Tuesday 27 July 2010

From Cogenhoe River Nene to Stoke Bruerne, Grand Union Canal

We made very good progress yesterday, 23 locks! Another day with virtually no rain, and none as we left Northampton and rose the 16 locks to Gayton Junction. Rather shallow pounds, but with a couple of narrowboats on our tail, we were very motivated, and they would have welcomed the extra water we flushed down.

A very noisy night at Gayton, with constant traffic and trains racing by - how envious are we!

Blisworth Tunnel, 1.75 miles long was its usual wet experience. No need to water the boat flowers today, the tunnel did it more than adequately.

Drizzle at Stoke Bruerne, but lucky to find a mooring for the day. Despite some quite unusually persistent rain there were many people ambling around the locks and musem area. After a Boaters Baguette in The Boat, we watched surprisingly few boats on the move. The usual gongoozler faction was present, and as always, it is so alarming to see young children allowed to run and peer over the lock edge completely unrestrained. Ugh!

Sunday 25 July 2010

From Thrapston to Cogenhoe, River Nene

Tonight is our final mooring on the river Nene, having spent 7 weeks away from canals, we feel we have given fenland a good going over for a while, and it is time to get back to the system. Today, we have been sorely tried with weed, especially above Wellingborough. Our pictures show some of the conditions we had to make our way through - it's all very well cutting the weed but it needs to be raked out and onto the bank. Some small cruisers spent more than an hour trying to get their outboards cleaned off and make progress through the fibrous roots and pea green soup. The lock gates opened sufficiently wide for us to get through.

Our last evening is at Cogenhoe, where we have moored before. We are alongside a quiet site of summer cabins, that look so idyllicly situated beside the river.

Friday 25 July 2010

From Ferry Meadows Country Park, to Thrapston, River Nene

We had a leisurely departure from Ferry Meadows, after a walk to the nearby village of Cherry Orton. A day that threatened to rain from the start, and it sure did just as soon as we moved off our lunch stop, under Wansford Station where we had been the afternoon before.

It was shower after shower through the afternoon, until we reached one of our favourite moorings on the Nene, at Fotheringhay. Since our last visit, a windsock has appeared in the farmers field. He says he hasn't acquired a helicopter, but why else would one fly a windsock, we wondered.

Today, we made a determined effort to get away earlier and were moving before 9am, as there were 9 locks and about 15 miles to do to get to Thrapston. Some of those locks were manual, requiring many turns of the wheel to lower and raise the guillotine gates. So that, plus an hours walk around Thrapston, will mean a good nights sleep ahead.

Wednesday 21 July 2010

From Denver Sluice, River Great Ouse, to Ferry Meadows, River Nene

Since our 'day off' on Sunday spent at Denver Sluice, we have made up for lost time and put our skates on. We had a long wait on Monday for the right moment of the tide, to leave Denver and go along the short tidal stretch to Salters Lode, which required a 45 degree left turn across the outgoing tide into the lock to return us to the middle level. All went well, and we moored with some Norwegians aboard a hire boat, at Outwell. These people were on their first trip, and so had our days adventure, ahead, in reverse. Totally charming people, whose English was faultless and who had no idea of what was ahead!

Early on Tuesday morning, we left Outwell and Upwell, where the villages are sliced down the middle by the river, and out onto the middle level, some stretches of which are just long straight, narrow lengths of water, where you see no one, no boats, no walkers, just acres of flat, cultivated land, often with wind turbines.

Our aim was to moor for the evening at Whittlesey, where we knew there was a jetty, which left a short journey tomorrow, on to Stanground Sluice before Peterborough. All was well, a space was there and we felt a sigh of relief, but it was not too long before narrowboat 'Benji' appeared, also seeking a mooring and we invited them to tie alongside. Soon the wine and beer was flowing, and we were sharing an Indian takeaway and swapping boating tales, with our new neighbours, Julian and Lynne.

So, today, as per our prebooked passage up Stanground Lock from the Middle level, we made our way back onto the River Nene and down into Peterborough. (The lady lock keeper at Stanground Sluice told us that she was the third generation of lock keeper, and had been born at that lock house.)

After using the waterside Asda with access gates exclusively for boaters, we made our way down the Nene to Ferry Meadows Country Park, that has a few boat moorings inside its grounds. The Nene Valley Railway has a station at Ferry Meadows and so we took the train (diesel unfortunately), to Wansford where there was a huge array of engines, and mail coaches, and lots of good intentions for the volunteers to work on, including Thomas having a facelift. A good trip, following the Nene in places, and we will be going under some of the rail route tomorrow.

Saturday 17 July 2010

Brandon Creek, Little River Ouse to West bank, Denver Sluice, River Great Ouse

A wise decision today to set off quite early, in reasonable decent conditions, because the weather certainly deteriorated this afternoon.

We were keen to secure a mooring near Denver sluice as we are meeting some VIP's for lunch tomorrow at Jenyns Inn. A fast run (5mph!) back along the River Great Ouse, and mooring just where we had planned. A short walk to the Denver sluice lock and we saw the queue of boats patiently waiting for the time the outgoing tide would allow them to travel the short tidal stretch down to Salters Lode. The wind is still blowing so we are glad we are not doing this bit today. As the levels dropped, an island of sludge started to reveal itself, which eventually became a huge slab of mud, mid stream. We watched a few craft make their sharp right hand turn out of Salters Lode and down toward us at Denver, and a few others going down stream until the skies went black and it poured down, so a mad dash back to the boat.

Look forward to a good day tomorrow, but the engine will be having a day off!

Friday 16 July 2010

From Wicken Fen onto Ely, and then right turn down to Brandon, along Little River Ouse

We like Ely and so considered ourselves fortunate to find a mooring there, even though it was alongside the canada goose and duck roosting area. After a wet and windy night the duck muck was well and truly stuck to the side of the boat!

Today we have strayed into Suffolk, having moved off the River Great Ouse, quite deliberately, and onto the Little River Ouse to get down to Brandon. Our passage today was a great deal easier than yesterday, although the wind still tried to dictate progress. The conditions yesterday were so unpleasant that we stopped at lunchtime and gave in to the strong wind and driving rain. Within minutes of mooring up, several cruisers also wrestled with ropes and tied up for the day.

The reason why we have made a a point of going down to Brandon is that it is the most eastern point of the inland

waterway system of the UK. Had the lock at Brandon not been so short, we would gone on further.

The Little River Ouse was not so little, quiet wide infact, but had some odd craft moored along the way, and passed through some very remote rural fenland stretches. On reaching Brandon, there was a short EA jetty below the lock. Fortunately, the 2 narrow boats already there were just about to move away, and so we shortly had the mooring to ourselves. After a speedy visit to Brandon for supplies, we decided to start our return back down to the Little River Ouse, and this proved to be a sound decision as we encountered some other boats making their way down to Brandon and we knew there was insufficient space for all of them to moor there.

We battled for almost 2 hours against the head wind back to the GBOA mooring spot. We might have been the first there, but it was not long before the mooring space was full. So, a good day, with objective achieved, but we feel this is a once in a lifetime visit to Brandon, by water.

Wednesday 13 July 2010

From Waterbeach to Wicken Fen

After a quick shopping trip into Waterbeach we set off back towards the Five miles from Anywhere Pub and turned right towards Reach Lode Lock. We assumed the lock would be about the same length as the locks that we have been used to on the Ouse and Cam. However on entering the lock we soon hit the top guillotine gate as the lock was only a couple of feet longer than the boat!

Once through the lock into Reach Lode we soon turned right under a "Cock-up" bridge (no idea!!) into the very very narrow Wicken Lode. For over a mile we squeezed between the reeds hoping that no-one would come the other way.

We were lucky and there was enough space for us at the GOBA mooring at the end. Wicken Fen is one of the oldest National Trust sites and to save £11 entry fee we spent £79 for a years subscription. A wonderful area of original fenland scenery complete with an original timber wind-pump.

Monday 12 July 2010

From St Ives, River Great Ouse to Ely to The Five Mile From Anywhere Inn, to Cambridge and back to Waterbeach, River Cam

Since our last blog we have spent another very enjoyable day in Ely, where we came across a folk festival and 10th celebration of their farmers market. A hot sunny day, lots and lots of people enjoying many of the visiting morris dance teams, some with very young dancers enthusiastically performing in uncomfortable outfits and clogs along the cobbled streets.

There was also a beer festival in the town, and we had feared a rowdy evening ahead, as we were moored on the water front, but amazingly all good clean fun, and no real noise beyond 11pmish and no glasses or litter around the next day. Good old Ely again.

We then moved back down the Ouse and on to the river Cam, heading for Cambridge. We are now under the auspices of the Cam Conservancy. At lunchtime and this is true, we couldn't find a mooring other than outside the 'Five Mile From Anywhere Pub' where the smell of Sunday lunch cooking was wafting down to the pub jetty! So, what else could we do but tie up and enjoy lunch in their riverside garden area. Lo and behold a band then set up in the garden, and we went on to enjoy music in the sunshine until the late afternoon, and lots of families stayed to listen too, and watch passing boats, some in sail. It was therefore sensible to stay on the pub moorings for the night.

Today was overcast, and try as it may to rain, nothing, though we see from the weather reports that heavy downpours did fall all around today, but not on us as we made our way down to Cambridge. The university college boathouses were an attractive feature as we moved into Cambridge, but most of the towpath moorings are for permit holders only, and whilst we expected that the visitor moorings at the end of the navigation, below Jesus lock , would be difficult, we hadn't expected the uninviting and unattractive situation that we found. No space for visiting boats, winos on the bank, and not an area we would have felt comfortable about leaving the boat, even in daylight. So we had lunch partly moored on the water point until another boat turned up, and then moved away feeling very disappointed at not being able to get into the town.

This evening we are moored alongside at Waterbeach, alongside a nature reserve - that's more like it!

Friday 9 July 2010

From St Ives to Aldreth High Bridge, River Great Ouse (Old West River)

Too hot! yes, scorchio today! Had to moor up and hide inside the boat.

After a brief stop this morning in tidy St Ives, using the town moorings we found along a short channel off the main river, we moved on downstream. We were keeping a sharp look out for the seal we had seen on the way a couple of weeks ago. As we moved into the tidal section between Brownshill Staunch and Hermitage Lock (manned), it became very clear that the water level has dropped quite a bit as the banks are exposed, and lo and behold there was the seal sunbathing on the bank with her pup this time. Surprising to see the golden skin colour of the adult.

We moved on down stream, beyond the tidal stretch and put up with the heat as long as we could into the mid afternoon, and then found a mooring.

Perhaps the lighthearted moment of the day was looking down on a frog frantically swimming with lovely leg movements - not worth catching to eat - no fleshy thighs!

Thursday 8 July 2010

From St Neots to St Ives, River Great Ouse

Today began with a disappointing grey and overcast morning, but we are not fairweather sailors! Our first lock at Godmanchester, on the outskirts of Huntingdon, has a lockside remote camera, recording all that is occurring, so we behaved accordingly and waved!

The skies did lift and by the time we reached Huntingdon, and moored for a quick visit, all was bright. The town was another very quiet and tidy with attractive flowers and that cared for feeling. Then as we departed from Huntingdon the two fishermen we have been shadowing in their small cruiser appeared, apparently the fish are being rather elusive. We also saw some people enjoying the game of boule, serious stuff measuring the nearest score - are we in France?

At the next lock we found we were, unusually, sharing the lock with a few others, as our picture shows. The old fashioned wooden boat is almost 50 years old and so the owners were naturally being very careful moving her in and out of the lock.

We lunched at Hemingford Grey, where a regatta is due to take place on Saturday - children rowing and an intervillage tug of war across the water. We recall seeing some light hearted rowing practice when we moored here a couple of weeks ago.

Our mooring this evening is alongside a grassy bank just upstream from St Ives, all alone, apart from the occasional rower or passing cruiser. The view up river is just perfect in the sun.

Wednesday 7 July 2010

From St Neots to Brampton Mill, River Great Ouse

We have continued our journey back downstream after a quick shopping halt at Waitrose in St Neots. Amazingly their system gave us a 50p refund of a car park ticket!!!

We passed back through the enormous lock north of St Neots and headed downstream hoping the rain would hold off, and fortunately it did.

After publishing yesterdays blog we saw this dragon boat go charging up and down the river.

We have moored for the evening at the GOBA moorings at Brampton Mill, a wonderful old watermill and associated buildings that have been converted into a pub and restaurant.

We forgot to say that we saw the Red Arrows fly over the river yesterday, obviously on their way to somewhere and not performing or practicing.

We are moored on the edge of Port Holme Meadow, believed to be one of the biggest common meadows in Britain, with it's common land status going back to King John.

Tuesday 6 July 2010

From Priory Marina, Bedford to St Neots, River Great Ouse

Another good start to the day, blue sky and serene water as we departed from Priory Marina. We are making good progress going downstream, and soon find ourselves back at Castle Mills lock, where there are still workmen clearing up and finishing lock gate painting. Today, we were helped with lock filling, but 10am tea break meant that we were then on our own! No problem, the new lock gear is easy to use and the lock emptied quickly and smoothly. The newly constructed upstream lock sill becomes very evident as the lock empties.

Beyond Great Barford we encountered EA personnel working hard with weed cutters and rakes to clear the waterway, in preparation we suspect for extra boat traffic going to Bedford Boat Festival in 10 days time. The clear water reveals the mass of underwater weed, it's rather like a bed of lettuce growing.

This evening we are back in St Neots, edging a grassy field, using a stretch of mooring provided by Huntingdon District Council. Only one other boat, very different from last Saturday evening, when we felt fortunate to find a space here.

Monday 5 July 2010

Great Barford to Bedford,River Great Ouse

Another blue sky day on the drier side of Britain, a gentle breeze, boating along was just so easy. As we carefully moved under the bridge at Great Barford , we realised it had 16 arches, - see picture, and then further upstream to Bedford, including passing through the repaired Castle Mills lock, which was reopened only 4 days ago. The workmen were still around, who politely made sure we were safe by working the smart, new lock gear for us.

As we approached Bedford town we came across this huge pyramid set in the middle of grass and heathland, apparently it is the Oasis swimming pool, more a hideous structure in the countyside. The river runs through Bedford in much the same way as York, wide stretches, with old buildings like the courthouse, lining the water. This is a rowing town, so moorings for boats of any other kind, are not in abundance. As it was our intention to continue beyond Bedford, to the head of navigation at Kempston Mill, we took on water and moved off again. Now we were almost into uncharted waters - people looking at us, very low road and rail bridges, so low that we even removed the tiller pin for fear that it would be ripped off! Good job the Great River Ouse is about a foot below normal at the moment! Overhanging trees nearly make it impossible for us to continue, and it gets progressively narrower. Suddenly we are faced with a choice of route - no direction sign - we make the right choice, but alas, it has all been in vain - a huge tree has fallen across the river, blocking our path, so this is our limit. We then had about a 29 point turn to get the boat turned!

So it was back to Bedford and to the town guillotine lock, which requires a 45 degree turn into, with due account taken for the now, downstream flow. Made it alright! and this evening we are taking advantage of a free nights mooring, within Priory Marina, arranged by GOBA.

Sunday 4 July 2010

Upstream along the River Great Ouse, to Great Barford

Since our last blog, we have continued upstream along the Great River Ouse, heading towards Bedford.

We lunched in St Ives, where the town bridge has a chapel built into the middle of it, dedicated to St Ledger.

We have moored in some most attractive locations, like the village of Hemingford Grey, with its waterside Church, where the spire was blown down in 1741, and somehow the replacement just doesn't look quite right. Thatched cottages and hollyhocks were in abundance here.

No two locks on the use appear to be the same, different gate configuration, some deep some shallow; some wide, others quite narrow, some with lay bys in the lock chamber itself. Some are totally push button operated, others are manually operated, so as you approach each lock, you must go armed with the Environment Agency key and Great Ouse windlass.

Part of our blog absence is due to a swift trip home to cut grass and hair etc - the grass barely needed doing - but the hair did. Vagabond was moored very safely in a newish marina surrounded by log cabins. Narrow boats are now very much in the minority, - most jetties were taken up with powerful, expensive cabin cruisers.

Our mooring last evening was just downstream from St Neots, edging a grassy field, and where the lovely houses opposite had rolling gardens down to the waters edge. This morning before moving off, we saw people and dogs swimming in the river, rowing, fishing, the water was so inviting, so clear, and a perfect summers day. So we are now at Great Barford, and Bedford beckons tomorrow.