Narrow Escapes Season 1 Episode 4

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Transcript

00:00The Great British Canal Network.

00:04Hey, how are you?

00:06The picturesque escape for those who've swapped bricks and mortar

00:10for a new life on the water.

00:13Would you still live in a house? No.

00:15But is it really domestic bliss?

00:17Ah! Gee, this one's scaring me.

00:20When embracing a sustainable off-grid lifestyle...

00:23This bit is quite unpleasant.

00:25..will these intrepid Brits stay afloat?

00:29Welcome to boating.

00:30Or will they be cast adrift?

00:32I've got no paddles.

00:34Whether they're experienced boaters...

00:36I just think this is epic.

00:37..or novices at the tiller...

00:39I'm going to crash!

00:41..do they have what it takes to live out their dreams...

00:44I feel a bit lucky.

00:45..and find their narrow escape?

00:48Today we meet Gary, Nicky, Noah and Lily.

00:52We home-school the little ones.

00:54Do you remember his name?

00:55No. J-J-J-J-J-J-J...

00:56We'll get you with him. J.

00:58Gary's mum, Della, gets creative.

01:00Everybody will say to me, which boat is it?

01:02And all I can say is look for one with giant pelican outroof.

01:05Have Paul and Anthony worked their magic on the Morning Star

01:09or will they get that sinking feeling?

01:11Are you nervous? Yeah. You? Yeah. And now.

01:19On the Leeds-Liverpool Canal is the Chuggerbug,

01:22home to Gary and Nicky,

01:24who are trying to get Nicky's kids, Noah and Lily, ready for school.

01:30Are you nearly ready, kids?

01:32DOG BARKS

01:34Hello!

01:36That happens all the time.

01:38Hello, doggie.

01:40Where is he? Where's he gone?

01:42He's gone.

01:44I know. We get that a lot, don't we, doggies,

01:47coming and trying to pinch your sausages?

01:49Yeah, you tell him. Yeah, you tell him.

01:52All right. Right, kids, have you got your shoes on?

01:55Have you got your pad and your paper?

01:58Gary Phillips and Nicky Stirling met a few years ago

02:02through the boating community and have been together ever since.

02:06The family spend their time continuously cruising,

02:09which means they don't have a permanent mooring

02:12and have to move every two weeks.

02:14Today they're making their way to Saltaire.

02:18Well, we're just a family of four that continuous cruise.

02:22We home-school the little ones.

02:25We go on lovely days out, don't we? We do, yeah.

02:28Nice days out and really teach them more about life, really,

02:32but this is our life.

02:34This is the classroom and it's a life I'd never change.

02:38The best thing about living on a narrowboat

02:41is probably waking up in different places and travelling.

02:44There's so much freedom on the boat.

02:46It's a completely different lifestyle,

02:48the people you meet and the places you can visit.

02:52It's like a bigger bond, isn't it?

02:54Yeah, it's lovely. You become part of a bigger family.

02:57When you live on a boat, you are a member of a bigger family,

03:00a separate family, isn't it? It's a lovely, lovely community.

03:03And they'll always help you.

03:04And if you thought four's a crowd on a narrowboat,

03:07the family also live with their three dogs.

03:10Well, it's a bit hard, like, cos every single morning

03:14you wake up with a dog on your head

03:16and you also have to refill their food bowl all the time.

03:21So if you look it up and then you can do a little picture of it

03:24like you did before, yeah?

03:26There's pens.

03:27I'm trying to find a yellow pen for my dandelion drawing.

03:33Actually, it's not as bad as we thought.

03:35It's not that bad. I mean, we don't do, like, a normal full day.

03:39We get the kids out and that's like a school trip to them.

03:42They get out and they have a day off.

03:44We'll take them to lovely places and tell them all about it.

03:48We just do, like, online schooling and stuff.

03:52You go to forest school.

03:54And you go to forest school.

03:56And for today's lesson,

03:57Gary and Nicky are taking the kids on a nature walk

04:00to learn about local plants and wildlife.

04:03But first, they have to test the plant identifying app.

04:07See if it works on Mummy's dead flowers.

04:09I love my dead flowers.

04:11I just want to know if they do need to go.

04:13What are they, apart from dead?

04:15Does it say, put in the bin? Yeah.

04:17It says it's a Persian buttercup.

04:19We're doing the banana-na-na.

04:21It does fruit as well.

04:22Can it do bananas?

04:23Yeah, it does fruit.

04:24Look. Does it?

04:25Look, look, look.

04:26Look.

04:27Um...

04:28One second.

04:29See? Fruit.

04:30Oh, right. Go on, then.

04:31What does it say it is?

04:32It's a banana-na-na.

04:33With the app correctly identifying the banana as a banana,

04:37the family begin their nature walk,

04:39keeping their eyes peeled.

04:41Right, now you've got to find something

04:43that you want to know what it is.

04:45How about that?

04:46Those?

04:47I don't know what it is.

04:48Oh, mercury.

04:49Herb mercury, there you go.

04:51I used to hold this.

04:52Right, so you're going to have to...

04:54I don't want to hold this.

04:56Come and do another one, then, Noah.

04:58Oh, he's just writing it down.

05:00Oh.

05:01Why don't you try a tree?

05:02Get a leaf on a tree so you can see what the trees are.

05:04That's a good idea.

05:05That's ivy.

05:06And it's not long before Mum Nicky spots something else.

05:09Can you see him on the branch there in front of us?

05:12Yeah.

05:13With the blue on his wing?

05:14Do you know what he is?

05:15Yeah.

05:16Can you remember his name?

05:17J-J-J-J...

05:18Jai.

05:19Jai.

05:20Jai.

05:21Jai.

05:22What's that one?

05:23Had a nice walk through here yesterday.

05:25What did Lily spot?

05:26What did you see, Lil?

05:27The first of the year.

05:29Ducklings.

05:30Ducklings.

05:31First ones, but there's no sign of them.

05:33Normally, what we do every year, isn't it,

05:35is look for the first ducklings or...

05:37First swallows.

05:38Swallows.

05:39No sign of them now.

05:40They were just down there in those ridges.

05:42They were here, weren't they?

05:43Yeah, so I reckon they're up here somewhere.

05:45And with that, the field trip is at an end.

05:47It's time to go back to the boat

05:49to find out more about what they've seen.

05:51Come on, then. Let's go.

05:53OK.

05:54Have you got your pad? Have you got your pen?

05:56Yes.

05:57Got everything?

05:58Yes.

05:59Have you got your head?

06:00Um, no, I've not got a brain, no.

06:02I think you lost that ages ago.

06:04I lost my marbles.

06:05You lost your marble.

06:10It's a calm and cold morning.

06:12A married couple, Anthony and Paul Storey-Smith,

06:15are moored up on the Trent and Mersey Canal,

06:17just shy of Fradley Junction.

06:19They're travelling down to Crick for the boat show

06:22to take ownership of their new boat,

06:24which has also been entered into the Best In show.

06:27But today, it's Paul's turn to leave and go to work.

06:32Right, I'll see you in a minute.

06:34Watch Dexter doesn't follow me, Anthony.

06:36Oh, where is he?

06:37Here.

06:38Well, he's going to follow you, isn't he?

06:40I'll grab his lead, then.

06:42Paul has travelled to Chapel End Primary School in St Helens

06:46to perform a magic show.

06:48Morning, it's Paul the Magician.

06:53It's not all showbiz glamour, though,

06:55as his dressing room is the school car park.

06:58I've got to wear boots

07:00because it's very muddy on the towpath, usually,

07:02and I don't want to arrive with muddy shoes.

07:04I've also got to check there's no mud on my trousers.

07:08And life on the canal means he has to travel light.

07:13Everything has to be pretty compact, really,

07:15because we've got to store it either in the car or on the boat,

07:18and, yeah, you don't want to be carrying in

07:20tons and tons of props anyway.

07:22If you are a magician, you can make it fit, right?

07:25Yeah.

07:27How are you? Nice to see you.

07:29Welcome to the Chapel End. Thank you very much.

07:31I have been here a few years ago and done a couple of shows.

07:34I think you have.

07:35So, what, what would it be, about ten years, maybe?

07:37Yeah, probably about seven or eight years ago, yeah.

07:40Time flies, doesn't it? It could be ten years.

07:42We're looking forward to it, anyway.

07:44Yeah, good. Are the children excited, then?

07:46Yeah, we've just had assembly. Yeah.

07:48And, yeah, not to say they're excited.

07:50Yeah.

07:51Right, where would you like me to set up?

07:53Well, it's up to you. Do you want a little stage?

07:55Yeah, if it's not too much trouble to set up,

07:57that would be perfect, thank you. Yeah.

08:02What sparked the, er...

08:04Doing this? Yeah.

08:05Well, I got into magic shows because I got a magic set

08:08when I was a kid. Yeah.

08:09But the good thing in high school,

08:11they made you give a talking lesson,

08:13and I thought, I did mine on magic, and they said,

08:15oh, why don't you enter the talent competition and stuff like that?

08:18So I went from there, really. Right.

08:20Paul has been a professional magician for 35 years,

08:23but ever since the pandemic, he's been performing much less.

08:27I've sort of semi-retired.

08:29I'm not relying on doing four shows a week like I used to do

08:32to bring in an income,

08:33because our cost of living's gone down slightly.

08:35So maybe doing one or two shows a month

08:37rather than three or four a week.

08:40That's perfect. Thank you very much for that. Yeah.

08:42Thank you. Right, I'll start setting up.

08:44So are we aiming for about half past ten for the children to come in?

08:47Yeah. Yeah.

08:48With the show starting in just half an hour,

08:50it's time to prepare the props.

08:53I like to perform a lot of tricks that pack small and play big,

08:56so silk tricks, rope tricks, the coloured pom-poms.

08:59There's no big illusions here, or tigers, anything like that.

09:03I did belong to a local magic club.

09:05I used to go to one in Manchester quite a lot.

09:07I think I was a member there on and off for about ten years.

09:10But there are no magicians in the show.

09:13But the nomadic canal lifestyle means that's no longer practical.

09:17And I suppose that's the thing that I miss, really,

09:20because it's really good, you get lectures,

09:22and it's a good social evening as well.

09:24But that's a small price to pay for freedom.

09:27So while I'm at my shows and getting ready,

09:29Anthony will get stuff ready for our cruise.

09:31We're hoping when we get back, we can go for a little cruise this afternoon,

09:34just through about four locks.

09:36With everything set up, it's showtime.

09:39Good morning, everybody. Are we all excited?

09:41Yes!

09:43Before we start, can you all put your hands up in the air like this?

09:46Shake your hands like this, and then put your hands up like this,

09:49and as quick as you can, close your hands.

09:51Then open them, thumbs in, thumbs out.

09:53Put your thumbs on your head, go like this,

09:55turn to the person next to you and go...

09:57HE MUMBLES

09:59He's jumping!

10:03Well, it was wobbling, are you sure?

10:05Yes!

10:08On the count of three.

10:10Did it do it again?

10:12Yes!

10:14Keep an eye on it, let me know if anything happens again.

10:16Yes!

10:23Up next, Della finds some inspiration.

10:27How clever is that?

10:29Paul continues to impress.

10:31Yes!

10:33And Noah meets his fans.

10:35Oh, lovely! Can I say hello?

10:45In Doncaster, new boat owner Della is moored

10:48on the other side of the same marina as daughter Carrie.

10:52And today, arrangements have been made for Della

10:55to head over and clean her daughter's boat.

10:59Women text message times and not before.

11:04She's a belter, honestly, she really is.

11:07She'll say to me,

11:09well, I feel that's a mum job.

11:11You know, even, like, getting boxes for moving.

11:14Yeah, that's a mum's job, that.

11:16She's so bossy, she's hilarious, really.

11:19Meanwhile, Della's new neighbour Maureen

11:22is getting some eye-catching laminate designs

11:25added to the side of her boat.

11:28Local artist Pete fixes the stickers

11:31and nail technician Della,

11:33who's already decorated the interior of her boat,

11:36is inspired.

11:45How clever is that?

11:47Do you like it? Yeah, it looks great.

11:53That's really good.

11:55Pete did me some work years ago.

11:57I've had a couple of nail salons in the village.

12:01Oh, Pete, we've been friends forever!

12:04Do you do sign writing still, Pete, yeah?

12:07I bet there's more call for this nowadays, though, isn't there?

12:11It's just time.

12:13Well, obviously, I won't mind doing,

12:15because everybody will say to me,

12:17which boat is it, you know, when they're coming to visit?

12:20And all I can say is, look for one with giant pelican on the roof.

12:24So, to help her stand out,

12:26old friend Pete agrees to take a look at her boat.

12:30What I'll do now, take a measurement and do your visual.

12:34A few visuals, give you some idea what it's going to look like.

12:37That'd be great.

12:44As Pete takes the measurements,

12:46Della looks online for artistic inspiration.

12:50My name comes from a song by Beautiful South.

12:54See, they've got a mic there on that one.

12:56You know, the old-fashioned mic.

12:58They're going to think I'm some kind of floating musician.

13:02Not old nail technician.

13:04It's Little Blue.

13:06Yeah, that looks quite nice.

13:08I don't think many people know that song. I mean, I love it.

13:11With the measurements finished,

13:13she can now leave Pete with a detailed brief,

13:15ready for some designs to be drawn up.

13:18That's off an actual record.

13:22You know, just scrolling like that.

13:25Yeah, because, like I say, it's a song by Beautiful South.

13:29And that's just somewhat whimsical, yeah, like that.

13:33Signage plan sorted.

13:36However, all this artistic research and planning

13:39with design expert Pete

13:41means that Della is now running a little bit late.

13:44She's promised to clean Carrie's boat on the other side of the marina,

13:47so it's a quick pit stop to go and collect her mop and bucket,

13:50and then on to the task at hand.

13:54I have to provide all the cleaning stuff and cloths and hay.

13:59I says to her, it'll be easy to do a boat with a mop and bucket,

14:02she went, I ain't got one.

14:04And that were the end of that.

14:06She can go without bin bags for, like, two months.

14:09I've never known anyone like her.

14:11She's been wanting to wash the boat since it arrived,

14:14which were, what, December time?

14:16So I'm going to get to do it today.

14:21I mean, she obviously didn't want me next door.

14:23That would have been too close.

14:25And I'm quite glad cos I would have ended up with the dog

14:28coming over all the time and her just driving off.

14:31But now that she's getting to like this garden area,

14:35she's here, she's chatting to my neighbours,

14:38she's sat on grass, she's eating me lollies.

14:42So, yeah, I think she's, like,

14:45wishing that she'd come down here instead, but...

14:48And that were thanks to her.

14:50She went in office without me knowing and said,

14:53don't leave me man there, move her.

14:55And I won.

14:57And despite having the last laugh

14:59and winning the battle of the coveted marina spots,

15:02mother and daughter remain a close-knit team

15:04and Della is always happy to lend a hand.

15:09I'm always busy, I'm always doing something,

15:11so I may as well be doing it for her.

15:13They're worth it. She is worth it.

15:15Even though she drives me round benches, she is worth it.

15:19It is really me and her against the world

15:21because her dad's not here, her brother lives abroad,

15:24so it's kind of like we've got to be there for one another.

15:27And now that we're, like, ten boats apart,

15:30it's impossible not to.

15:32But will Della still feel the same

15:34when she starts mopping the decks?

15:37Back in St Helens, Paul's magic show is going down a treat.

15:42Who's ever heard of a magic wand?

15:45SCREAMING

15:49Frightened the life out of me. I'll turn him sideways.

15:52Don't wiggle your fingers again like that, no.

15:57When you pull on the yellow pom-pom, the white pom-pom goes up.

16:00And when you pull on the white pom-pom, the yellow pom-pom goes up.

16:03But then I thought, wait a minute, Paul,

16:05why is there a blue pom-pom?

16:07So I pulled on the blue pom-pom, and the white pom-pom went up,

16:10which is really weird, because the blue pom-pom

16:12is attached to the yellow pom-pom.

16:14Now, what happens if you pull the stick apart like that

16:17and shove your body, there's nothing inside?

16:19CHEERING

16:22Wasn't that a treat?

16:24Yeah!

16:26Who's had fun?

16:28Me!

16:30Oh, thank you.

16:32Oh, thank you, thank you, they've been really nice, thank you.

16:35I mean, it's nice to hear that buzz afterwards, isn't it?

16:38I mean, I come away, my cheeks are aching from laughing at the kids,

16:41I enjoy it as much as them, I think.

16:43With the show a great success, it's time to pack up and hit the road.

16:48Bye, take care, bye-bye.

16:53I really enjoyed that, they were a lovely bunch, and, yeah,

16:56on a hideout, so I'm going to...

16:58I'm really looking forward to getting back to the boat.

17:02Buzzing after a successful show,

17:04Paul's eager to get home to Fradley Junction

17:07and catch up with both partner Anthony and dog Dexter.

17:11We travelled about 15 miles yesterday and it took about six hours

17:15and we moored at the top of the locks,

17:17cos the plan is today to travel down into Fradley itself,

17:21maybe go to the pub tonight,

17:23because apparently the Swan is a very famous pub amongst narrowboaters.

17:28Paul spots an intrepid solo boater.

17:31I just admire people who do the locks on their own, you know,

17:34solo boating, it's really difficult having to get through that lock,

17:37he's having to climb off and close a gate.

17:40That's the old-school way of doing it.

17:42It is! See you later.

17:45Oh, God!

17:47Yeah, close that, of course.

17:52Thanks a lot. No worries.

17:55As impressive as it is doing things solo the old-school way,

17:59it's still good to have a helping hand.

18:02And at home, Anthony is preparing lunch.

18:17Hello! All right? Yeah, you? Yeah, how did it go?

18:20Yeah, really good. Some real characters, really funny characters.

18:23Really funny kids, and the headteacher was dead nice.

18:25He even offered us some food.

18:27Blimey! That never happens. No.

18:29Very privileged. Yeah.

18:31I got some milk on the way home.

18:33Cooked, ran out.

18:35Been drinking hot chocolate. Have you?

18:37Yeah. Dying for a coffee.

18:39No, we've not got any milk. Traffic was really bad coming back.

18:42Haven't you worked there before? Yeah.

18:44Some of the teachers recognised me from last time.

18:46Caroline's made a banana bread.

18:48Oh, amazing. It's probably going to come round.

18:50Yeah, diet, what diet? Yeah.

18:52And over lunch, Paul and Anthony plan an evening get-together

18:55with Canal Chums Pete and Caroline.

18:58So, what's the plan this afternoon, then?

19:00We're going to go down, I think it's four locks... Right.

19:03..to the pub. Yeah.

19:05Just so we've done the locks,

19:07so it will sort of save a bit of time on Monday.

19:10They met Pete and Caroline at last year's Crick Boat Show

19:13and are now travelling down there together.

19:15And I'm definitely lifelong friends. Yeah.

19:17I really enjoy cruising with them.

19:19It can be really difficult, I think, when we part ways.

19:23After the boat show, they'll go their separate ways.

19:26But for now, they can enjoy travelling together.

19:29This is such a nice spot.

19:31It's just a nice area to be in, isn't it?

19:39In Bradley, 25 minutes' walk from the Leeds-Liverpool canal,

19:43Gary and Nicky from the Chuggerbug

19:45are taking Noah and Lily out for a traditional picnic.

19:49Yes, when it's hot, we just stay outside,

19:53get some chairs out and sit, get a little snack, lay down.

19:57A lot of things, the waterways allows us to go places

20:01where a lot of people can't or don't think of going, isn't it?

20:05We go to places...

20:07We've just been moored up now for, I don't know, three or four nights

20:10right by a main road.

20:12And I'll put money on it that people driving along that main road

20:15don't even know that there's a canal there.

20:19We haven't been on the Leeds-Liverpool canal for a long time,

20:22but the facilities are pretty rare here, aren't they?

20:26They are, yeah.

20:28We found that difficult, trying to get water.

20:32There's other things you have to do on a boat,

20:34empty toilet cassettes, which is a fact of life,

20:37and getting rid of rubbish.

20:39There's a few and far between from what we've seen,

20:42so we're hoping they improve a little bit.

20:45It makes life a lot easier,

20:47cos that's forcing us to move when we don't have to.

20:50After eating, playing and enjoying the views,

20:53it's time to go back to the boat,

20:55where Nicky is going to supervise the kids baking up a treat.

21:00Do you want to make a cake with Mummy? Yeah.

21:02Three eggs we need from in there.

21:05Not that one yet. OK, I'll get eggs.

21:07Yeah, this is for decorating later.

21:13That's it. Wow!

21:15Brilliant stuff.

21:18That's it. 125 to 150. A little bit more.

21:24Right, you need oil this time. OK, I'll do the oil.

21:27But you're going to have to be really careful with this.

21:30I'll tip it in. Right.

21:34Brilliant stuff.

21:36I'm finished with that now.

21:38I remember Nanny. Nanny did.

21:40Nanny's a better cook than Mummy.

21:42Nanny can cook without pouring out of a box.

21:44A little bit more.

21:46Oh, that's brilliant. Darling, good boy.

21:48OK.

21:52Please.

21:5425 minutes. I don't know if Alexa's on.

21:56Despite the limited space,

21:58they have a fully fitted-out kitchen with all mod cons.

22:02And, of course, Gary is on hand to test the mix.

22:07Noah keeps a keen eye on the cakes,

22:09and after 25 minutes, it's time to add the fillings.

22:13Oh, my gosh, cannot waste a piece of jam.

22:15Cannot waste a piece of jam.

22:17Jam is disgusting. I don't like jam that much.

22:19And this is done.

22:21Don't mind if I do. No!

22:24At least somebody likes jam.

22:26That's it, and then some cream on the top.

22:28Beautiful.

22:30Oh, this spot is mossy, dusty, crusty.

22:33I think we're done now, Noah.

22:35A bit more.

22:37Done. It's perfect.

22:39I've never seen something in more pieces.

22:41Hang on, wait, one more piece, one more piece, one more piece.

22:44One more piece. One more piece.

22:46With some sprinkles added as a finishing touch,

22:49the kids are happy with their creation,

22:52but unfortunately for the dogs, they're not that keen to share.

22:58As one of his home school projects,

23:00Noah has been producing vlogs, showcasing his life on the boat.

23:04As a result, a school in Florida got in touch

23:07and scheduled a video call today

23:09to discuss his experiences and lifestyle on board.

23:12Can you see us?

23:14I can see you.

23:16We can't see you.

23:18Oh, there they are!

23:20Can I say hello?

23:24Oh, bless them, look.

23:26Hello.

23:28They are so excited.

23:30Hi, Noah. Hi, Lily.

23:32Do you ever travel any other places, or do you just stay in one spot?

23:36Oh, well, we're continuous cruisers,

23:39so we travel in different places.

23:41Like, we started off at a marina,

23:43because that's where you usually get your boats,

23:46and then we went to Tixerot wide,

23:48and then we carried on any single place we want,

23:52and now we're here in a different place.

23:54I don't know what it's for, though.

23:56After confusing the Americans with obscure British place names,

23:59Noah can't quite wrap his head around the time difference

24:02between here and Florida.

24:04They're five hours behind us.

24:06When you wake up, all those little children will still be in bed.

24:10Yeah.

24:13Mind blown.

24:20Coming up...

24:22Paul and Anthony try to get parked.

24:24It's a lot further than I thought, and there are no spaces.

24:27You're joking.

24:29And Carrie settles into her new community.

24:31It just fits straight in. That's what Britain's all about.

24:41In the valley of Llangollen,

24:43this attraction is keeping a proud tradition alive.

24:46These horse boats are mid-cruise on a particularly windy day

24:49and require a little bit of help.

24:51For whatever reason, she's not turning.

24:54Having the driving force at the front of the boat instead of the back

24:57can make steering a little tricky.

24:59Sometimes you just have to do that just to give it a little bit of a boost.

25:02Thanks to a little help, the cruise is approaching a bridge,

25:05but it's a tight squeeze.

25:07So I'm going ahead, just so that I can get through the bridge

25:10before the horse. We won't all get through at one time.

25:13While it's tight, the entirety of the canal network

25:16was designed around horse boats,

25:18with smooth curves on bridges being essential

25:21for the safety of horses and workers,

25:24as their shoulders would often scrape along them when walking.

25:27You'll notice we'll go a little bit slower through here

25:30and you'll see the horse trying a little bit harder,

25:33and that's because the flow of the canal increases

25:36with it being so narrow.

25:38This extra effort has left its mark,

25:40and you can still see tow lines from ropes

25:43embedded in the stonework of bridges,

25:45a hidden reminder of the golden age of our canals.

25:51Near Fradley Junction in Staffordshire,

25:53Paul and Anthony are planning to do a short cruise

25:56with boating buddies Pete and Caroline,

25:59hoping to snap up two mooring spots in Fradley Junction

26:03to make their local a bit more local.

26:06There was a couple of spaces down there, at least three,

26:09but then a couple of boats have gone...

26:11Right, well, I'll go down and check, see if there's spaces.

26:14If there is, I'll give you a quick call

26:16and we'll get the covers down and get down there.

26:19Pumps booked for seven.

26:21Brilliant.

26:23Right, we'll see you in a bit.

26:25I'll give you a toot on the horn when we're ready to go.

26:28Right, I'll grab my phone.

26:31Come on, then, Dexter.

26:33Come in, come on, then.

26:35Paul goes to scout the mooring spot they're planning to use.

26:38Good lad.

26:40But for Dexter, the 15-minute walk proves quite an effort.

26:44It's quite sad to see Dexter slowing down as much as he is.

26:48As he's 15, we've had him since he was a pup

26:51and we think he's living his best life.

26:53He seems to love pottering around the locks and the canal.

26:57Just wish we'd done this sooner when Dexter was much younger

27:00so we can enjoy it more.

27:02Come on, not much further.

27:05Meanwhile, Anthony is getting the boat ready to cast off.

27:10It's not a bad mooring spot.

27:12We're just doing this today cos we just want to save a bit of time

27:15till when we next cruise on Wednesday.

27:17But they might have to stay put after all.

27:19Hello?

27:20Yeah, it's a lot further than I thought and there are no spaces.

27:23Oh, you're joking.

27:25Those two boats that came down through the lock,

27:28just as I was walking up, they took the last two spaces

27:30and I don't think they're going to be leaving any time soon.

27:33I don't know what to do.

27:34Right, well, I'll come back up here.

27:36There's no point in going down if there's no space

27:38cos the next place is two hours away.

27:40Yeah.

27:41We'll stay here for the night. We bought the pup anyway,

27:43so it's not a biggie.

27:44OK, see you in a sec. Bye.

27:46So, normally, if we'd gone down there, there was no spaces more,

27:49we'd have just continued.

27:50It's probably another two hours, so we're not really up for doing that today

27:54cos we had, like, a six-and-a-half-hour cruise yesterday

27:57with, like, quite a lot of locks,

27:59so we wanted the weekend to sort of just rest.

28:01There's no point in doing it and putting added pressure on.

28:06No space.

28:08There's no space.

28:09Them two boats that went past before have got the last two spaces.

28:14So, we thought we'd just get the chairs out,

28:16sit on the towpath and have some coffee and cake.

28:19Yeah, absolutely.

28:21You have to be flexible and patient as a boater,

28:24as plans often change and everything moves at a slower pace.

28:32It's beautiful now, isn't it? I can't believe we can't cruise.

28:37As the journey south towards Crick is coming to an end,

28:40Paul and Anthony are more and more excited about their new boat.

28:45We've bought the chairs!

28:47That looks very special.

28:48And to celebrate, their mooring mates have brought

28:51their signature banana bread.

28:54It's amazing, thank you.

28:55You're welcome.

28:56When you've got your freezer on your new boat,

28:58you'll be able to put old bananas in the freezer...

29:01Yeah.

29:02..and then make banana bread.

29:03This'll freeze as well, won't it? Yeah.

29:05What's your new one going to be like?

29:07Well, it's the same fridge-freezer thing we're getting,

29:10but then an additional freezer in the dinette.

29:12You'll have to do all your meal planning.

29:14Well, if I'm hoping, we don't need any meal planning,

29:16we'll just have banana loaf every day.

29:18You would.

29:19What colour did you... You chose that bright green colour?

29:23So it's like a BMW colour.

29:24That's going to be some head-turners, for sure.

29:26Well, it's going to be a Marmite, I think.

29:28People are either going to... Love it or hate it.

29:30Those traditional... I mean, even with the colour of our boat,

29:33everybody's got different tastes, haven't they? Yeah.

29:35Each to their own, but everyone, without exception,

29:39loves Caroline's banana bread.

29:41OK, watch out.

29:46It's not on my plate.

29:49Oh, you can have some crumbs.

29:51You're not having my cake, mate.

29:53I love dogs, but you're not having my cake.

29:55No, mine neither.

29:56Oh, my God.

29:57Oh!

29:58It's OK, it's OK.

30:00Honestly, we've got dogs ourselves.

30:02It's OK.

30:04Back in Doncaster,

30:06Della is about to give daughter Carrie's boat a much-needed scrub.

30:12Oh, it is quite mucky as well.

30:16And cobwebby.

30:19Hello.

30:24As well as her full-time day job,

30:26Carrie now works a shift in the marina bar once a week.

30:30She won't acknowledge me.

30:34Carrie's full focus is certainly on getting ready,

30:37but she does appreciate her mum, at least most of the time.

30:42She can do a lot, a hell of a lot of things.

30:44She can't make a good cup of tea and she can't cook,

30:47so they're the two things that bring different parts of the team.

30:51She just doesn't bring them.

30:55Well, I don't know if I'm doing much other than covering it in bubbles, but...

30:59Carrie shut the porthole so that she doesn't get splashback

31:02from Mum's cleaning, but she doesn't often have them open.

31:06I feel like it's just hot.

31:08In the bedroom, there's no...

31:10Obviously, it's portholes.

31:12You can see how much they open.

31:14There's no point having it open.

31:16All it does is let spiders in.

31:18No draft.

31:19It's just hot.

31:20It's hot.

31:21It's hot.

31:22It's hot.

31:23All it does is let spiders in.

31:25No draft.

31:26Just spiders.

31:27Absolutely pointless having windows, really.

31:30And Della fears it's not just a clean that Carrie wants.

31:36I reckon what she's going to say is it needs painting.

31:39That'll be my job as well.

31:41You know, because it's not cleaned off and it's not going to clean off,

31:44so she'll probably be, like, asking me to get a roller out and do that.

31:48And I probably will. Probably will.

31:50Both have settled into their new lives on the marina

31:53and the narrowboat bug is starting to catch on with those closest to them.

31:58In particular, Liam, Carrie's boyfriend.

32:01When I first met him, I would not have expected him to be who he is,

32:04like, what, because two of his mates, he's a proper lad,

32:08and then, like, he's on the back of a boat, like,

32:11and he's such an old man.

32:13Like, he'd walk round in his dressing gown,

32:15we'd have a cup of tea in bed while watching telly.

32:17He's such an old man, I'm like, this is so funny.

32:23I'd be better off with hose,

32:25but I'm not going to disturb her because it's in there.

32:28So... I'd better not.

32:31I'm done.

32:34It's a bit shinier.

32:36With the boat clean and her evening shift fast approaching,

32:40Carrie is almost done getting ready.

32:43I don't know how people would survive without a full-length mirror,

32:46like, it was worth the...

32:48I say it was worth the hard work, cos my mum's hard work.

32:51They were like, we could get a thin one.

32:53I was like, no, I need this one from my bedroom.

32:56I like this one, it's my favourite mirror.

32:58Carrie was desperate to have this particular mirror,

33:01but to install it, they had to remove the toilet tank from the wall.

33:05Cut the top and cut the bottom

33:07and then had to get it out of that door

33:09because obviously they couldn't get it through,

33:11but then it was that heavy,

33:13you had to just sit on the back of it to turn the boat round to get it off

33:16because there was no way to get it off.

33:18It was worth it all in the end.

33:21Right.

33:24I'm ready, I think, for work.

33:36And with that, she leaves just in time to make the long commute to work.

33:44This is such a drag.

33:49And things are already in full swing.

33:53You're here early.

33:56Early? Oh, that's right.

34:04It's a busy night on the marina

34:06and the pub is popular with locals and residents.

34:10Della even pops in for a drink.

34:14They've both fitted right in

34:16and been warmly embraced by the community.

34:19Carrie and Della have, yeah, definitely.

34:21Both of them, they've just fit straight in.

34:23So that's what Burton's all about.

34:33Right, I'll see you later.

34:36And after an exhausting shift, it's time for bed.

34:44CAMERA CLICKS

34:48Coming up...

34:50..Carrie finds a classy...

34:52They're amazing and I'm just glad that people keep these going.

34:56..and the Morning Star makes her debut.

34:58But will the narrowboat community approve?

35:01This is very nerve-wracking.

35:04MUSIC PLAYS

35:09On the Leeds-Liverpool Canal,

35:11eight-year-old Noah is on a video call with a classroom in Florida

35:15who contacted him via his online video blog.

35:21Anyone live in a narrowboat?

35:24He does live in a narrowboat.

35:27Do you watch his videos, his blogs?

35:30Yeah, we do, don't we? I'm glad.

35:33What's your dog's name?

35:35Oh, well, which one...

35:37Come here, which one's this one?

35:40Well, this little dog, which is by far the cutest, is named Dale.

35:46This is little Dixie.

35:49Oh, God!

35:51Noah hits the floor hard, then faces some hard-hitting questions.

35:55What is his favourite colour?

35:58Colour? Um...

36:00It's blue.

36:04That's it, Noah. Give the people what they want.

36:07After the call, it's time to get cruising.

36:10Today, Gary and Nicky are completing their journey to Salt Air,

36:14a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

36:16It was a town that was built by a gentleman called Titus Salt.

36:21He had cotton mills and he built the town to home all his employees.

36:27He gave them health care, built them their own theatres, hospitals.

36:34I can't remember the nickname.

36:36I think they were called treacle lickers,

36:38the people that lived there, or something like that.

36:40Well, treacle licking sounds delightful.

36:43While Gary captains the boat, Nicky opens the bridges.

36:46However, one type of bridge always lands her in a sticky situation.

36:50Well, this is an electric swing bridge, and it's not Nicky's favourite

36:54because we stop traffic, and you don't like it, do you?

36:56They get irate. I don't mind it.

36:59They don't like me stopping traffic. The feeling of power.

37:02As Gary wields his mighty power, a special canal and rivers trust lock key,

37:07the bridge swings open.

37:11After this, it's not long until the family reach Salt Air.

37:15Oh, look. That's it, yeah.

37:17Do you think that's part of it? Yeah.

37:19Coming round.

37:22I know if you go down there, you come to a major set of lights.

37:25If you turn left, I know Salt Air is there.

37:28And in this historic town,

37:30they also come across a special historic boat called Kennet.

37:34She's a very historic old working boat

37:38that's got a very big fan base, let's just say.

37:42But it's a beautiful boat, and it's just celebrated a birthday,

37:45and I can't remember what birthday it was.

37:47She has. I can't remember either.

37:49It's her 75th birthday.

37:52Both Nicky and I love the historic old working boats,

37:55even though Chugs is fairly modern.

37:58We prefer something like that, but I'm not mechanically minded,

38:01so if it was to break down, I'd have to call the man that can.

38:06I could just about put a plug on.

38:08Just about? I'm not very good at that.

38:13Once the family moor up, they take a closer look at Kennet,

38:17and Nicky becomes a little overwhelmed.

38:19I think what it is, I'm getting old,

38:22it's to see old working boats.

38:25They're amazing, and I'm just glad that people keep these going.

38:30Yeah.

38:32You might think I'm crazy.

38:34I'm not. I'm not.

38:36I just like to see them.

38:38I hate to see sunken ones or boats that are neglected.

38:41It's horrible.

38:43I think a lot of it is that Chugs is here.

38:45You have dreams when you're designing a boat

38:48and getting a boat built and everything else.

38:51You have dreams, and then to actually fulfil a dream,

38:55not many people get to do them.

38:57But every so often you come into a place

38:59that actually means something, that is historic,

39:02and places like this and boats like this shouldn't be forgotten.

39:06But to see Chugs moored there is quite an achievement, really.

39:09Yeah.

39:11Yeah. Yeah, it is.

39:14Are you happy? Yeah.

39:16You're better still when you get a loaf and you make a bacon sandwich.

39:19Oh, really? I'm cooking it, am I?

39:21Mm. I'd burn it.

39:23You're getting your kids off and have a walk. Yeah.

39:26Love you, babe.

39:32In the Midlands, Paul and Anthony have finally reached the Crick Boat Show.

39:37It's a really important event.

39:39It's the centrepiece for the whole year

39:41for the boating community and anybody trying to get into boating.

39:45It's the place to be that brings

39:47so much of the canal world together in one place,

39:50with 40 exhibiting boats, 200 exhibitors

39:53and 25,000 visitors over the course of this weekend.

39:56It's one of the main attractions in the boating world

39:59and it's a personal favourite of Paul and Anthony's.

40:02Wow, I can't believe the weather. I know.

40:05That ice-cream man's going to do a bomb, isn't he? Yeah.

40:08And it's the perfect chance for them to reconnect

40:11with their continuous cruise of friends.

40:13Hi, my name's Snow. Oh, yeah, yeah.

40:16How you doing? You all right? Nice to see you.

40:18How are you? Hiya, you all right? Yeah, good.

40:21It's a reunion with your friends and fellow boaters

40:24and it's just a festival atmosphere.

40:26It's great to catch up, isn't it? Yeah.

40:28Even if you don't need anything. Yeah, exactly.

40:31Even if you don't need anything for your boat,

40:33we just come for the people.

40:35But Paul and Anthony are also looking to make some purchases.

40:39I need to go and find a mooring pin and then get back to the...

40:42I'm glad you've got a deal on some mooring pins.

40:44Where did you get them? Doing two for 20 quid.

40:46Right, let's go and get a couple. See you later.

40:51Can we have two mooring pins, please?

40:54Do you take card?

40:56Sort of. Yeah, yeah.

40:58When it works. If it works.

41:06Paul and Anthony can't wait to see their finished boat.

41:10Boatbuilder Liam and his team have been working on it for 11 months

41:14and are hoping to nab the top spot as the favourite boat in show.

41:18The prize is a trophy for the boatbuilders and the kudos of winning.

41:22Their new home is not just green on the outside.

41:25It's been built with sustainability at its heart,

41:28with all electrical appliances and no gas,

41:31a compost toilet, skylights for natural light

41:34and a silent electric engine.

41:36A 23-kilowatt lithium battery charged by solar panels

41:40powers the new Morningstar.

41:42This includes the electric motor, which ensures a quiet navigation.

41:46A backup diesel generator is also on board for the winter months.

41:52This is where people vote for favourite boat in show,

41:55so fingers crossed that we do OK.

41:57We just don't want to tempt fate.

41:59People have got to make their own choices

42:01and it may not be for everybody, our boat.

42:03It's a new style of boat and some people like the traditional style of boat.

42:07There's some real contenders this year

42:09and I think a lot of boatbuilders have brought more than one boat.

42:12And it's time to find out the results.

42:14This is very nerve-wracking.

42:16Just a little bit.

42:17I thought you said you were nervous before.

42:19I wasn't until... Look at this!

42:22You nervous? Yeah, you?

42:24Yeah, I am now. I am, yeah.

42:26I didn't think I'd be nervous.

42:28I've not been this nervous since I entered a talent competition at age 12.

42:32What size am I about to announce it now?

42:34Oh, there we go.

42:36I will stress that this is favourite boat in show.

42:39It's not best.

42:40My heart's pounding.

42:42No, it's hard, isn't it?

42:45Congratulations to Beatrice.

42:47Please crown her.

42:53We can reveal.

42:54We can set the bait.

42:57Warning start.

42:58Oh!

43:03Oh, disappointed.

43:05I'm disappointed. Thank you.

43:07Having spent 11 months building it,

43:09Paul and Anthony are disappointed on behalf of their build team

43:13to come in as runners-up.

43:15We're just gutted for Liam's team, really.

43:17They've all worked so hard

43:19and everyone's been telling us it's their favourite boat in show.

43:22It does feel like we're part of the open family

43:24and it's like, yeah, we're gutted,

43:26like you would for anybody in your family.

43:30But for us, we've still got a winning boat.

43:32Yeah, definitely.

43:35Whether it's to drown their sorrows or to celebrate the silver,

43:39it's time to relax with a drink.

43:44Well, how do we feel?

43:46Do you know what?

43:47I think, considering the number of boats that were in the show,

43:50I think we did really well.

43:52At the end of the day, we've still got a beautiful boat.

43:54That's going to be our home now.

43:56I think that's going to be our forever boat, isn't it?

43:58Yeah.

43:59Cos it's just been built for us.

44:00But, yeah, I can't wait to get on board.

44:02I've done a TikTok video and I've watched it back

44:04and it's almost like looking in a house magazine, a style magazine,

44:07and thinking, that can't be our boat.

44:09And we don't know how long it's going to stay looking like that.

44:11Probably till tomorrow when we trash it, when we move our liftoff onto it.

44:14That's going to be a bit of a moment in the South

44:16because we've not packed a single item.

44:18We really need to pack.

44:19And, you know, we will miss the old boat, definitely,

44:22but I think within a couple of days

44:24we'll be just enjoying the new boat, won't we?

44:26For us, that's a winning boat.

44:28Hands down, that's a winning boat.

44:30And it's our winning boat.

44:31Yeah, yeah.

44:36Next time, the Chuggerbug family step ashore

44:39in search of steam engines and picturesque scenery.

44:42Yeah, it's breathtaking.

44:43Carrie gets her new flooring installed.

44:45Is it something you're glad you did?

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