Alice Elgie reports…
WHEN Dawn Rooney and Ben Pearson’s first child, Willow, was born, the family were living happily in Cornwall with dreams of eventually owning their own smallholding. However, with the steep increase in rural house prices and the arrival of their second child, Harley, the desire to be closer to extended family strengthened.
It wasn’t long before they made the tough decision to move back to their home area of the Midlands, but still with the dream of an off-grid life. Dawn shared: “The off-grid lifestyle has always been a goal we have strived for. However, with the way the UK system works, it’s been made nigh on impossible.”
They found a way, though, when they decided that, rather than fritter away more money on rent, they would instead create their own home on water. “We had nowhere near enough money for a house and we weren’t even sure we wanted to be tied to one place, so we started looking into other options. Ben had always wanted to live on a narrowboat and it was a chance for us to own something and not worry about the kids damaging anything!”
Putting the plan into action
Moving on to their 1989 57ft cruiser stern narrowboat Torridon, in October 2023, was a dream come true for the family, which has now grown to include kitten, Nala. “It felt amazing to finally sit on the boat and know it was ours. There was a sense of relief. Torridon is a bit rough around the edges and in desperate need of some exterior TLC, but it’s all jobs that we are slowly getting around to.” For now, the family’s priority lies on the interior and if their tenacity for creating the perfect family home on the inside is anything to go by, I’m certain the exterior won’t take much longer!
Their boat started off as a reverse layout with a mid-bedroom and they have placed a lot of focus on turning that space into the ideal place for Willow and Harley. “We took out the double bed and hand built two small beds, and moved all of their toy storage in there.” They then spent a lot of time deciding how to make the main living space work best for them and ended up removing the make-up bed in the living room to instead build a permanent bed at the bow. “We also chose not to have a sofa and instead have bought giant beanbags which have proved a huge hit with the kids!”
Future generation
It’s clear that Dawn and Ben are fully invested in keeping their kids at the forefront of this adventure, which extends not just to the spaces they are creating aboard, but also the joy of simplicity they are keen to weave into their youngsters’ childhoods.
“We want our kids to be aware of different lifestyle options and to know they don’t have to follow the conventional template that is so often engrained into us as we grow up. Living in this way also teaches certain values that we hold dear, such as having the freedom to be ourselves. Plus they’re understanding the value of hard work, even if it’s just collecting sticks for the fire!”
For now, with the children young, the family have opted to live on a marina, but their longer-term goal is to be continuous cruisers. “It’s not always easy living on a boat with young children, especially as they’re at the ages where they are craving independence. People will often see me wrestling to carry Harley off the boat because he’s decided he wants to step off like his sister and it just isn’t always safe for him! I have to have eyes everywhere.”
Dawn and Ben are aware that living full-time on the cut will definitely be more of a challenge so for now they feel very fortunate to be on the marina.
It’s still the goal they’re working towards though and with Dawn busy studying to become an infant sleep consultant, it could mean they will eventually be able to work from anywhere. “It’s in the very early stages but I’m currently completing a course with the fabulous Emily and Molly at Fox and the Moon. I’m looking forward to being able to help families with their babies/toddlers sleep without any sleep training methods and ‘cry it out’ techniques.”
With their one-year anniversary of living aboard coming up, and with so much already achieved, it’s clear this family certainly has time to perfect their off-grid dream!
Instagram: @ournarrowboatfamily
