Are you looking for an unusual gift idea this Mothering Sunday?

Something more original than flowers or chocolates?

A present for a mother who loves the canals?

If your mum, wife, or gran is a lady who enjoys narrowboating, or dreams of getting afloat, then consider getting her a book revealing the quirks and charms of parenting on board.

#NarrowboatBooks #WaterGypsies #Annie Murray #NarrowMargins #MarieBrowne #RamlinRose #SheilaStewart

When my children were young we lived on board a narrowboat, so I loved seeking out stories about mothers on canal boats; and it was even better if they were true to life.

Water Gypsies by Annie Murray

The historical novel, ‘Water Gypsies’ by Annie Murray is a sequel to ‘The Narrowboat Girl’, but I was told that the canals do not actually feature that much in the first book, so I went straight for the sequel. Water Gypsies begins in 1942 and describes a series of tragedies that befall the heroine, who is tormented by a miserable past! The story follows Maryann, her husband and children as they live and work on their canal boat, the ‘Esther Jane’.\

Narrow Margins by Marie Browne

In contrast, Marie Browne’s ‘Narrow Margins’ is a modern tale of a family aboard, trying to make a new start after losing their IT company and large house when Rover went bust. They moved their children and dog onto a ramshackle narrowboat called ‘Happy Go Lucky’ and taught themselves about narrowboat life and boat refurbishment as they went along. She has since written several sequels about their family’s adventures afloat. This is a fun read that details the challenges of living aboard a ‘fixer upper’!

For Better For Worse, For Richer For Poorer

I also enjoyed reading ‘For Better For Worse, For Richer For Poorer’ by Damian and Siobhan Horner. This husband and wife team wrote a memoir about leaving their careers and lives ashore, to travel the French canals with their two young children. Told in two voices, this mid-life crisis story follows their journey on an old fishing boat.

Ramlin Rose by Sheila Stewart

However, my favourite book about mums on board is ‘Ramlin Rose’, by Sheila Stewart. Recommended to me by another live-aboard mum, this book reveals the details of day to day life for a hardworking family in the cargo-carrying canal age. Sheila Stewart had wanted to interview a Banbury boatwoman and write her biography, but ended up compiling a number of true stories into a fictional life story. As so many boaters were illiterate back then, there is no autobiography written by a boatwoman. So this is the closest thing you will get to a mother’s perspective of parenting on board, while working the boats. Although the days were long, and the work was hard, and sometimes dangerous, there was a good sense of community. When the men went to canal-side pubs, they’d be moored alongside other families, and while the women minded the children on board they could catch up with their temporary neighbours moored next door.

“’Spite of all you hears about ‘drunken boatwomen’ most of ‘em was content of ‘n evenin to loose their chaps orf to the pub while they stayed tied to their kiddies and the cabin. It was a chance for Mum to catch oop on her chores ready for mornin and catch oop with news of the Cut with the women moored alongside.”

• ‘Ramlin Rose’, Sheila Stewart

If reading narrowboat books gets your mother in the mood for boating, then a family boat trip on the Cambridgeshire Waterways could be just what you are looking for. Why not plan an unforgettable day-trip to our hire boat base in March? The whole family can have a go at steering the day boat, and spend some quality time together. Boating is an activity that suits all generations, and you can include a picnic, a pub lunch or some fish and chips in your day out.

In 2022 the Mother’s Day falls on Sunday March 27th, and the Fox boating season begins in April. If you book a day-trip now you could surprise your mum with this idea on Mothers Day. Read more: The Ultimate Mother’s Day Surprise

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Photo credit: Deposit photos

The post Five Surprising Mothers Day Gifts for the Narrowboat Mum appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

Narrow Margins

When unfortunate circumstances forced her family to downsize their home, author Marie Browne and her husband Geoff opted for narrowboat life. Their budget just about stretched to a ramshackle, 70ft ex-hotel boat called ‘Happy Go Lucky’. This funny, heart-warming memoir follows the couple, plus their children and dog on their journey from Braunston, where they bought the boat, to Cambridge, where they had booked a residential mooring. After leaving the Grand Union Canal their journey took them down the River Nene, through the Middle Level navigations and on to the River Ouse, before arriving on The River Cam. This means that you get wonderful descriptions of many of the routes covered by Fox Narrowboats, accompanied by witty, descriptions of a family “learning the ropes” of narrowboating for the first time. The boat also requires extensive refurbishment to turn it into a comfortable home, which the family undertake while living aboard.

Here are three things we can learn from Marie Browne’s ‘Narrow Margins’.

1) We need less “stuff” than we think

Marie’s family downsized from a nice house with a comfortable lifestyle, to a 70ft narrowboat. At the beginning of the book they had to do a major “life laundry”, throwing non-essential items into a skip and vastly reducing Marie’s much-loved collection of shoes. But by the end of the book they have fallen in love with their minimalist lifestyle afloat.

2) How to Slow Down

Near the beginning of their journey, Marie and her mum sat on the bank with a picnic. “It was strange, I had absolutely nothing to do and I couldn’t remember when I had last talked to her without having to clock-watch or be disturbed by phones ringing. We spent a happy afternoon under a tree, just chatting.”

3) Anyone Can Learn to Work Locks

“We approached the first lock slowly and with a certain amount of trepidation, but the training kicked in and absolutely nothing went wrong.”

If you’ve already been on a narrowboat holiday this book may be a lovely reminder of your first ever journey afloat. Despite the challenges Marie faces on board, the book still communicates the tranquil beauty and wonder of life afloat, providing an insight into a slower lifestyle of chatting on the towpath and watching the world go by.

Marie Browne has since written three more memoirs about narrowboat life; Narrow Escape, Narrow Minds and Narrow Focus.

If you’d like to make a narrow escape from clock-watching and ringing phones check availability now, for your next narrowboat holiday. If you enjoy reading about life on the canals sign up for updates from this blog. (We never share or sell email addresses – your details are safe with us.) Just look for ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar on the right and we’ll send you stories, tips and advice about narrowboating around the Fens.

The post 3 Things this Book Can Tell Us About Narrowboat Holidays appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.