Want a des res with a fancy water feature? Try a houseboat!
A UNIQUE ‘try-before-you-buy’ scheme has been launched as record numbers of Scots choose to live on the water.
Once at the centre of the Industrial Revolution, Scotland’s canals are fast becoming the ‘go-to’ place to set up home. Houseboats have been a common sight along the Thames for decades but new figures show a sudden surge in popularity north of the Border.
More than 100 residential boats from Inverness to Edinburgh are now moored on Scotland’s revamped waterways – the highest number ever recorded.
Zero council tax, reduced living costs and the ability to take off on an impromptu cruise are just some of the reasons why growing numbers of people are choosing to become floating homeowners.
In a bid to capitalise on the surging popularity, Scottish Canals is offering short-term ‘try-before-you-buy’ lets – which include mooring and electricity – on some of its narrowboats and barges to give would-be houseboaters a taste of what they can expect.
The Scottish Mail on Sunday got the chance to spend the night on one of the vessels, Blue Hue, moored at Speirs Wharf on the Forth and Clyde Canal in Glasgow.
The 59ft boat, refurbished in 2012, has a stylish living area
‘A chance to live a more relaxed way of life’
with wood-burning stove, a fully fitted kitchen, shower room and a berth with a double bed.
At £650 a month, including bills, it’s cheaper than most city centre flats.
Katie Hughes, director of estates and commerce at Scottish Canals, said: ‘More and more people are realising that living on the water of Scotland’s canals offers a great alternative to a traditional home.
‘We have more people living on the water than ever before – creating vibrant floating communities throughout Scotland’s canals.
‘Houseboats offer an alternative to traditional accommodation and the chance to live a more relaxed, individual way of life.
‘I’d encourage anyone tempted by the idea of a life afloat to get in touch and try before you buy.’
Engineer John Moore, 52, bought a houseboat in February after renting one from Scottish Canals at Speirs Wharf for nine months. He said: ‘I love my life on the water – I have the best of both worlds. I moor in a central location, really close to where I work, but I look out of my window to wildlife every morning and can take my home away for a weekend trip.
‘My living costs are considerably lower than they would be in a two-bedroom flat and if I ever need to relocate for work, I don’t need to worry about selling up and buying a new house, I can move my boat.’
Mr Moore says visitors are surprised by how much space he has onboard – two bedrooms and two bathrooms. And there’s no fear of seasickness – because the boat is 12ft wide, it doesn’t rock.
The boat cost Mr Moore around £80,000 to have it made and mooring for private vessels starts at £1,500 a year including VAT, while second-hand boats are available from around £25,000.
Scottish Canals offers mooring sites at 13 locations across the country, including Linlithgow Wharf, Bowling Basin in West Dunbartonshire and Lochrin Wharf in Edinburgh.
It is preparing to launch its most exclusive mooring site yet at Viewforth Quay in west Edinburgh.
Scotland has 137 miles of canals from the Forth and Clyde, Union and Monkland canals in the Lowlands, to Argyll’s Crinan Canal and Caledonian Canal in the Highlands.