Gonna be up front....low production values and kinda boring, but it's like a car wreck in slow motion.

1) The guy is on a 50something' long "narrowboat" which apparently was how the English moved goods before trains.

2) There is a pretty robust canal system in England! LOL And they have these long tunnels, which is pretty freaky.

3) Guy seems a bit flaky, so it might be interesting to see how he adjusts to this life. The canals look super rural for the most part.

Scenery is kinda repetitive, but still neat. I like the lock system they have. The lock keepers seem to live in a house right there on the canal (they seem pretty narrow) and come out to pass you through. That would be a pretty cool gig. Some of the locks are "self-serve".

So, maybe a good watch if your threshold for entertainment is as low as mine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: AllenInAR,

Well what's the name of the show? Am I to assume it's Narrowboat?

Oh crap....left that out! LOL

"Travels by Narrowboat"

Thanks!

Thanks. Watching it now.

Two months of traveling canals, he's used about 11 gallons of diesel.

Wish the RV got that kind of mileage.

Readers of C. S. Foresters Hornblower series will recall the start of "Hornblower and the Atropos" where the family goes to London by canal boat, and the good captain is asked to take over the tiller since the steersman is lacking a second hand for the horse team pulling it on the bank. For the time, a passage boat was a very fast and capacious means of long-range transportation, carrying several dozen passengers at nine miles per hour, with horses exchanged every half hour. As quick as a coach, but a much smoother ride, and cheaper on top.

Apparently steersmen had a trick of putting the bows on the bowwave before the planing effect was really understood. Of course in the tunnels, they had to lie down and move the boat by pushing off the walls with their legs while the horses were led around. After industrialization the trade quickly lost out to railroads though.

I have to say, this thing really captures the imagination. Had I seen this (or something like it) three years ago, my retirement could have been completely different. LOL

Oh, the speed limit nowadays is 4mph.

My wife discovered it a few months ago. I joined her halfway through and liked it so much I got caught up on the earlier episodes. From some of Kevin's comments I think there will be more.

There's a guy on YouTube whose channel is called Cruising the Cut which documents his narrowboat journeys beginning with his first awareness of them, researching and buying one, and finally, his life and travels on his narrowboat. He posts new videos frequently and while some are repetitive, there are some really interesting ones in the series.

I like the details - working on the engine, fuel system.

This guy doesn't do that much. I just finished season 3....when he does get away from the topic of his travels, it's about cooking.

Also, security has become a concern. A foot locker on his bow was broken into and he got jumped and beat up walking back to the boat on New Year's. There were also some comments (while going through Leeds I think) about "disenfranchised youths" hanging around locks and the fact no boats were present at moorings in the city despite very generous rules for their use.

Only watched first episode so maybe I'm wrong but apparently in the UK canals you keep your narrowboat on the right?

LOL I noticed that too. The guy has a FB page ("CountryHouseGent") and I asked why that was and they drive on the left. He said it just worked out that way.

It would be fun to charter one of those for a week or two,of course with a captain. Wonder if something like that is available.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
It would be fun to charter one of those for a week or two,of course with a captain. Wonder if something like that is available.

I would imagine so.

For giggles, I emailed the Canal & River Trust....no formal training required. LOL

it doesn't always go well through the locks...

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Two months of traveling canals, he's used about 11 gallons of diesel.

40 gal tank.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: f2,

I'm on season 4 now. He went through some "5 steps" lock. Crazy stuff. LOL I imagine you have to be pretty careful positioning your boat and tying off.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:

Also, security has become a concern. A foot locker on his bow was broken into and he got jumped and beat up walking back to the boat on New Year's.

I seem to recall in the first three seasons one or two times he stayed too long at the pub and was under the weather the next morning. He may have been an easy mark. I'll tell my wife there's a Season 4.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
It would be fun to charter one of those for a week or two,of course with a captain. Wonder if something like that is available.

Just stay away from Leeds.

5 seasons on AP, haven't gone looking on YouTube yet. I am debating whether I want to go down the Cruising the Cut rabbit hole.

Skipton looks like a really cool town.

Seriously....had I come across this a few years back, I think I may have gone for it. That would have (barely) pre-dated my foray into NFA stuff, which would make the idea of heading to England a lot easier to think about. A nice narrowboat probably would have been somewhere around half what my RV cost.

Foreign, yet English-speaking country. Solitude when I want it, people when I feel like it. Lots of history, awesome scenery. Awesome beer. LOL

Still....I imagine even at a leisurely pace, 2,200 miles of canals/rivers wouldn't occupy THAT much time.