A lady who ditched her London room for a 30ft narrowboat claims she is ‘a lot happier residing on a ship’ and manages to avoid wasting round £600 per 30 days.
Shannon Lane, 29, was paying £900 a month to accommodate share in Clapton, however when she discovered her landlord was elevating the value to £1,000, she determined she was accomplished with renting and took out a mortgage to purchase a £24,000 narrowboat.
The freelance artist and video producer now spends £300 a month paying it off and cruises round London’s canals together with her pug, Gilbert, for firm. Earlier than she made the transfer, she mentioned she ‘suffered with unhealthy nervousness and melancholy’, however now she ‘wakes up day-after-day glad’.
Making the transition from bricks and mortar to a floating house takes some adjusting.
For anybody who fancies giving it a attempt, Shannon shared with MailOnline Journey 5 do’s and 5 don’ts of residing on a narrowboat, from tips on how to cease the boat from tipping over to the very smelly chore that have to be accomplished and why it is best to make associates with spiders.
Shannon Lane (above) ditched her expensive London room for a 30ft canal boat and mentioned she is ‘a lot happier’. She revealed to MailOnline Journey the do’s and don’ts of residing on a narrowboat
Shannon took out a mortgage to purchase the £24,000 narrowboat and lives on it together with her pug, Gilbert. She spends £300 a month paying again the mortgage
Do’s
Say howdy to your neighbours
Shannon urges different narrowboat house owners to embrace the ‘tight-knit’ group and get to know their neighbours. She says: ‘At any time when I moor up I knock on my neighbour’s door and say howdy. Generally I’ve even met them earlier than.’
For many who won’t really feel as assured, Shannon ensures that ‘everyone seems to be so welcoming’. She’s even had barbecues with neighbours that she solely simply met.
Be thoughtful of nature
In addition to respecting their neighbours, Shannon insists that narrowboat house owners ought to be conscious of nature. In any case, ‘you are of their house’, she says, including: ‘It is necessary to verify all of your litter is contained and might’t blow away. Additionally, do not pour any liquids into the canal. There are lots of geese, coots, moorhens and fish.’
Hold cruising the canals
For many who do not pay a mooring payment, Shannon says it is necessary to maneuver each two weeks so different boat house owners can ‘get pleasure from completely different components of the canal’
Shannon encourages boat house owners to embrace the tight-knit group, get to know their neighbours and respect the character round them
For many who do not pay a mooring payment and have a steady cruiser licence, Shannon notes that the Canal and River Belief insists you progress a mile each two weeks.
She explains: ‘It is necessary to maintain the canal system shifting as a result of it makes house for different boaters to get pleasure from completely different components of the canal.’
Whereas continuously shifting areas would possibly deter some when contemplating a life on the water, Shannon explains there are perks. It gives her the possibility to discover prosperous areas of London that might have beforehand been unaffordable, reminiscent of Little Venice and Regent’s Park.
Top off on firewood and coal
Holding inventory of firewood and coal is crucial when residing on a narrowboat. Shannon says: ‘The winters are very troublesome, particularly when the whole lot is getting icy.’ However, she provides: ‘It is nothing my log burner cannot clear up.’
Top off on heat package
Whereas a roaring hearth will maintain you heat, Shannon suggests you’ve inventory of blankets and jumpers to maintain your self heat while the boat is heating up.
Don’ts
Do not obsess about chores
Shannon claims proudly owning a narrowboat is a number of onerous work however warns others to not ‘overwork’
Pictured left is Shannon’s kitchen/front room space. On the appropriate is her bed room, which sits in the back of the boat
Whereas Shannon describes residing on a ship as ‘a number of onerous work and getting your arms soiled’, she warns others to not take an excessive amount of on.
She says: ‘It’s necessary to not overwork your self as you then’re simply working the entire time and never having fun with the expertise. You’ll burn out and never recognize residing on a ship.
‘One of the best ways to get pleasure from your self is to make a cup of tea or espresso and sit exterior and watch the world go by.’
Do not kill spiders
Narrowboats entice spiders and Shannon says she finds not less than three of them per week. Whereas arachnophobes could be tempted to kill them, Shannon says: ‘They’re our associates and eliminate all of the bitey bugs.
‘Simply depart them be except they’re obstructing one thing you utilize. If so, simply place them exterior or one other place in your boat for those who like.’
Do not tie your ropes too tightly – or danger sinking
There are many issues to be taught as a first-time barge proprietor. Shannon discovered the onerous method when she tied her center rope to the towpath and different ropes too tight. She was tipped off the bed in the midst of the evening.
She explains: ‘I went exterior and the water stage had gone down (this occurs as a consequence of locks) and my boat was itemizing to 1 facet. If this occurs an excessive amount of water can get into locations you don’t need it to and it might sink. Fortunately I observed and loosened my ropes, and safely obtained again into mattress.’
Do not depart it too late to empty your bathroom
From her private expertise, Shannon warns different boat house owners to not depart it too late to empty their bathroom
Pictured left is Shannon’s log burner, which she says helps warmth up the winters. Pictured proper is Shannon’s bathe, which inserts right into a small toilet
One unglamorous facet of narrowboat residing is having to take care of the bathroom. Shannon says she has a cassette bathroom on her boat and has to wheel the sliding cartridge to an Elsan level – a communal disposal space.
It isn’t a smart concept to go away it too lengthy, as Shannon realized from expertise: ‘You may think about the scent.’
Don’t depart meals exterior
Shannon insists it is necessary to correctly discard your meals waste and never depart something exterior the boat. She says: ‘Meals exterior attracts animals, and we’ve lots of scavenging animals by our boats, reminiscent of rats, foxes and birds.’
