Journeys end

Approaching St Ives Lock

The ancient bridge in St Ives

Hemingford Grey church overlooks the river

We awoke to find that the river level had risen a few inches overnight and the boat was floating free.  If the level had fallen 2 inches we would have been very stuck.

In the very hot sun we took Densie through St Ives to moor at her new home in Hartford Marina, Huntingdon.  Our guidebook considers this section of the Great Ouse to be the best on the river. In our view it is difficult to argue with this assessment in that both the riverside settlements of St Ives and Hemingford Grey are very attractive and interesting places and the meandering river passing through the countryside provides some beautiful views unimpeded by the embankments of the fens.

So we end a wonderful journey with no further major trips  planned for this year.


Today: 6.78 miles 3 locks, 3 hours 30 minutes travelling

Totals for journey:
53 days away, 152.3 hours travelling, 289.37 miles, 159 locks, 2 lift bridges

Off the Fens, back on the real Great Ouse

A river of duckweed this morning

Close-up view of duckweed

Late yesterday afternoon the invasion started.  Little green leaves of duckweed started floating down the river, stopping around the boats moored at Aldrith Drain Moorings.  By the morning the whole river had turned green, contrasting with the dry yellow grass to be found on the bank.

With some trepidation we set off at 9:15 uncertain as to whether it would hinder progress causing frequent visits down the weed hatch.  Fortunately, although we weren't able to travel faster than about 2 mph we only had to stop once to clear the prop and that was because of general waterweed.  After about 0.75 miles the duckweed cleared and we were able to continue at a reasonable speed.

Bercause of the hot sun we put up our large umbrella/sunshade attached to the tiller which allowed the steerer to travel in relative comfort.  But there wasnt room for two so the other person sat in the front of the boat which povided some shade, the sun being behind us.    Whilst I was at the front I was pleased to see a kingfisher which sadly Denise missed, only our second one in the past 7 weeks.

Approaching Hermitage Lock

Our stay on the Old West River ended with Hermitage Lock, which took us up to the tidal waters at Earith taking us out of the Fens and into the Great Ouse floodplain.  Here the river is almost back to its former state, wide and fairly deep, permitting effortless cruising at over 3 mph.  Brownhills Staunch raised us out of the tidal section and we reached the Goba moorings at Holywell not far from St Ives at lunchtime.

Moored at Holywell, gangplank is behind rope

Actually mooring took some time as the water was too shallow for us to go alongside the bank.  So we are resting 2-3 foot away from the side and have to use our gangplank to get ashore, the first time its use has been a necessity.

Today: 7.9 miles 2 locks 1 kingfisher 4 hours travelling.

Further up the Old West River

A hot day was forecast so we started early at 9am.  We made steady progress, but at 2.7 mph it was significantly slower than previous days on the lower river.

Lazy Otter Marina and pub

On the Old West River west of the Lazy Otter

Some duckweed but not enough to affect progress

The scenery has steadily improved as we travelled upstream, changing from the typical Fen waterway of a straight channel between two high embankments to something more akin to a real river.  The embankments are still there but are frequently at some distance from the often tree-lined waterway which meanders from one embankment to the other.   It seems as if the embankments were built when the river was more substantial before most of the flow was diverted in the 17th Century along the New and Old Bedford Rivers.

Moored near Aldreth

We stopped for the day just after 12:00 at Aldreth High Bridge GOBA (Great Ouse Boating Association) moorings.  GOBA have created a useful set of basic moorings for its members along the Great Ouse and its tributaries.  Any boater cruising these waters would be well advised to pay the small membership fee to join GOBA.

This afternoon the weather has become hotter and more humid so we are glad we stopped.  As I write this blog the temperature in the cabin is around 30 degC.

Today: 7.75 miles, 3 hours travelling

On the Old West River

Passing through Ely

Moored at 100 Acres, Old West River

Went to the shops in Ely centre this morning to buy groceries for the final leg of our journey.  Left Ely just before 11am and then made an 80 minute cruise to just beyond Pope's Corner where the Cam joins the Great Ouse, tieing up at the isolated 100 Acre mooring where the only access is by boat.  This is on the section of the Great Ouse known as the Old West River. The reason for the name seems unclear.

The Old West River is much narrower and shallower than the Great Ouse prior to Pope's Corner and it can be subject to problems with weed.  So we will see tomorrow when a longer day's cruising will be necessary.

Today: 4 miles, 1 hour 20 minute cruising

Ely

Ely Cathedral can be seen for miles

 5.5 uneventful miles in just over 1.5 hours took us to Ely where we moored at the northern end of the visitor moorings where we just slotted into an empty space with inches to spare.  We didnt want to travel further as we were afraid more central moorings would be full.  Later when we made the short walk to the city centre we discovered that there was plenty of space there.  However where we are should be quieter in the evening so we are staying.

After a visit to Ely Cathedral, we had lunch in the ElevenA cocktail bar where the food was very good and the fixed price lunch menu was good value.  following a quick look around the market, Angela left us and we returned to the boat.

To go back a bit into history - when we were in March last Sunday we had the boat serviced by Fox Narrowboats.  Since then we noticed an occasional small of diesel which I eventually traced to a small leak around the fuel filter.   I talked to Fox about the problem and they suggested a possible solution which didnt cure it.  So their technician visited us this afternoon in Ely, and appears to have fixed it by replacing an O ring.   These sort of problems are bound to occur from time to time, the important thing is that they are fixed with minimal delay and hassle and I am very happy to report very good service from Fox.

Today: 5.47m, 1 hour 40 minutes travelling.

Littleport

A short entry today as there is little to say.  There are few sights of interest to see on this section of the Great Ouse.  Whilst travelling, the best way to find one's position is to check the power cable lines crossing the river against the map in the guidebook which helpfully provides this information.  Views of the surrounding countryside are limited by the high embankments on both sides.

However there are plus points.  The river is wide and deep so the engine was little more than ticking over at a speed of 3.5mph. The wildlife is of some interest.  We passed many family groups of Great Crested Grebes.  In one, the parent had caught a perch (we can recognise perch) and was feeding it to one of the chicks.   Further on we saw a cormorant with an eel in its beak.

We moored near Littleport, a small town about half a mile from the river.

Today: 9.3 miles, 0 locks, 3 hours 20 minutes travelling

Salters Lode: Off the Middle Level, onto the Great Ouse

 

View of the Middle Level Main drain

The weather has turned cooler which is something of a relief.  We travelled from Upwell through the contiguous village of Outwell, over the wide but unnavigable Middle Level Main Drain arriving at Salter's Lode at 12:00 where the Lock takes us onto the tidal Great Ouse.

View of Denver Sluice at low tide

We can only pass through the lock when tide and waterlevel conditions are right so we had a 3 hour wait. After lunch on board we walked up the river bank to see the expanse of mudbanks exposed at low tide and to get a view of the Denver Sluice Complex which controls the flow of water from much of East Anglia.  The lock at Denver Sluice takes us from the tidal waters onto the non-tidal Great Ouse.

A 70 foot boat turning right out of Salter's Lode Lock

Approaching Denver Sluice Lock

At 15:30 the lock keeper arrived and 45 minutes later we were asked to enter Salter's Lode Lock, two boats having passed through ahead of us.  After a short delay caused by one of those two boats getting stuck on a mudbank we were on our way out of the lock into the incoming tide.  A quick right turn was helped considerably by the wind and the tide and we arrived in the Denver lock in 20 minutes.  After a short wait for another boat to join us we descended from the tidal water level.  Within half a mile we found moorings not far from the Jenyn Arms were we will eat this evening, and enjoy a well needed drink after today's excitements.

Today: 6.83 miles, 2 locks, 3hours 30 minutes travelling.

Upwell

Moored at Upwell

Denise's sister Angela has joined us for a few days.She arrived mid morning and we were able to  set off from March at 11:20.  Then an uneventful cruise mainly on wide, deep water through the Middle Level to the attractive waterside village of Upwell.  Fortunately there was space available at the moorings by Upwell church.  They are managed by local residents who keep them tidy and have created a densely planted flowerbed which shields them from the road.

Today: 7.2 miles, 1 lock, 2 hours 45 minutes travelling

On to March

We left early at 7:55 as Densie was booked in for a service at Fox Narrowboats in March around lunchtime.  We only had one lock to descend - Ashline Lock a hundred yards further on from where we were moored.  Then onwards through the Fens.

Ol Rivere Nene before Angle Corner

One of several WW2 pill boxes built to prevent an invasion force using the waterways

 For the first 2 miles until the junction with the 20 foot Drain at Angle corner we mde fast progress.  Here we left the old River Nene and the waterway became narrow and shallow, our speed slowing down to around 2.5 mph.

On the positive side the boat was surrounded by large numbers of fish.  We were very pleased to see something a bit like a small shark which we assume was a pike, the first one I have ever seen.  Other than that there were also many shoals of perch, the only fresh water fish we have learned to recognise, and of course lots of other fish we didnt know including some quite large ones perhaps a foot or so in length.  Unfortunately there were also patches of blanket weed, mainly around the 2 or 3 farms we passed but we only had to stop once to clear the prop.

Once we met the old River Nene again at Floods Ferry the waterway returned to its former width and depth and our speed returned to 3.5mph.  But the waters were rather cloudy and there were no more fish to be seen.

Densie moored in March

We reached Fox Narrowboats at 11:55 as planned and the boat was serviced once the engneer returned from lunch.  We set off again on the 0.75 mile journey into March where we had to wait 45 minutes for a mooring to become available, finally tieing up at 4pm.

Today: 10.9 miles, 1 lock 4 hours 40 minutes travelling.

Leaving the Nene, now on the Middle Level

First job this morning was to take the boat to the services facilities on Peterborough Embankment where we filled up with drinking water and emptied the waste tank.  Our passage through Stanground Lock had been booked with the lock-keper for 11:30 so we had a half hour wait before we set off again down the Nene for the last time this year.

On the Nene at Perborough turning towards the Old River Nene

Old River Nene betwen Stanground and Whittlesey

Approaching Briggate Bend, Whittlesey

A quarter of a mile later we turned right onto the old course of the River Nene which was diverted directly into the Wash from its previous destination on the Great Ouse during the draining of the fens in the 17th Century.  The section were are now entering, known as the Middle Level, is a low lying area of  drained fen crossed by a complex set of drainage channels and old rivers between the Nene and the Great Ouse.  There is only one route through the Middle Level navigable by narrowboats which takes us through the old  settlements of Whittlesey and March.

Having descended Stanground we continued down the narrow, shallow and rather weedy Old River Nene, very different to the river we had left in Peterborough. After passing brickworks and a McCain's chip factory we reached Whittlesey where Briggate Bend is well known in canal circles as the tightest and narrowest bend on the whole inland waterway system.  With Denise at the helm we turned the corner easily without touching the sides.

Soon afterwards we were flagged down by a man on the towpath with a problem.  When we quietened the engine sufficent to hear what he was saying we found that his grandson's football had fallen into the river and drifted across to the other side.  With a bit of nifty steering from Mike and help from a long pole with a net supplied by the boy's father we were able to retrieve the ball and return it to Grandad.

A frw hundred yards later at lunchtme we reached our planned mooring near Whittlesey Leisure Centre and tied up for the day.  We could have carried on but we are in no hurry and the heat was getting very tiring.

Today: 5.22 miles, 1 lock, 2 hours 15 minutes travelling

Moored in Peterbrough

Densie moored on Peterborough Embankment

This morning we cruised the 3 miles to the visitor moorings on Peterborough Embankment where we moored at 11am.

After lunch on board we walked into the city centre to look at the shops and the market. The cathedral is well worth a visit but we had already done that 3 years ago when we were last here.  When I returned to the boat I found that despite us having closed the sun facing curtains the temperature oin the saloon was around 35 deg C - phew!

We will be staying in Peterborough tomorrow to buy groceries for the next stage of our journey.

Today: 3 miles, 1 lock, 1 hour 20 minutes travelling

Outskirts of Peterborough - Ferry Meadows Country Park

Another day of pleasant boating weather though we had a shorter day than usual as we have no need to be in Peterborough until tomorrow. We left our moorings at 9:15 and travelled downstream towards Peterborough.  The scenery has now changed from farmland to flood plain hay meadows.

In Water Newton Lock, with the church in the background

Water Newton Mill

The first lock was at Water Newton in a really delightful location with the church overlooking the millstream and the guillotine lock.  The water was overflowing the top gate so we had to be careful to keep the boat clear.  After leaving the lock there is a good view of the 18th Century watermill, now converted as a dwelling.  Then on through Alwalton Lock to Ferry Meadows Country Park.

Milton Ferry Bridge near Ferry Meadows

Dnsie moored in Ferry Meadows Country Park

This large expanse of old gravel workings is now a park used by the locals with walks and cycle tracks around a set of large lakes and a nature reserve.  In the largest lake connected to the river by a narrow channel there are moorings for perhaps 10 boats.  In the past we have found them to be busy but today Densie is the only boat there.

Next to a path around the park there is a local NVR railway station so we had tconsidered taking a train trip into Peterborough.  However we changed our minds when we discovered that steam engines were currently banned due to the risk of grass fires in this hot dry weather.  Further round the nature reserve area there are a couple of hides where we hoped to find something of interest.  However the marshy areas had all dried up so apart from a few great tits there was nothing to see, so we returned to the Park centre and made do with an ice cream.

Today: 6.17 miles, 2 locks, 2 hours 45 minutes travelling

Wansford Station

Had a very good meal last night at the Falcon in Fotheringay, a multi-award winning gastropub.  We would highly recommend to any visiting boater.

The weather was pleasantly cooler today, which was lucky as the scarcity of moorings has resulted in  a longer journey than usual.  We set off at 8:30 so as to finish by lunchtime. The first lock was Warmington, our final manually operated guillotine lock on this journey, a pleasing milestone.

Typuical Lower Nene scenery.

 Our journey took us from the Middle to the Lower Nene.  The latter presents a different type of landscape to that we have found so far with flat farmland on both sides of the generally wide and deep river.   This has enabled us to travel at a steady 3.5 mph with no strain on the engine.

Densie moored below Wansford Station

Thomas the Tank Engine under repair

NVR's engines at Wansford Station

We arrived at the Wansford Railway station moorings, about 2 miles from the inaccessible by boat village of Wansford,  at lunchtime as planned and in the afternoon visited the adjacent Nene Valley Railway yard and workshops there.  The station is owned by the NVR who run vintage trains to Peterborough and Yarwell several days a week, though sadly not today.

Today: 7.6 miles, 4 locks, 4 hours 15 minutes.

Fotheringay

Again like yesterday - hot and glorious boating.   We left early at 8:30 so that we could finish before the hottest part of the day.  By 9:10 had descended the manual Ashton Lock and we were moored in an unofficial mooring on the edge of Oundle about 0.5 miles from Waitrose.  So we now have enough groceries to last until we reach Peterborough.

Cotterstock Church

Nene scene betwen Cotterstock and Foteringhay

Fotheringhay Church in 2015

Now under repair

Then onwards through a couple more locks, one electric and the other manual to reach the moorings at Fotheringhay at lunchtime.  The view of the amazing Fotheringhay church from the river is one to be found in many guidebooks though sadly the church is now encased in plastic sheeting following major repairs to the roof.

Totals: 5.12 miles 3 locks 2 hours 40 minutes travelling.

Ashton in the shade

Nothing much new to say - hot sunny weather, lovely scenery, guillotine locks etc etc

Barnwell Mill next to Upper Barnwell Lock

Moored in the shade at Ashton

After leaving the Middle Nene Cruising Club's moorings at Titchmarsh we descended 5 scattered powered guillotine locks to arrive at the pleasant moorings near Ashton Lock a short distance from Oundle.  On the way we filled up with water at Upper Barnwell Lock - a useful find as water points are not common on the Nene.

We are beginning to run short of groceries so we would have liked to eat out this evening.  However it is 3/4 of a mile walk to the nearest pub so a bit too far.  Hopefully we will have the chance to shop in Oundle and/or eat out at our next stop.

Today: 7.3 miles, 5 locks, 4 hours 10 minutes travelling

Titchmarsh, and Winter Rose departs

Woodford Church overlooking the River Nene

Same hot weather again.    Our route took us through Woodford and Denford manually operated guillotine locks and Islip powered lock.  At Denford Lock we had a superb view of a close by Red Kite  swooping low over the water trying to pick up fish, but the attempts to take a photo were unfortunately unsuccessful.  We arrived above Titchmarsh lock at 12:30.

Here we wanted to stop as we were both tired after the last few days efforts and are ahead of our deadlines.  Also suitable moorings are more difficult to find further on and are likely to be busy with local boaters out for the weeked. Winter Rose wished to carry on so they descended Titchmarsh lock on their own whilst, luckily, we were able to talk to the harbour master of the adjacent Middle Nene Cruising Club who offered us a mooring for the night and a welcome at the club bar this evening.

This afternoon we hope to take a walk to Titchmarsh Nature reserve created around the lakes close to the river.

Today: 5.28 miles, 3 locks, 3 hours 30 minutes travelling

Woodford

Yet another day same again - cloudy early in the morning, blue skies with a cool breeze after we set out and hot weather in the afternoon.

Ditchford Lock

The first lock after leaving was at Ditchford where a unique, for the Nene, radial lower gate is used instead of the more normal guillotine gate.  The lock gate  consists of a horizontal rotating half cylinder and opens by rotating by 90 degrees so that the solid half is above the waterway.

Irthlingborough Bridge

Manual operation of Upper Ringstead Lock

The river then took us by Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough through lovely countryside to Upper Ringstead Lock where we met the first of the 5 guillotine locks that are still operated manually.  The massive gate is raised and lowered by turning a large metal flywheel, I think about 200 times.  Lowering isnt too bad as the wheel largely turns on its own because of the weight of the gate but raising is another matter!

We moored at 13:20 just outside the large hill top village of Woodford on a FOTRN mooring beautifully located on a bend in the river.  We spent most of the afternoon in the local pub enjoying a chat and some excellent beer with Wunter Rose.

Totals:
8.14 miles, 5 locks, 3 hours 55 minutes

A weedy trip to Wellingborough and beyond

Ther weather was like yesterday - clouds first thing which cleared by the time we set off.  Then blue skies with the heat reduced by a cool breeze, followed by a hot afternoon.

Half the weed removed from Densie's prop

Travelling again with Winter Rose, we passed through White Mills, Earls Barton and Doddington guillotine locks after which we hit thick blanket weed, possibly related to the nearby sewage works.  This stuff  winds itself around and around the prop and eventually bringing the boat to a halt.  There is then no choice but to stop the engine, open up the weed hatch and pull away at te weed until the prop is cleared.   This must have taken 15 minutes during which Winter Rose passed us and was able to continue wthout problems.  Having removed all the weed we joined our partner in Wollaston Lock beyond which there was little further weed.

Entering Wellingborough

Beyond Wollaston Lock the scenery became less interesting as we approached the industrial town of Wellingborough.  We moored there in a riverside park at 12:45 for a quick bit of shopping at the nearby Tesco.

Moored at Ditchford FOTRN moorings

After lunch on board we set off again and after 2.5 miles, with the scenery improving as we left Wellingborough we stopped at the attractively situated FOTRN (Friends of the River Nene) moorings before Ditchford Lock.    FOTRN is an organisation set in recent years to improve the availability of moorings for boaters on the River Nene through agreements with the local landowners.

Now that the sun has cooled we will go out fr a walk around the adjacent lake.

Totals:6.28 miles 6 locks, 4 hours 20 mins on the move.

The Nene to White Mills Marina

The weather when we woke up was grey and damp.  However by 9:45 when we left Northampton Marina with narrowboat Winter Rose the clouds had begun to clear.  The route took us out of Northampton through 3 sets of standard double width locks to the first of the iconic Nene guilotine locks at Weston Flavell.

Descending Clifford Hill Lock

Densie and Winter Rose in Billings Lock

Cruising down the Nene near Whiston Lock

By now the weather had cleared with blue skies and a pleasant cool breeze. We had originally planned to moor here but as the sun was not too hot we decided to carry on to White Mills Marina.  So a further 4 guilotine locks down this lovely waterway with large numbers of damsel and dragon flies and assorted birds.  We were particularly pleased to have a perfect view of a red kite as it flew overhead.

We arrived at Whte Mills Marina and moored up at a visitor mooring at 3pm.

Totals: 7.5 miles, 8 locks, 5 hours 10 min ravelling

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