I’ve done it for a few weeks on my grandparents boat. Very, very comfy way of life. If security is a concern just don’t moor up it the cities. Even canals in the middle of small towns are very safe just because people with brown skin seem to not know about them.
I spent most of my time on a few canals in the south west, and it is a gorgeous way to see and live our countryside. Although as you get closer to the larger cities the history of the canals becomes pretty evident: lots of industrialisation etc.
One of the nicest perks is that everybody living on the canals seems to be incredibly friendly and polite, despite the occasional elitist, the slightly more frequent junkies, and apparently pedophiles. It’s can be very /hermit/core though, especially during the months when people aren’t using their boats/ renting seasonally.
Basically just rent a boat for a week or longer, see how you like it, and head to
>>>/lit/ to pick up some decent books to read in the country.