In recent years there has been an increasing number of documentaries on TV about narrowboat life; from Great Canal Journeys, presented by charming and respected British actors, to liveaboard diaries from Robbie Cumming and Kevin Shelly. The latest series, Narrow Escapes, can be seen at Channel 4 On Demand.

In the first episode, father and son Paul and Chris take their floating pizzeria through the Peaks, while solo boater Emma embarks on an epic adventure. It’s fascinating to see the changes Paul and Chris have made to their boat, including fitting a wood-fired pizza oven.  Later episodes follow various live-aboard characters, either buying their first boat or renovating their current boat. Boaters live and work all over  the UK canal network, so it’s a chance to check out the scenery from the Kennet and Avon Canal in Somerset to the Bingley Five Rise in Yorkshire, without ever leaving your armchair! This series offers a serene escape from your everyday life.

Here are eight more reasons to watch Narrow Escapes:

Diverse Stories: Discover the unique and inspiring stories of people from all walks of life, ages, and backgrounds who call the canals their home. It’s also a fascinating insight into the different jobs that boaters do, in order to finance their floating lifestyle. Over the course of 20 episodes we meet a yoga instructor, a comedian, a florist and a theatre worker. Some have started boat-based businesses, from selling restored bicycles on the towpath, to selling pizzas from a boat, or running a hotel boat on the Leeds and Liverpool canal.

Lifestyle Insights: Gain a deeper understanding of the canal lifestyle, from continuous cruisers to business owners operating from their boats. See the funny side of the lifestyle, watching Joel, ‘The Angry Boater’ do his comedy stand-up show.

Affordable Living: Learn how young people and others are finding creative, affordable housing solutions amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

Community Spirit: Experience the sense of community among canal dwellers, showcasing the support and friendships that thrive on the water.

Historical Context: Explore the rich history of England’s canal systems and how they’ve evolved to support modern living. Featured engineering wonders of the waterways include the Caen Hill flight of 29 locks, the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct and the Anderton Boat lift.

Practical Tips: Pick up valuable tips and advice on canal living, boating, and maintaining a narrowboat. If you’re thinking of buying a boat, this shows you the actual highs and lows. Witness the challenges canal dwellers face and how they overcome them, offering a real and relatable glimpse into their lives.

Behind-the-Scenes: Meet the workers and volunteers who maintain the waterways, learning about the vital roles they play in keeping the canal system running smoothly.

Adventure and Freedom: Get inspired by retirees and others who have embraced the freedom and adventure of life on the canals.

If you’d like a taste of that freedom and adventure yourself, join us on a narrowboat holiday, or try day boat hire, in Cambridgeshire, a short distance from London. Narrow Escapes offers a rich tapestry of stories and experiences that highlight the charm, challenges, and allure of life on England’s canals. Here at Fox Narrowboats, we’d love to introduce you to our less-crowded waterways, so  that you can  have your own  adventure.

Want to learn more about narrowboating? For surprising and unusual tips and ideas for days out on the Fenland Waterways, enter your email address in the box in the right side-bar (‘Follow blog’) and we’ll send you articles direct to your in box. (You will not receive any marketing emails, just a couple of articles a month about boating info!)

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Alarmy MTDCKJ licence 10 Nov 2020

Do you dream of going on great canal journeys?

Are you stuck at home when you’d rather be boating?

Fancy living vicariously through the travels of others?

You may like to check out Channel 4’s new series of Great Canal Journeys.

After ten series of navigating the canals, lakes and river of the world, Prunella Scales and Timothy West’s televised canal journeys have sadly come to an end. Best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, Pru’s struggle with Alzheimer’s became a poignant aspect of the programme, and has now forced the couple to stop filming. The beloved actors have a lifetime of canal boating experience behind them, and their passion for it made them the ideal presenters of this show.

However, Channel 4 has opted to continue the series with two new presenters, actor Sheila Hancock and author and presenter Gyles Brandreth. They’re not a couple, but they are friends who have previously appeared alongside each other on Celebrity Gogglebox. The charm of the original travel programme really lay in watching Tim and Pru’s wonderful marriage on screen, so I thought that changing the remit to two travelling friends might change the mood somewhat. To ease the transition Timothy West joined Gyles and Sheila in the first episode, which aired on 8^th November 2020.

“I don’t even know stern from aft!” says Gyles. The friends confess they know nothing about canal boating, but that Tim and Pru have told them anyone can do it. “We are throwing ourselves in at the deep end, and hoping we float!” says Gyles.

The episode begins with Tim welcoming them onto a day-boat at Broxbourne on the River Lee, for a bit of basic training in steering, operating a lock and mooring up. Then their first real journey beings at Pangbourne on the Thames, where they board a 70 foot wide beam. They investigate the bathroom and there is a comedy moment as Gyles accidentally pulls a handle off the toilet, showing viewers that anyone new to boating can make mistakes! During the episode they cruise towards London through Henley, Cliveden and Royal Windsor, and invite a historian on board to chat about the history of the Thames.

“The waterways teaches history that can’t be found in books. They show us how to go with the flow,” says Sheila. (If you like history you can visit Cambridge Universities, Ely Cathedral and Oliver Cromwell’s House on a Fox Boats holiday.)

Then Sheila, 87, joins a women’s rowing team, proving that it’s never too late to try something new. Gyles also is a likeable character. He jokes about doing a Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio impression, while standing on the bow as they enter London by boat.

I had my reservations about this show going forward without the loveable Tim and Pru, but actually it has the same life-affirming vibe, showing us that getting out on the water can make you feel alive! Although Tim and Pru had 40 years of boating experience to share with the viewers, these two are demonstrating that anyone can give boating a go, and learn new skills. Is it still heart-warming and funny? Absolutely. Are there stunning aerial views of waterways, and intriguing glimpses into life afloat? Of course.

If it’s some time since you’ve been boating, this new version of Great Canal Journeys will inspire you to get back out on the water. At Fox Narrowboats you can ease yourself in gently with day boat hire, or take a week’s long break on a comfortable holiday boat. We are now taking bookings for next year.

If you missed the first episode of Great Canal Journeys you can watch it on demand on All 4, Channel 4’s streaming service. (To watch Channel 4 on demand you simply have to sign up with an email address and view on your TV, tablet or computer.)

You may also like:

How to Experience Some Great Canal Journeys from Your Own Home

Cruise Like Tim and Pru from Great Canal Journeys: How to Reconnect With the Ones You Love

How to Holiday Like a Celebrity Without it Costing a Fortune

Keep in Touch: Subscribe on the right to receive more stories of British canal journeys, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)

Photo: Licenced stock photo Alarmy MTDCKJ 10 Nov 2020 OY48986454

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Are you staying at home at the moment?

Do you love the British waterways?

Want to explore the UK canals from the comfort of your armchair?

You may like to revisit Channel 4’s television series, Great Canal Journeys.

There is a large selection of episodes from the series available to view on demand on All 4, Channel 4’s streaming service. In this scenic and heart-warming TV series, actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales take some spectacular canal journeys across Britain and abroad. (To watch Channel 4 on demand you simply have to sign up with an email address and view on your TV, tablet or computer.)

Back in 1990 this couple were on the first narrowboat to travel the newly restored section of the Kennet and Avon between Bath and Devizes, and they have been advocates for canals and their restoration ever since. Although the programme originally focused on their life-long love of British canals, later episodes see them taking boat journeys in countries all around the world.

In England Tim and Pru have explored the Kennet and Avon, the Llangollen Canal, Oxford, and the Grand Union Canal. However, they have not yet featured our local Fenland Waterways in the programme, sometimes referred to as the “waterways best-kept secret”.  BBC Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson, described the Fenlands as “a hidden gem,” in the Ely Standard.

In one episode Tim and Pru explore the Norfolk Broads, discovering the area’s unique way of life, its ruins, fens, marshes and woodlands.

Watch: Series 8 Episode 1: The Norfolk Broads

This episode might give you a sense of what our own local area is like. From our hire boat base in March you can cruise the Middle Levels, River Nene, River Great Ouse and River Cam. The Fenlands are such a unique landscape, offering picturesque towns and villages, and stunning open skies.

It is evident watching these programmes that Timothy and Prunella now enjoy taking life at a gentle pace, and appreciating nature. There is also something very poignant about watching their relationship, and seeing them reminisce about past memories.

At the time of writing this article, UK residents have been advised to stay at home, to avoid the spread of the Corona Virus (COVID-19). It has forced many of us to take life at a gentler pace and appreciate the small things, such as nature, family connections and our relationships with our loved ones. Tim and Pru’s narrowboat adventures remind us that getting away from modern, busy distractions, and focussing on our human relationships is something that we all need from time to time.

During these challenging times let’s slow down, reconnect and create new memories.

Stay connected: Subscribe on the right to receive more stories of British canal journeys, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)

You may also like: How to Holiday Like a Celebrity Without it Costing a Fortune.

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Want to explore the quieter parts of England?

Feel like cruising through amazing scenery?

Planning to spend quality time with a loved one?

In Channel 4’s television series, Great Canal Journeys, Timothy West and Prunella Scales now take canal barge and narrowboat trips in various countries around the world. But the programme originally began with focussing on their life-long love of the British inland waterways. Back in 1990 the actors were on the first narrowboat to travel the newly restored section of the Kennet and Avon between Bath and Devizes.

In the TV series they’ve travelled the popular Kennet and Avon, the Llangollen Canal, Oxford, Grand Union Canal and the Norfolk Broads, but have yet to feature the lesser-known Fenland Waterways. Sometimes referred to as the waterways best-kept secret; we find our local canals to be much less crowded; perfect for escaping the paparazzi! (BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson described the Fenlands as “a hidden gem,” in the Ely Standard.)

Matthew Corbett, Toyah Wilcox, Timothy Spall, Nicholas Cage, David Suchet, Heston Blumenthal, Brian Blessed, Camilla Parker Bowles, Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) and Calista Flockhart have all tried escaping to the waterways for a narrowboat holiday. (Read more: How to Holiday Like a Celebrity Without it Costing a Fortune).

However, English canals, waterways and narrowboats are rarely featured in fictional films and television. (Read more: Movies That Feature Narrowboating Life).

Timothy and Prunella love discovering places that they haven’t been before, meeting new people, and taking life at a gentle pace. There is also something very poignant about watching their relationship, and seeing them reminisce about memories in their past.

You don’t have to be of retirement age to enjoy a narrowboat holiday though. What these programmes show us is that a boating holiday is a wonderful chance to get away from modern, busy distractions, and focus on our human relationships; the people that matter. In Marie Browne’s memoir, Narrow Margins, her young family discover how to slow down and reconnect with one another. She also describes travelling the River Nene – a route covered by Fox Boats holidays. (Read more: 3 Things this Book Can Tell Us About Narrowboat Holidays).

If you want to reconnect with the ones you love and spend some quality time together, then why not take a short narrowboat holiday break and experience your own Great Canal Journey? Slow down, and create new memories with the ones you love.

Hey! Are you new here? Subscribe on the right to receive more secrets of the undiscovered Fenland waterways, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)

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