Finding calmer waters in the new year

12 years ago, Dave was an ex-pat living and working in Tenerife with his beloved wife, Sue. Then, everything changed. Sue tragically passed, and Dave found himself back in the UK, alone, grieving, and virtually penniless.

“I had a suitcase and a camera,” Dave recalls. “I was depressed, I didn’t have a job, and I was sleeping rough on friends’ couches. Then, one morning, I woke up in hospital after taking an overdose.”

It was a challenging time and Dave knew things had to change. By chance, a friend spotted a job opportunity in the local newspaper – a part-time fundraising role with our charity.

“I was working in the northwest, mainly on the Macclesfield and Upper Peak Forest canals,” he says, “and I just fell in love with the nature and the wildlife. I’d never really had a connection with canals, and here I was, after everything I’d been through, next to the still, calm water, feeling that peace and tranquillity.”

At the time, Dave was still, as he puts it, “couch surfing”, and decided he needed a place of his own. “The answer was staring me in the face,” he says. “I’d got to know all the boaters, and they told me that living aboard was a wonderful life – a great escape from the hustle and bustle, while still having the support of the boating community.”

Dave took the plunge, and he’s never looked back. “It literally saved my life,” he tells us. “Because I’m still here, seven years on, living on a narrowboat – it turned my life around.”

Shortly after, Dave, a keen photographer, decided to start his own vlog, chronicling his life on the water and sharing his love of the outdoors. “The canal system is like a huge national park running right through the heart of the country,” he says. “I can spend hours sitting on the roof of my boat, admiring the nature and wildlife all around me, particularly on those calm, still mornings, with the mist on the canal and the sunrise perfectly reflected in the water. That’s my entertainment; that’s my healing. I wanted to share that feeling with my viewers.”

Dave left the Trust during the pandemic and now makes a modest living from his vlog, with tens of thousands of subscribers following his journey across social media. “I love what I do,” he says. “I don’t think the key to life is necessarily having lots of money and possessions; it’s about being rich in the heart, and that’s the message I try to convey in my videos.”

Dave’s inspiring story is set to feature in an upcoming episode of Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild. As he explains, it was an immensely rewarding, if sometimes sombre, experience.

“I was so emotional during filming; it was fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it brought a lot of feelings to the surface – memories of losing Sue and everything I’ve been through since. But it was really cathartic – it’s made me feel better and stronger, more confident that I can go out there in the world and succeed.”

The show, which airs on Channel 5, celebrates people who shun modern comforts and embrace an alternative way of living. “The canal system is one of the few places you can be truly nomadic and live off-grid,” says Dave. “And, for me, being a continuous cruiser, moving up and down the canal every few weeks, is perfect.”

Dave may have found his place in the world, but living aboard, particularly in winter, has its challenges. “There are tough times,” he admits. “I’ve had to move my boat and fetch supplies in a blizzard; I’ve been frozen in, trapped and isolated. But it’s all part of life on the canal; there’s a lovely supportive boating community, and the beauty, peace, and tranquillity far outweigh any negatives.”

Dave’s episode of Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild hits our screens in 2026 (date to be confirmed). In the meantime, you can follow his remarkable journey, it’s the perfect way to remind yourself of the healing power of nature and the calm that can be found on our canals.