Imagine: you’re sat on the front of your narrowboat enjoying a peaceful cup of tea. The birds are singing, a new family of moorhens are flitting in and out of the reeds, and there is an overall sense of calm. This is mindfulness at its best—the opportunity to sit and be present to everything that is going on around you and in no small part, these moments are made better by the ambience of quiet…
So when a fellow boater comes speeding past with little regard for this picture perfect scene, leaving a wash that sends the moorhens scarpering and trilling at the tops of their voices and your tea spilling as the bow of your boat bangs against the riverside, it can be quite frustrating that not everyone is as sensitive to preserving the beauty of our waterways.
Mindfulness is not just an individual pastime, but also a way of being within the community; both human and animal, and keeping our canals and rivers as a place where we can all be sure of a tranquil environment is perhaps more necessary now than ever. With the speed limit on most canals just 4mph, it’s good to remind ourselves that this is equivalent to a steady walking pace!
Download the Waterways Code for Boaters here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/go-boating/a-guide-to-boating/waterway-code
canal trust waterways code page 1
There are not many places in life these days where staying at a steady walking pace is encouraged and yet, travelling at this speed opens us up to things we might not otherwise notice, both in what we see, but also how we feel physically.
When a friend came for a day out on my narrowboat a few years ago I was surprised to observe that the person who arrived agitated and stressed after a busy week at work, left floating on a cloud. At first there had been frustration at not being able to go any faster and yet once permission was given to relax into the experience, the physical effects—the gentle relaxation of shoulders, the release of tension in the face—of slowing down was visually apparent and a joy to watch.
If you’re feeling that build-up of energy from a busy lifestyle then perhaps it’s time to book your narrowboat canal holiday near Ely and Cambridge, and experience the downshift yourself.
I’m certain our watery wildlife would agree, in that they too appreciate watching humans adopt a slower pace. The Canal and River Trust report that: “every year we get complaints about water fowl nests, eggs and very young chicks being destroyed by speeding boats.” I’ve seen this myself and have often waved wildly out of my side hatch trying to encourage boaters to slow down! We are, after all, sharing space with these creatures and perhaps we could also learn a thing or two from them.
credit: paul crook
Sitting on the front of my boat there is nothing like being reminded of the essential pastimes in life, such as building a nest one twig at a time, or spending all day seeking out food to feed our babies. We’re told the human world has progressed—saving time with innumerable gadgets and hacks—but if this is the case then why are so many people seemingly so lacking in precious minutes and so fraught with tension? Perhaps getting back to a more agreeable and mindful speed is just the ticket!
Alice Elgie is a wandering writer with an appreciation for time spent in nature: slowintotheseasons.substack.com
Image credits: Moorhen Paul Crook on Unsplash
