The homeowners selling up for a life on Yorkshire’s waterways

The cost of living crisis is well documented and for many people a mortgage is a millstone around their necks – but a growing number have chosen to cut costs by swapping their houses for a narrowboat.

The BBC took to the waterside in Leeds to find out how it’s worked out for some of them.

Ken Tracey, 57, sold his house in Suffolk in 2022, citing the need for “a change in life”.

“The cost of the house, it was really tricky to keep up with everything, keep the payments going,” he says.

“I’ve not got a mortgage any more, but I own this, so it’s safe.”

However, he admits there are “swings and roundabouts” to his new lifestyle.

Alongside trying to save money, Ken says he bought the boat to “live an adventure” – but admits he had not realised how difficult boat life would sometimes be.

“You’re not really prepared for it at the start – things like winter are a different thing.

“You’ve got to deal with a whole load of things that you wouldn’t have to deal with if you’re in a house. And then travelling around, you’ve got to solve problems every day.”

He described life on a narrowboat as “not a land of health and safety” and warned: “Locks are dangerous places”.

“This is technology that’s a couple of hundred years old now and you can see that in some places,” he claimed.

It also took him more than 18 months to “get to grips” with steering the boat.

“It takes weeks and weeks of bumping into things, scraping along the side of things, before you can work out the best way to steer it.”

Ken spent £75,000 on his boat and a further £20,000 on unforeseen maintenance.