58' narrowboat 'St. Kilda' in Cambridge.

Living on a boat in England's fenlands.

News from the River Cam

6 July 2000: Planned meeting of the River Cam Conservancy, 9:30, The Guidhall.

13 April 2000: Meeting of the River Cam Conservancy. (1) Official review of the mooring policy will start shortly: letters to all boaters and interest groups. Official review will focus on Stourbrodge and Midsummer commons. (2) Newly released detailed figures show Camcon's income streams: punting/pontoons etc.: 27%, power/houseboats (CC+EA) 20%, rowing 6%. (3) Boats with "dangerous boat" warnings will be towed away (unless the boat is someone's home in which case formal court action will be used). Boats can otherwise be licenced with a BSS "failure" certificate for this year only.

This picture is changed every day.

About living afloat

FAQ

"Isn't it cold in the winter?", Here is a list of 'frequently asked questions' about life on a boat. It includes tables of running costs and information on how you buy a boat and how you live on it in comfort. You'd be surprised at some of the things people ask!

Tech Spec

Want to know all the tiny details about my boat? How thick is the steel? What make of paint was used on it? How big is the water tank? How narrow is a narrowboat actually?

Interactive

I have made a very experimental interactive tour of the boat. You can wander around the boat controlling the 'camera' and can see what it's like almost as if you were there (well...).

in 1954

In the mid 1950s (as a small child) I lived at Watford on the boat Alice, a 72' former cargo-carrying unpowered wooden narrowboat. I don't know where Alice is now, but here is are some photographs of her (including me as a babe-in-arms).

About local waterways

The Backs

It is not widely known, but in the winter you can navigate a powered vessel right up the River Cam through the famous 'backs' of the Colleges. Here is a small photo tour of a winter cruise up the River from Jesus Green to Coe Fen. For photographs of the river when drained of water go here.

Wicken Fen

Wicken Fen is a National Trust area. It is one of the last undrained wetland fens in East Anglia. If your boat is less than 60' long you can navigate the lock and the tiny lode that leads right into the heart of the fen.

Middle Level

The Middle Level is a system of canals built about 350 years ago to drain the fenlands of East Anglia. You can navigate a boat along many of the drains.

camboaters

If you live on the River Cam or the Great Ouse or if you have a local interest you might like to join the Cam Boaters e-mail newsgroup.

Other things

About us
Robert is a geophysicist with keen interests in classical music and clay modelling. Jean is the headteacher at a special school in Cambridge for children with severe learning difficulties.

Clay
This is a small exhibition of clay life sculptures and sketches by Robert.

Publicity
This website receives about 8000 hits per month. Press this button to find out how we publicise our pages, how we find out where the visitors come from, and what they read.

Links
This is a collection of links to waterway-related sites based in the UK. It's a personal selection, not a comprehensive list, but you might find it interesting if you want to explore a little further.