About Us
We’re John, Lorraine and Boasley, continuous cruisers sharing the reality of life aboard Narrowboat Round Tuit as we slowly explore Britain’s waterways.
People often ask us how we ended up swapping life on land for life afloat. The truth is, it wasn’t something we’d planned for years or had always dreamed of doing. Like many people, we were looking for a different way of life – one that offered a slower pace, new experiences and the freedom to explore.
Moving onto a narrowboat meant leaving behind more than just bricks and mortar. No matter how much we thought we’d decluttered, we quickly discovered we still had far too much stuff! Those first few weeks aboard were a steep learning curve as we found a place for everything, adapted to living in a much smaller space and learned how to make our floating home work for us.
Since then, Round Tuit has become much more than just a boat – she’s our home and our gateway to Britain’s incredible network of canals and rivers. Every cruise brings new places to discover, fascinating history to uncover, wonderful people to meet and, of course, the occasional unexpected challenge that keeps life interesting.
This website is where we share that journey. From practical advice and honest experiences of continuous cruising to our latest adventures, canal-inspired artwork and the little moments that make life on the water so special, we hope you’ll enjoy travelling along with us.
Life on a narrowboat is unlike any other. Some days we’re cruising through peaceful countryside, spotting kingfishers and enjoying the tranquillity of the waterways. Other days we’re battling the weather, searching for a water point, tackling boat maintenance or wondering why a simple job has turned into an all-day project!
Living aboard has taught us to slow down and appreciate the simple things. We measure journeys in locks rather than miles, plan our travels around the seasons and have discovered that some of the best moments are the unexpected ones – a friendly chat on the towpath, a beautiful sunset over the canal or finding the perfect mooring after a day’s cruising.
Here on Narrowboat Round Tuit, we share the reality of life afloat. Alongside our cruising adventures, you’ll find practical advice, honest reviews, helpful guides and plenty of tips we’ve picked up along the way. We don’t pretend life on a narrowboat is always easy, but we wouldn’t swap it for anything. We hope that by sharing both the highlights and the challenges, we can help and inspire others who are curious about life on Britain’s inland waterways.
Alongside our cruising adventures, we write practical guides for people who are new to boating, explain topics like continuous cruising, review products we’ve genuinely used and found useful, and explore the history, wildlife and places that make Britain’s canals so fascinating.
We also know that life aboard isn’t perfect – and that’s part of its charm. We celebrate the beautiful moments, but we’re equally happy to share the unexpected breakdowns, the lessons we’ve learned and the little adaptations that make living on a narrowboat easier.
Our canal-inspired artwork and gifts are another way we share our love of the waterways. Every design is inspired by the places we’ve visited, the wildlife we’ve encountered and the simple pleasures of life afloat.
Whether you’re researching your first narrowboat, planning a canal holiday, already living aboard or simply enjoy following life on the water from home, we hope you’ll find something here to inform, inspire and make you smile.
Lorraine
I’m the storyteller behind Narrowboat Round Tuit. I love sharing our adventures, creating practical guides for fellow boaters and researching the history, wildlife and interesting places we discover along the waterways. When I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me designing our canal-inspired artwork.
John
John is our skipper, engineer and chief problem solver. Whether he’s steering Round Tuit through a tricky lock flight, carrying out essential maintenance or finding a way to fix something that wasn’t supposed to break, he’s the one who keeps our floating home moving. He loves exploring new stretches of canal and is happiest when we’re out cruising.
Boasley
Boasley is our four-legged crew member and takes his duties very seriously. He’s always ready to supervise lock operations, inspect every new mooring, greet friendly passers-by and remind us when it’s time for a break. His favourite things are long towpath walks, plenty of cuddles and making sure no snack goes unnoticed!
Britain’s canals and rivers are full of history, wildlife, beautiful scenery and wonderful people, and we believe they’re one of the country’s best-kept secrets. Through Narrowboat Round Tuit, we hope to encourage more people to discover and appreciate these unique waterways, whether that’s by taking a canal holiday, buying their first narrowboat or simply enjoying the slower pace of life from the towpath.
We created this website to share our experiences honestly and to help others learn from them. Along the way, we’ve discovered plenty of tips, solved more than a few problems and learned lessons we wish we’d known when we first moved aboard. If sharing those experiences makes someone else’s boating journey a little easier or gives them the confidence to take the plunge, then it’s been worthwhile.
Above all, we hope Narrowboat Round Tuit feels like a welcoming place for anyone with an interest in Britain’s inland waterways. Whether you’re here to read our latest adventures, pick up practical advice, browse our canal-inspired artwork or simply enjoy life on the water from wherever you are, we’re delighted you’ve found us and hope you’ll enjoy following our journey.
So, grab a cuppa, have a look around, and we hope you’ll enjoy following our adventures as much as we enjoy living them.
Our Artwork
Every design starts with something we’ve seen from the water: traditional roses and castles canal art, a heron lifting off the bow or a misty morning on the cut. I sketch and refine each one digitally, blending the waterways heritage with a fresher and more modern look.
Our designs are then printed onto T-shirts, mugs, notebooks and more. Everything is made to order, so nothing is produced until someone wants it, which keeps waste to a minimum.
Our aim is simple: to celebrate the beauty of the canals and the slower pace of life that goes with it.
Whether you live afloat, dream of a narrowboat or simply love Britain’s waterways, we hope you’ll find something to bring a little canal-side calm into your day.