Boater

‘What a wonderful exploration of love and waterways – this evocative writing had populated the canals with so many more ghosts and stories – a truly enriching experience’ Robin Ince

‘A very enjoyable immersion with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide’ Tristan Gooley

‘Jo Bell beautifully captures the “other side of the map” in this compelling memoir … Boater is both a guide and a personal story that will have you pining for a day (or a year) exploring the inland waterways yourself’ Hannah Pierce

‘As a poet, archaeologist and boat dweller, Jo Bell has an insider’s knowledge and enthusiasm whether she’s delving into the giddy history of the waterways, describing fellow boaters or chronicling her own joys and heartaches as they unfold at three miles an hour on Britain’s canal system’ Jasper Winn

‘Bell is a brilliant and often very funny writer. She navigates with ease through the deeply fascinating themes of industrial archaeology, personal memoir and our country’s waterways’ Sally Coulthard

‘A vivid, illuminating account of canal history’ Stuart Maconie

‘Jo Bell steers us around a parallel country, our canal network. Keen to its history and fragile beauty, its wildlife and cast of endlessly contrary characters, she peels back the layers with precision, empathy and unfettered joy. Boater is a delicious glimpse of an alternative England that you’ll never find if you stick to the satnav’ Mike Parker

‘Boater effortlessly threads a personal narrative through the history and culture of Britain’s waterways, all of it told with the distinctive, compelling voice that has long established Bell as one of the UK’s finest poets’ Adam Farrer

‘This highly original, beautifully written account of a personal journey through England’s canal system melds love and anguish with poetry, humour and history’ Brian Groom

‘She makes life on a boat sound a tremendous adventure’ Mail on Sunday

‘Boater is one of the most entertaining and interesting canal history books in many years’ Waterways World

Jo Bell is best known as the inaugural Canal Laureate for the Canal & River Trust and as director of National Poetry Day. Originally from Sheffield and raised on the edges of the Derbyshire Peak District, her fascination with historic narrowboats ignited her passion for poetry, leading to a remarkable career that included managing a fleet of these vessels. Jo lives on her 67-foot narrowboat Tinker. Boater is Jo’s first work of non-fiction.