On the idyllic beautiful and serene Regents Canal, which flows next to the famous King’s Cross, you can step aboard a vessel and find a variable cornucopia of ancient and new books upon a beautiful boat. The name is well-known in the area as Word on the Water, a 1920s Dutch barge, ancient in its appearance but about as strong as Britain itself.
On the roof in the summer it has a twist of beautiful flowers, vines and even live bands sometimes performing on the roof. Not only perfect for Instagram but also the book lover. The store, which was the brainchild of Paddy Screech, Jonathan Privett, and Stephane Chaudat, has been open for nearly a decade.
Back in the day it was more of a Where’s Waldo game than anything else as it needed to bounce to and from different parts of the canal, as there are regulations about staying moored in one place. Eventually after protests and petitions the government decided to let him permanently moor there on one single spot permanently.
For every season it is the stomping grounds and a refuge for bookworms. In the winter there is a small wood-burning stove creating sense of magic and closeness; during the summer live bands will play up on the roof as onlookers listen and buy books.
Know Before You Go – The nearest station is King’s Cross St Pancras, then follow signs to the Regent’s canal. The book barge is open daily from noon to 7:00 p.m., regardless of the weather.
On your travels you never quite know what connections you will make. Sometimes they’re just absolutely random and this is one of those cases. Me and Rachael had the opportunity to volunteer in a place called Food For All – a beautiful idea where you feed anybody who needs food. I took a role as a cook manager and helped point the volunteers in the right direction. Rachael was my mental support as well as manager, cleaner and organizer. One day a well-dressed amazing woman walked in with her frizzy hair and crazy demeanour, she fit right in with the group! It turns out she’s been volunteering there for many years. Rachael started chatting with her and they eventually start talking about my bucket list, Word on Water came up and she looked dumbfounded at Rachael, saying her ex-husband owns that store. Rachael promptly ran up to me and told me and we all had a chat about it.
Eventually a few days later we ended up going there to go ride canoes down the canal. It was a beautiful date, or least so I thought – turns out Rachael has never once ridden in a small canoe so it was kind of stressful in the beginning! Eventually after an hour and a half of Rachael nervously screaming at me and giving her cute comforting kisses we eventually made it back to Word on Water. It is a beautifully warm comforting iconic scene, a boat and a bookstore put together. My home away from home. We wandered around the bookstore, I took a couple of photos and we talk to the owner. He’s the kind old man who smells of weed but hey, what do you expect. I don’t judge him! He’s a good man.
The tugboat is from the 1920s – older than anyone I know, but it is still holding up in perfect condition with a small wood fireplace, a bathroom and hipsters from all around the world wandering through the bookstore to take photos and buy books. I’m proud to say that me and Rachael got the chance to really enjoy it as we just sat down and relaxed, took some photos and had a conversation. You realize as you travel there’s so many different ways to live your life, you don’t need a regular 9-to-5, you can do whatever you want as long as you’re healthy and happy. It’s always better to help the world and I think in a way this man has his boat filled with all of these books has his life figured out better than most. He wakes up, sells books, makes people laugh and enjoys himself. I hope one day we are lucky enough to have the same thing.
Thank you so much for reading my post and I do truly hope you guys get a chance to visit this beautiful place. I love you all and I’ll see you soon.
