American Couple Reacts: UK Canal Boat/Narrowboat Trip! FIRST TIME REACTION! WE ARE IN LOVE!!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ธ.ค. 2022
- American Couple Reacts: UK Canal Boat Trip! Our VERY FIRST TIME Seeing & Learning About Canal Boats! This video led us to A LOT of talking afterwards! We are ready to pack our bags and rent a canal boat!! This is so beautiful and relaxing! This episode takes us on a tour of a Canal in Wales and it looks like the absolutely perfect trip! Picturesque views, quaint towns and pubs, to the community that is narrowboat life! We are jealous and this is definitely now on our bucket list! Join us and let's cruise along together to see the beauty and feel the troubles of everyday life melt away if only for a few minutes.
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This video led us to A LOT of talking afterwards! We are ready to pack our bags and rent a canal boat!! This is so beautiful and relaxing! This episode takes us on a tour of a Canal in Wales and it looks like the absolutely perfect trip! Picturesque views, quaint towns and pubs, to the community that is narrowboat life! We are jealous and this is definitely now on our bucket list! Join us and let's cruise along together to see the beauty and feel the troubles of everyday life melt away if only for a few minutes.
If you enjoy this video, please click the Like button. Thanks for watching!!
Hope you can visit the canals here in England as soon as possible.
Hi ladies. The reason we have canals here was because they were built around the time of the industrial revolution. They were not initially for pleasure, they were built for such as transporting coal from the mines to factories and other similar kinds of duties.
This period pre dated the motor car so obviously other mass transit methods were needed for bulk transport of things like coal to keep the factories going.
It’s my dream to one day own a narrowboat and gently tour the entirety of the UK’s canal network.
Please do your research before hiring a boat as there are quite a lot of things to consider that aren’t an issue in normal everyday life.
TH-cam channel Foxes Afloat is an excellent channel documenting their time living on a narrowboat. I strongly suggest you check them out!
m.th-cam.com/video/YoStoPel_WA/w-d-xo.html
Check out the myriad of canal boat vlogs on You Tube.
Some of the best are....
Foxes Afloat.
Cruising The Cut.
Country House Gent.
Cruising with Alba.
Narrowboat Adventures, to name but a few.
Also, if you do fancy a looooong holiday (sorry vacation! Lol) then it may be an idea to buy a boat and then sell it again after your hols are finished?
You may even make a profit on the boat and as such, have a free boating holiday!!!
There is so much more to canal boats. Widebeams, cruiser sterns, the list goes on. Prices have rocketed for a new boat with some over 250k.
You can tell they aren't English, we would have had the kettle on in the first 5 minutes 😋
Haha!!
Five whole minutes without tea, more like 2 minutes lol
everybody knows that you need a brew before any sort work commences. Its the un written law!
I just love this comment ❤ it's so so true.
A very British comment
My wife was from Michigan and when she first came over to Britain, even just as we left Paddington Station, one of the first things she said was, "Oh my God, it's so green!". I miss her. She passed away in 2019.
Its 21 years since my wife died i still cry now and again, but it does get better over time but you never forget
All the best Philip. RIP your wife.
Obviously there's green places in every country but I'd recognise the British countryside anywhere. Its just a specific kind of green that you don't really get anywhere else outside of rainforests.
It must be so hard being the one who is left behind. I've been with My partner since I was 13yo....so 27 years! Everything reminds me of him. I feel for You mate, I really do. She would want You to find happiness wherever You can, I know I would. ❤ from 🇦🇺
@@pascalswager9100 Thank you for your kind words. 27 years! Beautiful!
I am a Canal & River Trust volunteer lockkeeper. 4,000 miles of canals. All dug by hand. No machine tools. Just pick axes and shovels, wheelbarrows. Hand lined with clay to prevent leaks. Those long tunnels. Dug through stone. By hand, no explosives. If you do come over here, rent a standard width narrowboat (about 6'6" wide) and no more than 57' long (otherwise you will not fit in some locks). Shorter than 50' would be uncomfortable for two. The engines are modified small dump truck diesel engines. You have to regularly fill up with water (free) and diesel (there are water points and boat service yards). Dealing with the 'other' human waste can be messy, but Hire Boats have big tanks that get pumped out after your hire period. Propane gas for heating and cooking. There are pubs all along the canals. You can moor only on the towpath side of the canal. Not on water or service points, nor on lock landings (waiting area). Some sections of towpath are reserved for paid moorings. Some sections have limited mooring, sometimes only an hour or so (like next to supermarkets). Phone signal coverage is patchy (like in US national parks). I would thoroughly recommend Grand Union Narrowboats at Weedon Bec. The canal south from there is flat (in the main) so very few locks, beautiful countryside. Be aware a lot of canals run next to railway lines, so be prepared to hear train horns. You can also go on some rivers (some you pay for, some are free in the standard boat licence), and even go to sea (hire boats come with clauses to say you can't do that). You will see Cranes (birds) and a lot of wild fowl everywhere. Canal water is NOT clean. You must slow down when passing moored boats.
Ive lived on a narrow boat, cruising for 20 years. Its toil in the winter, when i wake up i can see my breath in the air. Its not for the faint hearted but its a life of freedom and beauty. I’ll be on here for ever.
Consider getting a sleeping bag suit. They're great if your staying/living somewhere without central heating or can't afford to put it on. Bought mine 3 years ago for £100 (It's a selkbag 6G) and it's paid for itself almost ten times over in the money I've saved in heating.
Also great if I go camping or on caving trips, as many of the huts we stay in have been empty for a while and so are very cold. They're also incredibly sexy - well for anyone with a Michelin Man fetish!🤣
They're splash proof rather than waterproof, so you'd need a proper waterproof over the top if it was raining and you're at the tiller.
I’ve lived on board for same amount off time and it’s not as easy as people believe, you have to love the way way of life & especially nature
I can see my breath now, even with the central heating on. Crappy 1930's house, with a raised floor and a freezing cold space underneath the floorboards!
Used to live on a 34 footer behind Sale Sharks rugby ground at Brooklands, then moved to Stretford (more beer, less sherry) gave it up after 3 years due to being 6 foot+ and developing a lot of head scars. I just never learned to duck.🦆🤕 Worst thing i hit was an upturned 3 seater sofa...spotted the castors above water too late and had to replace my prop....came out like an oil slicked seabird🛢️🦆
I remember a program I saw where they had 8 couples on holiday. 4 couples got to keep devices, but 4 couples got the devices taken away for the week. The couple who had devices taken away lived it as they actually got to enjoy the views. I bet lots of people go on a ride round a once in a life time thing, but then watch TH-cam.
There is a UK TV series called "Great Canal Journeys" in which a famous acting couple, Prunella Scales and her husband, Timothy West, longtime canal lovers, travel through the UK and visit some gorgeous places, including going over excitingly high aqueducts. They also travel beautiful French canals and a few other countries. Well worth a watch.❤️
@tecdessus which is in same town I lived in.
It's green green green because of the rain rain rain. Tons of it.
“Nicole’s making us a warm cup of tea”. Nicole needs to walk the plank.
Builders tea!!The only way to drink it! Bliss!
lol
My Mum was born on a boat along with her 8 brothers and Sisters .
They were pulled by horse , and two boats linked together . Boat and butty . The accomodation was the size of two small garden
sheds .
The number on pubs on the canals is because the horses needed to be stabled overnight .
My Grandfather owned his own boat and it was decorated with the traditional Artworks .
My Mum learned to steer by age 5 and on longer tunnels the horse went over the top whilst the strongest
"legged "
their way through the tunnel by laying on a plank port and starboard and walking along the side walls propelling the boat .
Very hard physical work .
My Aunts and Uncles were not called up during the war as working the narrowboats was a reserved occupation as these boats were the semi trucks of their day .
Many of the families were related so to not confuse peoples names as there might be more than one person called Richard Smith . People would be refered to by what their boat carried .
So tales of Dick Salt and Tommy Coffee used to make me giggle as a child as my Auntie was catching my Mum up on the news .
My Grandparents boat was The Daphne and The Juniper .
My Great Uncle Ben Smiths boat is preserved in Ellesmere Port Boat Museum not far from Liverpool .
My Auntie went to visit as an elderly lady and slightly deaf she walked around going that would not go there .
The enthusiasts had rescued The Gifford but did not know how things were laid out or why . ?
They invited my Aunt back when they heard she lived aboard the Boat as a child and that Aunt Lizzie was very houseproud and also the best china would never be stored like that as the line to the horse sometimes snapped and it would have been flung onto the floor and been in pieces .
People had little room for belongings so those that they had were cherished .
My Grandfathers horses were called Dolly and Jim . A young horse was trained alongside a more experienced one to show it the ropes .
Young horses were headstrong and sometimes spooked and snapped lines . Expensive for the Canal Boatman as
they were cotton spun and pure white . Too many broken lines and the Profit for the trip was lost .
Feel free to use any of the boat names here in this feed .
Wish now I had recorded the living history . Some places did so but my Mums older Sisters and Brother could spin a yarn .
I guess that and the instruments Accordian and (violin) Fiddle was a fun way of spending the night in a canal side pub .
👍 Thank you for that insight into the 'real' working boats of the past. If you don't already, write stuff down as you remember it.
Wow - that was so interesting. Thanks so much.
There’s a channel called “cruising the cut”. David has since sold his boat, but for about three years he took us along with him on a trip round the canal system. The videos are light, enjoyable, educational and addictive.
@@vtbn53 yeah it’s a universal term
Yes. I also strongly recommend Foxes Afloat. They’ve also since sold their boat, but their cruising videos are excellent.
@@MrStuFew Nah, Country House Gent on TH-cam and his series "Travels by Narrowboat" on Amazon Prime, are the best. 😉
@@vtbn53 their called the cut because navies cut them out of the land
@@vtbn53 The whole network was built the same way, with the possible exception of the aqueducts and locks. A trench wide enough and deep enough to hold sufficient water to accommodate fully laden narrow boats, lined with "puddle clay" to seal the canal from leaks.
That is some honour for a Canadian to say our scenery is beautiful 😍
Canada has some beautiful parts, but huge distances between them.
We were in Canada in September,train through the rockies. Unbelievably beautiful. 🥰
If they had gone North instead of South it's even more beautiful, I was lucky enough to be able to walk this section of canal most days during lockdown.
If you want the green, you've got to have the rain!
Canada is massive compared to the UK
I lived on a 50ft narrowboat for just over a year many years ago. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The community is awesome and helpful (we all helped each other). I saw incredible wildlife (kingfishers, deer, foxes running along the roof, so many memories). It's tough and a bit frontier living in the winter and you need a well-insulated boat to get through it, plus a good solid fuel fire. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity.
Yep,my home was a 50ft narrow boat 6 foot 10ft wide, Ilved for there for only 2 and a half years, I loved seeing urban wildlife turtles included ('flushed down the toilet') the rabid dog owners, lots of great fantastic people with amazing stories why they want to on the canal but the 2nd Winter froze me out, everything froze, on boaord water, the canal & even my own urine!! I decided I was not good enough to be a canal person, but it's an experience that everyone should have
The Welsh are very friendly, my sister lives in a small village and a lone Canadian stopped at the pub for lunch and stayed 5 days. Had to go straight to the airport to fly home
Lovely ladies , have done this twice and it's the most relaxing holidays I've ever had . Lots of visitors fly a little flag so you can tell which country their from . We saw Americans , Canadians , Germans and French and the great thing was how happy everyone was . 🇬🇧
I have to tell you, Natasha and Debbie, although this is beautiful lush green countryside, it is very typical and can be seen pretty much all over the country. There is way more striking and spectacular scenery than this dotted all over the coasts and mountains and valleys.
We rented out first narrow boat in 1988 on the Cheshire ring,it was the best holiday ever. It became a regular holiday choice for us over the years, loved the pace. We took my mum to the canals in wales a few years later, watching this brought back some great memories, mum loved it and for her 80th birthday we hired two boats and surprised her with a family holiday. She has dementia and has sadly gone into a care home and every time we get out the holiday snaps of that holiday she always smiles even though she doesn’t really remember it, I do and she loved it with her kids, grandkids and great grandkids with her.
Living in Birmingham we are surrounded by canals (more miles than Venice). Travelling at 4mph gives you a totally new way of looking at life.
Just down the road from you Smethwick I live right by the canal.
…and it stretches right through the Black Country.
I’d agree with the woman/partner that it takes some getting used to. If you’re on the move, there’s a certain amount of stress, especially going through the locks. And if you need to ‘eat out’ a lot then you need to plan well ahead. If not, then you need to plan your larder well. If you don’t mind all that you’ll be in heaven.
Living in the Black Country, so many canals used to walk into Birmingham on the tow path.
As a fellow Brummie I am constantly reminded by other people around the uk that we have more canals than Venice 😂
Try the M42 Froday after 3pm... 4mph feels like a dream
The Manchester Ship Canal was construction started in 1887 and was completed in 1894, when it was officially opened by Queen Victoria.
It’s a 36 mile long canal which runs from the Mersey Estuary (Liverpool) to Salford in Manchester.
It took 17,000 men to hand dig the canal over the 6 years to construct.
Mostly for use by sea faring vessels (hence the name 'SHIP' Canal) rather than canal/narrow boats. It was built (starting from the Wirral side of the Mersey, in Cheshire rather than Liverpool) so that the Lancashire mill owners didn't have to pay the Mersey Docks and Harbour any mooring/import fees for the cotton, brought in from the American/West Indies plantations. There is also a canal that runs from Liverpools' Stanley dock (where Captain America had his New York dockland fight scene), all the way to Leeds, called the Leeds/Liverpool canal.
I grew up in Manchester and we went on lots of school trips to the canal. Learnt all about its history and importance to Manchester and the UK. I live in Australia now and miss canal boats 😢
@@joannarigby1989 did you get taken to the mortuary room above the basin under Barton Swing Bridge...creepy☠️
It’s so easy to take the scenery for granted. I live in England and the road down to my mums has the most beautiful views. But with seeing it every day, it’s easy to overlook. I remember being in Egypt and visiting the pyramids. Speaking to the locals, they’re the same. They say they don’t even notice them with them living around them every day. But yes, the UK has some of the most picturesque views I’ve seen.
Too right ladies! Don't waste time looking at beauty through a lens, your lovely eyes will take the best pictures. Although I do love watching your videos, your enjoyment is such a kind compliment; and its reminded me in my busy day as a healthcare worker, to stop, look around me and appreciate my little island home in the Atlantic. Love you both, and wish you many green field adventures, fresh tea and double rainbows.❤
I was lucky enough to have grown up within a mile of this beautiful canal. As a child I used to fish in it, search for wildlife along it and can you in it. It’s a beautiful canal in the beautiful country of Wales. I was so lucky and privileged to have this amazing place on my doorstep.
You are VERY lucky! Have you been to the first Pub they stopped at? We're obsessed with it!
@@TheNatashaDebbieShow I have been in that pub but not for many years now. It’s one of several great pubs next to or close to the canal.
Nowadays I live in Bedford about 50 miles north of London. I’m lucky here as well because we have a beautiful navigable river, the River Great Ouse going through the town.
I live in Oxenhall in the Forest of Dean. There is currently a canal trust working to resort the Herefordshire to Gloucestershire canal. The canal was opened in 1798 and closed in 1881. The route was leased to the Great Western and West Midlands railway company who partially filled in the canal and used it as the route from Gloucester to Ledbury. The canal trust are trying to restore the old canal but its a long process worked on by volunteers and charitable donations. I can't see it opening in my life time..
My family took my Nan for a trip on a canal boat when she was 101 years old . We live in Kent, England and why we waited so long to do it is beyond me but so pleased we did . Now I want to do it again .
I am a live aboard and this post comes to you from a cosy corner of my narrowboat next to a glowing and snug log fir on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Outside is ice and frost btw so it's lovely being here with my mug of tea and the winter sun beaming through the windows.
Narrowboats are only cold in winter if you don't heat them. It's a lovely lifestyle, really it is. xx
Great video. Thank you. Have a look at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, pronounced “Pont-ker-sulth-tay” . Between Llangollen and Chirk. It’s 1000 feet long and 126 feet above ground level with no protective guard rail on one side. It’s stunning to look at and to go across.
Thanks for the suggestion and kind words ❤️
This couple are doing the Pontycysyllte in another episode
And, by digging canals across the UK, engineer (mostly self educated) William Smith became the world's first mapping geologist.
You can see a surviving copy of his map of England and Wales at Burlington House in London.
⛏🌍
Thank god your saying Wales and not England....we are our own country just like Scotland and Ireland. Jointly we are the U.K. and we are all beautiful.
I really hope you both get a change to visit Great Britain and see all the beautiful countysides. I fell in love the second I got of the plane in Heathrow airport and I stayed In England for 3 years until I had to go back home to Denmark because I got sick.
I’m sure you are going to love everything there and the Brits are so kind and friendly ❤❤ I miss it every day.
Hi ladies, love your channel, you’re both so sweet and enthusiastic 😊
The canals are very unique and interesting-I’ve been in them a few times. They cover the majority of the uk with stunning countryside to explore. A channel you might enjoy watching is Foxes Afloat. They are a couple who travelled the canal system and put a lot of historical information in their blogs but are also very funny. Their boat will make you super jealous too ❤
Much love to you both and looking forward to the next episode
"The majority of the UK" is stretching things a bit but they do cover much of England and Wales.
Hello Natasha & Debbie. The canals and rivers of the UK are incredible. I live about 30 miles from the Pontypool end of the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal. I was a Scout leader and we used to use the canal for canoeing, no current, shallow and always close to the bank. Ideal for teaching 11 year olds safely.
A few years ago we took a dozen scouts onto the Grand Union canal at Braunston. Here we had 2 70 ft narrow boats, one for the lads and another towed boat for the leaders, their wives and children. Each boat had a gas cooker, sink, and 6 double bunk beds. At the end of each boat was a cabin, the leaders had the cabin in one boat for a leader and his family, the other was used by the professional boatman and his lady. We cruised from Brauston to almost Stratford-on-Avon and back in two weeks. It was a great time.
The Mon & Brec canal is isolated from the rest of the network but it does flow through one of Wales National Parks. All of our canals run through beautiful countryside but they were built for industry so some pass into towns and cities and industrial areas. I would recommend the Llangollen Canal that enters Wales at the Chirk Aqueduct, plenty of beautiful countryside. Plenty of you-tube videos about people who live permanently on the canals.
PS We don’t have poionous spiders but only 1 poisonous snake, the adder, I’ve never seen one in 70 years!
Wales born and bred. Its a beautiful place 🏴🏴
I grew up in this area,Pontypool, know it ver well.
Hi girls, we love all your videos, but this one was really great because it showed the stretch of canal that we walk along all the time. It was such a joy to see you so excited by our part of the world 🏴
By the way, are you aware that we can buy jars of peanut butter with added Marmite over here ?! We eat loads of the stuff, love it !! 😜❤️
Both of my brothers live on canal/narrow boats, one brother lives on a 37ft one, and my other brother owns 2 boats, he lives on a 40ft one and he has a spare one, a 27ft one, they have a beautiful, peaceful life.
Hi and love this. Travelling on the canals is like visiting a completely different country - slower, relaxed, friendly. The trick is to moor up near a pub every evening :)
Excellent tip!!
easier said than done these days especially in the summer.
@@TheNatashaDebbieShow hey Natasha and Debbie hope you are both well could you please react to the top 15 irn bru adverts please the videos on TH-cam it's less than 20 minutes p s another great video🏴👍😁.
England's green and pleasant land ..cant beat it.
Apart from the fact this is Wales and not England.
I grew up in Birmingham, the UKs second city. The city has so many canals going in and out and yet once you're on then boats you can travel through the busiest parts of this great city and hear almost complete silence... Wonderful.
It was only stressful for her because they didn’t prepare by taking some snacks or food onboard to start with. They have a whole kitchen and there are shops everywhere. She got hangry after their first 20 minutes on the boat! Also they were rushing round for the jubilee, that isn’t normal. It isn’t stressful. It’s very relaxing and makes you feel part of nature plus the canals go into most cities and towns so you get to visit lots of places.
I owned a river cruiser for 14 years and its the most relaxing experience, the rivers and canals of the UK are just so wonderful.
Have you experienced or seen the rats that live along the tow paths?
@@justmeandmystove yes, it’s a natural environment, I’ve also seen rats in a city. Wherever you go you might see rats.
@@bobbralee1019 maybe but you're guaranteed to see them along the canal.
@@justmeandmystove They're guaranteed to be there in towns too, and I'd rather see them from a distance in the wild.
The rats will climb the rope attached to your boat to the tow path!! Before you know it you'll have an infestation!! Anyone who has issues with rats should know this!! Lol
Just binge watching your videos. You would prefer the Norfolk Broads. You can rent a boat to live on for a week there but the broads are far wider and you can move a little faster. There are also windmills that you can stop and look at and nature walks etc. Loads of pubs to stop at too and towns. Best to go out of the British school holidays when it is quieter.
I went onanarow holiday on the Thames with my aunt uncle and two cousins some 40 years or so ago. And it was the best holiday I’ve ever had So peaceful no noise just the sound off the ducks and the surrounding countryside. Definitely go on a narrow boat holiday you won’t regret it Its a chance to unwind and forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life x
Love you guys. Thanks for viewing our canals. I live next to a canal here in the uk. Listening to the boats chugging away is as relaxing as being aboard one for me. I’ve rented numerous boats over the years and it is one of the best holidays you can enjoy. If you come to the uk. I’d be happy to be your guide on the water. Keep it going guys. Love yazz
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is beautiful to go over either on a canal barge or to walk across.
It's quite scary just walking across the height!
I’d love to spend week(s) on a narrow boat; it would be awesome!! Great to see you’re fabulous and lovely reactions. Great video!! Xx
I used to go along this canal for weekends with my parents on a river cruiser (not a narrow boat) that belonged to some friends. I took it for granted as a child how beautiful the scenery is there. Boating is relaxing but also hard work when it comes to locks. But it’s so worthwhile….go for it!!
Natasha & Debbie, not all canals fell into disuse. Some narrow boats were still carrying coal and other goods in the 1950's . I used to watch them.
Wales looks stunning be it from rail, road or waterway.
I wanted to purchase and live aboard a narrowboat but disability hit me and scuppered my dream
I loved this! Let’s watch more of this together.
Girls .. get to UK & book narrowboat holiday. Your world passes you by at 4 mph.. You chill , you relax , You pass through the back of cities seeing stuff tourist dont see . You see the UK from a different angle . I ve had a couple of narrowboat hols & lived near the canal system. And there is a load of history connected to the Canals. Pete.
L love Mike Downie`s videos, he goes all over the place, often on different trains, really interesting stuff.
britain has the most beautiful canal system we sometimes go to the canal and have a nice lunch at the pub at the edge of the water it's gorgeous thanks for covering this ladies your awesome 🇬🇧❤️
It's a perfect relaxing holiday, slowly moving along you get to see all the wildlife and can stop each night by a village and pub
It's fantastic to see UK canals and waterways given a new lease of life mainly by voluntary organisations.
I used to live near a canal and run with the dog on the tow path regularly. My dog became buddies with a dog owned by a boat owner so we became buddies too. It's a unique lifestyle and you can't help thinking back to the days when there were working boats. Families who worked them lived in the rear cabin 6ft 8"wide by 12 or 13 feet long!
A boat like a horse allows you to get close to nature and wildlife that you wouldn't usually see. I remember having a horse ride in North Yorkshire years ago wild rabbits, birds and a couple of foxes one evening ignore the horse and rider. It's the same on canals and boats.
Make a mistake in your car and you get a fanfare of honking horns. On a boat you'll get offers of help or a wave and a smile.
Enjoy your trip
We’ve spent quite a few summers on a narrow boat, so peaceful and quiet. Lots to see and enjoy, with a slower pace of life, it’s something I want to do every year!
The Erie Canal in New York was a key transportation asset beginning about 1825. This song, written in 1918, tells the story:
I've got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo
Chorus:
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge cause we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Get up there Sal, we've passed that lock,
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
And we'll make Rome before six o'clock
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
One more trip and back we'll go
Through the rain and sleet and snow
And every inch of the way we know
From Albany to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal.
This might look perfect but canals are usually very busy in the summer months. They didn't have to open/close any bridges or tackle any locks (which you can wait your turn sometimes hours to get through). Often you can only moor a boat for a maximum of 24 hours before having to move on. There are areas close to large towns were you wouldn't wish to stop overnight. Robbie Cummings, who has a TH-cam channel, was sleeping on his boat when someone tried to break in. Unfortunately it can be quite stressful and it's not all plain sailing!
What a fantastic couple in the video, being reviewed by my favourite TH-cam couple! Whilst I understand you don’t want to video everything when you do finally get here, I’m gutted because all your fans would love to live it along with you! I would love to be your guide here in the UK, I just know we’d get on very well ❤️
As a marine engineer and yacht captain for the last 30 years, that's so beautiful and relaxing. Having gone to around about 78 countries, Wales is still stunning for it's history and beauty. Just wished the Pubs were better.
My husband & I are Australian. We usually travel by motorcycle when we visit the UK prior to the Isle of Man TT races. One year we decided to travel by long boat as we saw how lovely the canal system was on previous visits. We finally decided not to do the canal tour as we were worried about how our relationship might be if we had several weeks of bad weather & were confined to the long boat. We did enjoy walking along the canals & did travel on a canal in Scotland when we went on the Falkirk Wheel which is a fantastic piece of engineering.
26:51 Tunnels: Back when canal boats weren't motorised and pulled by horses, you had to lie on your back on the roof of the boat and use your feet against the roof of a tunnel to push it through.
The beautiful green lush scenery:
The reason why Wales and Britain generally, is so green is all the rain. The prevailing weather system is from the West and comes all the way across the Atlantic and so is full of moisture. The British Isles is the first land and it's west coast is where a lot of our mountains are located, so that's where all that moisture is deposited.
Consequently the West Coast of Britain has higher rainfall than the East, but the hills, mountains, craggy coast line and rain also make it the location of many of our most beautiful places. e.g. Devon & Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, Snowdonia, The Lake District and the in Scotland the Highlands and islands.
Of course there are nice places in the East too, such as Dorset and the south coast, the Downs, The Norfolk Broads and Northumbria, but generally West is best!😀
The high Cambrian mountain range forces the prevailing westerly weather systems higher beyond saturation point and that's why it rains a lot in places like Cheshire, Derbyshire, Manchester, etc.
I've just planned my first trip on a narrowboat coming up in April. We are touring the four counties ring in the Midlands. I've been looking into it for over a year and it is surprisingly affordable. It's how I plan to retire in the future, it is such a fantastic lifestyle. I hope you get the chance to float the canals. I personally can't imagine anything better.
In regard to Debbie's question about paying for the water, if you have your own boat, you pay a yearly fee (basically you pay to use the canal) your water is included in this. It's like £500 a year, but ofcourse if you use proper moorings that come with their own water and energy points you'd pay more. If you rented a boat, the water fee would ofcourse be inclusive in the cost of the rental.
The annual license for the canals depends on the boat size. A 72’ is about £1300 per year.
Before we got our own cruiser on the Thames, we hired canal boats a couple of times. The Severn and Avon ring would be good for Natasha. It goes through villages bu also towns like Stratford on Avon and Worcester so you can get off and sightsee. Some canal boat companies can provide bicycles which you put on the roof. Hiring a car as well as a boat would not be remotely possible on a holiday, quite often there are no roads nearby and parking would be a problem. I was totally useless at steering the boat I couldn’t get my head round putting the tiller the opposite way to that which you want to go. I operated all the locks while husband steered the boat. I definitely got the raw end of the deal but it’s good exercise! We’ve been boating for 50 years and still absolutely love it. Total stress buster. BTW you don’t park a boat, you moor it!! On board hair salon, brilliant idea Debbie.
To start with my sister has shares in a Narrow Boat and if she is not doing Nursing or Girl Guiding (she is a nurse and Guide Leader) she will be on the boat leaving hubby at home. She was on it a week before Christmas and back on it today after working over Christmas , she travels all over GB
Best holiday I have ever had was on a canal boat in Shropshire. It was so relaxing stopping wherever we wanted ,beautiful countryside,and peace and quiet When we headed for home in our car the noise and usual hustle and bustle of life was quite jarring. We where in heaven for 2weeks.
Glad you enjoyed Shropshire. Please visit again soon.
Hi Natasha and Debbie I live about 8 miles from that canal and as a child my Aunt's house was next to the canal. These canals were used to transport coal and steel from the mines and quarries to the Docks at Newport, and in those days were definitely not green. Both Mines and steelworks are now gone apart from as museums, but the wildlife is now thriving. My son lives in Birminham which has the most amazing canals . THE regents Canal in London runs through part of London Zoo. Think you need at least 6 months in UK to see all the places you love.
Canal boats are great. You poodle along at like 4mph, which seems so slow day one/. By day 4 it seems just perfect. It’s a relaxing way to enjoy the British countryside. 😊
Harrison Ford made the UK papers when he was near Llangollen in North Wales on a narrowboat. My young friend, currently aged 8, and I have walked along the Bridgewater canal litter picking, watching ducks and squirrels.
Hello! Unlike a lot of your commenters on this video, I've never lived or vacationed on a canal boat. I'm living in Northeast Georgia, 90 miles East of Atlanta. This past Summer, I was working on a story and thought one of its characters would be more interesting and believable to the readers if I had them living on a canal boat over in England. So I started watching a dozen or more different boat vloggers on TH-cam. I'd only ever seen the boat in movies or on TV, and then only as minor background set-dressing for the shows. I fell absolutely in love with life on the canals. The character living on a boat didn't work with the rest of the story, but the research left me with a wish to go buy a canal boat and live out my retirement years on the canals. Probably never happen because all my family and most of my friends are here in the US, as well as the fact my book collection would take up about three narrowboats just to tote around! I have learned a few things about them, however.
You asked how much they cost to buy; about the same as a mobile home here in the US--with the proviso that the less you spend, the more restoration work you'd have to do. $40k to $50k would get you a pretty good boat you wouldn't have to toss another $20k into restoring to a livable condition.
Water & trash disposal; paid for in your boat license--roughly £1000 per year--which also pays for copies of all the keys to unfasten the anti-vandalism locks on the canal locks, water points, waste disposal sites, and the facilities to empty your toilet cassettes. Pump-out facilities for that type of toilet usually cost extra, involve more work on your part, and take more time than the cassette toilets. They've recently made compost toilets almost too much to bother having because you have to dispose of that compost to a farmer who wants it or something similar. There are incinerator toilets, but that increases the cost of replacing LP or propane gas tanks on the boat.
How long can you stay moored up and what restrictions are there as to where you can moor; A lot of places have either a 48-hour or a 14-day mooring--paid for in your yearly boat license. Other places you may have to pay whoever owns the land where you want to moor, or you have to stay away from because the owners don't want anyone mooring there. Permanent Moorings along the canal means either you own the land, or you pay the owner "lot rent" whether your boat is there or not. Then there are marinas--sort of like mobile home/trailer parks here; you pay a monthly fee for the dock-space, shore power hookup, water hookup, and perks like access to pay-as-you-go on-shore laundry facilities, restaurants, shops, etc. Think "if a trailer park was actually a gated-community Country Club" sort of deal.
Cost of living is somewhat cheaper than owning & living in a house, except for marina living.
Continuous cruising is far cheaper than a marina, but you have to move the boat a few miles when your 2-day or 2-week mooring time is up. Lots of the boat vloggers break down cost of living on their vlogs once a year or so--they'd have more exact numbers than I, because I'm just averaging what many of them have said in their vlogs. Boat insurance usually runs about £200+/- per year. Boat safety inspection every 4 years or so. Re-blacking costs about £1000 every two to four years--that's pulling the boat out of the water & into a drydock, pressure washing it, repainting it with (basically) tar, and replacing the little zinc plates that keep you boat from leaching its steel hull away through a natural process similar to electroplating. Hey, that's chemistry, I understand it, but I don't know how to explain it very well, LOL!
Vacation rental of narrowboats? Absolutely doable. Liveaboard? Absolutely doable, but easier if you have had experience living in a camper, mobile home, or college dorm. Or been in the military, I suppose. I hope I've been helpful, but really, just watch a variety of canal boat vlogs and make up your own minds. I'd love to do it myself, but I likely never will because I'd have to give up too much to do so.
The zinc plates are called sacrificial anodes and literally sacrifice themselves through galvanic corrosion protecting the hull of the boat.
You both REALLY need to do this!! I was on a 2 week holiday with friends and we hired one. The largest ones can sleep up to 8 people and it is the most relaxing holiday I have ever been on. It was fun to learn how to steer the boat, use the locks and maintain it. We all took turns and felt like an expert at the end of it. Yes there are some scary points when the waterways are busy, but no different to concentrating on a busy road (albeit much slower)
Girls, we've done 3 of these hires over the years. It's one big pub crawl, if you time it right. And, you can do several full loops to bring you back to your starting point. The Midlands loop is a good starter. Picturesque, for sure, full of history and cuteness. Major industrial archaeology, if that floats your boat, pun intended, relaxing, fun, real exercise will result when you do locking. Not exactly cheap but you will see cities and parts of Britain inaccessible by any other means and you're taking your living accommodations with you, so no hotel costs. Unique, only France has something equivalent on the Canal du Midi and we speak a similar language. Do it, you will not be disappointed.
A few years ago I had a 14 day holiday on a 65foot narrow boat and loved it. I wouldn’t however recommend it in the winter time. The pace of life is completely different to the rest of the world and while most of the time it’s passing gently through rural countryside and very peaceful there are times when on English canals where you pass through suburban and urban areas ( the Paddington basin is in the heart of London)
I found that doing plenty of research of the route you intend to travel for fuel and water facilities and if your abroad for more than a week a pump out. Also research the canal side pubs and dining facilities so you aren’t disappointed. If you have a tablet or mobile phone with internet you can check where the best place to stop either for lunch or dinner and overnight without too much effort. My trip was a circuitous one ( The Avon Ring) which included the River Avon, The River Seven and the Avon Canal before we arrived back at our start point. We passed through the longest canal tunnel and down the longest flight of locks (39) I believe it’s called the Tardybig flight ( not sure I spelled it right)
Hi loving all your vids. Love from the UK 🇬🇧
Thanks so much ❤️
Natasha, Debbie have either of you seen the British comedy called Gimme Gimme?. It's so hilarious. It's really good comedy.
I have to say that my favourite EVER holiday was 1 week aboard an 87-foot narrowboat. So relaxing, so beautiful. Completely and utterly fantastic. You MUST try one - you will never be so relaxed and calm. And you will see more nature than you ever thought possible!
I think you meant 57 foot. The maximum size is 72’, as that’s as big as the locks get.
@@DanielEbeck I was about 16 - perhaps I remember it as bigger than it was
Well Natasha and Debbie, you will have to stay for a year at least! There is so much history and beautiful places to see and if you ever get tired of it all, well just a few hours Aboard Eurostar train and you can be in Paris. So breakfast in London and a quick trip for Lunch or Dinner in Paris! Travel from the UK and all across Europe is fast and easy-- so what are you waiting for? Oh if you have already been here-when you coming back?
After half a day - the pace of lufe slows down - to a really relaxing holiday
I’ve lived on a narrowboat in Lancashire England for the last 10 years with hubby & little dog. Our boat is called “Smile and Wave”
There are lots of ‘boat tubers’ who do vlogs some have been recommended already. Check out ‘Narrowboat life unlocked’ with Paul & Anthony.
Hope you both get to live the narrowboat dream one day. Love your videos 👍👏🏻👏🏻
Good morning UK Marmite and Debbie, LOL. Birmingham has more cannels than Venice.
There are restrictions on were you can moor there are some private mooring. Also there is an unwritten rule when pass moored boats you pass at tick over speed around 2 miles/per hour.
Further to seeing your Clovelly post - an Uncle built wooden minesweepers at Blackmores yard in Bideford during & just after WWII. He took his skills to Braunstone then, building what turned out to be the last wooden narrowboat built in England (The Raymond). Every summer of my childhood I went to stay with them, spending all my time playing around the boatyard & canal. He became a boss at the yard where fibreglass & steel boats were then built. He donated his tools & boards (pieces of wood with the angles scratched on needed to build a craft) to Stoke Bruerne waterways museum.
Great review, as an English man, Wales is just stunning. Another fantastic place to go boating is on England’s Norfolk Broads. Plus there’s a pub/restaurant every few miles! 😉. If you’re city people, some rural pubs in England often have quirky food hours. Just stock up well. In terms of sailing the boat, yes it appears intimidating at first but you pick it up in seconds. I love boating. Coming from London I can just let off all the stress. Folks are all very friendly and will help you mooring up, chatting and sharing local info. It’s easy to hire boats, they do vary in quality, but you’ve got all the online reviews to check! x
If you're gonna do it, pick the time of year. Winter can be very cold and wet, summer the waterways get a bit manic and less secluded. Looks like this couple got their timing bang on. You chose a good video{I've watched lots as I'm about to sell up and buy a 'live aboard') and your reactions are fun. Stuff the haters Marmite, love you both.
Let's go in on a boat together!
@@TheNatashaDebbieShow You have no idea how much I would love that 🤩
@@TheNatashaDebbieShow If you are serious, DM me and I'l tell you my plan.
Loved this video. When I was a teenager, I was fortunate enough to have a best friend with a narrow boat. We would go out during the school holidays and after exams and it’s probably the most relaxing experience I’ve ever had! I would love to see you do the rest of the videos of this trip - they would be a nice oasis of calm in the current time. ❤
I'm Welsh and live in North Wales and never take it for granted. Even when it chucking it down with rain for sometimes a week at a time.
I love you ladies. Your both so beautifully warm and honest . Always such a good watch xx
Ive been on several canal holidays and there always great, biggest issue is getting back in a car afterwards... 70mph seems so fast!
Ooh saw my home town then
It is amazing on the canal. My uncle aunt and cousin lived by the Worcester Canal in a converted navvie cottage. It was heaven on earth. Unfortunately my cousin only had a canoe and a dingy. So we had to pull aside when the pub narrow boat went by. Calls of they' never grow to this size. I've even legged through a tunnel in the black country. The horse was unhitched at tunnels and a board was placed across the bow. Two people lay on this head to head with legs on the tunnel wall they then walked along the tunnel wall. Hence Legging. This is still in the language if some one runs away from the police they are said to have Legged it. Later the headmistress I worked for let me steer her boat. Yeeeees..straight into the bank! Still had a job!.At the moment many many people are living I narrow boats and it is very hard to find somewhere to pull over and berth.. Read about how woman in WW 2 took the jobs on with boat and butty. It was incredibly hard work. Originally whole families would live and work on the boats. Families of 10 were not unusual. I live not far from the mighty Tardebigge which is the longest lock flight in Britain 30 Locks carrying narrow boats 220 feet uphill and downhill in still water.😱
I live near to one of the longest (now disused) canal tunnels in the UK. at 2.8 miles long and just wider than the boat imagine how scary it would have been when it opened in 1794!
Another fantastic video! We had a canal boat growing up. It wasn't a narrowboat, it was known as a cruiser. Had some great times going on cruises. We were members of Sale Cruising Club based on the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester. If you get to the UK, I would highly recommend hiring a boat and spending a few weeks cruising. You'll love it!
What a lovely trip! Beautiful country and great fun. There are so many canals with different landscapes around them!
Great video ladies, from the start I was enthralled with the relaxing beauty of this journey. Can’t wait to try this myself, hopefully with a bit of fishing along the way . Thank you Natasha and Debbie, thoroughly enjoyable video with lovely reactions from you both 👍🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸
You should have a look at the Falkirk Wheel, the Falkirk Helix, the Kelpies, the Forth and Clyde Canal, and the Union Canal. The Millennium Link restored the canal connection between the Forth and Clyde estuaries and between Edinburgh and Glasgow (the English got the Millennium Dome instead 😂), replacing the removed eleven-lock link between the two canals with a unique rotating boat lift (the Falkirk Wheel) replacing culverted or removed parts of the canals, and creating a new outlet to the Forth at Grangemouth via the Carron river. The Kelpies are enormous works of art that straddle this final part of the canal at Falkirk, right beside the M9 motorway. It's an amazing undertaking which took the best part of 20 years to complete and work on the Glasgow canals is still ongoing; the Stockingfield Bridge opened in the autumn of 2022. The value of the resultant tourism and leisure use is immense.
You really should react to their whole canal boating series. The next episode is out and it's very interesting. Lots more history and learning about the mechanisms used on canals. You'll want to watch even if you don't react.
We've already watched it 😉
The canals where I live in Stoke are amazing, absolutely stunning for walking on and also cycling on, the canals go for miles and miles. My daughter and myself visit the canal weekly because she loves to go and feed the ducks and its peaceful. Never been on a canal boat but its always something I've wanted to do. The canals in the UK are really something. You ladies need pack up and come live on the canal here in the UK, only problem I can see with this is winter as the canals do freeze over. There's alot of weed and twigs that get into water. The name of your boat could be simple as Debbie and Natasha on tour
Greetings fellow clayhead. Whereabouts in Stoke are you? I’m in Kidsgrove.
@@clayhead12000 Another Clayhead here. I have lived in Talke for over ten years. I used to go on canal walks regularly. The part of the canal that goes from kidsgrove into Cheshire goes through some very pretty scenery.
@@Lilicat87 I haven’t walked along the canal for a long time, I still remember as a kid going from the Harecastle tunnel to the Anderton boat lift. Me and a friend planned on walking the canal to Macclesfield a few years ago but we never got around to it
Hello all my fellow Stokies, I'm up Hanley duck. Nice to see afew of us on here
Another stokie here 😊 i live near Barlaston I'm a 2 minute drive away from the canal next to Neil Morriseys pub, I've walked the canal numerous times and it's absolutely beautiful especially in the summer.
I love your channel...I'm not sure why they didn't cook on the boat more that's part of the fun, and I would recommend to stock up first. Less hassle trying to find food then but they looked like they had a nice time.
The vountrside is very green due the good supply of water via rain. Last summer when it was very hit and dry alot of the greenery turned a dull green.
Narrowboats can be fun and relaxing, but you have to remember, most of the places you will tie up are small towns and villages. The restaurants are much fewer and they can't serve all day, because there just isn't that much custom. Plan ahead.
Yeah we got that vibe from this video. We would certainly rent a car and drive around to other places too
The UK’s about the same size as Oregon. We’re relatively small, but by sheep on a tandem we’re disproportionately influential… 😂
Also, there are always two rainbows 🌈; they must just happen here more lol seeing as we seem to get sunshine and piss showers at the same time relentlessly… 😂😂😂
Great video as always, guys. Thanks.
✌️❤️🏴🇬🇧🏳️🌈 xxx
It is so true that it changes your pace of life. I have had three boating holidays. One on the River Thames, one on the Norfolk Broads and one in Yorkshire that went from York (River Ouse) and onto the Ripon Canal. It is a lovely holiday and if on a long trip it is worth spending some time deciding which canal or river to go on.
I love this stretch of canal and spend my time walking the bank taking photos. The Mon Brec (Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal) is the prettiest stretch of water I've seen.
An interesting video and reaction to a very niche type of tourism. I don't know anyone who knows anyone who has taken a narrow boat holiday. While away at junior school in England I met a family who lived on a house boat on the Thames, but this holiday idea seems interestingly unusual. Thanks for the idea. Btw, at lunch, as they were in Wales and alongside a meadow full of sheep, they should have opted for lamb and mint sauce. 🐑
You gotta wait for us tho...right? 😧