After years of renting, moving frequently, and even experiencing homelessness, Emily Souter Johnson found a unique way to save over £600 a month — by living on a canal boat. In April 2018, the 43-year-old fulfilled a lifelong dream by purchasing a Collingwood WideBeam vessel, creating a home that offers both financial relief and freedom.
Emily cruises continuously between Bath and Bradford-upon-Avon, running her boat at under £500 a month, a significant savings compared to the £1,144 average monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat in her city. Her 57 by 12-foot boat has two bedrooms, a kitchen-diner, a bathroom, and a multi-fuel fire, comfortably heated in winter due to its small size.
Despite the many benefits, living on a boat comes with its own challenges. For instance, Emily uses a composting toilet system that requires her to pee in bottles and store the liquid on the roof before composting and ethical disposal. Heating water for a shower involves running the boat engine for 40 minutes, and water conservation is a daily necessity, although a modern filtration system now provides unlimited filtered water from canals and rivers.
READ MORE: Comedian Bill Bailey and Rugby World Cup Leader Sarah Massey Honoured in Somerset’s New Year List
READ MORE: Breathtaking Aerial Views Showcase the Beauty of Somerset Levels
Emily’s move was driven by a desire for stability after over a decade of rental insecurity. With her own business, Emily Boat Mover, she navigates the country’s canal network offering boat-moving services and teaching others to pilot their vessels. This venture also allows her to share her knowledge in a male-dominated field, empowering other women to embrace the canal lifestyle.
Her passion for alternative living stems from a colorful past, including years spent in East London warehouses and house-shares, as well as childhood memories of her maritime-loving late father and visits to her grandmother’s humble, electricity-free shed.
Today, Emily enjoys the openness, freedom, and ever-changing scenery her boat life provides. “If I could afford a house that gives me what I have on a boat, I would buy it,” she says. Living off-grid, exploring stunning waterways, and wild swimming year-round, she describes her lifestyle as both rewarding and challenging — definitely not for the faint-hearted.