American Couple Reacts: UK Canal Boat/Narrowboat Trip! FIRST TIME REACTION! WE ARE IN LOVE!!
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- 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.
UA-cam channel Foxes Afloat is an excellent channel documenting their time living on a narrowboat. I strongly suggest you check them out!
m.ua-cam.com/video/YoStoPel_WA/v-deo.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
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.
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!
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 UA-cam.
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
England's green and pleasant land ..cant beat it.
Apart from the fact this is Wales and not England.
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.
It's green green green because of the rain rain rain. Tons of it.
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.
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
Take a look at Standedge tunnel.
The highest, longest, deepest canal tunnel in Britain.
(That'll get Natasha's claustrophobia going)
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 UA-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.
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
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
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.❤
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 spent years working at a canal side pub in the countryside. It’s really a different world. Not really a way to live if you have kids, but if you’re a childless couple, single or retired, it’s awesome. It’s one of the many reasons why some pubs are still in operation too. We served food 9am till 3pm, then 6pm till 9 everyday, except Sundays when we did 9am to 8pm.
The boating community is unique too. They’re so friendly and helpful to everyone, not just other boaters. I’m still friends with many of the clientele and past employees, as often they choose a private mooring to more permanently reside at, for a extra fee. They’re still free to sail off whenever they like.
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.
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
“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
Best comment, 9562. I was thinking of a "keelhauling" or the crows nest in a force 10. Err, metaphorically, you understand !
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.
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☠️
British longest underground canal is still the Pennines from Yorkshire to Lancashire it took 17 years to build I wouldn't like to go through it.
Wales born and bred. Its a beautiful place 🏴🏴
I grew up in this area,Pontypool, know it ver well.
t took the kids on a barge holiday & one thing i discover I was still on the boat for a week after we call it mission sickness the grown moved under our feet . but a grat holiday
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
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.
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 near the Kennet & Avon Canal (kind of London to Bristol). It became disused 1950s-80s, and was not maintained. The locks were broken, companies were building pontoons across, and there were plans to fill it in and turn it into a road. Then John Gould came along....he transported coal on a boat and knew the law. He smashed through the pontoons on his boat...and successfully campaigned to get the canal restored. Today, it's a popular 'slow' holiday (5mph speed limit on canals!).
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.
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.
The best thing on a canal boat is the freedom, if you want to have a good drink you can but obviously parked up and to wake with the birds singing and a hot cup of tea and a fried breakfast is so relaxing, but i would highly recommend that you don't go in the UK high season as it gets packed and you can be queueing up for ages to get through a lock, 🙏xx
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 .
A few points from an experienced narrow boater.
1. It really is as therapeutic as it appears
2. It is relatively easy to control the boat, even for a complete novice
3. The people you meet on the waterways are 99% sound as a pound
4. You can also rock up in a city centre such as Nottingham or Birmingham, and “park” free of charge. (Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice, of course
5. Re: spider fright. Remember, in the UK there are no highly dangerous creatures. The worst that might happen is a mild bee sting
6. One downside; it is quite expensive, but if you hire a 10 berth boat, the costs are easily shared, and the more hands on deck, the easier it is to navigate locks.
I recommend the experience.
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.
Ha! Two worlds collide: two of my favourite UA-cam channels converge Natasha and Debbie and Danni and Joe the latter have been doing up a canal barge for the last year only taking a break to travel USA route 66 for 10 weeks last summer. If you do make it to the UK for a barge trip there'll be a queue of people ready to buy you a pint along the way!!
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!
Well done you guys. My wife and I had part ownership of a 62 ft narrow boat for six years. The boat was owned by 12 couples, we each had the boat for one month of the year. For the most part it worked very well, keeping costs down, but it did have its drawbacks. That aside I think that you get it, It is not a normal holiday, still good, and great fun and interesting, when you have to work the locks it can be hard work and you need to have a level of fitness. Please come for a holiday, the slow speed is part of it, we all need to slow down in life and relax a bit more, on this holiday you have to. Great show, we love your support and the way you see us in a positive way. Thank you. Xx 😊
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!
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?
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.
You are fantastic ladies with big hearts.. I wonder if you’ve ever seen a video about a Canadian hero, Terry Fox … a great young man.
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.
LOVE THE GRAY JUMPER.
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..
We have a TV programme here in the UK where a guy is travelling on all the canals through the UK going through long dark tunnels in the north of England frightening I couldn't do it on the canal boats hope you get to see in one of the and there's more industrial towns and cities further north 👍
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
How lovely what a lovely couple 🤗
I loved this! Let’s watch more of this together.
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.
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.
Don’t forget the ice cream boats as well!!!
You notice the tunnel well there are some tunnels that are pretty low down and since they were horse powered horses could go through the tunnel to pull. What they had to do was use your feet if they were low, they had to lay on their backs and walk along the ceiling to the end of the tunnel the pony would be guided over land to the exit from the tunnel and re harnessed to the canal boat. If the tunnel was to high to do this then you had to use punt poles to push your way through.
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.
I already live on a narrowboat named Whole in the Water. I work from my boat and live on it all year round. It's great.
You don't understand locks, I'll explain them simply for you, the locks are there so the canals can go over hills. They are closed sections with gates on either end. You let water into the lock to raise the boat to a higher waterway and let water out of the lock to go downhill. They are operated by a windlass that you keep aboard the boat. There are many windlasses in the bottom of the canals that people have dropped by accident. Always have a spare.
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.
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.
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
Hey, I lived on a narrow boat on the cut for 6 years. I'd never buy another house again, but I'd live on a boat.
I'm old enough to appreciate your comments re: documenting stuff. Live your life, don't waste it archiving for a non existent future audience.
What a fantastic couple in the video, being reviewed by my favourite UA-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 ❤️
My husband was born just over the mountain from where they moored up for the pub. We've stopped to drink from the natural spring on a hot day whilst walking on the mountain - the best!
We've had holidays on modern canal boats in a different area called the Norfolk Broads. There, you mostly have to moor in designated areas for a fee.
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
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.
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 UA-cam it's less than 20 minutes p s another great video🏴👍😁.
I cannot lie it’s so peaceful and views beautiful…we done it 4 times now and rent. Different places, wales, Cheshire ring and Oxford …moored up to see George michaels house in goring .been in a 2 mile tunnel and viaduct . 7 locks in a row going up……love it
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.
The canal next to my house in the Netherlands was build in the 14th century, and China had huge nationwide canal systems way before that. So the UK is hardly the first. Nice video though.
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
Woooah! Hold the phone! 40 seconds in and I've had to pause the video to write this.
I'm not even sure whether you realise it or not but, Natasha saying "I'm marmite" is just the most British thing you've ever said! Lol.
Just a good ole American girl sounding British as hell 😁
Lived aboard 18 months now and wouldn't change it for the world. -5°c at the min though so it has its struggles but its a brilliant way of life 👍✌️
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!!
I've lived on my narrowboat for over five years now. It's compact living but I love it. ❤
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 🇬🇧❤️
Don't forget the ice cream boat.loved this video.
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.
In the old days the canals were packed with barges everywhere they were used to transport everything from wood to bricks to sand to cloth to machinery everything. And the parts of the canals where the low canal bridges were there used to be crewmembers who would crawl out a lie on top of the cabin of the barge and literally push the barge through the tunnel with their feet! Families lived on the barges children were born on barges. But I just was frequently seen with washing lines on the top so that the wife or the woman on the barges could do their washing and hang it out. A very hard life. Barges are still available these and people do own them and still live on them. The locks are amazing most automated now days but having to do it all by hand would have been very hard work.
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 !! 😜❤️
God bless you both and your kind comments. I am sure we will make you welcome if ever you get to the UK.
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.
Im not saying im well travelled, been to mexico 3 times, been sking twice, been camping, carvaning all around the uk, but narrow boat holiday is one of the best, most relaxing and scenic holdays ive ever been on, you travel along the canal, enjoy the scenery, moor up, go to the local pub / restaunt and just chill and appreciate a less hectic life
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!
I live in Wales 5 miles from Pontymoil where they went and many moons ago I lived on a 70ft narrowboat for 6 months in Oxford. It was a totally different life and I've wanted my own since then. Just a note about how small the galley is - I made an entire sunday roast, (google it) without moving my feet. I'm talking roast gammon, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, black pudding, seasonal mixed veg with gravy then sat at a table and chairs ON THE ROOF of the boat.
Side note, it was so quiet you could hear the fish scraping their sides on the boat hull to remove parasites on them - and you never had a fish dinner so fresh, bring your own rod and no-one can stop you.......
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.
there's a pretty good chapter about a journey on such a canal in the "hornblower" series of books describing how ordinary travel on a canal was like when they were an important means of travel and transport.
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.
Ooo...your canal boat name. I can just see "Uncle Sam" cruising up and down the British canal system. 😍
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.
I would live on that barge It is stunning and so relaxing I have a good friend in South Wales so jealous of him living in such a beautiful country 🏴 ❤️
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.
Hi Debbie and Natasha, just watching a Video where you have a guest, Please Debbie never leave your seat again..... You are Intergral to the show xxxxxx
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.
Great video.... You would love being in charge of a Narrow Boat and there are many great places to visit... They are all GREAT.... Love you Both
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.
⛏🌍
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)
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
Hi natasha and Debbie I really enjoyed watching this lots of love from London 👌
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.
Its quite popular to buy a narrow boat and just move home for a change of weather and scenery at different times of the year👍
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)
Hi Girls. I’m Linda a Welsh lady. I live within walking distance of a beautiful valley woodland. I can walk my 2 dogs and 4 grandkids all day long! If you come to Swansea, look me up. I have a spare room you can use . A great name for your boat would be a Welsh saying ‘dim Arian’ which translates to ‘no money’ 😂😂😂😂