De Donkere Dog (Dutch Barge), The Shallows, Saltford, BS31 3EZ

Location: Saltford BS31 3EZ

Price: £99,995

Agent:Edwards Estate Agents, Bristol

Noteworthy features: ships wheel, floating,wood burning stove

On offer here is a dutch barge called the 'De Donkere Dog', currently situated between Bristol and Bath on the River Avon at Saltford. Dutch barges originally, as the name suggests, come from Holland and over the years several have moved across to the UK to make houseboats. The advantage is that they are generally wider than a canal boat so give you more living space but unfortunately this extra width means they are generally too big for most UK canals. In general if you want to do some travelling get a canal boat, if you want a static home chose a Dutch barge. My personal preference is for a canal boat as it would be nice to be able to move when you got bored.

De Donkere Dog is 65ft long and includes a wheelhouse cabin, bedroom, kitchen, lounge area, bathroom and a cupboard. It does have a wood burning stove as well so you have all the mod cons for a cosy retreat. The rooms are all good sizes for a boat and the good thing is that if you don't like the location you can always have it moved. Try moving a house brick by brick, much harder and probably out of most people's budget.

There is no mention in the property details about the mooring. You would need to find out if it could stay there and what the costs would be, moorings can be hard to find and expensive so buyer beware.

The other major disadvantage is that you probably wont be able to get a standard mortgage from a high street bank, you will either need the cash or be able to get an approved loan from a boat loan provider.

Location wise the current mooring is handy for Bristol or Bath right next to the main A4 which connect the two. According to a quick look on google maps there is a pub at the marina and a Tesco express just down the road.

So if you want the gentle lapping of the water and the motion of the waves to help you off to sleep this could be the boat for you. De Donkere Dog is a very noteworthy property even if it is just for the name.

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