Tales from the Tillerman: A Life-long Love Affair with Britain's Waterways

Description

'Haywood imprints his inimitable humour on his descriptions of the people and places he meets along the way.' BBC Countryfile magazine 'He conjures up a picture of a different world, filled with interesting and eccentric people. A cross-section of the best of middle England, in fact.' The Oxford Times Steve Haywood has been cruising the inland waterways for fifty years, and has amassed a following of readers keen to hear about his travelling tales on Britain's beautiful canals and rivers. His previously published books - Narrowboat Dreams, One Man and a Narrowboat, Too Narrow to Swing a Cat and Narrowboat Nomads - have all been hugely enjoyed by those with a desire for a narrowboat narrative told in Steve's witty, charming style. Tales from the Tillerman is Steve's tribute to Britain's canals, rivers and countryside and a celebration of Britishness in all its eccentric glory. Unlike Steve's previous titles, which have each focussed on one particular journey that Steve has taken, Tales from the Tillerman is casting the net wider and drawing from his full fifty years of experience, recounting the many hair-raising escapades he's had up and down the country and reflecting on how the country and the cruising landscape has changed in those fifty years. Anecdotes and light-hearted rants aplenty, mixed with some tall tales and a smattering of the nostalgic, in Tales from the Tillerman you'll be thoroughly entertained as a middle-aged man (oh, go on then, an old one) reflects on his long love affair with boats and waterways, contemplating their importance to his life and how they've changed it.

Steve Haywood is a writer, journalist and filmmaker. He's author of four previous waterways books - and a Harper Collins Crime Club novel. Previously a producer on BBC's Newsnight and Panorama, in 1999 he was awarded a Royal Television Society award for his contribution to specialist journalism. He's been a devoted inland waterways narrowboater for fifty years and has written a monthly column for the magazine Canal Boat for more than ten years.

With his acerbic, dry humour, Steve relates various brushes with other canal users, officialdom and extreme weather in amusing or alarming circumstances. Through it all, he paints a picture of a rapidly changing 'Middle England' and its frustrated populace... compelling reading not only for its wealth of fascinating history and entertaining anecdotes but also for its perceptive insight into a nation caught in turmoil. * Towpath Talk * For a spot of armchair escapism, we recommend losing yourself in Tales from the Tillerman: A Life-long Love Affair with Britain's Waterways, by waterman Steve Haywood, who urges readers to explore the waterways on their doorsteps. * The Daily Telegraph * Compelling reading not only for its wealth of fascinating history and entertaining anecdotes but also for its perceptive insight into a nation caught in turmoil. * Towpath Talk * A warm, nostalgic celebration of a lifestyle, an island and its often eccentric inhabitants. * Wanderlust * This book is a perfect read for anyone with a desire to explore more of the UK's river and canal network. * Practical Boat Owner * Steve recounts his adventures with humour, lots of local information, history and anecdotes * Practical Boat Owner * Haywood is always entertaining, and fans of his previous books certainly won't be disappointed with this new offering An accomplished writer... Mr Haywood is always entertaining, and fans of his previous books certainly won't be disappointed with this new offering. -- James Francis Fox * Waterways World * A charming history of Britain's inland waterways... nothing short of a love letter to our heritage in all its eccentric glory. * Bury and West Suffolk Magazine * A charming, witty tribute to Britain's canals, rivers and countryside - one that will have you itching to explore the waterways yourself. * Lifeboat Magazine * Steve Haywood combines a history of Britain's canals with 50 years of anecdotes and lively rants about his own water escapades and the changes in the cruising landscape he has encountered along the way. * The Observer *