There really aren't many cities ANYWHERE where people actually live on narrowboats any more. One of them is Cambridge. The Cam is a dozy little river and everyone jokes about it being dirty. It's pretty full of bikes (like everywhere else in the city), but as rivers go it's pretty clean I think. If you have got drunk and gone punting and bridge-jumping, and then drunk too much Cam water...that's a whole different thing. It has fish and birds and all sorts. At least ones that can cope with the tourists. And people really, genuinely, live on it, in the way that they have continually since probably forever. Though they do have things like solar panels now, and cabins bigger than 10' by 5'.
This guy is growing rainbow chard, as well as tomatoes and some other stuff. Not sure you can see it in the picture but he is. I planted some, but in the previous house. I'll have to go and see how it's doing when I head over for dinner this week. He wasn't the only one, either.
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ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm pretty sure that quite a few of the narrowboats are only used as weekend/vacation/summer holiday homes, rather than being a primary residence. Having commuted along that stretch most days for nearly a year, I saw a lot that were completely shut up until April or May.
ReplyDeleteWhich is sort of fair enough when you consider how little insulation they have. And kudos all the more to those that do live permanently in one. It's something I would like to try some day!