Nearly home

River scenery north of St Neots

Passing under the new A14 bridge, opening next year

Greylag geese with family

Todays trip took us most of the way home from St Neots.  A pleasant but largely uneventful journey downstream through attractive mainly wooded scenery.  Highlight of the day was a good view  of another cuckoo.  I had heard it calling apparently nearby and after looking at the surrounding trees for a while through my binoculars was able to find it.

After a couple of locks and passing beneath the new A14 bridge over the river we are moored out in the countryside a mile or two from Brampton.

6.57 miles 2 locks 2 hours 20mins cruising

Back to St Neots

 We went out yesterday evening looking for otters but sadly did not see any.

After an uneventful but quick journey down the Great Ouse from beyond Great Barford to St Neots we are moored again next to the Priory Centre.

8.48miles, 3 locks 2 hours 55 mins cruising

On our way home - no wind

After the very windy day yesterday we were pleased to awake to a sunshine with no more  than a light breeze.  We left our mooring in Bedford at 9:40 and made good progress as we are now travelling downstream.

Densie in Castle Mills Lock

Through the same 4 locks as on Friday all of which were set in out favour so we could enter immediately.  The picture shows the 3rd one - Castle Mills Lock which is the deepest on this section of the river.   I may be wrong but it seemed that the Environment Agency who manage the river may be deliberately holding water back around Bedford possibly for use during the summer as this winter has been very dry.  During the journey we saw no other boats on the move.

Densie moored at Barford Old Mills

Barford Old Mills - Lock Keepers House

Barford Old Mills Lock - nw derelict

We moored up at 1pm just before Great Barford off the main river on an island at the now derelict Barford Old Mills Lock.  As well as the lock there is the lock keepers house dating from the 1840s now looking rather neglected with overgrown vegetation climbing the walls.  Nearby is a sign asking people to keep their dogs on a leash as otters are believed to be active here - we will have a look this evening.

6.91miles 4 locks 3hours 15 mins cruising

Wild and windy day in Bedford

Last night we went to a Thai rstaurant, Tana Thai, about 5 minutes walk from the boat.  It was one of the best Thai meals we have ever had, recommended to anyone visiting Bedford.   You had better book - we did not and had about an hour to order and eat the meal.  This was no problem as the service was quick.

We spent the whole day in Bedford, and are planning to leave on Sunday morning.  A very god decision as it happened because the conditions have been so bad moving at all would have been difficult.  The wind has been very strong with white horses on the river and the boat has been banging against the stone bankside.

One bit of excitement:  there were a couple of young ladies in a canoe trying to make their way against the wind with little success so they tried to turn around but the canoe was blown over depositing them in the water near our boat.    We tried to help from the bank as they would not have been able to get out of the river unaided but they were obviously experienced and after some initial difficulty were able to empty the water from the canoe, turn it over, and get back in.

0 miles 0 locks

Into Bedford

Much more enjoyable weather today - no rain, some sun but quite breezy.

We set off from Great Barford just before 10am.  The often narrow and shallow river  is isolated with few signs of habitation, the river bank to the east is mainly woodland whereas that to the west is agricultural.  We have left the wide flood plain and are beginning to see more hilly scenary.

Bedford Lock brings boats into the town centre.

Cruising through Bedford

Reaching the centre.

Moored up in Bedford

By lunchtime after 6 miles and 3 locks we were entering Bedford.  As usual from the waterways you dont see much of the towns until you reach the central area.  The final lock tooks us up onto the wide  and impressive waterway that passes through the centre of Bedford.   Nowadays it really is just for show, navigation ends a mile or so further upstream and downstream is only really suitable for narrowboats and smaller rivercraft.  Whether larger boats could get this far inland in the past I dont know.

We moored all on our own just before 2pm near the town centre.

7.48 miles, 4 locks, 4 hours cruising

April Showers

A PS from yesterday: we were delighted to see a grass snake right in front of the boat swimming towards the river bank .

We were undecided about whether to set off this morning as rain was forecast.  However since the weather actually looked OK and the weather forecast changed every time we checked we decided to risk it .  But the first job was to fill out water tank since there was one available on the St Neots mooring pontoon and there are very few elsewhere on the river.

The Great Ouse is now narrow in places

Waiting for Denise to open the gates at Roxton lock

Moored at Great Barford

A  fine Georgian(?) frontage in Great Barford

It appears that they did not get any further

This was complete by 10am and we untied the mooring ropes and started our journey which took us through isolated countryside with three locks, arriving at Great Barford at 13:20.t The moorings were empty, in fact we had seen no other boats on the move the entire day. The weather had been showery with one long period of quite heavy rain but we were well dressed for  the conditions and did not get too wet.

7.92 miles, 3 locks, 3 hours 25 mins.

Paxton pits and St Neots

Densie moored at Paxton Pits

We spent the morning walking around Paxton Pits Nature Reserve a former gravel quarry that is now a well known bird haven.  Our best sightings were a goldcrest which Denise missed and a cuckoo flying over the reserve, only the second one either of us have ever seen.  We must come back in the evening some time as Paxton Pits is apparently one of the best places in the country to see and hear nightingales.

In St Neots lock

We returned to the boat and set off for St Neots just before lunch, arriving there 90 minutes later  after ascending the double length St Neots Lock.  After lunch on the boat, it started to rain, but this did not stop us walking to the nearby Waitrose to stock up for the next 4 days.

3.12 miles 1 lock 1hour 40 mins cruising

All sorted, on our way again

Our plan to replace the dead engine starter battery with one of the domestic batteries was thwarted by our inability to extract one of the heavy domestic batteries from where they are installed close together in a restricted space.   So for the second time time since we started boating 13 years ago we called out RCR, the AA/RAC of the waterways.

The engineer duly arrived 2 hours later and restarted the engine using a portable battery pack.  He confirmed that our electrics were safe for us to continue our journey to Buckden marina provided we did not turn off the engine.  Once there were bought a new battery and installed it.  Everything worked!

On the Great Ouse near Paxton

Leaving Buckden at 15:10 we cruised onwards another 2 miles and 1 lock through pretty but isolated countryside to arrive at Paxton Lakes Nature Reserve where there is a mooring only a little longer than Densie.  Fortunately it was unoccupied so we will stay here the night and perhaps look around the reserve in the morning.

4.83 miles 2 locks 2hours 40 mins cruising.

Easter 2019 - up the Great Ouse

Its boating time again after a gap of 7 months.  We had loaded Densie with clothes, sheets and bedding yesterday.  This morning we bought food for 4 days and settled into the boat ready to set off by late morning.   Then I turned the key in the ignition and nothing happened.  The engine battery seemed rather low so we gave it 45 minutes charge and tried again.  Fortunately the engine roared into life immediately and we were soon on our way in sunny but breezy weather.

Hartford Church

Densie in Godmanchester Lock

After leaving the marina we turned right up the Geat Ouse, through attractive countryside past the riverside church at Hartford and through Huntingdon.  A  mile on we reached Godmanchester lock where we had to wait for a group of boats in front of us going up and another small cruiser coming down.  We entered the lock and moored up, followed by a larger cruiser.

A mile or so after leaving Godmanchester we stopped for the day at Brampton Mill.  A  quick look at the engine battery gauge showed we might have a problem.  I tried to restart the engine  - oh bother! (or words to that effect).   So we are stuck, unable to move the boat.

But no so bad.  We have 4 perfectly good batteries that run our domestic equipment and should be able to make do on 3 for a while.  In the morning we will take out the duff battery and relace it for a good one.  That should enable us to get to Buckden Marina where there is a maintenance company which fortunately, as confirmed by phone, stocks the battery we need.

3.36 miles, 1 lock, 2 hours