Canal boat Freedom cruising in and around London currently in Broxbourne.
Fancy a canal boat named 'Freedom' - cruising in and around London currently in Broxbourne.
( I looked it up as I have never heard of this town before - Broxbourne is in Hertfordshire, England, 17.1 miles north-east of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census. It is about 1 mile north of Wormley and immediately south of Hoddesdon. The town is near the River Lea, which forms the boundary with Essex, and 4.5 miles north of the M25 motorway. )
Cruises, parties, B&B, music events, music rehearsal, yoga, reiki, self-expression, retreats. Freedom is available to hire for your own ideas.
Cruises & parties £100/hr
Max 12 passengers.
Price includes cruise, buffet/BBQ and access to all spaces. Use of grand piano, hifi, roof deck.
Bring your own alcohol.
Music rehearsal studio for soloists £25/hr including use of Yamaha C2 grand piano & bluetooth hifi.
B&B rates (single/double)
Hammock £50
Sofa bed £50/£75
Double room £75/£100
Captain's Quarters £100/£125
Includes full cooked breakfast. Vegan/vegetarian menus available.
Dinner £15
Use of grand piano, roof deck, bow deck, poop deck. Possibility of free cruise with advance bookings of 2 nights +
For pics see Airbnb: http://airbnb.com/h/freedompaddington
John Bellamy Comments: I was disappointed with the web site as it is very aimed at women - and I thought it did not show this vessell off at its best - but the facebook page is much better with tons of pictures and details and goes a long way to show this boat off in a better light. I have suggested a re vamp of the web site as this is usually the first place people will find such a holiday / social venue as it does look lovely and the thought of a musical weekend afloat with friends is a great idea... la la la la la la la
Maybe a weekend away with friends for a Karaoki weekend... mmmm now there's a thought for Steve West and myself - a weekend singing against / at each other - ha ha - a duel to the end - a 'Sing Off to the Death... ' - ha ha .. Him singing Frank Sinatra and me Barbra Streisand (well did you think I was going to say LuLu ??? )
What a lovely idea, cabins and all.
This is David - your host - cute huh ?
Facebook: Freedom Canal Studio
https://m.facebook.com/freedomcanalstudio
Instagram: @freedomcanalstudio
https://instagram.com/freedomcanalstudio
Studio Ltd. Registered Office 207 Regent St. London. Registration no. 10710711. Canal & River Trust Skippered Hotel Hire licence BW-065-007 525395 (Freedom)
Do you live on a boat ? Have you stories to share about your experiences up and down the country ? e mail your stories and let's all share the fantasy.
John: My partner and I moved to Majorca and bought a boat to live on in the main harbour. We did so for 3 years until our land legs got the better of us and we bought a flat here as well - more for the winter months when it is cold on the boat.
It is 85 feet long, sleeps a total of 8 and has all the facilities to make life comfortable, if a bit cramped - and we had great fun with holiday guests renting the boat - and while we live on it - there is room for 2 doubles - and it has helped pay the mooring fees and is wonderful not to be in a crammed hotel with screaming kids and thousands of people flocking to meals at the same time and crowding round the pool - at least we had space and we can take our time in a lesiurely fashion and when on holiday, who wants to rush. We now spend less time on the boat - just the summer season, and sopend more on land these days but then atv 68 and 52 - I fear falling and breaking something as age is a concern. Lov the Blog John, as usual. Robert. ( Majorca )
John: Lived on a barge on the Thames for a while. Colder than shit in the winter and needed a lot more insulation. Sorted that out, lit the fire, warmed the place up and it was eventually really cosy. Loved the summer months. Winter was harsh. My dog loved it - as we both did, and after my dog took her last walk - she was 15 - I sold the boat as it held too many memoiries of fun times between dog and man that cannot be repeated, so will remain forever in my mind as a great time with a loved one - my dog - and I shall always remember those days with such affection. Andrew.
John: My overpowering memory of working on the cruise ships - is the smell of BO below decks in crew accommodation. When you have thousands of crew - all crammed together below deck, body odour - sweat ( oh and the smell of Curry if a lot of the crew are from Goa ) is the dominant smell you soon get use to but is there. Crew are not allowed in passenger areas unless working, so no sitting by the pool or drinking at the bar as crew have their own areas - always below deck and always carrying that same smell everywhere. I lasted 5 years on the crusie ships before meeting a shore side lover and deciding to move to being a land based creature and not a man of the sea... That was a doizen years ago and while I miss it, judging by how badly this poandemic has hit the cruise ship industry, it's best I left when I did. David B.
