[awjr]

Sounds like your set up was more rural. I was doing it in the middle of a city mostly, so really had to have everything self contained. Definitely would consider having the rear doors open and ability to pull out a cooking area and pop up an awning for those times when you are sitting on a beach and need coffee and a bacon roll.

Must admit it's a pretty good way of living but not sure I would do it for years on end.

Now canal boats....now that I could see myself doing one day.

[allegory]

I was doing it in Leyton/Woodford in East London so borderline city/suburbs.

I'd do it again, 100% of the time but the three children, wife, mortgage and inevitable responsibilities that come with these things make it difficult if not impossible to achieve.

Narrow boats and widebeams are horrid. I lived in a narrow boat for a month. They rock very slightly, smell awful, are damp as anything (even the nice ones), cost a fortune to keep afloat and the neighbours aren't particularly nice people I've found. Very clicky, suffer from a major superiority complex and are terribly bureaucratic. Thames barge perhaps but narrow boats; never again!

[awjr]

Dammit you ruined the canal boat dream! Must admit, renting one for a month or two would probably be worth considering before buying one. I hear it's all about finding a mooring space.

[allegory]

Yeah I would rent one for a bit first, preferably long enough to try and get water out of a diesel tank and empty the sewage tanks!

You might enjoy it, but I certainly didn't.

Also, literally everything went rusty. Even stainless steel and my windows mobile 5 phone at the time went rusty.