- Published
The cost of living crisis is well documented and for many people a mortgage is a millstone around their necks - but a growing number have chosen to cut costs by swapping their houses for a narrowboat.
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number → publish → narrowboat
The BBC took to the waterside in Leeds to find out how it's worked out for some of them.
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it → take → them
Ken Tracey, 57, sold his house in Suffolk in 2022, citing the need for "a change in life".
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Tracey → sell → life
"The cost of the house, it was really tricky to keep up with everything, keep the payments going," he says.
"
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he → keep → everything
I've not got a mortgage any more, but I own this, so it's safe."
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it → get → this
However, he admits there are "swings and roundabouts" to his new lifestyle.
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he → admit → lifestyle
Alongside trying to save money, Ken says he bought the boat to "live an adventure" - but admits he had not realised how difficult boat life would sometimes be.
"You're not really prepared for it at the start - things like winter are a different thing.
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things → try → winter
"You've got to deal with a whole load of things that you wouldn't have to deal with if you're in a house.
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you → get → house
And then travelling around, you've got to solve problems every day."
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you → travel → problems
He described life on a narrowboat as "not a land of health and safety" and warned: "Locks are dangerous places".
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Locks → describe → health
"This is technology that's a couple of hundred years old now and you can see that in some places," he claimed.
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he → see → places
It also took him more than 18 months to "get to grips" with steering the boat.
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It → take → boat
"It takes weeks and weeks of bumping into things, scraping along the side of things, before you can work out the best way to steer it."
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you → take → it
Ken spent £75,000 on his boat and a further £20,000 on unforeseen maintenance.
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Ken → spend → maintenance
However, he still feels the decision was the right one.
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decision → feel → ?
"I wouldn't necessarily choose the same path to get here - but I like being here," he says.
"
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he → choose → path
Ken is not the only person to have opted for a new life on the water.
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Ken → opt → water
The Canal and River Trust says that, post-Covid, our waterways have increasingly become "places of dwelling".
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waterways → say → dwelling
According to the Trust's annual Boaters' Survey for 2026, in Yorkshire and the North East just over a third of respondents (34%) said they used their boat as a permanent home - compared to 27% in 2025. , external
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they → accord → 2025
Just under half (49%) of respondents in Yorkshire and the North East said they used their boat as a temporary home.
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they → say → home
After holidaying on narrowboats, Andy Brown said it was "a fairly easy decision" for him and his wife to move into one post-retirement.
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him → holiday → retirement
Before they retired, their son died, which they say also influenced their decision to make the move.
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they → retire → move
"I'm sure he would have loved to have done all this so he's always at the back of our thoughts wherever we are and wherever we go," Andy says.
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Andy → love → thoughts
They traded their life at home in Edinburgh and have been living on board for around two and a half years since having the narrowboat built for them.
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narrowboat → trade → them
"It's been fantastic," says Andy.
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Andy → say → ?
"It slows you down and you get to see places you just wouldn't see in a car.
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you → slow → car
We've seen places we just never would have dreamed of stopping at before."
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we → see → places
He says the Leeds Liverpool canal is among his highlights, as was "skirting along the southern edge of the [Yorkshire] Dales."
Though a significant downsize from a house, Andy says it's not necessarily much cheaper.
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it → say → house
"It's probably a bit cheaper than living in a house, but not significantly so," he says.
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he → live → house
Ken Marshall, from Wakefield, has owned his boat Willow for about eight years.
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Marshall → own → years
Two years ago, he decided to sell up his house and move on board full time.
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he → decide → board
"There's struggles involved living on a boat, but I enjoy it," he says.
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he → ' → it
Moored up in Leeds city centre's Granary Wharf, with his son on board for a few weeks, Ken says he still feels a sense of community despite not having permanent neighbours.
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he → moor → neighbours
"I find in general that that people you know are very open to talking and helping," he says.
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he → find → ?
Now working part-time, Ken says he has "no regrets whatsoever" about his decision to sell his house and move onto the water.
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he → work → water
One of the main things he bears in mind when deciding where to moor up is ensuring he can get to and from work from there.
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he → bear → work
Ken says his favourite thing about moving onboard is being able to choose your surroundings.
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thing → say → surroundings
"I like being here in the city centre, but then I also like to be able to get back into somewhere quiet, where you're surrounded by fields and nature."
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you → like → fields
He has been living on his narrowboat for just over a month after cashing in his pension to make the move.
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He → live → move
He says he found the transition "easy enough", but travelling around is difficult.
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travelling → say → ?
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
