Last October I made what was probably my ten – jabillionth trip to my favorite city of London (give or take a jabillion). No matter how many times I step off the plane at Heathrow, I always feel some element of the “new”. Whether its a neighborhood I’ve never explored or a  restaurant that just popped up in a spot I’ve walked by 100 times, I am never without a new experience in London.

On this last trip, I found newness in a different way of living.  In previous visits to London, I have stayed in 5-star hotels, 1-star youth hostels; in gorgeous flats and once I even slept at Heathrow airport (not recommended). But  this was the first time for me (in London or anywhere in the world) to experience houseboat living.

Back in my early days of traveling to London, I visited a friend who lived near the neighborhood called Maida Vale, the Venice of London. Though she lived in a gorgeous flat, I was more amazed by all the houseboats that lined the canals not far from her doorstep.

Each houseboat owner took the time to make their home unique. Whether it came in the form of brightly painted sides, flower pots  arranged in a makeshift garden on the roof or fun signs and patio furniture on the boat’s deck, they painted a colorful and eclectic line along the banks of Regent’s Canal.

When I moved to London a year or two later, I ended up living not too far from this houseboat haven. When the weather was nice I would wander over to this neighborhood to sit in a waterside cafe and wonder what it must be like to live on the water.

Fast forward way too many years to this past October when instead of watching from the shore, I actually stayed on a houseboat. My good friend Julia moved to London, and not one for just normal city life, she eventually moved herself, her belongings and her dog onto a houseboat.

Her boat, named Dragonfly, was way on the other side of London in Uxbridge on the Grand Union Canal. Finally I could check out the inside of one of these grand houseboats and see what it is like to live life on the water.

Though my time there was short, I did manage to learn a thing or two about houseboat living which I’d love to share with you.

1. It is Bigger Than You Think

Standing along the banks of the canal, a houseboat looks colorful and quaint, but it never looks “roomy”.  When my friend invited me to spend a couple of nights on her houseboat, I of course jumped at the chance, but I also prepared myself to experience very tight living quarters.

I had visions of standing in the middle of the boat, stretching my arms out and having one hand go out the port side window and the other go out the starboard side window. (Aren’t you impressed with my use of nautical terms??)

I can happily say that was not the case. My friend’s houseboat is 10 feet wide and 60 feet long and is a wide-beam canal boat. I think of it like a doublewide trailer on the water. There was plenty of room for two bedrooms, a living room, galley and a bathroom.  Oh and let’s not forget the spacious balconies off the bow and the stern (and now I have officially exhausted my knowledge of nautical terms).

I also found storage in the most unusual spaces like under the stairs and under the “back porch”. The size definitely rivaled the size of a 1-bedroom apartment in New York City.

While you’ll never get lost on a houseboat (if you do there’s a good chance you’ve fallen overboard) it is not quite as tight quarters as you would think.  Definitely go check one out. Or if you’re curious, you can watch this video I made showing the inside of the Dragonfly.

2. Houseboat Living is Warmer Than You Think

Visiting London at almost any time of year, you take a risk with the weather. But going in late October and staying on the water, I assumed I would spend my days and nights buried under heaps of blankets as the cold seeped into my bones. And while there were definitely chilly days, and even chillier nights, the boat itself stayed warm.

There was central heat to keep my teeth from chattering, plus a wood burning stove that did double duty of keeping things heated up and also maintained a cozy atmosphere.  This California girl did not suffer at all living the houseboat life.

3. Those Dam Locks

Probably what people like most about houseboat living is the ability to pull up anchor and change location whenever your heart desires. Float down the canal to a more quiet part of the world.  Or show up at a festival with your own accommodations.

But I learned it is not as easy as pulling out of your “parking space” and heading out on the water. You also need to understand how to move along the canal. The locks system is not exactly easy to operate, especially if you’re on your own.

You have to cruise up to the lock, moor up your boat, get off your boat onto the bank, raise the lock paddles to let the water out, open the lock,  unmoor the houseboat and cruise it into the lock, get off again and close the lock.  OK …you’re halfway there.

Once enough water has flown into the lock to raise your houseboat to height of the next level of the canal, you have to open the gates on the other side, open the lock, board the boat again, cruise the houseboat out, moor once more, then get off again to close the lock behind you so the next person can start the process when they arrive. If you have a second person with you, one can stay on the boat while the other works the locks, but if you’re cruising solo, you have your work cut out for you.

4. There’s a Sense of Community

When you live on a houseboat, some people opt to live in a marina. I think of it something like an aquatic RV park. Not only does the marina give you an address and services like provisions and a pump out station (more on that in minute) but it also gives you a sense of community. You have neighbors and a neighborhood and a sense of belonging.

While I stayed on my friend’s houseboat I got to meet some of the other houseboat owners in the community. They share information about activities along the canal and watch out for her boat and her dog when she’s away. Originally I saw living on a houseboat as a solitary existence, but turns out that there is a community around it.

5. You don’t just hop in the shower…or flush the toilet

Though you are surrounded by water, thankfully those who experience houseboat living are not required to bathe (or do other bathroom activities) in the canal. The houseboat I stayed came with a full sized bathroom that was roomier than I expected. I am not much of a bathtub person so I didn’t mind not having one of those.  A decent sized shower stall fit the bill instead. And though there is a limited amount of hot water, that’s also true of any land locked home or apartment.

Now you do have to fill up your houseboat’s water tank but that’s free, so that’s more a cost of labor than a cost of money.

And for the toilet, I was happy to see it was a flush toilet (and not just a Port-A-Potty) and that it doesn’t just flush directly into the canal beneath you. Just like airplane toilets do not just let go onto the unsuspecting public beneath their flight path (oh, the horror!). But that means you do have to “deal” with the toilet from time to time.

Here’s where the pump out stations come into play. Part of your regular house cleaning includes mooring up to the marina’s pump out and removing the …ahem…waste.  I appreciate Julia for not requiring me to take part in this activity during my two day stay. I am sure this would not be my favorite part of houseboat living.  Luckily having a beer and lounging on your roof while watching swans paddle by makes up for that inconvenience.

Happy to say that all those years after staring dreamily at the houseboats along the Maida Vale canals, I finally had my own houseboat living experience.  And although I know I will always be a conventional house kind of girl, I am more than happy to have a friend who will let me indulge in that lifestyle for a couple of nights when I visit London.

What about you? Have you ever stayed or lived on a houseboat? Given the chance, would you give houseboat living a try? Leave me a comment below and let me know.

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