Canal Boating London
Now you are older you probably have a little more time to pursue your own interests and an increased desire to find a better work-life balance. If you like exploring England then investing in a canal boat - otherwise known as a narrowboat - may be one of the ways of seeing the countryside at a pace that you can enjoy. It’s also a great way of making new friends along the way. However, before you do it is definitely worth checking out whether a life on the canals is for you.
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Canal Boating
Narrowboating really does tick a lot of boxes for the over 50s. But there are a number of things you need to consider, not least of which is how much you enjoy the reality of boating compared to the mere idea. Try it out by hiring a boat for a week or two for a holiday and see if the lifestyle suits. If it does, then maybe try again in the spring or autumn when the weather is not so good and the days are shorter. If you are still hooked then you are on your way.
You need to think about how much time you would want to spend on a boat – this will influence your decision about hiring versus buying. Some people only spend a few weeks on their boats, others take them out from March through to September and yet others spend their entire retirement permanently afloat.
Whatever suits you, you do have to like boating. That is, you have to be prepared to take your chances on the vagaries of the English weather, you have to be prepared to live in “bijou” accommodation and you have to be prepared to do the hard work of opening and closing locks throughout your travels.
Ideally, you do need at least two people to travel around on a boat at any one time. Trying to do everything on your own is not only hard work and cumbersome but can be a bit lonely. So check it out with your partner or a good mate and make sure that it’s not just a “nine day wonder” for any of you.
The rewards though are substantial: fresh air, exercise, peace and quiet, a pace of life that allows you to appreciate the world around you, and the chance to make long term friends and acquaintances that you will bump into (hopefully, not literally) time and time again. And as well as the physical activity there is the interest that comes with journey planning, picking out the interesting sites, landmarks and pubs to visit along the way, and keeping your hand in with a bit of DIY and vehicle maintenance.
The key issues influencing a decision to buy a boat are cost, mooring, and maintenance. Depending on the size of the boat, its age and how well it is equipped and fitted out you will be spending upwards of £40000-£50000 for something that you may only be using for part of the year. On top of this there are the insurance, maintenance and mooring costs and waterways license fees which will set you back around £4000 each year. Maintenance, like keeping your house in good repair, is a periodical requirement but do get the boat professionally surveyed before you purchase so you are fully aware of its basic condition.
A canal boat gives you the equivalent of a floating self-catering apartment that will take you all over the country, at least where there is water, at minimal cost and at what can be a very substantial level of comfort. You might even be lucky enough to get your children and/or grandchildren to join you – though to be honest not if they are seeking sea, sand and sunshine, except for the occasional weekend.
If you don’t think that you’ll be using it enough to warrant buying it on your own, why not try to get some friends to come in with you to share the cost, the usage and the pleasure?
Click here to access more useful information for the over 50s from in my prime.
You need to think about how much time you would want to spend on a boat – this will influence your decision about hiring versus buying. Some people only spend a few weeks on their boats, others take them out from March through to September and yet others spend their entire retirement permanently afloat.
Whatever suits you, you do have to like boating. That is, you have to be prepared to take your chances on the vagaries of the English weather, you have to be prepared to live in “bijou” accommodation and you have to be prepared to do the hard work of opening and closing locks throughout your travels.
Ideally, you do need at least two people to travel around on a boat at any one time. Trying to do everything on your own is not only hard work and cumbersome but can be a bit lonely. So check it out with your partner or a good mate and make sure that it’s not just a “nine day wonder” for any of you.
The rewards though are substantial: fresh air, exercise, peace and quiet, a pace of life that allows you to appreciate the world around you, and the chance to make long term friends and acquaintances that you will bump into (hopefully, not literally) time and time again. And as well as the physical activity there is the interest that comes with journey planning, picking out the interesting sites, landmarks and pubs to visit along the way, and keeping your hand in with a bit of DIY and vehicle maintenance.
The key issues influencing a decision to buy a boat are cost, mooring, and maintenance. Depending on the size of the boat, its age and how well it is equipped and fitted out you will be spending upwards of £40000-£50000 for something that you may only be using for part of the year. On top of this there are the insurance, maintenance and mooring costs and waterways license fees which will set you back around £4000 each year. Maintenance, like keeping your house in good repair, is a periodical requirement but do get the boat professionally surveyed before you purchase so you are fully aware of its basic condition.
A canal boat gives you the equivalent of a floating self-catering apartment that will take you all over the country, at least where there is water, at minimal cost and at what can be a very substantial level of comfort. You might even be lucky enough to get your children and/or grandchildren to join you – though to be honest not if they are seeking sea, sand and sunshine, except for the occasional weekend.
If you don’t think that you’ll be using it enough to warrant buying it on your own, why not try to get some friends to come in with you to share the cost, the usage and the pleasure?
Click here to access more useful information for the over 50s from in my prime.