I moved out of my flat and bought a canal boat… it is not as cheap or easy as people think

A woman who gave up her flat to live on a narrowboat has warned the lifestyle is ‘not for everyone’, despite enjoying her new life on the water.

Laura Woodley, 35, from London, made the move during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 after struggling to afford rising rental costs in the capital.

Laura considered herself a “little unconventional person” and looked at alternative ways to live while spending less, and was soon inspired to buy a boat.

Having previously seen how narrowboat communities live on walks along her local canal, Laura was attracted to the more relaxed lifestyle.

She said, “The cookie-cutter standard lifestyle has never appealed to me.”

‘I had a fantastic experience with roommates, but when I turned 31 I got to the point where I wanted to live alone. Living on a boat felt like the obvious next step.

‘Many people in London live on the canals around the city in ‘narrowboats’, which are usually 1.80 meters wide. I saw people sitting together on the boats and I knew I wanted to be part of that.”

After spending some time researching boat life online, Laura decided to take out a loan and traveled 60 miles to Northampton to pick up her new boat.

The TikTok influencer, who already makes money from creating content and has more than 100,000 on her account @canalcore, said that once she bought the ship it “made sense” to post videos to Instagram.

She said Business insider: ‘I started posting about my life on a narrowboat on Instagram and TikTok to connect with like-minded people. I enjoyed the sense of community that came with connecting online with people who had done similar things.

Although she loves living on a boat, Laura wants to make it clear that this lifestyle is ‘not for everyone’.

She said: ‘A lot of people think I live on a boat to save money, but I actually spend more than when I rented, although I now live alone rather than with flatmates.’

Laura is still paying back large amounts after taking out the initial loan to buy the boat, with amounts of £650 per month until early 2025.

Laura Woodley, 35, from London, made the switch to a boat during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 after struggling to afford rising rental costs in the capital

She also says that one of the main expenses when living on a tour boat is the license required to keep the vessel on British waters, which costs £60 a month.

She added: ‘I don’t have access to utilities, but other bills, such as laundry (when I don’t have access to friends’ houses), coal and wood for heating, and the cost of pumping out the toilet waste, come at around £190 per month.’

Maintenance, meanwhile, costs Laura around £175 a month, and she has to put an unspecified amount aside in case something unexpected happens, such as her chimney which had fallen in recent years and cost £700 to repair.

Laura often has to deal with most maintenance issues because she “can’t just call a landlord,” and takes a “two mile” walk to pick up trash.

The content creator warns that keeping track of everything can feel like having a ‘part-time job’, saying she wasn’t used to having so much responsibility compared to renting a flat.

Although she enjoys living on a boat, Laura wants to make it clear that the lifestyle is “not for everyone” and cites increasing responsibilities and maintenance costs.

Despite facing difficult times living on a boat, Laura is ultimately unwilling to give up her new lifestyle and credits her local community for keeping her going.

She said: ‘If you live in a house you can just stay in your own little bubble, but on a boat you have to show kindness because you will probably need help at some point too.

‘It is important to go into it with realistic expectations. I wouldn’t tell people to just go for it because it’s a hard life. From the outside it can seem very quiet and idyllic, but that is not always the case.’

It comes after Shannon Lane, 29, was fed up with paying £900 a month for a room in a three-bedroom apartment in Clapton, east London, and so decided to buy a narrowboat.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing and Shannon says she experienced ‘boat blues’ as she struggled in freezing weather, learning to move the boat, empty the toilet and refill her water.