The UK’s canal routes are cruised by thousands of individuals daily, whether a holiday or part of the alternative living movement. But did you know there have been several celebrity sightings on the narrowboat networks?
Here are five famous faces you might bump into whilst cruising the British waterways.
1. Harrison Ford
He might not be a regular on the waterways, but Hollywood veteran Harrison Ford has definitely become a canal holiday enthusiast.
His first trip was a cruise in a narrowboat named Calista along the scenic Llangollen Canal, a picturesque route that crosses the boarder between England and Wales. Since then, there’s been an upsurge in enquiries to hire the narrowboat for holidays.
It seems narrowboat vacations have an added benefit for stars, the British waterways offer the perfect escape from the public eye for high profile celebrities.
This is what Harrison Ford enjoys most about narrowboat life. He revealed he loves how under the radar it is. “Hiring a narrowboat is good fun and about as low profile as you can get. We just chug slowly along and I never get a flicker from anyone, nothing at all. Whoopee! Sometimes it does you a lot of good to live the quiet life and to have everything slow down for a while” (The Express).
2. Prunella Scales and Timothy West
Starring in Channel 4’s Great Canal Journeys, Faulty Towers actress Prunella Scales and her award-winning actor husband Timothy West have always loved the water, particularly the UK’s canals. The inseparable pair have even said their canal cruises have helped Prunella cope with her dementia diagnosis.
According to Timothy West in their book based on the TV show, the couple’s canal love story began at The Kennet and Avon canal, an 87-mile waterway in Southern England that passes through Wiltshire and the rolling Cotswolds.
“This was our first love and we were very much involved when it was being reclaimed. Visually it has the amazing Caen Hill flight of 16 locks in a staircase, which is quite extraordinary, as well as aqueducts and 200-year-old pumping stations.”
He continued, revealing the couple were even involved in the canal’s restoration programme in the 1980s: “we did a bit to help with its restoration. We knew more about it and we’ve lived and worked in various places along its route. It leads to Bristol, my home town, and is a very beautiful canal”.
3. Keira Knightley
Pirates of the Caribbean and Bend It Like Beckham actress Keira Knightley, alongside her then partner Rupert Friend, chose to rent and live on a canal boat in London’s East End for several months.
She used the houseboat as a summer hideaway to spend time exploring the tranquil Regent’s Canal, in the Hoxton area of the capital. It was said the couple spent most of their time “brewing pots of tea” while cruising on the canal. Those looking to live on a boat either long term or for a few months should research residential boat mooring to see what’s available..
4. John Craven
Former Countryfile and Newsround presenter John Craven spent his childhood visiting the Bingley 5 Rise Locks, a set of staircase locks on the Leeds and Liverpool canal.
As an older gentleman he still enjoys exploring the British waterways on various narrowboats and even boast being a friend of the Canal and River Trust!
5. Timothy Spall
Renowned for his role as Peter Pettigrew (or Wormtail) in the highly successful Harry Potter film franchise, actor Timothy Spall is a British waterways fanatic. The actor bought his first narrowboat in 1997, and went on to spend the next eight years cruising Britain’s stunning rivers and canals
Spall has since switched his narrowboat for a larger barge named Princess Matilda, but he claims that his years spent navigating Britain’s canals in his narrowboat helped him overcome a battle with leukaemia; demonstrating the health benefits of life afloat.
It’s clear the lifestyles of the rich and famous sometimes include cruising on the tranquil and beautiful British waterways. Have you spotted anyone famous while exploring the rivers and canals of the UK?
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