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ZOE BULSARACRTCRTCRTCRTCRTYour browser does not support the element. has swans for neighbours. Her mornings sometimes start with ethereal sunrises over long stretches of water. Four months ago the 24-year-old illustrator left her home in Bristol and bought a narrowboat, reckoning that it would cost less than renting a property. Since then she has been cruising around Britain’s canals. There is a freedom, she says, in not being anchored to one place.Growing numbers of people call Britain’s waterways home. In the last boater census, conducted in 2022 by the Canals and Rivers Trust (), a charity, there were about 35,000 boats on canals in England and Wales, up by a third in the past two decades. The number in London has roughly doubled since 2012. Many are thought to be used as primary residences.Anecdotally, too, boat owners say they have seen more people on the water since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, when working remotely became easier. Although most boaters are retirees, those in London are typically younger. About 64% of 25- to 34-year-old continuous cruisers—people who do not have a permanent mooring—live in or around the capital. help explain the appeal. It costs about £50,000 ($65,000) to buy a decent narrowboat; for comparison, the average cost of a flat in London is about £440,000.During the Industrial Revolution, Britain’s canal network spanned nearly 4,000 miles (6,400km). But after railways gained momentum, the use of canals declined. In the 1900s many were abandoned for lack of traffic; some were destroyed or built over. Their fortunes revived when the Transport Act of 1968 recognised the leisure value of canals and provided some public funding for maintenance. By the end of the 20th century, many routes had been restored.But the costs of maintaining a 250-year-old network are high and rising, due in part to extreme weather events and pollution. In the last financial year the spent £40m on regular maintenance and another £27m upgrading 19 of the reservoirs that top up the waters flowing through canals.Boaters bear some of these costs. Licences to be on the water cost several hundred pounds a year; they make up about 11% of ’s income. In April the announced a 25% additional charge by 2028 for those without a permanent mooring; those with the widest boats could pay up to 75% more. More hikes may follow. In July 2023 the government agreed to grant the trust £400m over the decade to 2037; the previous agreement, struck in 2012, was a £740m pledge over 15 years. The says that could have “devastating consequences”, including the possibility of closures.That would be a great shame. Time and nature have turned canals into something wilder and more beautiful than was originally intended. Living on a boat has its downsides. Laundry is a pain, and the winters are cold. For the majority of boaters without a permanent mooring, a new berth has to be found every two weeks. Maintenance work can cause certain areas to be shut down. But newbies say that the antiquated nature of the system is simply part of the charm. “Magical” is Ms Bulsara’s verdict, as she feeds her new neighbours on a bright autumn day.
