March on the Old River Nene

Just as we are near journey's end the weather is improving.  The wind has diecd down and the sun is visible in a clear blue sky.  And today was good.....

First thing we filled up with water and then went to  St Peter's, the village church which overlooks the moorings, as today is the start of the Upwell village flower festival when local groups decorated the church with flower arrangements which this year were on the theme of Films.   The flowers were well presented but for me the star attraction was the church itself.

Upwell Church from the Nordelph gallery

An angel on the church roof.

We had tried to visit the church on other visits but it had always been  locked.  This time there was time for a good look around.  The most spectacular part was the angel roof dating from the early 13th century, said to be the most beautiful of its kind in East Anglia if not the whole country.  Wooden angels carved into the roof overlook the attendees   Other items of interest  included the memorial to 67 parishioners who died in 1832 in a cholera epidemic and the gallery at the back of the church reserved for inhabitants of Nordelph who were taken to the Upwell church each Sunday on a horse-drawn barge, a distance of about 4 miles.

After leaving our mooring at 10:50 we proceeded slowly through the village to Marmont Lock which took us down (yes, even more down) to the Old Course of the River Nene which now flows through an artificial channel from Peterborough straight to the Wash but before the Fens were drained followed a far more meandering route.

A wind turbine towers over a nearby tree.

A narrowboat passes a wind turbine

The lock was soon followed by an impressive wind farm, the photos give some idea of the size of the turbines.  Then nearing our destination of March we were finally able to tick off kingfishers from our must see list for the year as three were seen within a mile or so.  We arrived in March at 13:30 after lunch which we had eaten on the move.  The moorings are often full here, but we were lucky that one, only slightly larger than our boat, was available.

7.15 miles, 1 lock 2 hours 45 mins travelling time

Through the Middle Levels to Upwell

We are now off the main rivers and onto the narrow, shallow drainage channels of the Middle Levels.  Our average speed is down from about 3.5mph to 2.5 mph and everything is much quieter and more peaceful.

View over the Fens from Well Creek

Typical Middle Level waterway

We left Sadlers Lode at 9am and travelled across the Fens along Well Creek.The waterway is attractive There are no high flood banks to obscure the view of the extremely flat low-lying scenery. Our satnav shows an elevation of about 5 foot above sea level.  But the satnav sits about 4 foot above the water level and the water level is well above the level of the land beyond the immediate vicinity of the Creek.

Entering Outwell

Outwell Church

Moored at Upwell

There are 3 waterside villages, Nordelph and the twin villages of Outwell and Upwell, the latter together stretch for about 2 miles along both sides of the waterway.  We moored at 11:20 just outside Upwell Church where there is a well kept flowerbed alongside the delightful moorings.

This afternoon we  took a bus to the nearby town of Wisbech, the self-styled Capital of the Fens.  It was a medieval port which is now some miles from the Wash.  Some old buildings remain but it is more a working town than a tourist destination.

5.99 miles, 0 locks, 2 hours 20 minutes

We did not go to Downham Market

Our plan for the next couple of days was to travel down to Denver, which is apparently the largest flood control facility on the country.  There we would join the Relief Channel, the flood bypass for the Great Ouse, to Downham Market for a bit of shopping. However the journey from Hilgay mooring to Denver Sluice was unenjoyable as we were faced with a strong cold headwind.   The weather forecast shows similar winds for the next few days so we decided to leave the Great Ouse today.

Great Crested Grebe on a precarious nest, we saw 1 egg

Waiting outside Denver lock

After arriving at Denver at 10:30 the lock keeper told us that after 1pm we could go through the tidal section of the Great Ouse below Denver to Salter's Lode Lock to take us onto the Middle Levels.  Before this time the river would be too shallow.

In Salters Lode Lock

Our departure was delayed to 14:30 when we ascended onto the tidal river.  The journey to Salters Lode was straightforward.  However entering the lock was not because its entrance is at a sharp angle to the river which had a strong incoming tide.  The technique with a rising tide is to travel past the lock entrance, turn the boat around, travel up with the tide. and then a quick turn off the river gets one into the lock. But it all requires careful judgement and timing.

I turned a bit too early and by the time the bow of the boat was near the lock entrance the tide was pushing it well off course.  Fortunately with some extra engine power and forceful steering I was able to just avoid the entrance wall and get the boat safely into the lock.  Later the lock keeper explained my error but said that the two previous boats coming down had both hit the wall.

We have moored at Sadlers Lode for the night.

3.5 miles 2 Locks 1.5 hours moving

Back on the Great Ouse

Views of the Little Ouse

Last night it rained heavily and did not stop til lunchtime when we set off again down the Little Ouse.  Thanks to the rain the water level was up a bit and we made reasonable progress going with the flow despite an increasing head wind.  Two and a half hours and 7 miles took us to the junction with the Great Ouse where we turned right to go down stream.

Once on the main river the wind became stronger and colder and the final 3 miles were very tiring.  However we did manage a moderate speed and moored up at Hilgay, where we had stayed last Fridday night, just before 4 pm.

10.55 miles, 0 locks, 3 hours 20 mins travelling

Brandon - 4 hours journey to Tesco and back

Today we completed our aim of reaching Brandon in Suffolk which marks the end of the of the Little Ouse at least as far as it is possible to go on a narrowboat.

Lock and weir at Brandon

We set off at 9am and cruised the 6 miles up the Little Ouse through quite attractive countryside in hot sunny weather. We were disappointed to again fail to see a kingfisher, nor any Golden Orioles.  Arriving at 11am we moored up just below the lock which prevents any further progress, it being 40 foot long whereas we are 57 foot. We had thought about staying the night here after shopping for the next 3 days.  However we decided to return to yesterday's mooring as it seemed more interesting.

Twin floodgates to divert the Little Ouse water away from the Great Ouse

After lunch we left Brandon and travelled with the stream back to our mooring.  The peace and quiet of the morning was not repeated thanks to the repeated low level fly-past of a couple of US fighter jets, Lakenheath and Mildenhall being close-by. On the way I took the photo of the flood gates where the Cut-Off channel passes beneath the river.  During times of flood the flow down the river is blocked and the water is allowed to flow into the Cut-Off channel which collects flood water from all of the tributaries and sends it directly to the Wash.

12.14 miles, 0 locks, 4 hours 5 minutes

Up the Little Ouse

The Lttle Ouse (aka Brandon Creek) is one of the 3 or 4 tributaries of the Great Ouse navigable for several miles.  It is the only one we have never cruised before so now is a good time to have a look at it.

Cruising on the Little Ouse

We set off at 10am from our mooring on the Great Ouse and turned right onto the Little Ouse.  As we were against both the wind and a noticeable flow of the river our speed was limited to about 3 mph and for most of the time we kept to a steady 2.7.  The river is much smaller than the Great Ouse but still reasonably wide and deep.  The scenery is a lot more interesting as there good views of the countryside thanks to the general absence of high flood banks and much of the riverside is lined with trees.

Moored at Hockwold Fen

The first couple of miles are spoilt by the long line of boat morings but when one leaves them behind everything is peaceful and attractive.  5 miles later at lunchtime we stopped at the only moorings on the river other than those at each end.

Sadly we have yet still to see a kingfisher and there was little birdlife around apart from pigeons.  However we chatted to another boater who told us the cranes and golden oriole could be found near to the moorings and that kingfishers are common further up river.  So we are hopng for the best.

7.34miles 0 locks 3 hours cruisng.

Down to Denver Sluice and back

No photos today, nothing much to photograph.  Though we did see some cows on the river bank (for the significance see yesterday's blog).

We filled up again with water first thing this morning and then cruised down river to Denver Sluice to empty the waste tank and then back up the river to the start of the Little Ouse (aka Brandon Creek) which we will be exploring for a few days starting to morrow.

9.24 miles, 0 locks, 3.25 hors cruising

Down the Great Ouse again

Cruising down the Lark

Sadly our special journey to Prickwillow was not rewarded with a view of a kingfisher.  This morning the weather was perfect as we returned back along the Lark.  On reaching the Great Ouse our journey took us down the river for 2 miles when we stopped at Littleport to wash the boat as the roof had a dirty deposit dating from last winter.  Once one side of the boat was clean it was time for lunch.  Leaving at 1pm we travelled a further 6 miles to Hilgay Bridge on the opposite side of the river where we washed the other side of the boat.   We are spending the night here before moving onto Denver Sluice to empty our waste tank.

I havent included another picture of the Great Ouse - according to our guide book the locals say "it is quite exciting to see a cow on the banks".  But we failed to see a cow, just a flock of sheep.

11 miles 0 locks 3.5 hours travelling.

Prickwillow on the Lark

Yesterdays restful day in Ely finished at an excellent Turkish Restaurant.  After breakfast we had a quick trip to Waitrose as there will be no shops until sometime on Saturday.  Then we moved off to the waterpoint to fill our tank for the first time one this voyage.

Typical Great Ouse scenary north of Ely

Then down the Great Ouse.  The section north of Ely is not very interesting, the river being wide and straight with the countryside beyond hidden by the flood banks.  The one saving grace was that the conditions enabled us to cruise at a fairly steady 4mph, without any real load on the engine.

Moored at Prickwillow

After about 3 miles we turned off the Great Ouse onto the River Lark, a small tributary.  Another 3 miles took us to the moorings at the delightfully named very small village of Prickwillow where we stopped at lunchtime.  We had wanted to moor here again as the last time we had visited breakfast was enlivened by excellent views of a feeding kingfisher which eventually perched on our roof.  Sadly though we have not seen one (yet).

6 miles 0 locks 2 hours 10 mins cruising

Quiet day in Ely

Denise polishing the brassworkwhilst we moor in Ely

Having a rest today after the past 5 days on the move.  There was heavy rain yesterday afternoon and rain again this afternoon, so we dont regret our decision.  From tomorrow the weather forecast is looking much better.

We will be eating out tonight in a nearby Turkish restaurant

Ely

Ely Cathedral from 3 miles away

Only a short 4 mile journey into Ely today.  We left at 10:20 andf had an easy cruise joining the Cam at Popes Corner and then down the deep and wide Great Ouse at about 3.5mph towards the city of Ely.  The cathedral was visible for most of the journey dominating the skyline for miles around.

We arrived at 11:30 and were surprised to see the most desirable moorings empty.  After mooring we walked into the city for the next 4 days shopping and a very good lunch at the Blue Bar, a local bar/bistro.  On our return to the boat all moorings had been taken so we were lucky to get here early.

3.8 miles, 0 locks 1.25 hours cruising

Popes Corner: end of the Old West River

We started off at 9:30 and cruised east along the Old West River.  To be honest the Old West River isn't the most exciting of journeys as it passes through flat agricultural country, often obstructed by the high flood banks. Nothing wrong with it, but little that would lead anyone to say anything other than "quite nice" even at the best sections. 

Hovering Common Tern

Travel is normally fairly slow as the water is shallow but today the pleasure was further limited by the strong wind that made steering the boat hard work.  We did enjoy watching the plentiful common terns hovering over the water and occasionally diving in a usually unsuccesful attempt to grab a fish.

Juvenile Great Crested Grebe

Moored near Popes Corner

By lunchtime we had reached the moorings not far from the end of the OWR where it meets the Cam to re-form the Great Ouse.  We need to go to nearby Ely to shop but as the weather forecast is not good for the next two days we decided to stop here tonight and spend the following two nights in Ely where mooring is limited to 48 hours.

I walked to Popes corner and saw a bird I did not immediately recognise, but was able to take a clear high magnification picture.  Our bird book later confirmed it as a juvenile Great Crested Grebe.

7.78 miles 0 locks 2.5 hours.

Windy cruise to the Old West River

We set off at 9:45.  The weather was overcast  and quite cold with a strong gusty wind which blew us off course from time to time and the river is still flowing strongly after the recent rains.The route took us through St Ives, beneath the 15th C bridge and on to the town's lock.  Furtunately this was manned by a pair of volunteers who got us quickly through.

As we were leaving it started to rain and we were considering stopping early.  However the rain died away and the weather became brighter and warmer. Below the lock the section of river was clearly high as moorings where we had previously had difficulty were well under water.

Flood water flowing therough Brownshill Staunch - the bottom gate is closed below water level!

At Brownshill Staunch the Great Ouse normally descends onto a short section of tidal waterway.  However this time we were surprised to see that the levels were the same and unusually high and water was flowing freely through the lock over the top of the lowered bottom guilotine  gate.  However it was not deep enough for the boat to pass so we still had to lower the top gate and raise the bottom gate to travel onwards.

Whilst we were working the lock another narrowboat turned up and the skipper came for a chat.  He and his Mrs were Dutch, they had hired the boat for a week and this was the first lock they had ever operated and so I took them through the procedure.  Perhaps this was not the best place for a beginner.

Beyond Brownshill Staunch at the village of Earith the river splits into a weir leading to the Old Bedford River, the main channel of the tidal New Bedford River and Hermitage Lock which takes one down below tide level onto the Old West River.  The two Bedford rivers were constructed by Vermuyden in the 1600s when the Fens were drained to quickly remove flood water.  The strength of flow as we turned away from the New Bedford towards the lock showed that they were still doing their job.

 Hermitage Lock is manned as any failure here would flood half of East Anglia.  The lock keeper wasnt completely sure whether the high water would prevent Densie passing beneath the road bridge that straddles the lock.  I slowly drove the boat into the lock watching the top of the chimney fitting.  At first there were perhaps 2 inches clear but eventually I had to stop as the chimney was scraping the underside of the bridge.  Fortunately we were sufficiently far into the lock for the top gates to be closed and when the bottom paddles were raised we floated free.

Below Hermitage Lock the Old West River is completely different to the Great Ouse.  It is  shallow narrow and has very little current.  After cruising for a further 3 miles we moored at Aldreth at 1:40.

11.25 miles, 3 locks, 4 hours cruising

June: Hartford to March

We are moving Densie from Hartford Marina, Huntingdon to Floods Ferry in the middle of the Fens near March.  The journey should take a week but we have two weeks spare so it will be a gentle cruise, perhaps visiting some new places, and taking the opportunity to revisit some favourite moorings.  It is unlikely that we will be this way again as the plan is to go back to the canals next year.

Yesterday we deposited our clothes on the boat and then left a car at Floods Ferry so when we arrive there we can empty the boat and get home. So first thing this morning all we had to do was to pack some food and a few bits and pieces and drive to Hartford in our other car to pick up the boat.

Waiting at Houghton Lock

Hemingford Grey Church

After unpacking we set off at 11am and cruised down the Great Ouse.  Fortunately the river has not been much affected by the recent heavy rain.   The journey took us down Houghton Lock to Hemingford Grey where we moored for lunch. Then another lock and a mile cruising to the GOBA moorings at Nobles Field out in the countryside not far from St Ives at 14:30.

3 miles, 2 locks, 2 hours cruising