Tam & Di

For me it was when we first started, in the 50s, but given your definition I'd say '62, as the big freeze was the nail in the coffin of what little commercial narrowboat trade still existed to that time. We did still enjoy boating for several years after that, but by 1981 when the barrel boat contract ended there were already beginning to be too many continuous moorers, and too many of them expected you to pass impossibly slowly and shouted loudly if their boat moved even one jot. It was also when there stopped being lock keepers and lengthsmen to deal with local problems. Tam

Me and Di both went to University as mature students about 1969> - 3 year sandwich courses. We lived on Progress at the time and had two young children. Grants are obviously very different now and living costs probably take a greater % of income, but as Blackrose says the actual practicalities of boat life is no different to that of non-student boat dwellers. It basically comes down to whether or not the person has the capability required to live on a boat, period. Certainly if they are likely to find boat life difficult to cope with then the added stress of studying for a degree won't help a lot. Tam

If you have a permanent address on which you already pay Council Tax a don't think that a place you stay in part-time would also incur the tax whether or not it was occasionally moved. The suitability of this particular craft is a different issue. Tm

I've certainly met/passed when loaded another loaded boat in a bridgehole on the Grand Union. That was early 70s which as I come to think of it was about half a century ago 😲 so lord knows what would happen with two deep drafted boats today. The bridge was on a slight bend so we neither of us saw the other coming, and as a trainee at the time I might have eased a bit when I saw him otherwise. But he was a born-and-bred boatman and we simply nodded to each other and went on our way with no problem at all. I have also passed other craft in bridgeholes when empty and didn't even think twice about it. Tam