We have been small house dwellers for most of our married life, from buses to trucks, caravans to vans. We had never lived in a boat before, though.
As blessed as we are, a friend had a friend with a boat on the Kennett Avon Canal, at Bradford on Avon, near Bath. She's been living on the water for 11 years, since we lived in trucks with her at a travellers site. We see each other whenever we come over, and love her to bits. Setting us up with her mates boat has been an absolute lifeline for us when we needed it the most.
The boat is a Dutch barge that made it to the UK as a cargo boat in the 1920s. Back then it sailed here, but now it has a submarine engine in it. The boats on the canal can only stay for two weeks without having to move up river, else pay huge mooring fees. Given that most people choose this life for community and the cheaper alternative to mortgages, council taxes, rent and so on, move they do - not just for that reason but to refill with diesel and water and offload waste.
The boat is quite unusual against all the narrow boats in the area, like the ones pictured below.
It's wider inside than most, but on one end you have to actually crawl through on your hands and knees to the bedroom, which used to be a cargo hold. There's a wood burner, a simple kitchen, a sink, a toilet closet, and a shower hidden under the stairs, which I will have to explain when I'm brave enough to use it. Until then, a kettle of warm water, a bucket and cloth it is.
The Kennett and Avon canal was dug in the 1880s and runs for 140 kilometres alongside the River Avon and empties out in the Bristol Channel. It's a beautiful stretch of waterway usually crowded at this time of year with daytrippers, tour boats and the like. Now, it's quite because of the virus, which we are grateful for. There's many sorts on the river from rag tag sinking gypsy boats to hugely expensive, beautifully kitted out crafts, to ones being built, restored or simply being lived in.
Everyone on the river seems to know each other, and we quickly meet some people who are friends of the people who own the boat, and they lend us a paddle board to go up the Avon on, which I swim in happily on the warmer days, because as you know I'm a water baby and am happier on the water.
We manage to pick up a couple of bikes from random canal folk who give us a couple of wrecks for Jamie to fix. We can ride all the way to Bath from here.
I apologise to anyone on HIVE who has commented on my last post or contacted me on Discord. There's no reception on the boat and to send or receive messages I have to walk quite a way. As it is I drafted this and sat in a park to upload a few photos whilst Jamie patiently waited. It's nice to just read and drink a whiskey or few, cook dinner, do yoga, chat, make love, stare at the river and just exist like we used to. I miss HIVE but this life is like a blissful retreat from everything. It's nice to see people and chat to them at physical distances, but not heart distances.
Boris has eased a few restrictions this week, so we will be travelling into Dorset and Devon for day trips, but still, we will be using the boat as a home base, and that's great. We are slowing down and BE - ing, which is what we needed, after all.
Please do comment- I enormously appreciate it when I do check in, and will get back to you all in time. Xx
With Love,
https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcGSZxvsXD8YbSCNAo6KWc4a9RjXyRCjWupZdPXJapkXk
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I saw that first picture , thats an old dutch skutsje flat bottom ... and indeed has a nice wide body . Your so lucky , be thankfull to the guy that dared sailing it across the north sea , cause it was never build for that type of sea . High waves will make it roll over . It's designed for the Ijselmeer , the dutch inner sea . But for cannals its perfect .
Not the type of ship i would prefer , as it was always my dream to live free on a boat , my choose would be an old wooden dutch fishing kotter . And yes wood , for the atmosphere it gives inside . For being an dutch pirate like i am ... i am guite jelous now , Makes me feel like i am shipwrecked and for now have to do with a tent . Well at least today i found a football ... might name it wilson or something... ;-) .
Enjoy your stay on that barge , who knows , your next project back in australia might be a house boat ..
As living on a boat is even more free as living in a van . Oh how i miss the waves and wind .
Greets from an old dutch sailer .. :-)
Argh, it's the pirate life for me and thee. The Dutch have quite the history with boats. I imagined she came over in still seas. Must have been quite the feat otherwise.
Oh no.. Wilson! I hate to think of you lonely. We are lucky there are lots of people on canals but it's not too busy as well. Xx
I love that boat. It has everything you need, except good solar.
How long are you staying in the barge? That's the one thing I haven't done yet.
I think a couple of weeks at least. We will use it as a base for travels to Cornwall and neighbouring counties as we cant stay anywhere in van just yet. Yeah, the solar is a problem but we make do!
I live near the Mississippi and the Missouri and haven't spent much time on a boat.
Looks like I'm missing out.
One day when the kids are gone maybe I can be a boat person too!
A lot of frogs in Mississippi I hear. Lol.
🐸
Lots of people with kids on boats.... my friends kids are 3 and 6, and my other friends are 6 and 9. It is NICE being kid free these days though x
So VERY cool! Just wondering how long you get to live on this wonderful boat?
A good few weeks I should think! Xx
great post. It's something we have looked into doing if we ever return to the UK.I love the canals and the lifestyle would suit me just fine. Thanks for sharing this it's made me smile in quarantine half a world away
Oh, glad it made you smile .. we had always wanted this as well, so we are in some ways grateful for the lockdown so we could fulfil one of our dreams. Xx
Shad ap!
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Just kidding. Looks splendiferous! I'm not jealous though.
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Yeah, I am.
He he he ... I'm all about making Aussies jealous right now. Xx
Ya cheeky bugger! x
In 2019 I had my first experience on a boat. We've been in a Danube Tour for 12 hours spent just on a boat, and it was so fun! I can't imagine how awesome is to have this part of your life. :)
Oh that sounds great.. I would love to see the Danube!
How lovely. In San Francisco we have communities like this too ... kind of a secret world I walked into one time on a walk ... this was like having a tour. Thank you for sharing!
Oh it is like a secret world..are there river folk in San Fran too? Or are they in other types of dwellings?
San Francisco is surrounded on three sides with water, and two sides are San Francisco Bay ... walking trails on the southeastern side lead to parks and coves that are not discoverable except on foot. So there are bay folk here in boats, and perhaps even creek folk at the big inlets to the Bay like Islais Creek ... but after this many years I don't even think I could retrace my steps to them, even though I do know generally where they are...
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how beautiful the boats ... the one in the picture is a small houseboat, very welcoming.
I envy your approach to nature a little. I would like to spend some time surrounded by greenery and relax my mind a little 😍
Yeah its so adventurous to live life in a boat. I've read few post about boat life and some videos which left me imagine having a movable house which can travel any part of the world through water. But also we have to take care of food and other stuff if we are going to do so. These peoples are really lucky to have one.
Indeed. We would love to buy one and live in it 6 months of year.. but we can't xx
Yah it's not that easy.
Aaaaaah, it IS beautiful.
I feel like you're living a dream! The van, this boat! You even have an over in there 😍 I think it has the perfect space for everything and the way you described your nights is so cute. I'm not much of a tech-girl so those are my favorite kind of nights!
Not having reception even washes the guilt of me DECIDING to not reply to anyone hahahahah