You might know the chap from Canal Boat Diaries, Robbie Cumming also known as Robbie Cummins. Is Robbie Cummins married? That is what people are wondering about the bloke who lives on a narrowboat and films himself doing it for the BBC. Short answer: not that we know of. But there’s a little more to it than that.
Canal Boat Diaries is a vlog-style show on the BBC in which he putters about on British canals aboard his narrowboat, named the Naughty Lass. He started doing it in 2019, and the show is now in its sixth series. They watch him deal with broken propellers, frozen canals and the usual chaos that comes with living in 42 feet of rusty metal.
The Girlfriend That May or May Not Still Be Around
Back in 2022, Great British Life ran a piece saying Robbie had a girlfriend called Alice. They had photos and everything. But that was three years ago now. Since then? Nothing. No wedding posts. No engagement announcements. Not even a hint on his Instagram.
He’s got about 27,000 followers on Instagram and over 50,000 on YouTube. Posts regularly about canals, pub reviews, and his music. But relationship updates? Zero. Either he’s single, or he’s deliberately keeping that part private. Both make sense when you think about it.
In 2020, he tweeted something about leaving the boat to be with his girlfriend and her daughter. That’s all anyone knows. Whether they’re still together or whether there’s been anyone since, it’s all guessing. The man’s entitled to his privacy.
Why Robbie Cumming Canal Life Makes Relationships Tricky
Robbie grew up in Dorset, moved to London in his early 30s, and couldn’t afford a flat. A mate offered to let him look after a narrowboat over winter. That temporary thing became permanent. He’s been living on the Naughty Lass ever since.
Living on a narrowboat’s not exactly romantic comedy material. It’s cold. Things break constantly. You have to keep moving because continuous cruising is cheaper than marina fees. The toilet’s basically in the bedroom. Where do you even take someone on a date? Your tiny floating metal tube?
Try maintaining a relationship when you’re moving every few weeks, your home’s always damp, and your shower’s the size of a phone box. Not impossible, but definitely complicated.
What He Actually Makes
People always ask about Robbie Cumming’s income per month because they want to know how anyone makes money living on a boat and filming it.
YouTube earnings calculators reckon his channel makes about £125 a month from ads. That’s it. Not exactly a fortune. The BBC pays him for Canal Boat Diaries, but nobody knows how much. He’s released three music albums, synth folk stuff he records on the boat using just his guitar and GarageBand. They’re on Spotify and iTunes.
The decent money probably comes from his live shows. Canal Boat Stories, he calls them. Goes around to venues telling stories about life on the canals, showing clips, and playing music. Tickets are about £20. He’s booked through David Foster Management, so it’s properly organised now.
Plus Patreon, maybe some merch sales, and the odd sponsorship deal. But he’s not loaded. The show itself talks about his “small income”. That’s the whole point of boat life, though. London rent would destroy him financially. The boat costs way less, even with constant repairs.
The Show That Made Him Known
Canal Boat Diaries started in 2019. Series six came out in 2024. That’s six series in five years. Started on BBC Four, moved to BBC Two, and now it’s on Yesterday and UKTV Play.
The format’s dead simple. Robbie films himself cruising British canals, stopping at pubs, fixing mechanical disasters, meeting random people, and checking out old industrial sites. Films most of it on his phone. Edits some on the boat. All the music’s his own. Proper DIY telly.
Americans love it, apparently. Loads of comments from Yanks saying how peaceful it is. They don’t have narrowboats as we do. The whole concept’s foreign to them. The show’s got this slow quality that works. Four miles an hour maximum. Can’t rush canal life.
Robbie Cumming, canal boater, isn’t doing anything fancy. Just filming his actual life. That’s why it works. He’s natural on camera. Not performing. When things go wrong, he shows it. When he’s knackered, you can tell. Most people on telly are acting all the time. Robbie just exists.
The Podcast Nobody Expected
In 2024 and 2025, he started a podcast going behind the scenes of each episode. Talks about what was really happening when they filmed. The challenges, funny bits that got cut, and what he was actually thinking when things went wrong. It’s on all the usual platforms, with new episodes every fortnight.
People who already watch the show seem to like having that extra layer. Knowing what was happening off-camera. The bits that didn’t make the final cut. It’s like a director’s commentary but for a bloke on a boat.
The Lonely Bit
Living on a narrowboat can be isolating. You meet people, you have a pint, and then you’re gone. It becomes difficult to develop any lasting connections that way.” And it’s even more challenging to make a romantic relationship work when you never stay in one place.
Or maybe Robbie’s single and good with it. Maybe he’s seeing someone and keeping it quiet. Maybe he tried the relationship thing and decided boat life works better solo. Nobody really knows. It’s his business.
The Naughty Lass is his all and has been for years. Named for a craft in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The name makes people smile. That’s the point.
He avoids tourist hotspots. Doesn’t fancy mooring in York, where everyone else goes. Prefers quieter stretches most people ignore. That’s where interesting stuff happens anyway.
What Actually Matters Here
The whole ‘Is Robbie Cummins married?’ question comes up because people feel like they know him. That happens when you film your life. Strangers see you at your best and worst. They start caring about your personal stuff.
But here’s the reality. Robbie’s living on a narrowboat, making telly about it, composing music in his spare time, and somehow making it all work financially. That’s the actual story. Whether he’s got a girlfriend or wife or whatever doesn’t really change any of that.
The man’s doing what loads of people dream about but never actually do. Yeah, his home breaks down. Yeah, he’s not making loads of money. Yeah, relationship stuff’s probably complicated. But he’s living on his own terms. That matters more than his relationship status.
If you want to know more about his life, the show’s still out there. Series six is streaming now. The podcast’s everywhere. Maybe you’ll spot him on a canal somewhere, boat chugging along at four miles an hour, guitar in hand. Just maybe don’t ask about his love life. That’s the one thing he’d rather keep to himself.
