Living Aboard

Every so often someone is featured as "getting away from it all" and living aboard a narrowboat. I hope they're not disappointed.
Narrowboats are, to state the obvious, narrow. Uncomfortably so.
They have toilets that need emptying, or storage tanks to be pumped out. Both of these require access to the appropriate facilities, listed in canal guides as "Elsan disposal" and "Pump out" respectively. Elsan (or whichever make of chemical toilet you have) is aptly nicknamed "bucket and chuck it" so don't wear your best suit when pouring the gunge down the approved receptacle. Pumping out by a boatyard costs money.
You'll have to sacrifice a lot of possessions because of the lack of room.
If you can't find a mooring, don't buy a boat. The standard private licence permits cruising 365 days a year but you have to state where your mooring is and the authorities do check. If you wish to cruise without a fixed mooring, British Waterways will let you have a higher-priced licence for what's known as "continuous cruising."
('But you just said the standard licence permits 365 day cruising!') Yes and you still have to pay for a permanent mooring even if you're only there one day a year, or get the higher-priced licence. Continuous cruisers need not move every single day but if you remain in one spot too long some official will remind you of the small print in the terms and conditions.