Narrowboat: A Perfectly Wasted Life
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
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I've been watching your videos for a few years Dan. You live a life that many of us in our guilded cages, with our stressful jobs, are scared to live. Most of us just can't let go of the concept of 'getting on' in life, even though we really yearn to and realise how stupid and futile the whole charade is.
You're obviously a really nice lad and being happy and at peace is the biggest achievement anyone could hope for in life. Everything else is just noise.
. . . It's a wonderful life when you find your 'space' !
Sounds like a perfectly enjoyable life, when you can live it the way you choose!
My friend, you are living a life I have dreamed of for many years. The city, the noise, the politics are all the real waste of time. Your life is truly a lucky one from where I stand. well done for keeping the lifestyle going!
The world has gone mad, so count your blessings that it’s passing you by in such a wonderful way.
Very true. Best to be out of the rat race.
Until the zombies come shambling aboard.... :)
We are extremely lucky to have such a elegant countryside
Yes. Too many apartment blocks are sprouting next to canals imo.
@@peterpedant No. Nesara /Gesara is happening, and immigrants will find they are better off where they came from. So building apartments on every inch will stop. Plus the Bankrupt UKGovCorp will be replaced by a real Government.
You know what took me 50 years to learn - the best life is a life lived. The rat race is well overrated . Can't wait to build a boat and join you on the canals. Thanks for another great video :)
I completely understands the joy of slow living. I live very much the same way as you on my narrowboat and have to say that my life is pretty much stress free and uncomplicated. I’m not “achieving” anything as such on a day to day basis but am truly happy which is ultimately the most important thing in life in my humble opinion 💜
I agree with you here. If you are happy. then you have achieved everything for that day and any other day too. 🙂
Thank you 😊
Most people really envy you. I work a lot and make a lot of money and dream of giving it all up to have the same "wasted Life". The 'rat race' is killing me slowly.
I understand where you’re coming from. I was in a job I hated paying a mortgage, dreaming of the day I was free. I finally woke up and realised I had to live for today not for a future that wasn’t even guaranteed. I have a very basic lifestyle but no regrets. My biggest luxury is my freedom. It took a bit of courage to make the change in my life but I would never go back to my old lifestyle. No amount of material gain is worth it. Best of luck to you.
@@Susannah50 thanks! The worst part is the unknown and that's what I'm struggling with now. I see all of you living life the way it should be and know that I should be too. I literally have more than $1Million dollars saved, have no debt and little expenses, and everyone still says it's not enough to stop working.
You've achieved my dream! I'm 55 and am longing to move onto these canals. Never let anyone tell you that you should be doing something more productive! Living a happy life is as productive as a human can get to heaven on earth. I don't believe we should have to work ourselves into the ground to "have" things. You, sir have got it right and you did it early in life. What a fantastic accomplishment! Take good care, and thanks for all the amazing scenery!
No, not wasted. Just very well thought out. You work, you come home and you do it again. It is the same routine most people in the world experience daily. Same road, same time, same scenery. The difference is your road, your time, your scenery is what people pay top dollar to experience on a vacation. One might say we envy your living style. Keeping up with the outside world finance is a good thing. So keep on doing the things you love. The seaflo pump in the video is the same I use on my rain barrels to get the water 100 ft. away. Great pump. You take care and stay warm.
Hi Dan, I’m from Arizona, and I can’t tell you how much I really enjoy the imagery you create with your words, video and pictures. I get drawn into your world, so different from mine. You are a unique fellow, and I’m so glad I found your channel. Take care, Ana
It is a wonderful way of life, I experienced it for nearly a year 😊
I must say though that the BEST holiday I ever had was a tour of Arizona in a soft top Mustang 😎
Achievements are over rated. Sounds like a wonderful lifestyle to me. Create your own story.
Absolutely agree with this. There’s a lot to be said for a simple, less stressful life.
Spot on, simple life, people now are too greedy, want too much in life. Keep it simple.
People think money money mad ,you can't take it with you ,enjoy your life ,can't think off a better way ,relaxed life .
Hi young man. Just recently discovered you. You are a breath of fresh air. Stay as you are, remain bright in your hearth. Let me leave you with this. "Life has no meaning, it only has the meaning you give it."
Nothing wasted about your life. You've cracked it. Your investments and writing could bring you fame and fortune also. Amazing video. Thanks.
Its a pity that I can only give this the one thumbs up, it deserves many more.
Perfect slow pace of life...... nothing wasted !! I often think it's the people who are too busy to appreciate their surroundings and the "moment" that have the wasted life.
My word, Dan, you get more handsome every year. The world is a better place with you in it, my friend.
Agreed! I love you Dan! You are living our dreams eloquently and thankfully. As kind and warm as anyone I wish I could meet.
Your videos have made the world a better place for all of us. Beautiful photos too, thanks Dan. One of our favourite holidays with our young kids was a week on a canal; I was pleased to spot Tilly along the way. You're living in a wonderful place.
Very few people achieve a work/life balance at any point in their lives, but you've managed it already. Better than that, you're smart enough to appreciate it. Long may it continue.
Dan I hope you don’t lose your perspective ... most people scratch and claw throughout the preponderance of their lives in the hope that they can enjoy your lifestyle in their last few years. Many never get to that point at all. Your life is pretty idyllic from the perspective of most folks. I would count your blessings and enjoy boat life without too much thought about it.
I think the majority of people watching your videos are looking for a slower, more peaceful, independent life. They’re either other boaters or like me, living vicariously through your vlogs.
Really loved this vlog, I also live alone and do as I want and this is my way and it's the best for me. Take care
There is **nothing** 'wasted' about your life. Anyone who would tell you this is unhappy in their own life. This is a perfectly lovely video - your thoughts, the visuals and your choice of music combine seamlessly to create a thoughtful and cozy feeling. I love sunny blue skies, but I also greatly appreciate the foggy atmospheres and rainy days and can adjust my moods to enjoy whichever the day brings me. Lovely, lovely video. More, please. :). Thank you.
Ah, the pressures of trying to achieve....
Your life looks idyllic, it's my aim when I retire.
Perfect.
You are living the type of life of which most people will never know. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. With your photographic talent you can share a bit of magic with us all. Merry Christmas from Georgia, Dan.
I never became infected with the Protestant work ethic, and 35 years ago retired to an island in the Andaman Sea - never regretted it for a single moment...
The OP very much has a Protestant work ethic - he structures his day, and only allows limited breaks. It’s a healthy way to live. Not sure about the cup-a-soup though.
Good for you bro, glad one of us made it out.
which one?
@@monkeybussiness76 Phuket
Enjoy your wonderful life! Boring?? No way!!! It makes me feel good to see people truly happy and loving life. You are an inspiration!
Brilliant description of narrowboat life Dan. I bought my boat about 6 years ago, as a result of watching your videos. I can honestly say that it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, it allows me to live an extremely simple, peaceful and stress free life and, like you, being somewhat removed from the crazy world is fine by me.
Thank you for all of your inspiration and insights.
An alternative name for this video could easily be A Perfect Life. You have successfully avoided the rat race that many of us have to go through to try and reach the level of comfort in our lives that you are currently enjoying. Keep being Dan and thanks for another glimpse into your life.
Dan, I think this is one of your best videos - sells the boat life perfectly well done. I also use the quick light fire logs but cut them in half to basically make super firelighters, halves the cost and I don't really need a full log. I also use a coal cage that works perfectly and keeps the dust and ash down.
Your life is 50x better than most stress heads. You've got the best mix of the modern world and calmness. I've got a calm life......at last. I wouldn't swap it for anything.
Really enjoyed this, if you ever do a calendar with those fantastic images they would sell like hot cakes
Agreed! Dan Brown's got an eye for beautiful pictures. A card set? Set of Christmas decorated canalboats or canalfront scenes... DH and I would also go for a pair of coffee cups (and other goodies)
I would buy it! Great idea.
Surely he has one out already?
Never thought of that but your right. A canvas of the sunrise would be nice. Dan brown better get some merchandise on this channel, I’m sure the narrowboat experience could point you in the right direction.
You could use a service like blurb.com ! There you can just publish the electronic copy and if people want to buy it in print then blurb prints it and ships it to them, and you get whatever you are charging. Saves you from needing to have any stock on hand and worry about shipping. Just an idea.
When you think what most people actually achieve in life and what it costs them in health and wellbeing it would be difficult to think your lifestyle is a wasted one.
Weve lived on the water 16 years now, what a fantastic lifestyle
I think you may have one of the keys to happiness. What can be better than to have found a way of living that makes one happy without selling our soul to pressure, commitment where we don’t truly believe and to have time to love the world we find ourself in. In the end simple things may well be the most satisfying providing a deep and lasting joy.
You have perfectly encapsulated the reasons why I want to pursue this lifestyle. What a great video!
A great reminder that a life alone is not necessarily a lonely life!
I watch you on and off since 1971 and it may be your best video yet.
! Is that a typo? I know he's an old man disguised as a young one but?! 😉
@@nessiebarton6519 Look at his firsts videos and tell me it doesnt feel like a lifetime ago ! On good old narrowboat tilly ! And at the same era on the other channel you had Deep Digger Dan yelling Aooouuuuuuu thats a hammered coin thats a hammered coin !
Hi Dan. Loving to watch canal boat videos I did cross with yours in the past, but did not get locked down - for no other reason than me having a drifting notion. This one though caught my eye and I was bound by the sincerity, the emotion in the subject and your voice, and of coarse the simplicity of it all. You are fortunate! Not being a slave in worldly terms, and being able to enjoy the countryside as it is, and ultimately being on the water!! I will have it any day (Although I am also blessed with a lifestyle not treading the rat race!). May you find that point of contention when we realize we are exactly where God wants us to be. Doing what he wants us to do. You seem like a nice fella with a huge following, maybe this is what you are destined to do. Portraying a different lifestyle than the one the world is programming us all for. Showing people the beauty of His nature in an ugly, wretched world.
my spidey sense tells me that you are a really good guy Dan.I am very envious of your lifestyle. You have got it right for you.Keep on doing you man.
Dan! I have only just found you! I'm envious of your life style. I am going back 11 years to your first video and will work my way through your amazing life so far! I've picked out a couple so far like No 9 I think explaining the amazing difference between Tilly and this boat... I'm too old to change now but would have loved the narrow boat life when I was younger. I live on my own in a modern house but often think of the narrow boat! Stay safe, take care.
i have been watching many narrowboat videos recently and wow just one minute into this video and i have to comment that the interior is amazing.
That was beautiful.
The universe doesn't care how much money you have, how many Lambos you own or how many chicks you have scored.
It just is. So are you (and me). So why not simply enjoy it?
Gorgeous scenery and really neat boat^^ Keep at it :-)
Evening Dan, very rare I comment on videos but I’ve just laid on the sofa watching your latest video and thoroughly enjoyed the scenes and listening to your ramblings. It looks a lovely place to be moored up at and yes your life does have an appeal to it! I gather you took a break away from TH-cam however although I have only seen a couple of your videos I shall look forward to looking back over old ones and I for one would say a big thank you for a pleasant bit of content. As someone that doesn’t watch tv I found your latest vid relaxing and inspiring. A big thank you! All the best, Kevin
Thank you for such a great comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Wow Dan, you are someone who is totally in tune with your Dao. It's amazing to see someone who is naturally living the perfect life as life intended without even trying or knowing that indeed you are in serenity amist this tough modern world! Mere mortals can only learn to strive for this deep realisation of the truth of life that you so effortlessly flow with. 🙏
I have been watching your videos since narrowboat tilly days, you have made a beautiful life for yourself, the last 12 months and covid has shown just how crazy life can be, more and more people are turning to your way of life. you and not wasted your life, you are living it, i hope you are as happy as you sound, hubby and I are considering buying a boat, life is short, keep doing what makes you happy xx
Hello Dan cheers from Grant and Eleanor from Cescent Beach British Columbia we have been watching narrow boat videos since March when we went into lock down and just bumped into yours recently love it, your sence of humor and spirit is wonderful glad you did not sell your boat, hey Dan you mentioned you are into star gazing so if you have clear skys this weeend in the Old Sod stick your head out of the stern you will see the Geminid Meteor showers have a Merry Christmas.
I'm fortunate enough to see the sun rise every morning off the Isla Margarita on the beautiful Caribbean. Just me on the sun deck with the sound of the waves, a black coffee and a bottle of ice water for an hour alone before work 🏅🏅🏅
I think that winter days in the UK are some of the most beautiful days I have ever experienced for the reasons you mention, Dan. The golden light reflecting off the frost. The long shadows on the ground. Mist rising off the water. What memories! This was a beautiful video. Your life is your life and many people would be happy to live it. You are a success in your own way, be proud of that. Blessings.
First timer on your channel. Very pleasant time spent. Thank you. And onward! Gives one many ideas for personal change. Love the beautiful photos. Will continue us to watch.
Probably my favourite video so far, well done and thank you. Sure you’ve discussed this previously, but can’t help feeling a dog would bring you both so much.
Personally I think you have got it made , as for letting life pass you by , in this modern world I find its the best thing to do , if its not in your head you don't think or worry about it , the best thing I ever did was stop watching the TV and reading the newspaper most of lifes stress just disappeared.
If your happy with your life your one of the lucky ones .
Oh there is nothing wasted about your life. Thanks for most fantastic photos. I really enjoy watching your videos and glade your back, hope to stay. Life is what you make of it and to me your doing ok. Oh! Hope you got your boots clean, next time watch where your stepping 😂
I think this video should be titled "A Perfectly Beautiful Life". Live life just the way you want and let the world go by. Peace to you Dan.
Fantastic calming evening viewing. Sounds like you've got it just right, a good balance. Theres too much fruit less ambition forced upon us.
Dan your lifestyle is not wasted. Living on such boats on the canals, traveling and have countryside and an oven...I have nothing like this. I live in a city and look on brick walls and was working 40 h and had 4 hrs commuting. For what? A flat full of garbage...Now I am unemployed (because corona)and will sit at home for next weeks/months. All for nothing.
Well I search a new job and write on my book.
Well now I will watch your videos more and get inspiration and will leave this stupid city+ flat and try to get a better life!
I watched you since you l lived on lovely Tilly and you are a inspiration and a form of "soul food" for my inspiration!!
Keep the good lifestyle going and stay downsized on a boat, where you can move and experience new things!
You are free!
Amazing photos, great walks, superb boat, plenty of wildlife, great life.
Hello fella, personally I think you've got the perfect life. If I was single I'd make a bee line to buy a narrow boat. Enjoy every moment of every day. Your boat looks cosy, homely and smart too. We have awood burning stove in our bungalow, can't beat them.
Yes - live your own way. Your videos and photos bring a lot of pleasure into the lives of others.
That was a brilliant video Dan.I absolutely loved it.We dont live on board our little Springer but I can certainly relate to the peace and tranquility this time of year on board a Narrowboat out in the sticks with a cosy fire crackling away.We are heading your way in the next 6 months as we are on the start of the Llangollen canal so hopefully we might finally meet you.Get the kettle on !
That is lovely ...sound of mind and body within your surroundings ...not messed up riddled with anxiety chasing a rainbow that 95 percent people full in to. ...great...and good luck..
I quite understand, I enjoy my own company, some days there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done I’d like to. Others I’m in so much pain there’s little I can do but cozy up and stitch a picture with needlework, knit on some project, usually with an audiobook taking me away to some other place and time. My family are close by but I may go days without seeing them so I putter away, doing my own thing. I did have a career, working in public health for over 25 years but there were many of them I just wanted to run away. If I’d known about narrow boats I’d have probably set about moving to the UK and buying one but I didn’t and it’s too late now so I visit yours and others videos for a visit . Thank you for sharing the beautiful scenery, it’s just stunning. 🙋🏼
Keep doing what you enjoy. If you are content with your life don’t change it. Your pictures were great.
I also live a simple life and don’t define myself by someone else’s achievements.....it’s being happy that counts 😊👍
As long as you are happy, it does not matter what you re doing, especially if you re not bothering others obtaining that happiness. Wonderful photos and scenery !
YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS!
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this. I am living and teaching in Thailand with my Thai wife and daughter, and your videos are inspiring and always remind me of my parents narrow boat on the Kennet and Avon. Wonderfully idyllic. Therapeutic.
How many of us are shouting ‘Get a dog!’ Just think how a rescue dog would love your company and lifestyle too!!!! 😆 Joan
Brilliant video.You have a perfect life.A wasted one is working 9 to 5 and answering to the man and his bullshit.It took me 40 years to come to that conclusion, glad you realised at a younger age.
Your living well so enjoy it. We all get to choose how we spend our time. If you’re feeling peace + tranquility, then you’ve got a great life, appreciating nature. 👍🙏🏻 Fabulous. You’re not missing anything. I’d give anything to live like you. Solitude is great.
This is a great film Dan, don't give up boatlife, we all love your lifestyle and what you do
There are those who spend their lives chasing the career etc and never really achieve anything. Then there are those who chase life and their lives are filled with things much greater.
Congratulations on your numerous achievements, Dan - to my mind, they are manifest. Your sincerity and humility would be sufficient for me to enjoy all your videos. However, the content also has some rare beauty. Thank you for providing, maybe unwittingly, some touching youtube content... Your video on the Oswestry Guildhall was superlative - and, ironically, I was taken aback that your grandfather and mine were probably next-door neighbours - mine being the landlord of The George public house (on the corner of the Bailey Head) during the 1950s. I wish you continued health and happiness from a very cold Hangzhou. Take care & farewell.
Your beautiful Photographs would make amazing cards & prints, I especially like the one with the sun shine towards your boat in the foreground. Thank you for sharing.
Lovely part of the world round New Marton Locks, beautifully reflected in your video Dan. Idyllic. Can’t wait to get back there again in the Spring. Thanks for posting and sharing a day in the life.
It's such a luxury to live a simple life. We enjoy watching your videos.
One of your best videos Dan. Many people would swap their stress filled lives for yours and I am one of them. Have you thought of publishing a book of your best photos? Stay safe. Best wishes, Ian.
Some lovely landscape photography. I am pleased that you at peace with the world. Cheers Greg
I know when people look at narrowboat videos, they think of warm sunny summer days. But when I try to sleep, I imagine a dark, cold and wet winter night in the countryside in a narrow boat with the stove running under a warm blanket falling a sleep, getting the stove going again in the morning. Maybe I am weird but I don’t care. 😀maybe it is because my grandparents had a vacation house with no central heating where we had to heat it up again in the morning, getting the stove running, making toast bread on the stovetop gas burner. So I am used to it. :) merry Christmas.
Another wonderful short film, Dan! You know, I think we can spend too much time worrying about what time we've spent wisely, or the meaning of life, or even if we feel like we've achieved enough of the right things in life. I have to be honest here and confess that I feel like I was one of life's huge underachievers, who turned into a lorry driver. Who cares? I look after my family, my two boys, and my wife who has MS. I'm a good person. And so are you! So don't worry too much about life passing you by, or what anyone else thinks. Personally, I think you live a life that some of us would love to experience at some point in life. I'm rather envious! But you already know this. Your life is rich with experiences of the Great Outdoors, a healthy, calm, tranquil existance is something that shouldn't really be criticised or analysed. You live a very fulfilling life, and a balanced life that consists of more leisure time than work time. Who on EARTH wouldn't want that!!!?!?! I've been a fan for a few years now, and everything you do is tickety boo by me!!! From walking, to boating, to youtube, to writing, to that good old hobby of fountain pens and notebooks! Times I wish we were best friends, because I think we're very similar people at heart.
Wonderful scenery as always Dan, some beautiful photos there, I can’t wait to get back to the cut. Being somewhat detached from what’s going on in the rest of the world right now is definitely not a bad thing. Best wishes
Totally agree with you Dan it’s a different world out on the cut I love it . Nice to see you back 👍👍👍
england's canals and the uk's railway system continue to amaze me. very glad for this video.
Beans on toast is my go-to comfort food. Sometimes with cheese. Sometimes with a poached egg.
Hi Dan,
Long time since I checked in with you. Well my friend, we can al, feel a bit sort of not in tune with how life seems to be meant to be, and possibly wonder how others view us. But the great thing about what you are doing is; you are sharing your experiences with others who want to see it, and it seems for the most part that you enjoy it. I do understand your feelings of obligation to sort stuff for youtube when you're out & about, but it's not a necessity all the time.
To be fair, your informative video's some time back were very enligtening to our first descision to buy a boat, and what to expect when owning one. As far as we can see, if you can find solice in doing what you are doing, and shining a hopeful light into the lives of others (especially during this pandemic) then your purpose is complete. Yes, we know that we all have doubts about our direction in life, that's natural. What you do is bring a friendly and fairly ordinary face and narration into many a room that may be quite lonely without such a calming mode of company.
Don't give up,
Eddie.
Your life is fine, mate. Don't question yourself. You're doing ok.
That sunrise photo is beautiful. I would have notebooks full of photos if I lived there! This video is almost poetic. 😍
Melissa Scott hi Melissa, it's been a long time! Hope you're doing ok and hopefully 'see' you in a livestream sometime!
@@nessiebarton6519 Apart from the strange year, all ok. Yes, hopefully a Christmas live stream will be on the way! Hope you well too. X
Great narration. I am one of those who understand and appreciate calm and observation
Hi I enjoy your videos.. iam new to narrowboat life ,bought mine last weekend, now cruising her up to Nottingham to liveabord been a dream of mine for over 40 yrs.. ..Shaun..
Fantastic! Good luck and enjoy these early days!
A good thing about TH-cam is that you can come and go as you like.
Dan, you probably know Thoreau, but in case you don't...
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..”
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
Doing the sane thing mate , living how we wish and just being us is the best life ever , i wouldnt change it for anything
It's great that you've just done your own thing. Working part time to enjoy the life you have. Not living beyond your means.
The world needs some people to soak up the atmosphere and surroundings. Watching the seasons change, appreciating little moments. A fox yelping in the night, the first cuckoo of the year, the smell of the first cut grass or the first log fire of the year. The strange thrill of drinking tea from a flask miles from anywhere.
It would be a boring place if everyone was wrapped up in their careers and achieving a check list of life goals.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself 😄
Don’t know how I came across this video, but I love your lifestyle. I would love to live on a canal boat. Thanks for sharing.
In my opinion you’re in the perfect environment. It’s your life Dan. You live it the way you want to. Just a word about your diet. Get more fruit and veg into it to ward off cancer. What you eat now in your youth will determine what kind of old age you’ll have, healthy or dogged with bad health. I am quite envious of the lifestyle you have chosen. An early Merry Christmas wish to you. 🎄🎄🤶
Great to have you back Dan....
What a truly relaxing and wonderful montage of your day, of your life. I so envy your British citizenship and the ability to live 24/7 on the canals. Thank you so very much for this much needed diversion, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A video worthy of a Ted Hughes Canal poem - well done Dan
I love this video! And I don’t think you should ever question your choice of lifestyle. It’s quite envious actually. Cheers from North Carolina!
I completely understand your lifestyle choices. Don't forget to give yourself full credit, life onboard takes hard work and dedication. We reap what we sow my friend. ;) Enjoy every moment and if you run out of milk, or get a flat battery I live 30 mins away lol
Your life sounds like heaven to me it’s nice to have you back did miss you.
Beautiful footage man, I agree that it looks timeless, it's hard to imagine that old cobblestone bridge over the canal existing in the same chaotic time as this