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Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
A couple from Bolton who ditched their day jobs to live on a canal boat say they have halved their living costs and are “addicted” to life on the waterways.
Daniel Blyth, 32, and his wife Charlotte, 35, bought a small motorboat to “test the waters” in 2015 before purchasing a £10,000 three-bedroom narrowboat on Facebook Marketplace.
In June 2026, after months of renovations and selling almost all of their belongings, they moved aboard and reduced their monthly living costs from around £2,000 to just £800.
Inspired by boating content creators, former handyman Daniel, who first “fell in love” with narrowboats as a child, and ex-care worker Charlotte left their full-time jobs to document their canal life on social media, where they have built a growing following.
However, they are currently facing a £10,000 repair bill to prevent their narrowboat from sinking.
The couple now live largely off-grid and move to a new location every 14 days, having so far visited Merseyside, Macclesfield, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
“I struggle with my mental health and I have ADHD. Being on the water, surrounded by wildlife and living on the canal really helps me,” Daniel said.
“The canals just have this beauty about them. It feels so tranquil.
“We’re already addicted to this life.”
Daniel said he had “always had a passion” for narrowboats after spending school holidays aboard one with a friend and their family when he was a child.
“I just absolutely fell in love with it,” he said.
“Then, when I met Charlotte, we started watching YouTubers who live on narrowboats and we were hooked.
“It just seemed so different from normal everyday life in a house, like you’re a lot freer.”
To see whether the lifestyle suited them before taking the plunge, Daniel and Charlotte bought a small motorboat in 2025.
“We were out in it every weekend – you couldn’t get us off it,” Charlotte explained.
“We saw everyone out on their narrowboats and got a real sense of the community on the canals.”
After a few months, during which they visited Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool by boat, they decided to sell it and put the money towards a three-bedroom narrowboat, which they bought for £10,000 through Facebook Marketplace.
They said their families were “very supportive” of the decision and could see how much it would benefit them.
To make room for life aboard, they sold almost all of their belongings, something they said made them realise they “did not need as many possessions” as they had thought.
They spent several months renovating it, replacing the engine boards and tackling extensive rust beneath the paintwork.
They also installed a new kitchen, repainted the interior and put up new wallpaper.
They finally moved aboard in June 2026 and quickly realised it was “a hell of a lot cheaper” than living in a house.
While renting in Bolton, they had spent around £2,000 a month on rent, bills and food.
Now, their monthly outgoings total around £800, covering broadband, gas bottles, food and their cruising licence.
Inspired by other boaters documenting their lives online, the couple also left their full-time jobs to become content creators, sharing their day-to-day experiences on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
They have since built an audience of more than 5,000 followers on Facebook, 1,800 subscribers on YouTube and more than 100 followers on Instagram.
“We started it just to document it for ourselves,” Daniel said.
“But then people started following along, so we decided to keep it going.
“We share the good days and the bad days – it’s not all glitz, glamour and relaxing.”
However, adjusting to life in a much smaller space took time.
“At first, we felt like we were on top of each other,” Charlotte laughed.
“We were constantly getting under each other’s feet, but eventually we realised that if one person was in the kitchen, the other just had to stay out.”
But they have already encountered some expensive repairs.
“The bottom of the boat is crumbling away,” Daniel said.
“We need a completely new base putting in, or it could sink.
“That’s going to cost us another £10,000.
“We always say BOAT stands for ‘Break Out Another Thousand’ because something always seems to go wrong.”
They have a continuous cruising licence, meaning they must move to a new location every 14 days.
The couple largely live off-grid – they rely on gas bottles for cooking and they use a satellite internet service.
They also have a 250-litre water tank, which they refill for free at water points along the canal.
For groceries, they often arrange supermarket deliveries to a nearby car park before collecting them.
Looking back on the experience so far, Charlotte said it has changed her outlook.
“It’s taught me to be patient. I’ve learnt so much about the boat and we’re a lot more hands-on now,” she said.
“We would always have got someone in to do jobs around the house before, but now we do everything ourselves on the boat, and it feels really rewarding.”
Daniel added: “We’re definitely not planning on living on land again.
“We already talk about growing old together, getting a bigger boat and continuing to travel.”
To follow them along their journey, visit: youtube.com/@afloattogether.
Source:
www.independent.co.uk