Tales from the Tillerman

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What to expect

‘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.

Critics Review

  • 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

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