Narrow boats are a common sight on Britain's canals. Britain's canal system was a vital national transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the rise of railways, commercial canal traffic came to a standstill around the 1970s, leaving a surplus of narrowboats with unique Equipped to navigate the narrow British waterways.
Myles McDowell is a former circus performer who moves into one of the narrowboats and begins life aboard. He and his wife were renting in London but found the high costs were detrimental to their savings plans. So they decided to downsize and move to a narrowboat they could actually own. Unlike many boat lifeguards trying to float life during the pandemic, McDowell has been living on a boat for eight years.
McDowell documents his journey in detail on his YouTube channel to give others an idea of what it's like to live like this. His videos show everything from how to empty a toilet tank to what it's like to self-isolate while living next to a river during lockdown. When filming, McDowell sailed towards the Thames with the Grand Union Canal in the background. He tells Bustle that one of the biggest draws to living on a narrowboat is the flexibility to move when you need new scenery.
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