Perfect house next to a canal - young child?

[Wanderfal]

Quick question really
We have found a house that ticks all of our boxes. Great size, location etc.
Just a bit concerned about the canal at the end of the garden. (Gate to towpath and hedge at the end of garden).
We have a young child

I lived ON the canal for years with my dc's, they're still alive. If you love it, go for it.

I would if I was happy I could secure the gate.

You just need to make sure there is a fence and retain a gate so that you can go through it onto the tow path. The main thing is how busy is the tow path in terms of walkers and privacy for your garden/back of the house.

Also are there mooring places and I don't know if there are any restrictions on running a generator from the boat in terms of noise of several of them doing it. I do not know much about canals, only I do watch a couple on YouTube who have a narrowboat.

In terms of safety, children need to learn the dangers of water and you would just need to be vigilant when they are playing outside. You could easily have a pretty picket fence type play area in the garden for your children enhancing safety. Watching the boats go by on a canal is lovely though.

Hi @Wanderfal - we live in exactly the kind of house you're describing and we have a 9-month old. We bought the house in the knowledge we wanted kids, so we plan to secure the fence and gate so that there's no way a toddler or young child could get through . . . but if I'm honest, I don't think I'd let my young child play unsupervised in the garden anyway, but maybe that's me being PFB

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond it is much appreciated.
As far as I could tell, there was no fence at the back of the garden. The gate seems secure but I'd make sure it was 100% so.
I think I'm being a bit PFB but I can't help it
It is beautiful. We are going to check out that area of the canal more thoroughly, but it looks nice enough so far and I haven't seen people mooring. Its so picturesque

I don’t see that it’s worse than living next year a busy road- you just make damn sure your dc can’t get out!

Our house has a stream at the bottom of the garden and we bought it when our youngest was 18 months. We had a picket fence built. A canal nearby will be lovely.

I’d be less concerned about child safety (although obviously take precautions) & more about the flood risk. Check the environment website to see what Flood zone you might fall into & flood risk. Has the house flooded before? Is it up a hill so OK etc..

I think it's extremely rare for a canal to flood, @Bol87, as the water levels are managed by the Canal & Rivers Trust. I think it's possible if the canal happens to be near a river, and the river floods into the canal; but otherwise, very unlikely.

I'd be quite concerned about rats.

I've never seen a rat, but then, we have two massive cats, so that might be why

I looked into all the possible down-sides to living beside a canal before we bought the house, as I was worried about flooding, rats (apparently less of a problem than in cities), midges (nope), smelly stagnant water (turns out it's not stagnant, it's constantly moving through the locks and stirred up by boats) etc. None of my preconceptions actually had grounds. The downside to consider might be privacy but I actually love sitting in the garden, watching the boats go by, waving to people!

We wouldn't be worried about rats - my cats have anything that gets near so used to it already!
We have been for a look around and it seems so lovely. I think we are going to put an offer in next week
Thank you all for your help.

Oh good luck!

PS Is it the Peak Forest canal? Just checking, in case we end up neighbours

It sounds lovely to me.

Is it a 'formal garden' on the edge of the canal, or hidden behind trees etc.

I'd love both in different ways!

Today, my house looks like a boat could pootle past, but it's just the boring old road with a LOT of rain. Disappointing.

If you can fence it and make it secure, then yes. But I would not move in till it is done, otherwise I would stress like crazy.
It will be lovely for you, and the children will love it once they grow up. I would love to leave by a canal. We do go walking in canals so often!

It's behind trees but there's access onto the tow path at the end of the garden.

Ouch I hope there aren't too many midges! Mind you we get them at the moment as we live near trees which seem to attract them.

@RedPandaFluff

I think it's extremely rare for a canal to flood, *@Bol87*, as the water levels are managed by the Canal & Rivers Trust. I think it's possible if the canal happens to be near a river, and the river floods into the canal; but otherwise, very unlikely.

Our local canal floods every few years when the volume of water is overwhelming, it flows over the lock gates.