Alternative Lifestyles...

Forums:
Email this Topic • Print this Page

I've felt dissatisfied with my situation for some time now.
I don't think I've ever had a job that I truly liked and I dislike living in a big(ish) house in a city. Yes, I know that I'm luckier than most to live here (Chester,UK), but for years I haven't felt right about it.
Modern life really does look like a rat race to me these days and I've fantasised about buying some woodland and living there in relative seclusion, in harmony with nature and...well, you get the picture.
Anyway, after looking into the idea I realised that it was impossible to do here because there are strict rules governing woodland and it's uses and there is no way that the relative authorities would stand for it. So I abandoned the idea.
Then it dawned on me that the solution may well have been right under my nose all my life...A narrowboat!
For those of you who may not know what a narrowboat is, it's basically a long, narrow floating home designed for navigating the narrow canals here in the UK. - There are about 2000 miles of canals to explore here in the UK and they take you through beautiful countryside and towns and cities rich in heritage and industrial history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowboat
The more I look into the idea, the more attractive it becomes.
I took some time to wander along the local canal recently and spoke to some owners who I found moored up and not one of them said they would swap the lifestyle for anything - freedom and tranquility being a major theme in their conversation. I've heard that the two happiest days of a boat owner's life are the day they buy it and the day they sell it, but I didn't get that vibe from anyone.
I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with houseboats (or, indeed, narrowboats) and would like to share their experience?
Does anyone else here hanker after some other lifestyle than the one they currently lead?

http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/HoltFarmCanal5.jpg

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 3 • Views: 894 • Replies: 20

No top replies

@Slugfoot,

I share your dislike of big city life. I was amazed in my brief visits to Europe when flying over the countryside to see all the houses clustered together in cities and almost none in the open country. Very unlike here in the US and I always wondered why. Your post explained It.

I like your idea of the narrow boat but my addiction to airplanes and flying makes that impractical.

1 Reply

@Leadfoot,

If you've got the lettuce then why not buy yourself a flying boat and fit it out for living on?
Ok, maybe not... Laughing

0 Replies

@Slugfoot,

Fascinating!

I don't it would work for me long-term, but living on a boat could be good for a while.

I used to work with a woman who lived on a small boat on the waterfront in Toronto. She rarely went anywhere in it - and in the winter she had to have it shrink-wrapped and showered in the clubhouse - but it seemed nice enough in the spring and autumn.

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

I imagine wintering on a boat in Toronto would be a completely different proposition to wintering on a boat in the UK. Laughing

That said, narrowboats do sometimes become ice-bound here.

Regarding going places - There is a rule that disallows staying in one place for more than 14 days unless you're willing to pay for a permanent private mooring
or a place at a marina (prices are based on boat length, as are boat licences) so many narrowboat dwellers are itinerant.

1 Reply

@Slugfoot,

I'm very attracted to the idea of living on/off the water, whether it be salty or not. Seems like it would be easy to choose when you wanted to be social and when you didn't. Most of the time I don't, but then there's shopping to be done, eh?

2 Replies

@FBM,

I've a friend who lived in a houseboat at Sausalito, in San Francisco Bay, back in the seventies. Easy enough to shop from there..
I just looked up 'houseboats Sausalito' and see some are used as Airbnb rentals these days.

1 Reply

@FBM,

There are shops and pubs at regular intervals on the canal with plenty of quiet mooring spots in between.
There are still people who cruise the canals in supply narrowboats/barges, selling stuff like food, gas, coal, etc. to other boaters. It's also possible to get a licence to sell stuff on the towpath.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

That sounds like a very interesting option. I'm going to look into it further...

0 Replies

@Slugfoot,

Slugfoot wrote:

There are shops and pubs at regular intervals on the canal with plenty of quiet mooring spots in between.
There are still people who cruise the canals in supply narrowboats/barges, selling stuff like food, gas, coal, etc. to other boaters. It's also possible to get a licence to sell stuff on the towpath.

That sounds pretty self-sustaining, really. I think if I were over there, I'd give it a go. At the very least, there'd be a lot of fishing time, eh?

1 Reply

@FBM,

It's illegal to remove fish from the canals. I don't eat fish, but if I did I would be wary about eating ones caught in the canal anyway. It's strictly catch and release.
That said, the UK canals are now the cleanest they've been since the industrial revolution and fish stocks are thriving. I've seen some nice perch and roach pulled from the cut around here in the last few years.
Rabbits from adjoining fields would be a better bet eating-wise. It's not hard to get permission to hunt them since they're pests and land owners are always glad to see their numbers reduced. All you need is a good lamp and an air rifle - or a small, fast dog like a whippet. Smile

1 Reply

@Slugfoot,

Eh? Fishing is illegal but spotlighting rabbits is legal? I used to get chased by game wardens for doing that. Laughing

1 Reply

Then there's this: http://boredomtherapy.com/diy-old-van/?pas=113&as=507panda

1 Reply

@FBM,

No, you can fish (for sport and with a licence) but the fish must be thrown back.
Yes, lamping rabbits with an air rifle (12 ft/lb limit without an FAC) or dog is legal - assuming you have the landowner's permission, that is.
Hunting with any bow or crossbow is illegal but you can legally own one without any power restrictions.
I don't know about the legality of hunting with this fine looking instrument:-
http://shoottech.com/Page/Web/AR480MARKII
It fires steel balls but can also fire bolts which need to be modified to stick to the magnetic...knock(?) You also have to fit a whisker biscuit to use bolts. I think it would just about be considered legal in it's steel ball configuration.

0 Replies

@FBM,

Hehe. Nice job. The lad has some joinery skillz.
A bit small for actually living on, though. At least for my tastes. Maybe a stretch version? Laughing

1 Reply

@Slugfoot,

I guess if I were to retire into an alternative lifestyle, it'd have to be in the US, where I'm (still probably considered) a citizen. That being the case, I reckon I'd go with a .22 for wabbits.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb192/DinahFyre/rockingchair2.gif

I used to live in a converted school bus back in my hippie days. Then later in a converted bread delivery truck. The school bus was definitely the way to go for the very reason you mention: room. I could hardly scratch my own ass in that bread truck.

0 Replies

Huh...

2 Replies

@FBM,

I used to think I could like that lifestyle (solitude) permanently. I lasted a little less than 5 years and it was good for the first 3-4 years. I don't need a lot of human contact but none was not enough.

1 Reply

@Leadfoot,

I've enjoyed several extended periods of pretty extreme solitude, but they were relatively brief. Each less than a year. I don't know yet how much I need to remain psychologically healthy, but I didn't voluntarily end any of those excursions.

0 Replies

@FBM,

@ 21:15 - I'm still chuckling to myself about that one.

1 Reply

Forums
» Alternative Lifestyles...

Read Discussion
Reply to All

Alternative Lifestyles...

Quick Links

My Account

able2know