Living in a car or on a narrowboat

[matticus]

There are quite a few canals thru quite affluent town centres. Unless the mooring fees are exorbitant, a narrowboat moored in walking distance of town looks like good value commuter accomodation?

 

[numbnuts]

I follow this lady on youtube

View: https://youtu.be/NNrlsydqq-c?si=v8ZxUjA4dlItkS9c

it looks nice during the summer months, but come the winter is a different story
and lots of hard work getting wood and coal ect

 

[teeonethousand]

And if you live on a narrow boat then for authenticity youd have to become one of those peanuts that has a go at cyclists for riding legally on the towpath.

Last year I was with 2 others cycling along Leeds Liverpool, in the middle nowhere and noone else about, when a guy on a boat sailing in opposite direction shouted 'you should have a bell on that bike'

I have often wondered what kind of person looks for that in those circumstances , then decides they need to share their guidance.

I bet he was a barrel of laughs to be a neighbour of ..

 

[Drago]

Last year I was with 2 others cycling along Leeds Liverpool, in the middle nowhere and noone else about, when a guy on a boat sailing in opposite direction shouted 'you should have a bell on that bike'

To which I'd have shouted, "you should have a bag over that head, but you didn't hear me complaining."

Or if I was feeling really mischievous id point at the front of the boat and shouted, "you're sinking!"

I follow this lady on youtube

View: https://youtu.be/NNrlsydqq-c?si=v8ZxUjA4dlItkS9c

it looks nice during the summer months, but come the winter is a different story
and lots of hard work getting wood and coal ect

My night heater is diesel powered and is painfully powerful. At current fuel prides it's about £1 to run it overnight, so is inexpensive.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Not really doable in this country, unless you are travelling/sight-seeing and have an end in sight. Look at Glastonbury - hundred or more caravans lining country roads and industrial estates; they are all there for the good life but it soon becomes a depressing crime-ridden hell hole. Some occupy disused buildings but that is out of necessity and it does defeat the object of carefree, solitary living if you try to build a home around you.

The longest I lived out of a van in Australia was about 2 weeks, but overall I spent a good 4 months without a Hostel bed. The food/washing side is fine. We lived on tinned tuna and salad sandwiches, fruit and crackers. Sleeping was fine apart from the heat and mozzies but these things can be overcome.

But as a lifestyle choice I would not see the benefit unless you wanted solitude, simplicity and a complete separation from society.

 

[Marchrider]

I keep reading this thread title as "Living in a Car on a Roundabout"

I suppose when we get driverless cars we could tell it to circle all night - choose a comfortable G Force and relax in front of the TV

 

[BoldonLad]

I like the look of a widebeam Dutch barge, some of them look like they've got the floor space of a bungalow, and cost nearly as much.

If I hired one for a holiday I'd definitely get a skewed idea of what life was like as I'd plan my route around the canal side pubs. 🍻😊

While on a Motorhome trip through France, we met an English couple who were living in a wide beam Dutch barge, and, roaming the waterways of Europe. They gave us a conducted tour of their barge. It was very spacious and looked very comfortable.

 

[BoldonLad]

We have “lived” in a 6.7metre Motorhome for months at a time, while roaming Europe. Perfectly enjoyable, but, not quite the same as it being your permanent and only home.

 

[slowmotion]

Speaking as a sailor, my only advice would be if you don't have standing headroom, your accomodation quickly becomes some kind of a torture chamber.

 

[teeonethousand]

To which I'd have shouted, "you should have a bag over that head, but you didn't hear me complaining."

Or if I was feeling really mischievous id point at the front of the boat and shouted, "you're sinking

My actually reply was a lot shorter..7 letters ending in off 😂😂

 

[Jotheboat]

What about comparing living in a converted skip to living in a retirement home?

You're likely to get better food in a skip.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

My actually reply was a lot shorter..7 letters ending in off 😂😂

Jump off?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Last year I was with 2 others cycling along Leeds Liverpool, in the middle nowhere and noone else about, when a guy on a boat sailing in opposite direction shouted 'you should have a bell on that bike'

And you sir should get some manners, good day!

 

[presta]

Being 6' 5", my appetite for living in confined spaces is pretty limited, particularly if I can't stand up straight or lay out straight. I did daydream once about the independence of a motor home, but it was only ever a day dream. Likewise I used to daydream about the freedom of a tent instead of hostels, but I had no real intention of making do without a proper bed, shower, kitchen, and drying room let alone carrying the extra weight. Plan B was to sleep in a bus shelter or railway station if I couldn't get a bed, but it never quite came to that.

Part of what I liked about long distance walking and cycle touring was feeling like a hobo with no ties, free to go anywhere, but that's only fun if you're doing it temporarily and by choice. It's also part of the reason why I didn't like booking accommodation in advance.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

There are quite a few canals thru quite affluent town centres. Unless the mooring fees are exorbitant, a narrowboat moored in walking distance of town looks like good value commuter accomodation?

If you have a "constant cruising" license then it is quite cheap - but you have to move "to a new parish" every 2 weeks
The "new parish" is an old wording and is pretty much interpreted as any reasonable distance

Some people who work in an office - or similar - push this by just moving backwards and forward along a stretch of canal
but it can be done without even paying for a mooring

It does look like a good life if you can feel safe and work in the cold (wear a thick jumper?) and cope with the limited space
plus all the stuff like sewage disposal and having to stock up on water and fuel

but very freeing I would imagine

I wish I had had the courage to just do it in my 20s!