allowed us to move away from gas for cooking. The only need for gas on our boat was for cooking but now we have an induction hob. We no longer need to buy and lug heavy gas canisters, or pull them from their lockers to change them over. The lockers are now extra storage spaces.



We made the most of our winter mooring stationary location to undertake training and become CRT volunteers which was a wonderful opportunity. It has also allowed us to volunteer as we have travelled when we can meet up with local groups, and enables us to volunteer by ourselves as rangers.



In March the next major change to the boat began as our old kitchen, sitting room and dining area was stripped out. Ben, an incredibly talented craftsman from Holm Oak Trading made and installed a kitchen/diner/office that has become the envy of many friends from boat and bricks and mortar homes alike. Crafted from oak, maple, black walnut and beech, this kitchen has given us so much storage and is a thing of beauty to be admired and caressed as well as used. 0

By April we were underway once more in our new look home, heading onto yet more waterways new to us. The Aylesbury Arm with the delightful Circus Fields marina was another unexpected find. We also explored the Wendover Arm to its conclusion but only sadly on foot as a breach has left it dewatered. We prepared to turn towards London aiming to head onto the tidal Thames and Thames to get across to the Kennet and Avon but just as we were about to do so a lock near London went out and word was it would take a long time to repair.



We turned back, a detour adding 106 miles and another 24 locks to our journey. This meant we reached the Kennet and Avon via the Oxford, South Oxford, and non-tidal River Thames. On the way we were towed through a broken lock – thanks CRT – learned how to river moor sometimes attached to trees.

Boatdog became super confident at walking our 8ft planks to get on and off the boat, and together we explored new swathes of the countryside by boat and foot.



The K&A deserves at least a blog to itself because it is so diverse. We travelled its length to Bath and then returned because lock closures on the main network were underway. Our route back was via the Thames and the tidal Thames to Brentford where we joined the Grand Union once more.



This year then we have discovered 7 waterways new to us, the Caldon, Erewash, Aylesbury and Wendover Arms, Kennet and Avon Canal, the entire non-tidal River Thames, and a section of the tidal Thames.



Our 5th year has taken us 764 miles, through 669 locks including a descent and ascent of the famous Caen Hill Flight of 29 locks, and 19 tunnel trips resulting in 12.5 miles travelled underground.



We have met some delightful people on and off the water, had great times with family, seen lots of old friends for much needed catch ups, made new friends, met just one man I’d rather never see again in a GRP cruiser, seen breathtaking scenery, sunsets and the occasional sunrise which we were up in time for, and have gained another year of fabulous memories. After 8 years of owning our boat, we have made major changes and updates to her, changes that make living on her even more enjoyable.

We have fed countless swans, cygnets, ducks and ducklings. Been enthralled by kingfishers, herons, moorhens and Canada geese. Delighted in tawny and barn owls, green and lesser spotted woodpeckers, foraged for our cupboards and meals and revelled in our slower, more thoughtful life.


What’s next? Well, the first thing is to see if and when the locks ahead of us are going to open and if they do for us to move nearer to family for Christmas and we have on land Christmas trading fairs booked. We have some major welding work booked in to make life even better.


After that? Well, Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice apparently and we still have many sections around Birmingham to explore, so those are beckoning.

Our 2 year experiment that’s become a 5 year lifestyle shows no sign of ending! Living this way has its challenges but those are part of the appeal. Life would be boring if it was without excitement.

We remain together, afloat in all senses, and looking ahead to what our 6th year afloat will bring.