Kaaristo, Maarja (2018) Mundane tourism mobilities on a watery leisurescape: canal boating in North West England. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University. Downloaded from: https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/620501/ Usage rights: Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Deriva- tive Works 4.0 Please cite the published version https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk Mundane tourism mobilities on a watery leisurescape: Canal boating in North West England Maarja Kaaristo PhD 2018 Mundane tourism mobilities on a watery leisurescape: Canal boating in North West England Maarja Kaaristo A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Marketing, Retail and Tourism Manchester Metropolitan University January 2018 The land says – come uphill: and water says I will. But take it slow. A workman’s ask and nothing fancy – Will you? Here’s an answer, engineered. A leisurely machine, a box of oak and stone; the mitred lock, the water’s YES. From ‘Lifted’ (2013), by Jo Bell, Canal Laureate 2013-2015 www.waterlines.org.uk 3 Abstract Mundane tourism mobilities on a watery leisurescape: Canal boating in North West England Maarja Kaaristo There are over 3,000 miles of navigable inland waterways in England and Wales, managed mainly by the Canal and River Trust, which promotes their use for various leisure activities. Canals have undergone a radical transformation in their use and purpose, from being important transport links in the 18th and 19th centuries, to largely being left derelict. During the 20th century, however, the canals have been transformed from an obsolete infrastructure into a modern leisurescape used by various individuals, groups and stakeholders. Concentrating on the canals of Northern England and Northern Wales, this thesis focuses on one of those groups on the canals who have not yet received sufficient academic attention, the holiday and leisure boaters. In order to research tourism, a temporary and mobile phenomenon, with the commitment necessary for an ethnographic research, this study develops a methodology, reflexive mobile ethnography that combines the mobilities approach and European ethnology, utilizing semi-structured interviews, participant observation and auto-ethnography for data collection. As no previous academic study has presented a comprehensive analysis of contemporary canal tourism as a lived and embodied experience, the present study extends our understanding of inland waterways tourism and mobilities. Theoretically, the study suggests studying tourism mobilities from the everyday life perspective – mundane tourism mobilities – and the data analysis shows that these are simultaneously material, embodied, temporal and convivial. A number of materialities have to come together in order to constitute mobile assemblages that make canal travel possible. These assemblages, such as boat-humans, move in the temporal canalscape, characterised by its specific – slow – tempo, but also engaging with the past in embodied ways. Furthermore, the canal temporalities are characterised by mundane socio-natural and socio-bodily rhythms, which are identified in the thesis through the rhythmanalysis of the leisure boating everyday life. The material and temporal practices of boating take place in the context of social interactions and their closer examination helps to redefine the boundaries of a canal boating community. This study therefore presents an analysis of the canal leisurescape where the human and non-human form various co-agencies and assemblages, experienced in embodied ways in the context of mundane tourism mobilities. The latter framework, as developed in this thesis, constitutes a theoretical contribution to mobilites studies by proposing to research tourism from the perspective of everyday life focusing on three key elements: time, place and practice. The work will therefore extend existing understanding of tourism mobilites, particularly in the ways in which they relate to embodied everyday life practices. 4 Acknowledgements My biggest gratitude goes to my supervisors, Dr Steven Rhoden and Dr Tim Edensor, for their unwavering support, encouragement, guidance and great discussions. I could not imagine a better supervisory team, and it has been a great pleasure and honour working with you. I would also like to thank Manchester Metropolitan University’s Department of Marketing, Retail and Tourism for the studentship that has funded this research. I am grateful to the department members for their feedback and discussions throughout my studies, especially Dr Ilze Mertena. This research could not have been done without all the boaters who have kindly welcomed me into their lives and onto their boats. I owe much to Rohan, my supervisor in everything boating and a wonderful friend. Likewise, I am forever grateful to Steve from the IWA Manchester Branch; Phil, Janet and Gordon on the NB Olympic; the IWA Manchester Branch committee, IWA members and work party volunteers; CRT employees and volunteers; FoR9; ACP volunteers and all the boaters and canal enthusiasts I have met on and near the canals. I am especially grateful to all the interviewed boaters. I would like to thank my PhD student colleagues from the former Hollings Faculty, all my friends from both the UK and Estonia and my family. And finally, thank you Chris for being there for me – aitäh! 5 Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 5 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 9 List of publications and conference presentations ................................................................................. 9 Short glossary of terms and acronyms associated with boating on the UK inland waterways ............ 10 Chapter 1. Introduction. The background and outline of the study ..................................................... 12 1.1 Context of the study: the UK canals and the people on them .................................................... 14 1.1.1 The ‘Canal Age’ ..................................................................................................................... 15 1.1.2 Passenger travel and pleasure boating on the canals until the end of the 19th century ..... 18 1.1.3 From obsolete infrastructure to modern leisurescape: canals in the 20th and 21st c. ......... 20 1.1.4 The canals in British cultural texts and public discourse ..................................................... 23 1.2 Researching inland waterways mobilities and tourism .............................................................. 29 1.3 The aim and objectives of the thesis .......................................................................................... 34 1.4 The structure of the thesis .......................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 2. Literature review. Tourism mobilities and everyday life practices ..................................... 39 2.1 Mobilities and tourism ................................................................................................................ 39 2.1.1 Mobilities research: the background ................................................................................... 40 2.1.2 New mobilities paradigm ..................................................................................................... 42 2.1.3 Tourism mobilities................................................................................................................ 48 2.2 Everyday life practices: the material, embodied and temporal ................................................. 54 2.2.1 Interacting with materialities ............................................................................................... 55 2.2.2 Embodied and sensory ways of engaging with the world ................................................... 63 2.2.3 Experiencing the temporal ................................................................................................... 73 2.3 Conclusion. Towards mundane tourism mobilities: Researching the temporal, material and embodied practices........................................................................................................................... 80 Chapter 3. Philosophical framework and methodology ....................................................................... 82 3.1 Positioning the research: Paradigm, epistemology, ontology .................................................... 82 3.1.1 Research paradigm: interpretivist approach to tourism ..................................................... 83 3.1.2 Ontological outlook: social constructionism ........................................................................ 84 3.1.3 Epistemological outlook: phenomenological anthropology ................................................ 86 3.2 Research methodology. Reflexive mobile ethnography of tourism ........................................... 88 3.2.1 The temporal and mobile field ............................................................................................