Terry Darlington, author of Narrow Dog To Carcassonne
will
be signing copies of his book Narrow Dog to Wigan Pier
at this year’s Crick
Boat Show. The new book sees him travelling the north of England with his wife
Monica and their two dogs. Narrow Dog to Carcassonne was the bestselling travel
book of 2006, and this latest will be his third book.
will
be signing copies of his book Narrow Dog to Wigan Pier
at this year’s Crick
Boat Show. The new book sees him travelling the north of England with his wife
Monica and their two dogs. Narrow Dog to Carcassonne was the bestselling travel
book of 2006, and this latest will be his third book.
Terry’s first book is the only modern boating travelogue
that I’ve read, so Steve Haywood’s books are quite high on my reading list.
He’s written One Man and a Narrowboat: Slowing Down Time on England's Waterways
and Narrowboat Dreams about his own
travels and the history of the canals. I have however read the original boating
travelogue: Tom Rolt’s Narrow Boat
. This is a lovely lyrical log about Tom and
Angela’s travels in 1939 through an idyllic rural England.
and Narrowboat Dreams about his own
travels and the history of the canals. I have however read the original boating
travelogue: Tom Rolt’s Narrow Boat
. This is a lovely lyrical log about Tom and
Angela’s travels in 1939 through an idyllic rural England.
I tried to find books about narrowboat women and so
discovered The Amateur Boatwomen (Working Waterways)
by Eily Gayford. This is a fascinating account
of the author’s experience training women to work narrowboats during the Second
World War. I like the bit where they sit in a cabin laughing at the seemingly
impossible thought that boats might one day have “a bathroom with hot and cold
taps, fitted carpets, a Hoover, (and) a telephone!”
by Eily Gayford. This is a fascinating account
of the author’s experience training women to work narrowboats during the Second
World War. I like the bit where they sit in a cabin laughing at the seemingly
impossible thought that boats might one day have “a bathroom with hot and cold
taps, fitted carpets, a Hoover, (and) a telephone!”
I then read Ramlin Rose, by Sheila Stewart: This is probably
one of my favourite books ever! I met some travelling boat girls up the River
Stort a couple of years ago and asked them if they’d read anything about
narrowboat families: They recommended Ramlin Rose. Sheila Stewart had wanted to
interview a Banbury boatwoman and write her biography, but ended up compiling a
number of true stories into a fictional life story.
This month I have read my first historical boat novel; Water Gypsies
by Annie Murray. This is a sequel to The Narrowboat Girl, but I was
told the cut does not actually feature that much in the first book, so I went
straight for the sequel. Water Gypsies begins in 1942 and describes a series of
tragedies that befall the heroine, who is tormented by a miserable past!
by Annie Murray. This is a sequel to The Narrowboat Girl, but I was
told the cut does not actually feature that much in the first book, so I went
straight for the sequel. Water Gypsies begins in 1942 and describes a series of
tragedies that befall the heroine, who is tormented by a miserable past!
Marie Browne’s Narrow Margins
is a modern tale of a family
aboard, trying to make a new start after losing their IT company and large house
when Rover went bust. They move their children and dog onto a dilapidated
narrowboat called Happy Go Lucky and teach themselves about narrowboat life and
boat refurbishment as they go along.The sequel, Narrow Minds
describes their return to the water on another run down boat. There's an interview with Marie Browne on the Sunday Mercury website.
is a modern tale of a family
aboard, trying to make a new start after losing their IT company and large house
when Rover went bust. They move their children and dog onto a dilapidated
narrowboat called Happy Go Lucky and teach themselves about narrowboat life and
boat refurbishment as they go along.The sequel, Narrow Minds
describes their return to the water on another run down boat. There's an interview with Marie Browne on the Sunday Mercury website.
Next on my list of books to read about families on boats is
For Better For Worse, For Richer For Poorer
by Damian and Siobhan Horner. This husband and wife team
have written a memoir about leaving their careers and lives ashore, to travel
the French canals with their two young children.
by Damian and Siobhan Horner. This husband and wife team
have written a memoir about leaving their careers and lives ashore, to travel
the French canals with their two young children.
Of course, if I didn’t spend so much time reading narrowboat
books I might finish writing my own: The Real Life of a Narrowboat Wife. Then
it could be me signing copies at next year’s Crick Boat Show…
Come and say hello to me at the Boatshed Grand Union standat Crick this year.
For more information about this year’s Crick Boat Show visit
www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742972.
Disclosure: I wrote this post for Boatshed Grand Union, and it contains affiliate links to Amazon.
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