The River Nene

Thursday 8th August
Leaving Stanground lock, we cruised along the channel leading onto the main River Nene passing lots of moored boats. The city of Peterborough stood directly in front of us  with the impressive backdrop of the cathedral dominating the view.

Leaving Stanground Lock

We arrived at the junction with the wide river flowing away to the right leading to the tidal lock at the Dog and Doublet, then through Wisbech and into the Wash. Our route took us to the left, upstream into the city.
The moorings by the park looked pleasant enough but the bank was only a few inches above the river level, with heavy rain forecast we felt a little nervous about mooring there so decided to move on.
We cruised through the city under the two huge railway bridges, one of which carries the East Coast main railway line.
The view of the city from the river does not do it justice as it passes through the more industrial parts, however it soon enters a green corridor with large trees on either side before reaching the huge sluices and lock at Orton.
There were two boats heading up the lock so we had to wait before resetting it and making our way through. The Environment Agency insist that all locks on the Nene should be left with the tail gate (normally a Guillotine type) open so, having made our way through the lock, we then had to empty it  again and fully raise the gate before moving on, a routine we would have to get used to.
Above Orton lock, the Peterborough Boat Club have their extensive on side moorings, we decided to press on the short distance and head for the visitor moorings at Ferry Meadows.
These moorings are located within the huge Ferry Meadow park and are accessed through a small (easily missed) channel leading off to the left, cruising up the channel we entered a large lake and just managed to spot the moorings over on the far side behind a small island.
We were pleased to see that these were floating pontoons so we could safely tie up and sit out the forecasted monsoon.

Moored in Ferry Meadows

The moorings here are very well kept and are close to the park's visitor centre, there were huge amounts of people visiting the park during our time there. The moorings are limited to 24 hours so I went to see the park manager to ask if it would be possible to overstay should the levels rise. She said this would be ok providing there were no other boats wanting to moor.
We decided to visit Peterborough that afternoon and set off to explore. The entrance to the park is via a long driveway, crossed by the Nene Valley Railway, we thought it would be nice to take the train, on the heritage railway, into town, unfortunately the next train was some two hours later so we headed for the nearest bus stop. After a bit of wandering round we finally located the stop and were soon on board. The bus we caught toured round all the new towns and villages making up the Ortons and took nearly an hour to reach the city bus station.

Peterborough

The Cathedral Square

The city was a pleasant surprise to us, especially around the market square and Cathedral Quarter. We headed straight for the Cathedral, a very impressive building, rising from the surrounding flat countryside.
The cathedral rose on the site of a monastery, originally founded in 655. Following a large fire, that destroyed the old buildings, the building of the current Cathedral, commenced in 1118.
The building has close links with the royals, being visited by most of the Kings of the medieval period. 
During the "Wars of the Roses" the monastery and town were sacked by the Lancastrian armies of Margaret  of Anjou, the Queen of Henry VI. It is assumed that this is because it lay close to Fotheringhay Castle the seat of the Yorkist family.
The buildings were improved and developed at the turn of the 15th century, only to suffer again at the hands of Oliver Cromwell's armies due to its royalist support.
The building was again restored and improved in the first quarter of the 19th century.

The Tomb of Katherine, Queen of England

The cathedral contains the tombs of Katherine of Aragon (the first wife of Henry VIII) and what was the original resting place of Mary Queen of Scots before she was moved to the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

The site of the original tomb of Mary

We continued our exploration of the city before taking a Taxi back to Ferry Meadows, a journey that took only 10 minutes this time!
That evening the rains came as forecasted and by the morning the level in the lake had risen almost a foot so we stayed put for the the next couple of days.

Sunday 11th August

The narrow channel into Ferry Meadows

Better weather heralded the resumption of our journey upstream, leaving the lake, turning left we were soon under way cruising round the huge horseshoe loop around the park. passing through our first lock of the day at Alwalton, we met another boat that had also been sitting out the rain on the Friends of the Nene moorings alongside the lock, we agreed to travel together and share the locks upto our destination at Fotheringhay. Passing through some lovely countryside we arrived at the pretty Water Newton lock with its watermill alongside, carrying on passing under the Nene Valley Railway, we could hear the whistle of a steam train but unfortunately didn't manage to catch it passing by. The river loops round to the village of Wansford where it passes under the impressive concrete bridge carrying the A1, built in 1929. Close by is the original Great North Road bridge of much earlier construction.

A1 Bridges

Shortly after we arrived at Wansford lock, we were met here by a boat moored just above the lock, they told us that there was a fallen tree blocking the river further upstream. We decided to enter the lock and fill it then tie up here and wait.

Wansford Lock

We called the environment agency and they informed us it that someone would come out the following day to investigate, so we prepared to settle there for the night. An hour or two later a boat appeared coming down stream, they informed us that it was possible to just scrape through on full power. We decided to give it a go and setting off in a torrential downpour, soon arrived at the obstacle.
We pushed over hard left, unfortunately the tree had fallen across a tight bend so the bow and stern were scraping the bank in shallow water, we had to rev hard to get through and we gradually escaped the clutches of the branches with just a few scratches along the side.I looked back as our partner boat attempted the same maneuver, there boat was 10 ft longer than ours and I was concerned they may not make it, we slowed down and waited, they eventually made it through with a bit of shuffling back and forth, we were soon reunited at the lock at Yarwell. The approach to the lock passes a huge caravan and camping park, there were a few hardy campers attempting a bbq in the now windy and wet weather.

Lucia operating one of the many manual locks

Passing through another couple of locks at Elton and Warmington we finally arrived at our stop for the night on the moorings alongside Fotheringhay Castle, these moorings are owned by a local farmer and we had been warned that he would soon be out to collect his dues, sure enough he arrived just as we finished tying up. We paid a tenner for two nights so we could go and explore the historical sites the next day.

Moored at Fortheringhay

Fotheringhay
For us Fotheringhay was a long anticipated place to visit, it had been the home of Richard, Duke of York who had settled here with his wife Cecily Neville, their youngest son Richard, who later became Richard III, was born in the castle here in 1452. Little remains of the castle, the only bit of masonry remaining, lies close to the river bank and is little more than a displaced piece of medieval brickwork.
The Motte and Bailey of the castle still exists and one is left to wonder what the building may have looked like in those tumultuous times.

Fotheringhay Castle

Looking to the village from the castle

The following morning we set off to explore the small village and the church of St Mary and All Saints, the present church was founded by Edward III who also established a college to the southern side of the church. The building is extremely impressive and is visible for miles around, with its octagonal tower rising above the surrounding countryside.

Fotheringhay Church

Inside the church are the tombs of Richard and Cecily on one side of the altar and opposite that of their eldest son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, who fell with his father at the battle of Wakefield near Sandal Castle.

Edmund's Tomb

The bodies of father and son had been returned here, from a humble tomb in Pontefract, by his next son, Edward, who, following his victory at Towton, had been crowned King Edward IV in 1476.
Cecily was buried alongside her husband in 1495.

The Tomb of Richard and Cecily

The other notable event at the castle was the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 after she was accused of treason for plotting the assassination of Elizabeth 1st.

Fotheringhay Bridge

We moved off on a bright Tuesday morning heading for our next stop, we had originally planned to stop at Oundle but we were unable to find any available mooring, so following a stop at the large marina we pressed on, we had noted there were moorings at Wadenhoe, these are listed as Kings Head Moorings and are described as being at the bottom of the village pub beer garden, unfortunately, we discovered that the pub is now closed and was in the process of being converted. There were signs stating that the moorings were now suspended, not sure if this is a permanent closure.
We had no alternative to press on to the moorings at the bottom of the lock at Tichmarsh. On our arrival  we discovered that these are actually on the lock mooring and doesn't leave much room for boats wanting to use the lock. We tied up anyway as it had been a long day, I decided to cross over to the boat club on the opposite bank and see if they had any spare moorings available.
The marina is the base of the Middle Nene Cruising Club and consists of well kept facilities, the chap we spoke to could not have been more helpful, he advised that we would be better above the lock as heavy rain was forecasted and that the river level below the lock rose more quickly than above. He the guided us to a mooring with rising rings so we were more secure should the level change.

Safe moorings at the Middle Nene Cruising C

The club was most welcoming, unfortunately we were unable to patronise the clubhouse as they only opened at weekends. The club is located a mile or two from the village of Tichmarsh, the home of our friends Julie and Steve, whom we called once we were settled in. The next morning the rain arrived, thankfully not as heavy as predicted, Julie and Steve called down to pick us up and we shared an enjoyable day exploring the village, followed by dinner at their house.
The river, whilst flowing quite swiftly, look manageable so we decided to set off for Thrapston just a couple of miles up stream. We were joined again by Julie and Steve who had walked down to meet us and had an enjoyable trip to the town.
Arriving into the town we hoped that there would be room on the somewhat limited moorings just above the town bridge, thankfully we had them to ourselves so began the awkward manoeuvre to get the onto the almost hidden moorings. The site is immediately after the town bridge beyond a short but narrow channel, the challenge here is to get into the channel without being slammed into the bridge by the current, whichever way you go in you need to do the opposite to get out as there is not enough room to turn round once in. I decided to reverse in so went a little further upstream to allow time to get the stern round before the current took us into the bridge, luckily I had allowed enough time to get in and we glided backwards into the channel and on to our berth. Theses are really pleasant  moorings, well tended and with a picnic site adjacent.

Steve and Julie in Thrapston

Tying up we headed off into town to have a look around, Julie and Steve left us, to rejoin us later in the nearby, charming Woolpack Inn where we had a wonderful dinner.
Thrapston is a charming little town with a  good range of local shops, including a large Co-Op for provisions.
We stayed over the next day but heavy showers curtailed our exploration of the area.
Saturday was a dry but breezy day and we headed off to our next port of call at Irthlingborough, seven mile and five locks upstream.
Our route took us through some lovely Northamptonshire countryside, passing through Ringstead Lock and it adjacent marina before meandering round extensive old gravel workings, one of which at Stanwick, is now a large water sports centre, very popular for its canoe hire, we passed many on our way along. We arrived at the 48 hr moorings at Irthlingborough to find plenty of available space.
The site is located a little way out of the town close to a large sports centre, behind which lies the remains of what was the football stadium and home of the the now defunct Rushden and Diamonds FC. I was sad to see the site all but demolished following its heyday in the Football league divisions in the 1990,s

The stadium at its peak

Following an overnight stop we headed for Wellingborough, we had arranged to arrive in White Mills Marina between Wellingborough and Northampton the following Tuesday so had planned to stop in Wellingborough for a couple of nights, however, on reaching the moorings we found they were opposite a large flour mill that, even on a Sunday had large fans whirring away, also the moorings were shallow with large rocks making tying up difficult. I called the marina to see if we could get in that day, thankfully they were very obliging and arranged to have someone to meet us on our arrival.

Our trip up from Wellingborough was made easier by our reuniting with the boaters we had met at Fotheringhay, they decided to join us for the last few locks of the day.

Irthlingborough Viaduct

White Mills Marina

We enjoyed our time at White Mills, the marina is only a few years old and the couple running it are working hard to keep it up to a high standard. There is a cafe on site, popular with boaters and locals alike.

We had arranged to leave the boat here whilst we took a weeks family holiday in Italy, we knew it would be safe as all pontoons  are floating so unaffected by the varying river levels. The marina lies in a lovely location about a mile below the village of Earls Barton. We also had arranged to meet up with friends Dave and Rose Huddle whilst here as they live a few miles away in Bozeat.

Scruff had developed an infected paw somewhere along the journey so we had to get her to a vets in Wellingborough, we were very kindly offered a lift into town and were soon in the vets, they decided they needed to explore the wound on Scruffs paw further, so needed to sedate her. We left her and went off to explore the town, hoping that the vet would not discover anything too serious as we had arranged for her to go to the nearby kennels the following day. Fortunately the vet could not see any serious issue so prescribed antibiotics and sent us on our way, We didn't get very far as poor Scruff kept having to lie down whilst the anesthetic worked it way out of her body. Thankfully our lift returned and we were soon back to the boat. 

A woozy Scruff

Later that evening Dave and Rose came over to pick us up and take us back to their house for dinner, which was gratefully received and enjoyed. Whilst there, they volunteered to take us to the railway station in Northampton  a couple of days later, an offer that was thankfully received, we were overcome by the kindness shown to us on our trip up the Nene.

We had a couple of walks in to Earls Barton to see what it had to offer, the first thing we discovered was that it is the home of Barker Shoes, we had a look at the amazing array of Brogues that were for sale in the factory shop. In the centre of the village we discovered the Jeyes Chemist shop/museum/tearooms.

 It is fascinating, with a small but interesting museum, created mainly to tell the story of Jeyes Fluid, that was created here in the chemist shop in 1870. The museum also told the story of Kinky Boots, the successful Broadway musical, the story tells of a local to the village, Charlie Price, who inherited his fathers ailing shoe business, also located in the village. He formed an alliance with a Drag Queen, Lola, who required high heeled boots for his act, together they developed a large range of boots. The real story is close to the fiction, and can be read here  https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/the-real-story-behind-those-kinky-boots-1-881352 

Thursday arrived and Dave and Rose came over to the Marina to take us to the station in Northampton, we treated them to breakfast in the marina cafe before we set off.
Following a great holiday with family in Italy we arrived back just over a week later on the Saturday afternoon. We collected Scruff from the kennels the next day and found she had recovered well thanks to the care of the staff there who had administered her medication in our absence.
We had arranged for Dave and Rose to rejoin us for the trip up to Northampton, eight miles and eight locks. The day was dry if a liite cool, September was beginning to make itself felt.
We stopped for lunch just below Billings Lock and were treated to the sight of an otter crossing the river just behind us. After lunch we pressed on passing through the huge flood alleviation scheme on the approaches to the town. We moored above the town lock on a pleasant and extensive mooring.
We stopped here for a couple of nights, exploring the town, it proved to be a great spot, there is a large Morrisons close by the moorings that also proved very useful.

Northampton Moorings

Wednesday arrived and it was time to take the short trip up to the bottom lock of the 17 lock flight taking us back on to the canal network.

Leaving Northampton

The entrance to the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal

Typical Nene Scene

The Middle Levels

The Middle Levels
Sunday 4th August 
To reach the Middle Levels from Denver requires a brief excursion onto the tidal Great Ouse and a transit back through the lock that brought us onto the river on which we had spent the last few weeks.
We donned our life jackets and joined the queue of four boats waiting before us. The levels are reached by passing through Salters Lode Lock and the passage is usually undertaken a short time after high tide so the flow helps the crossing.
We finally got through the lock, lifting us upto the level of the tide and commenced the short trip across, after a 100 yards or so I started to make the left turn, the tide now carrying us sideways as we approached the lock. This manoeuvre is required because the approach to the lock lies at an angle of about 60 degrees to the line of the river meaning one has to almost double back to make the approach, I had been instructed by the lock keeper to make sure that I approach broadside so that if I miss the turn the boat would be carried into the lock landing (protected by lots of tyres thankfully). Fortunately I managed to get into the right position and managed to enter the lock unscathed.
I was expecting us to be raised up in the lock but as the levels are lower than the tide we actually dropped a few feet before making our exit, during the lowering of the water we purchased a key required for water points and services in the levels.
The Middle levels are operated by the Middle Level Commissioners whose responsibility is to maintain water levels in the system, unlike the river Cam, no license is required and passage is free, the lock keeper does however register your boat onto the system. We had also been told that the locks here require a special windlass as the normal CRT one does not fit the 2 locks on the system, unfortunately the lock keeper had sold out.

Looking back at Salters Lode Lock

Leaving the lock we set off on what rapidly became a very shallow and narrow channel, known as Well Creek. It came as a shock having been on much wider and deeper waters over the last few weeks, progress was quite slow but we plodded on passing over the main drain on Mullicourt Aqueduct.

Crossing the Main Drain on
Mullicourt Aqueduct

The main drain is not navigable as it is used to control excess water in the system, as the level increases, water is pumped out at low tide near Kings Lynn. It has to be remembered that the main drain lies almost twenty feet below sea level so control of the water in this part of the fens is vitally important. Salters Lode protects the levels from the tides at one end whilst Stanground Lock protects it from the non tidal river Nene at the other.

Cruising the Well Creek across the Fens

Outwell Church

The Well Creek leads to the villages of Upwell and Outwell, we found good moorings at the latter, near the church, these are well maintained by volunteers and make for a welcoming and pretty place to stop. Water is also available here too, on inspection I discovered that our newly purchased key was of no use here and a notice informs that the key has to be borrowed from the village butchers or pub. We spent a couple of nights here and the fishing was also good with a few good roach and bream landed.

Upwell Church

On a pleasant Monday's morning we decided to have a walk around  the two villages, they merge so well together that it is difficult to separate one from the other. Navigation through the villages requires care as there is a very tight bend and a few very low bridges that require me to crouch right down to get under.

One of many low bridges, this one is on
 the approach to Upwell

Another low bridge at Outwell

The villages are typical of the Fens, very quiet, and peaceful each with its own charming church. Until the 1960s the villages were linked to Wisbech by a tramway with its own unique tramcars, these were essentially steam engines but dressed up in such a way that they resembled an old style guards van, they had the wheels covered and cow catchers at each end. This was done for safety as the line ran alongside roads and through the centre of villages. The tramcars were used as the model for Toby the Tram engine by the Rev W Awdry in his railway stories. The line carried coal into the villages and returned with potatoes. There is very little evidence of  tramway left these days but further information can be found at https://www.lner.info/co/GER/wisbech/wisbech.php

The narrow navigation through Outwell

Moving on we set off, in lovely early August sunshine, we continued along the very narrow creek passing under yet more very low bridges before arriving at Marmont Priory lock. We had been informed that it was necessary to call the lock keeper prior to approaching the lock, having done this she informed me that she was away at a hospital appointment and would not be back for a couple of hours, we crawled along taking our time to reach the lock and tied up to await here return. An hour or so passed with no sign of her so I went to investigate the lock, sure enough our windlasses would not fit so we had no choice but to sit and wait. Eventually a hire day boat arrived at the lock, the crew were unsure what to do and I enquired as to whether they had a windlass, they had not been shown where the windlass was stored, I took a guess and asked them to look under the steps down into the boat, fortunately there was one of the special windlasses along with a pair of mooring pins.
We took the opportunity of getting through the lock with their help, something that was of mutual benefit as we were able to show them what to do.
We reached the confluence with New Pophams Eau, from this point we were now on the old river Nene, so called because the main Nene flows out to sea through Wisbech via the tidal sluice and lock at the Dog and Doublet near Peterborough. The wind was getting up I was grateful for the wider and deeper waters to push along into the stiff breeze.
The trip to March from here took us through a flat arable landscape most of which lay below the level of the river, the course of which followed long straight sections.
March beckons with the river flowing in a deep channel as the town is built on higher ground, cruising past a long line of moored boats we arrived at the moorings just before the town bridge, grateful that there was available space. Tying up we then set off to explore the town, another typical fenland town, famous for its market, regrettably we hadn't arrived on market day so carried on looking around.

March Town Bridge

March Town Hall at dusk

 The town boasts a church claiming to have the best carved interior in the country. The town hall looks like it would be more at home in a Bavarian town with its tall, slender clock tower. The rest of the town is a collection of the typical shops with a large Boyes department store to the edge of town. There is also a large Sainsburys close to the riverside.

Great Pub

We called in at the Ship Inn, situated at the top of the steps leading up from the moorings, we found it a very friendly pub and spent a great night chatting to the locals. We learned that the town was once an important railway centre being at the junction of the Great Eastern and Great Northern railways, they built a marshalling yard at Whitemoor close to the centre, in the 1920s and 30s it was the second largest in Europe and the largest in Britain. It was eventually phased out in the 1960s with much of the site being used for the building of HM Prison Whitemoor.
The locals also mentioned that the pub did a great breakfast on Wednesdays through to Sunday, we decided that we should test their recommendation  the following day and found it to be the best we have had in ages, a similar price to Wetherspoons but much better quality.

Breakfast at The Ship

We had planned to stay another evening but having called the keeper at Stanground Lock (needs to be booked at least 24 hours in advance) we learned that the resident keeper was in hospital and that the keeper from Salters Lode was standing in. His availability was limited by the tides at Salters Lode and he informed us that he would only be available on the Thursday lunchtime. This meant we would have to leave March earlier than planned so we could get closer to the lock at Whittlesey.
Following our feast in the Ship we got underway, calling into March marina, the home of Fox Narrowboats hire fleet. Filling up with fuel, and purchasing the special windlass (£18 for the one remaining lock), we continued on our way along a wide river crossing a vast expanse of fenland, the wind was getting up and with very little shelter it made progress quite tricky in places.
We passed up through Ashline  Lock, using our expensive windlass, before arriving at the good, if a little short, moorings adjacent to the recreation field, thankfully they were empty. The fishing was really good here and I managed to land some good sized Roach.

The Old Nene

Thursday morning arrived and we set off for the lock at Stanground that would take us off the Middle Levels. Firstly, however, we had to negotiate  the notoriously sharp bend in the village. This requires careful navigation because the bend is narrow, as it passes beneath a bridge. Following a few loud blasts on the horn I gradually brought the bow towards the bank across the bend then reversed bringing the stern round fortunately the gentle breeze helped and we glided round, increasing power as we pulled away.
A video of the manoeuvre can be seen here  https://youtu.be/c3DGqzDd9Zo

We soon caught sight of Peterborough Cathedral in the distance and to our left the land rose up with the fields heavily quarried for the nearby extensive brickworks.
There is an archaeological site close by here and the remains of iron age settlements have been discovered, there is now a visitor centre at Must Farm.
 https://peterborougharchaeology.org/peterborough-archaeological-sites/must-farm/.

Crossing the Greenwich Meridian

A couple of miles further on brought us to the lock and we were lifted up onto the main river Nene at Peterborough, this marked the end of our time in the Levels, certainly an area we would like to explore further.

Leaving Stanground Lock

The cruising on the Levels can, in places, become slightly tedious due to the long straight lengths with very little to see, but they do have a character all of their own and our overall our experience was good.

Looking back to the Middle Levels

The River Great Ouse - Part 3 - To Bedford and Back

Sunday 14th July

On a fine Sunday morning we decided to move on, heading down the Old West river towards St Ives. This was the day of the cricket world cup final and we had the radio on, listening to the game unfold as we approached our destination. The Old West river is believed to be the original route of the Great Ouse but hereabouts it is very narrow and more like a canal.
The first part of our journey upstream was not too bad and we passed by Streatham old engine, this is an old pumping engine used to pump water from the surrounding fens into the river, the pump was unusual in that it took the form of a scoop rather like water wheel in reverse. The engine is no longer used and is now a museum with steaming days held on the last Sunday of each month, unfortunately for us our timings were such that we were not in the right place at the right time and sadly never saw the engine running. The engine was installed in 1831 it consisted of a double-acting Boulton and Watt steam engine, the scoop was 11 and a quarter meters diameter, rotating at 4 RPM, lifting approximately 30 tons of water per Revolution. Diesel pumps were added in 1925 however the steam engine continue to operate until 1941. Just beyond Streatham we arrived at the marina close to the Lazy Otter Pub passing under the old A10 Bridge I found it difficult to work out which way our route went, the river here was narrow with a larger turning going off to the marina making for difficult route finding, round another very sharp bend and a very shallow section of the river we passed under the new new A10 bridge from here the river continues to make it twisted journey across the fens with higher ground over to the west. Eventually we arrived at Hermitage lock were the Old West becomes reunited with the main course of the Great Ouse. The lock is just downstream of Earith and marks the upstream end of the tidal New Bedford river. Passing through the lock we entered the short tidal section of river taking us to Brownshill Staunch this is a lock taking us back on to non tidal Waters. The tidal section flows is very close to the town of Earith but alas there is nowhere to moor to explore the town. We were looking out for seals at this section as they are often seen, having made their way from the Wash. To our disappointment we didn't see any on this occasion. Passing through the lock at Brownshill, we found ourselves on a wide deep section of river passing through some charming countryside and villages. A several miles further on we arrived at St Ives lock. Passing through, we took an immediate turn to the left to enter Jones Boatyard and St. Ives Marina. I had ordered a new solar panel and the boatyard had kindly agreed to take delivery of it for me. As it was late in the afternoon we decided to tie up in the marina overnight. We put on the TV to watch the concluding overs of the cricket world cup final and and the now well documented very thrilling finish resulting in an England victory. Monday morning arrived and I went over to the Marina Office where I found my panel and ancillary parts duly delivered. We spent the rest of the morning installing the panel however I realised I was a couple of connectors short so could not connect the panel. Later that day we moved into St Ives having ordered the missing items for next-day delivery to the marina.St Ives is a lovely little town with a pretty waterfront and a couple of streets behind, a charming high street running in parallel with the riverfront.The town is linked to its larger neighbour, Cambridge, by a high speed guided bus link, we passed beneath this on our way up the river and I was amazed just how fast they travel!
We moored in the Waits, a small channel off the river that required careful navigation past other moored boats before we got into the one remaining space.

The Waits moorings in St Ives

We tried to moor on the waterfront but it has a very high wall with stone projections making tying up difficult. There are other moorings available on the opposite side of the river,close to the Dolphin Hotel, however on this occasion they were full.

The Quayside St Ives

The river is crossed by and old road bridge, some of the earlier structure still remains, retaining the pointed arch design, whilst part of it was rebuilt in the 17th century, these arches have to more common rounded design.

The town bridge St Ives

The riverfront St Ives

 The bridge also boasts a chapel half way across, one of only three left in the country, both the others being in Yorkshire, one at Rotherham and the other, the eldest, at Wakefield, we visited this and recorded our visit in an earlier blog.St Ives celebrates the fact that Oliver Cromwell lived their for five years (1631-1636), by a large statue of him in the market square.

Cromwell statue St Ives

Some of the history of the town can be explored in the Norris Museum close to the Waits moorings. Among the many local and traditional shops is J Wadsworths  off license, boasting the largest array of single malt whiskeys in East Anglia, we took a look inside and they also have an impressive stock of wines and other spirits too. The other locally famous shop is Toms Cakes, a true cake emporium with a large range of delicious confectionaries to choose from. We stayed here for a couple of days and Ian’s mum came out from Cambridge to visit us, we spent an enjoyable day exploring the town with her. Whilst moored here I also took the opportunity to complete the installation of the solar panel having collected the “missing” connectors, from the boatyard.It was time to move on as the moorings here are limited to 48 hours, so on a fine and sunny Wednesday morning (great for testing the new panel) we reversed out of the moorings back into the main river channel. Continuing our journey upstream we headed off towards St Neots where we had agreed to meet my sister and brother in law along with grandson Henry.The above St Ives is very pretty, it is wide and deep and makes for easy cruising around large river meadows, the fenland scenery now replaced by a more traditional riverscape. Entering a wooded section we arrived at Hemingford Lock nestled amongst the trees in a picturesque location.

Hemingford Lock

Passing through we quickly arrived at the very pretty riverside at Hemingford Grey, we made a note to stop at the extensive moorings here on our way back downstream. We continued in lovely, July sunshine passing through a busy Houghton lock before entering a long, lock free section through Huntingdon.

Approaching Brampton Mill and lock, Huntingdon

Boaters used to canals need to be aware that facilities are less common on the river but most of the marinas we encountered were very accommodating and charged very little, if anything, for use of their facilities. We called into the enormous Hartford marina just below Huntingdon, they seemed to have all sorts of berths ranging from the many river cruisers, wide beams and narrowboats, to large floating holiday chalets and homes.The river skirts the edge of Huntingdon with riverside gardens and parks, before passing beneath the extremely busy A14 bridge, a little further on they were busy building yet another large bridge taking this busy highway away from the town.Beyond the bridge the river takes a narrow channel to the right leading down to Godmanchester lock. We had to wait here for a couple of boats to pass through in front of us, whilst waiting, a chap who was stood watching us, came over for a chat, he said he had seen us on the boat in Skipton and taken a photograph of the boat moored there, he found it hard to believe he was looking at the same boat so far away and took a

Offord Lock nr St Neots

nother picture for his records.

Several more locks and some lovely scenery through wooded countryside brought us to St Neots, unfortunately we were running late mainly due to the slow operation of the guillotine locks and the fact that we had to queue at each one. Carole Jim and Henry had to get back so we only managed a brief fifteen minutes with them.St Neots has plenty of moorings, some alongside a recreation ground and others on a floating pontoon on the opposite side of the river.

Moored at St Neots

We moored by the park and stopped over for a couple of nights. We had a walk round this charming little town again it feels influenced by Cambridge but still retains its charm, the large market square was holding its weekly market whilst we were there and there were a few traditional stores as well as the usual tat found these days.Moving on we set off further upstream heading for Great Barford a few hours away, heavy rain was forecast and it began just as we were tying up. The rain continued for most of the evening but it didn't stop a few brave souls from entering the river to do some wild swimming, something that seems very popular around here.

Great Barford bridge - this marks the navigation for many taller cruisers

The following morning brought much improved weather as we set of to the end of the navigable section at Bedford. A mile or two from Great Barford we passed the intriguingly named Danish Camp, its name probably taken from the fact that there was a large inland port here during the viking invasion. The site was very busy with cyclists and walkers making use of the popular cafe. The site sits on the cycle way linking Bedford to Cambridge along an old railway line. We passed by as there was no mooring space available. 

Feeling Peckish

Above here the river enters a very picturesque stretch, surrounded by steep wooded banks, on one of the bends we passed a few moored boats sat below some very pretty wooden cabins sat in idyllic locations amongst the trees. Beyond here the river widens and becomes much straighter, making it popular with canoeists and kayakers enjoying the July sunshine. We called into Priory Marina to use their facilities and the strong wind made mooring here quite difficult. We called into the office to chat with the lady on duty, she was extremely helpful with a lot of good advice regarding our next couple of miles in Bedford. We set off on our last few miles soon arriving at town lock close to the centre of Bedford, the lock is situated at 90 deg to the river and sits in a large area of parkland. Leaving the lock we made the sharp left turn to head up through the towns riverside, being good weather and a Saturday the town was very busy. We passed under the main road bridge to reach the visitor moorings just beyond, the moorings were just beyond the town and didn’t appeal to us, plus a large tree had fallen nearby partially blocking the channel by the moorings. We called the Environment Agency to report the tree but it took nearly half an hour painfully trying to explain the problem and its location to the girl at the other end of the line. She insisted on me giving a postcode even though I had stated that it was on the only visitor moorings in the town. Giving up on mooring in the town we turned round to make our way back downstream, we had spotted a GOBA mooring on the way in and headed for that, it was clear on our way into the town but on our return we found two narrowboats moored there, fortunately we managed to squeeze in behind them.The moorings are dominated by a huge pyramid shaped building that we later discovered to be a very popular aquadome. Just behind this is a useful Tesco store. 

Pyramid swimming pool Bedford

Moving on, we made our way downstream passing a very busy Danish Camp, as it was a Sunday morning there were people partaking in just about every watersport possible and we had to pick our way carefully through them all. 

Wild swimming

We arrived at St Neots to find all the moorings taken and were discussing where to moor downstream when we noticed a boat pulling away from the floating pontoon, we hurriedly turned around and grabbed the spot. 

Hemingford Grey

The weather was becoming very hot as we made our way the following morning, up to Hemingford Grey, we found space on the 48 hour moorings beside the parkland just above the village. It was a scorching afternoon as we tied up and spent an enjoyable summers evening bbq on the riverbank in the company of Julie and Steve Levitt who came across to join us. 

Studying the map with Steve

Julie and Steve live in Titchmarsh which is on the river Nene, I hadn’t realised just how close the rivers came to each other, at this point only 20 miles. It was great to meet them on our journey and we arranged another meet up when we get closer to them on the Nene.

Post BBQ evening at Hemingford Grey

The following day was too warm to bother moving so we stayed put, explored the village and enjoyed the lovely weather by the boat.Moving on our next stop was at Holywell, another charming village, the moorings are limited in length but to our delight we managed to squeeze in. 

Holywell

The moorings sit alongside a popular recreation field overlooked by the very old and quaint Ferry Boat Inn, too much of a temptation in the heat. Thursday brought an even hotter day, we found out later that the hottest day on record was recorded in Cambridge, only a few miles away. The heat brought scores of people out to the recreation ground with people swimming and paddle boarding along side the boats. We offered to shuffle along the mooring to allow space for a cruiser to squeeze in behind us, this meant the bow was right into the trees and shrubs, a mistake as this was the dwelling place for hordes of mosquitoes, many of which decided to join us on the boat!Friday arrived and it was time for us to move on again, we retraced our steps to Earith, calling at the marina to use the facilities, to our delight a seal appeared on the opposite bank, a delight to see them so far inland. We arrived at the lock and mentioned we had seen the seal to the lock keeper, he said they often had problems with them getting in the lock and that they had to chase them out to prevent them ending up on the wrong side of the gates, in the fresh water section.Leaving the lock we had to battle our way through dense duckweed, something that had plagued many of the tributaries, due to the heat.We finally arrived at the Lazy Otter  moorings and we were thrilled to meet Ian and Cherryl on Stanton Rose, we moored up on the lengthy GOBA moorings just downstream from the pub and they joined us shortly afterwards. 

Moored near the Lazy Otter

We enjoyed a couple of evenings in their company swapping various wines and spirits sat outside on a  warm summer's evening. Sunday brought cooler and wetter weather so we walked down to the pub and enjoyed a convivial Sunday lunch together. Later that evening Ian and Cherryl moved onto Fish and Duck marina where they had an appointment the following morning.Monday morning  saw us moving down to Ely for a second visit, again we were joined by Stanton Rose to spend another couple of enjoyable evenings.Our time on the Great Ouse was coming to an end as we waved goodbye to Ian and Cherry heading back to Denver Sluice. Arriving at Denver we checked out the locking out times for the short tidal hop to Salters Lode lock and the Middle Levels. Whilst discussing the locking times with the lock keeper I watched a boat pass through on its way to the Middle Levels. The chap on the boat looked familiar and to my amazement the boat was Marj, they had been moored with us in Apperley Bridge some nine years ago, they had moved their boat to Ely and were just setting off on a trip to Stratford Upon Avon. 

NB Marj in Denver Lock

 Sunday morning was the most suitable for us giving us a few days to drop down onto the Relief channel and explore a little more of the area. We passed through the lock at Denver that leads onto the lower level. Boaters are required to register their entry and exit onto this waterway, leaving a contact number. The reason for this is that should the weather deteriorate and it is required to release water into the channel, the EA can contact any boaters in the system as significant flows and level variations can occur at such times.

Cruising on the Relief Channel

A misty morning at Downham Market

Mooring up on the floating pontoon at  Downham Market, we had a walk up into the town and found it a little disappointing as there is not a lot to see there, it does have a station, however,  with a regular service from trains travelling between Kings Lynn and London. We decided to get the train to Kings Lynn and explore this delightful place on a very warm Friday. The town was once one of the busiest ports in the country and its links with the sea are to be found throughout. It boasts a Customs House, fisherman's cottages as well as other delightful old buildings.By sheer coincidence Ian and Cherryl had also decided to visit the town so we met up for lunch, enjoying a fine Italian meal, washed down with a couple of bottles of wine.

The Exorcists house Kings Lynn

Fisherman's Cottages Kings Lynn

The Customs House Kings Lynn

King John- reputedly lost his treasure in the Wash near Kings Lynn

The river at Kings Lynn

We moved back up to Denver on Saturday to await our passage through the lock on Sunday.In conclusion we really enjoyed our time on the river but it has to be noted that facilities are less available than on the canals, mooring can also be tricky particularly at weekends, as is the case with most rivers, with careful planning and by joining GOBA these issues can be minimised. 

Sunset at Hemingford Grey