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.