What life is like during lockdown for a couple living on a 57-foot boat in the UK
- Annemarie Uren and Kath Hopkins have lived on a narrowboat for four years, traveling through the UK's canal system.
- The coronavirus pandemic has put the couple's journey on hold.
- Besides their kitchen being packed with food, the couple told Insider life hasn't changed too much since the UK went into lockdown.
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Life on a boat isn't much different for Annemarie Uren during quarantine, except for the fact that she's run out of places to store kitty litter.
Uren and Kath Hopkins live on a narrowboat, which is a long, thin boat built for navigating canals. The couple moved onto the boat in 2016 and have been traveling through the UK's canal system.
"We both get itchy feet really quickly, and we wanted to work together," Uren told Insider. "We don't like spending time apart, which is disgusting, I know, but we just really wanted the freedom."
Their continental cruises have taken them to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales and through many of England's small towns.
But then the UK announced a lockdown, putting their journey on hold.
Uren and Hopkins are currently stationed in a five-mile stretch south of Birmingham, England.
The couple describes themselves as introverts, so life inside the boat hasn't changed much since the lockdown started
They spend their days working, where Uren paints and Hopkins manages the administration for their art business, they read, and play with their two cats, Alica and Munchy.
When they first heard about the coronavirus, it was far away in China and didn't seem like an immediate concern.
"The thing that really stressed us was the thought of getting food because the boat can only hold so much," Uren said.
Inside their boat, there's a mini-fridge, a few cupboards for storage, and that's about it.
The other problem is that two people can only carry so much. Without a car, the couple typically walks to the grocery store every few days and carries the food back to the boat.
The timing worked in their favor. They had been visiting family over the holiday and had rented a car, so on their way back to their boat, they stopped at a grocery store and stocked up.
They purchased soup, almond flour, chickpeas, nine rolls of toilet paper, and 14 boxes of cat food.
"The cupboards have never been so full," Uren said.
With such small living spaces, they typically grocery shop every few days. Now they've limited their trips to once a week or once every two weeks.
The other biggest change has been traveling. Narrowboats are slow-moving boats. The couple isn't covering vast distances, and they might only travel a few miles in a day, but they're never in the same place for long.
Continental cruisers are required to move their boat at least every two weeks and have to travel a certain number of miles. If not, boaters can be fined.
Many of those rules have been temporarily lifted, and the couple has decided to remain in a five-mile stretch between two water stations where they can refill their freshwater tanks.
'Unfortunately, when you're used to living quite a free life, being told that you have to stay in one spot is completely different for us,' Uren told Insider
So they've learned to enjoy the little things.
Over the course of five weeks, they've watched ducklings grow up, herons dive for food, and seasons change.
"We're deciding to just go, 'Wow, what a gift,'" Uren said. "This is actually just a real gift to be kind of locked down on nature and observing everything and trying to stay positive about it as well."
The couple is used to living a simple life
After living on a boat for four years, you get used to it, Uren explained.
Uren, who is originally from Australia, had never been on a narrowboat until she moved to London.
Hopkins and her Welsh family grew up vacationing on the canals in the UK. When the couple was exploring affordable, lengthy holidays, narrowboats seemed like the best option.
They vacationed on a narrowboat, and Uren was hooked. They saved up to buy their own, and in 2016, they made the transition to living on a narrowboat full-time.
"We had to really simplify our life to fit on a boat," Uren said.
They no longer buy frivolous things. Each purchase needs use and needs a place they can store it.
But their lifestyle has catered to life in lockdown, Uren explained.
Uren and Hopkins have heard officials saying, "If your life is the same during the lockdown, you're probably doing something wrong."
They don't see it that way. They embrace the quote and their simple lifestyle.
"Our life is very similar to how it was," she said. "The only extra thing that is different is a little bit of extra stress, and we can't kind of go out to the pub, we can't go to the cafe."
For now, they've focused on slowing life down and being grateful for what they have.
"I think, if anything, it's going to prepare us to be a little bit more resilient," Uren said. "Hopefully we can hold onto the gratitude for as long as possible after lockdown down."
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