A couple have decided to give up living in bricks and mortar in exchange for life on a narrowboat. Ellie Jones and Harry Barker, both 28, owned a house together in Northwich but have now chosen to opt for a 'completely different way of life' on the water.
The newly engaged couple will pay rent to live on Ellie's parent's 65ft narrowboat which they were initially going to sell, and in the meantime they will rent out their own three-bed home in Northwich.
Ellie and Harry are making the move in the hopes of saving up for their dream, future home in Altrincham. The couple predict that they'll be able to save around £1,000 per month by living on the narrowboat.
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During the week, the couple will be based in Northwich, Cheshire, while at weekends they plan to visit cities like Liverpool and Manchester.
Ellie told the Echo: "We thought if we don't do it now we probably never will. To say we've lived on a boat and explored that is a bit of a one off.
"We'll definitely do a year and see how we go on after that. I don't think we'll do it for over five years. The savings are going to be massive.
"We think together we'll both probably be able to save, compared to what we spend at the moment, around £800 to £1,000 a month. But obviously we've got a good deal that my parents don't want as much for the boat as it necessarily would be to rent one out monthly."
The narrowboat, called Shirley, was bought back in 2020 by Ellie's parents, who will rent it out to Ellie and her fiancé Harry, starting in March.
Ellie said her parents were looking at selling the boat due to the maintenance costs involved in keeping it on the water, but their new arrangement means the couple will now pay Ellie's parents rent to live on the boat instead, while renting out their own house in Northwich.
It will cost the couple £250 a month to keep the boat on the marina near where they live, while they estimate electricity will come to £45 a month.
Ellie said: "We'll save money on utilities but you're also a lot more aware of what you're using as you have to top up your electricity money instead of it going out as a direct debit.
"You're really wary of how much water you use because you have to fill up the water tank every time it's empty. You can get eight showers out of one tank. We're always wary of how many times we flush the toilet."
Ellie plans to work from home on the boat, while Harry will commute to work and the couple will travel around at weekends.
"I'd like to go back to Liverpool - that was really nice. It's completely different to be in a city, you can see how things were run years ago and how the canals have still survived and everything is built around the canals," Ellie said.
While a lot of people may struggle with having less space for their belongings on a boat, Ellie said everything is multipurpose.
"It's the space for most people but I think once you're used to it it's fine," she said.
"It's such a small space, when the heating is on it's a lot cosier than your typical house. It's a completely different life style - you feel so much more relaxed.
"We have been on boats a lot so we're used to the way of life with boats. People think we're absolutely crazy, they can't believe we're doing it. I think it will be a really lovely experience."
Ellie and Harry will be documenting the highs and lows of living on a boat on their YouTube channel and Instagram page @Justbobbingaround.
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