 How
to do it - you will have to moor somewhere!
It is possible to live on a narrowboat in one
location, and many people do it. However if you don't
have an official residential mooring, it can be a very
'insecure' way of life, you can be moved on at any time.
Residential moorings do exist, British Waterways run
some, there are privately owned residential moorings and
some boatyards and marinas have some. The majority of
moorings are non residential though, meaning that you
are not allowed to live aboard. |
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Residential Moorings
 For
many years British Waterways actively discouraged 'liveaboards'.
During the eighties living on a boat was seen, rightly or
wrongly, as a way of avoiding rates or poll tax and of getting
to the top of the council house waiting lists. The freedom of
living afloat with low overheads can appeal to many people who
wish to 'turn their back on consumer society'. Equally
though, some of the most desirable London properties are
floating on the Thames or Regents Canal, and many hard working
people retire, sell the house and buy a canalboat to live on and
explore their own country.
Residential moorings certainly cost more
and they are especially difficult to find in urban areas where
demand is greater than supply. In cities such as London most
accommodation gets advertised and let through the normal
property sales and letting channels, estate agents etc. Right -
barge accommodation on the Thames.
It is often easier to buy a boat with a residential mooring,
rather than get them separately. Getting a boat is no problem
(see Buying a residential boat), finding
a mooring is, and boats with a mooring often change hands for
more than twice the boat value. If you know the area where you
would like to moor then walk the towpath and talk to people on
boats to see what they know. Visit boatyards (see
our listings) and ask if they know of any residential
moorings. Contact
British
Waterways to see if they have any residential moorings
locally, they are trying to find more residential places. (See
contacts)
Continuous
Cruising
Many people living on their boats move regularly and claim that
they are on an 'extended cruise'. British Waterways are now
introducing a new 'Trial Moorings Code' which is intended to
'rule out repetitive 'to-ing' and 'froing' within the same
geographical area'. This should not create problems for those
genuinely cruising the system but by stipulating allowable
temporary mooring durations, minimum distance to the next
temporary moorings and restrictions on return it will certainly
make life difficult for livaboards who whish or have to stay in
the same geographical area. Although they express sympathy for
those who cannot find residential moorings in the area in which
they work, or wish to live, they state ' Our duties do not
include those of a housing authority'.
British Waterways will tell you that a continuous cruising
licence is intended for those who are moving continuously, and
they want to restrict boaters from staying more than a couple of
weeks in one place or moving to within a few miles of their last
mooring. If you are living on your boat they want you to have an
official residential mooring. They don't want you to be living
on a boat in one place or shuffling it about to beat the system.
Essentially BW are not a housing authority and don't want the
canal system to get a bad name for having people living in bad
conditions outside the normal housing rules and conditions that
Local Authorities would apply. And they don’t want boats in
various conditions of repair moored along the scenic or urban
parts of canals when they are promoting canals for as a leisure
attraction. And they do need to generate the maximum income from
canals. All of which is understandable.
Continuous cruising can be difficult in winter because of bad
weather and canal maintenance closures. British Waterways have
started making some temporary residential moorings available
over the winter, continuous cruisers can stay in one place
through the winter, then cruise from spring to autumn. These are
not usually advertised, the towpath telegraph plus experience
seems to provide information.
 Dodging
the System
You could try moving up and down the local length but B.W., as
we've detailed above, would not approve and are now getting more
able to stop you. You also need to consider security and access,
boats moored on the towpath can be easily broken into when you
are out, not too good if you have all your worldly possessions
onboard. (It's happened to us!) You should only consider mooring
without a residential licence as a temporary solution while you
look for a decent permanent mooring. People do live on boats
across the canal system without having residential or continuous
cruising licences, but it can involve subterfuge, midnight flits
and not hanging washing out on Fridays etc! And the new Moorings
Code will certainly make life more difficult. Right - unusual
houseboat!
Essential
Services
You'll need to bear in mind that on any mooring you will
need some services; |
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Fuel - for heating,
boat engine, power generation, cooking |
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Waste - how will
you dispose of rubbish and sewage? |
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Power - residential
moorings may supply mains power. |
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Parking - if you
have a vehicle is there somewhere secure to park it? |
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Water – for
washing, showers, plus facilities for drying clothes |
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Access - can you
get to the boat easily, and get aboard safely, especially if you have
children. |
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Food and provisions
- are there shops within walking distance? |
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Address – life can
be difficult without an address, banks and employers prefer one! |
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Communications –
TV, Phone, internet |
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Security - is the
mooring secure, can the boat be broken in to? |
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