Major feature on canal living

IN THE last couple of weeks the Financial Times Weekend edition has carried a major feature about canal living, writes Roger Fox.

As well as some reader reactions, the main article was one of the most balanced that I have read, telling the story of waterborne life fairly accurately, although I was less convinced by the boater who said that his boat had been invaded by rats who seems to have eaten everything on board.

Abject desperation

Being the Financial Times, the financing of boat purchase was covered and a comprehensive list of annual costs included. Readers’ comments included 'Living on a converted barge is not a substitute for buying a house, but a sign of abject desperation'.

Another reader suggested that the government could build marinas to give someone somewhere to live. Just imagine that we could have marinas owned by the government? But hey, haven’t we been there before and they were called British Waterways Marinas Ltd!