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.