Watery Reads. old and hot of the press

Tuesday, 07 February 2012 17:50

When we are not able to cruise I am able to devour some good books - with the jobs done on narrowboat Epiphany I can relax with my favourite pastime! Being iced in is an ideal opportunity for me to do this!

Ramlin Rose - a book about working life on the Cut

Books on the waterways are always a favourite - other peoples travels, like blogs, give an insight into how other narrowboaters use the wonderful asset we have in this country .....

Some of my favourite "watery reads" are on Epiphany, in various guises, and are kept deliberately, not "swapped", as I like to re-read them. Perhaps the most famous author for boaters is L C T Rolt (Tom Rolt), a pioneer and campaigner on our waterways. We have a lot to thank him for, including his books. 

Rolt's narrowboat books

He takes us back to a bygone age on his travels in "Cressy", both in his style of writing and his story. Anyone interested in the history of our canals and the fight to keep them open should read his books. Perhaps a very apposite choice of reading at this time of upheaval and lack of funding as BW becomes the Canal and River Trust. 

Two other well known watery authors who write about their travels are Steve Haywood and Terry Darlington. Both write amusing accounts of their adventures on narrowboat Justice and narrowboat Phyllis May, repsectively. I like a good chuckle over a book and these "did it for me". 

Steve Haywood's narrowboat books

Terry Darlington's Narrow Dog to Carcassonne (a book swap find)

One author I must mention is Mark Davies. I thoroughly enjoyed his book "Alice in Waterland" as we cruised the River Thames. He writes about the "Alice" locations and Lewis Carroll with knowledge and authority. A good read at anytime, but particularly when cruising the waters he writes about.

Alice in Waterland

Journalist David Aaronovitch writes about his canoe trip around England - this is one book I must re-read as it was a long time ago that I enjoyed his wit and experiences on "The Subtle Knife". Paddling to Jerusalem is now off the book shelf! His script writer brother Ben has also turned author with recent success, with a book based on "urban fantasy police procedurals". "Rivers of London" and its sequel "Moon over Soho" are my latest watery reads. Excellent! 

Rivers of London 

My Kindle has a couple of books on it too - so useful for carrying around, without the weight of one book, let alone hundreds! "Three Men in a Boat" was another book I read whilst on the Thames and "The History of the Canals around Birmingham" is a very useful reference book. 

Kindle book

So I have a couple of books on my wish list - both very recently published. London's Lost Rivers (Paul Talling) will contribute to my fascination with river history and "hot of the press" The Voyages of the Princess Matilda (Shane and Timothy Spall) promises to be a really entertaining read. Having watched the Spalls on TV and just missed them on the River Thames, I look forward to reading about it all.