Living on canal ‘is a joy’

Opening the windows to swans, fish and flowing water is not an experience available to most city dwellers.

But for Fiona McIntyre, 54, a freelance writer and editor who has lived in her boat for seven years and is currently moored near Lower Gilmore Place, it’s a daily occurrence.

“You’re just close to nature on a boat,” she says. “You have all the animals – the fish and ducks – and it’s a nice community here.

“You get to know all the people living along the canal.

“On a nice day, I might open all the hatches to let daylight in, but then most of the things I’ll do will be what everyone else does.

“I wouldn’t say there are any major downsides. It’s a joy really.”