Argy-Bargy

Hunter Davies has done lots of daft things in his long-legged life, but buying an ancient barge as an octogenarian possibly ranks as the maddest of all. The barge is a whopper, 30 metres long, a Dutch Barge, built in 1899, once used for carrying grain along the canals of Holland and Belgium. It has long been converted into a modern and comfortable living space, but still has the original wheel house and ancient crane for lifting goods off and on. He bought it on an impulse, with the view to enjoying an adventure with his partner, Miranda, but what has followed has been more than an experience, it has been a journey of vast ups and downs and a whole a new way of life, with new people and customs, about which he previously knew nothing. This is the story of their first year on the barge.