They are a common sight on the canals and rivers of Oxfordshire: narrowboats, many of them permanently inhabited. Life aboard promises a closer connection to nature, a chance to get away from it all. For some, it is a cheaper way to acquire property. For most, it is a lifestyle they know little about.
Yet, aside from all the romantic life in nature, living on a boat comes with challenges: practically, but also politically. Boaters are a minority that struggles for representation and the fulfilment of unique needs.
Our reporter Theo Dennert visited a boater in Banbury and went aboard a narrowboat to investigate.
