Living on "Lottie"

Tuesday 30th June 2009

2009-07-01T09:08:00.003+01:00

Hertford Link (which avoids Limehouse Basin) Popular moorings for live-aboards.

We had an early start and left our mooring at 0715hrs to try to get a few hours travelling under our belt before it became too hot. This was the homeward journey so we knew what to expect in respect of scenery and river conditions.

The sun has really strengthened the weed on the River Lee in London. BW will have to do something soon as we have noticed pennywort weed which is very invasive and a real problem to navigation.

We had a better system in place keeping all the blinds closed in the boat and I stayed inside relaxing while Tom was at the helm. I then went outside to help at the locks.

We made two short stops but kept going until we reached Limehouse Basin at 1630hrs. The visitor moorings were packed solid but we managed to get on our booked mooring a day early.
Absolute bliss - a tepid shower and clean clothes, then a walk along the Thames looking at the activities on the water and finally a couple of drinks in the pub.
We are off to Italy now with Lottie and Lee to make final wedding arrangements, so no posts for a few days.

Monday 29th June 2009

2009-06-29T20:10:00.003+01:00

We spent a couple of hours catching up on the boat chores which meant we didn't set off until 12 midday. What a mistake as by that time it was already very hot. We had already planned to stop at Roydon as we had gone straight through on the way up river, so we slowly made our way there.

This proved to be very worthwhile as it is such a pretty village, although absolutely deserted today.
We decided to carry on and got back onto the River Lee at about 1500hrs. There were very few boats moving today and we only were as we are under pressure to get to Limehouse.
We got through Broxbourne at 1700hrs and decided to call it a day. We found a lovely mooring and have spent the evening watching the scullers.

These are just some views of Roydon. We are going to have a different tactic tomorrow and set off very early before it gets too warm and have a break in the afternoon as the forecast is another hot day.

Sunday 28th June 2009

2009-06-28T22:25:00.007+01:00

We have had poor signal for the last two days so haven't been able to post. Since we last wrote we left the River Lee and joined the River Stort. This river is much more narrow and reminded us very much of the Nene in parts.

The River Stort just below Harlow

It was very hot over the last two days and was very tiring getting through the locks. We shared some of our journey with some young men going to a music festival in Harlow, but the locks are not wide enough to take two boats so it was slow going.

We moored up just outside Harlow on Friday night and saw a helicopter leave from a nearby house. Tom thought it must belong to the Beckhams as we knew their house was in this area. The following morning he asked a woman who was jogging past the boat if it was "Beckingham Palace" and she said yes and she was just going home there and invited us for a cup of tea. We think it was Victoria's mum but we didn't take her up on her offer and carried on with our journey.

Our riverside view of "Beckingham Palace"

The actual name is Rowneybury

On Saturday we made our way to Bishops Stortford arriving about 1600hrs. We passed "Joanie M" on the way and we slipped into her mooring place. We just had time to have a quick look around the town before the rain threatened. By the time we got back to our boat, it was pouring and continued for the rest of the evening.

Joanie 'M Pete and Jeanette heading for Hertford

This morning we set off, and as it was another hot day, we decided to have a break in the afternoon and visited Sawbridgeworth. It is a pretty town with lots of attractive buildings and we spent a couple of ours exploring.

A couple of views of Sawbridgeworth

By the time we got back to the boat, the heat had gone out of the day and we then spent the next three hours making our way to Roydon. It was so peaceful on the river and such a nice temperature, we really enjoyed it and the river looked beautiful as the light faded. We can relax a bit now as we have broken the back of our journey back to Limehouse.

Unusual swan nest near Bishops Stortford

Thursday 25th June 2009

2009-06-25T22:28:00.002+01:00

We started the day with a walk into the town of Ware. It was another warm day and we spent a pleasant couple of hours looking around. It is a very pretty town with the river running through it.

The view from the town bridge at Ware

This is the New River which is a man made channel taking water from the River Lee to Stoke Newington.

The river frontage has some really nice properties, some of which have some lovely waterside gazebos.

The waterfront in Ware

The charming Gazebos along the river

We left Ware at 1200hrs to make our way to Hertford. This should have been a very straightforward journey with only two locks to negotiate. Unfortunately both had gates/paddles that were out of order on one side of the lock. This meant they both took ages to fill, but we were in no hurry and the weather was glorious by now.

As we approached the town of Hertford, the river narrowed and was flanked by some very pretty cottages. We had to be careful to wind at the appropriate place as there are 3 winding holes, depending on the size of the boat.

The cottages in Hertford

We managed to moor very close to the cottages in this picture and had lunch before setting off on another exploration of the town.

Hertford is a larger town than Ware and is equally charming. We enjoyed another couple of hours looking around before returning to the boat.

A couple of canine characters we met

along the way

We set off again at 1600hrs to make our way back to Ware for the evening. We weren't as ambitious today with our travelling as the heat can be so tiring. I am not complaining as the weather is such an improvement on last year, but operating the locks in such extreme heat is unsustainable.

Looks very tiring doing the lock!!

Tom was tempted by this meringue in the delicatessen. I was very strong and declined but as it was so large, I helped him eat it tonight. (I didn't ask for any help !) It looked amazing but was a bit disappointing.

The meringue of contention

We are now moored back in exactly the same place as last night, ready for our trip up the River Stort tomorrow.

Wednesday 24th June 2009

2009-06-24T22:03:00.004+01:00

Another sunny day, and we set off by foot to explore Waltham Abbey. It was no distance from the boat and we spent a leisurely couple of hours looking at the church and the remains of the abbey.

Waltham Abbey Church as seen from
the site of the Cloisters

The gate of the Abbey

Inside the Abbey Church

The interior was just as impressive as the exterior.

The site of the Abbey Forge

The Abbey Church and the site

of the Abbey House

The walled garden

The gardens were beautiful and the lavender was in full bloom.We then had a look around the town before returning to the boat and setting off at lunchtime. As we progressed, the river became much more appealing. It was very quiet generally, although Broxbourne was obviously very popular with boaters and pedestrians. We stopped here briefly but will probably spend longer on our return journey.

This is a picture of one of the prettiest locks (Carthagena) we have come across on this river.

A credit to the householder who tends the Lock

Some of the flora along the way

I think I'm in for bit of a wuff ride

A lovely summers day on the river

We finally came to Ware after going through eight locks. It was 18oohrs and we found a good mooring spot just outside of town. It was still very warm but we decided to investigate tomorrow as we were both tired.

Tuesday 23rd June 2009

2009-06-23T20:44:00.005+01:00

A very sunny start to the day and after filling up with water etc, we followed "JoanieM" out of the Limehouse Basin down the Limehouse cut to join the River Lee.

Taking on water at Limehouse

Basin before we set off up the Lee

"Joanie'M "our travelling companions boat

A view of Lottie's place of work from Bow Locks

We waved goodbye to Lee on the DLR and to Lottie on the 26th floor of the Barclays building.

No not a nice lawn! This was the weed on theLimehouse Cut

The Limehouse cut and the beginning of the River Lee was a bit of a shock as it was like ploughing through pea green soupIt was slow progress as we were picking up weed and plastic bags on our prop.

Another view of Bow Locks

usementWe passed by Bow Locks which connect the River Lee to the Thames, much to Tom's am.

We also passed by Three Mills at Bow which date from the 18th century.

Three Mills note the Oast House

style ventilation towers

We also saw the new Olympic Stadium being built in preparation for the 2012 games.

Evidently the canals are being used to transport some of the building materials. Although there was lots of activity on land, there was nothing happening on the river when we passed.

Two views of the Olympic Stadium

Jeanette and Chris the Lock Girls

Jeanette and I opted to do the locks today, as we had read that most of them are electrified. We hadn't bargained for how hard some of them were to operate, and struggled to follow the instructions on some of them. It is so much easier if there are two boats going through to share the work and we managed to have lots of fun, while the men were clearing the weed hatch and chatting at each lock.

Peter waiting to lock

As we progressed up the River, the water became much clearer and the scenery was much more picturesque. We stopped for lunch briefly and then continued on our way until we reached Waltham Abbey. By this time it was 1800hrs and we found a nice towpath mooring. Pete and Jeanette decided to carry on as they have arranged to meet a relative further up the river.

Some of the prettier views on the River Lee

It was the hottest day we have had on our trip so far this year. It was great to see so many people out enjoying themselves and in good spirits.

Monday 22nd June 2009

2009-06-22T21:37:00.004+01:00

We arranged to meet Pete and Jeanette from "Joanie M" at Limehouse Basin later today, so left Paddington at about 1015hrs to set off on the Regent's Canal.

The view of Little Venice from
the east of Paddington

This is the view as we left Little Venice -we definitely will return here to explore in more detail.

Snowdons Aviary in Regents Park

We passed through Regent's Park although there wasn't much to see as we were surrounded by high banks and trees. We did however see the aviary designed by Lord Snowdon.
There were lots of residential houseboats to keep our interest and some pretty impressive houses too.

Little Venice heading East

Where the other half Live

Our first locks of the day were at Camden and it was very busy with tourists, who were keen to see the workings of the locks - not too keen on helping though!

Christine bringing Lottie into

Camden Lock with an audience!

very impressive

We soon met another hazard in the form of a class of school children having a lesson on the canal. Luckily they were in complete control and managed to avoid us.

They start them early here

Barclays Building where Lottie works

comes into view just before Limehouse

Basin

As the day wore on, the scenery became less attractive as we approached the east end of London and the locks became harder as they were not in such a good working order. The litter and graffiti increased too but it was good to see the landmark buildings of Canary Wharf in the distance. We waved to Lottie in the Barclays building but not sure she saw us!

We finally arrived in Limehouse Basin at 1600hrs and met up with Pete and Jeanette for a drink and catch up.

We are both going to set off on the River Lee tomorrow and will share the first few locks before going our separate ways.

Sunday 21st June 2009

2009-06-21T19:30:00.003+01:00

We had a good start to the day after an uneventful night in Paddington Basin. As it was fine we went for a walk to investigate the local area.

Lottie and Lee arrive for the day

As it was Father's Day, Lottie and Lee arrived at lunchtime to spend the day with us.

Lottie on Lottie

We walked round to Little Venice admiring all the boats on the canal. It was quite busy as yet again the sun was shining.

View through from Little Venice to

The Paddington Arm turning

The "Boat House" Restaurant

where we had an enjoyable

lunch and catch up

We stopped at this canalside restaurant for lunch and had a pleasant afternoon catching up and watching any movement on the canal.

We waited for half an hour

but he didn't move
( well cast iron doesn't)

I had to take this picture as I thought it was one of the living statues but it turned out to be a sculpture. I wondered how he had managed to stay so still for such a long time.

A last cuddle before the off

All too soon it was time for them to go as they both have work tomorrow and believe it or not they had four tube rides to get home!

2009-06-20T22:00:00.004+01:00

"Lottie" all

"Shipshape and Bristol Fashion"

awaiting a diesel fill - up

We set off at 0900hrs on quite a chilly morning - back to long trousers and a jumper. It took us about an hour to get to Bull's Bridge with nothing of interest to note on the way. It is very industrialised and some very strange smells come from the many different factories.

There was a huge Tesco store at Bull's Bridge, so we took the opportunity to stock up yet again. The canal was fairly wide for most of the journey, even after turning down PaddingtonArm .

Moorings along the way

I decided to get off once again and have a long walk on the towpath for just over an hour. It had started to warm up by then and was really enjoyable.

Christine Power Walking The Towpath

Crossing the North Circular by Boat!!!

As it is Saturday there were plenty of people about and we were particularly surprised to come across a group of young men diving off a narrowboat. The water is very murky and has quite a lot of litter, so rather them than us. Tom had to get another two plastic bags off the prop tonight that had got entangled during today's journey.

Rather them than us

Entering "Little Venice"
It started to look a lot more scenic as we got to Little Venice and very soon after we entered the Paddington Basin. It was quite windy in there and although I managed to turn the boat, I let Tom do an intricate of reverse mooring into a narrow "finger". Our neighbours were looking on anxiously!!!!

The Old

The New

Entering The Paddington Basin

Once we were settled we went for a long walk around the area. We are allowed 7 days free mooring here but will probably not be staying that long.

All tucked up for the night

Friday 19th June 2009

2009-06-19T20:43:00.004+01:00

We set off at 1100hrs for a much easier day - only two locks to go through. This was a sign on one of the boats that we passed which caught our attention.

There were some nice properties with gardens leading onto the canal, often with their own boat moored. This was one of the more unusual ones.

We passed through Uxbridge and when we reached Cowley, we nearly missed the turn to the Slough Arm as it was fairly concealed.

We had heard lots of conflicting opinions about this arm, but wanted to try it for ourselves. In the 1970's there was a proposal to extend it to meet the Thames at Windsor, but it was rejected by Slough council. As a result it now ends abruptly at Slough with a litter strewn winding hole.

The canal itself is fairly straight but is very choked with weed and an unbelievable amount of litter in the form of beer cans and plastic bags. The poor wildlife!

Each way took 2 hours, and half way along there was a marina with boats rafted up on the canal bank for a long stretch.

The end of the arm

We were lucky or unlucky enough to meet this huge barge on the way, but luckily before we came across the moored boats.

Our boat really struggled both ways with all the weeds and rubbish in the water, and at times we wondered if we would make it back as she was so sluggish.

When we came out of the arm it was gone 1700hrs and we moored up as soon as possible. Tom had a look in the weed hatch and we had all sorts of rubbish round the propeller, including weed, plastic and a belt with metal buckles on it.

It wasn't our best day on the canal but we are both pleased we did it, just won't be repeating it in a hurry.

Thursday 18th June 2009

2009-06-18T16:28:00.005+01:00

As promised pictures of the boats from our overnight mooring. We found out why the canal was so quiet yesterday. A body was discovered at one of the locks in Hemel Hempsted in the early hours and police had closed the canal. As a result it was busier this morning. We weren't in a hurry so Tom went off to find a DIY store while I gave the boat a bit of a clean inside.
Boat Houses ?

or House Boats?

Some of the more unusual craft we have come upon

We finally set off at about 1100hrs and shared the first lock with a school trip. At the next lock we met a family with young children, who again were fascinated by the intricacies of the lock and seeing the boat descend as the water level dropped.

Nice Roof Garden on this one

We have seen some fabulous floral displays on the roofs of boats (a bit too twee for Tom) we think British Waterways should hold a canals in bloom competition

As promised you are in our

Blog

We couldn't hang around for him

It's amazing what you see on the canal system. On our entry the other day we showed a picture of the Loch Ness monster who appeared in the rushes, and today we found this chap monkeying around. We also had a chuckle at the ducks who were very happily having a snooze on the dinghy.

We joined a school trip at

Batchworth Lock

It's so up-market here that

even the Ducks have boats

The weather stayed fine and we made our way past Rickmansworth and Harefield to settle for the night just outside Uxbridge. We caught up with Beryl and Gary on "The Answer" and Ray and Saffy on "Ivy Rose"are moored next to us.

In all, we went through 10 locks today, the last one being the deepest on the Grand Union Canal at 11ft 1in. We met an 82 year old man there who has been on his boat for 40 years. He had just completed over 100 locks to get to the River Lee from his mooring up north and was now on his return journey. He was quite a character as he said he had the dog so that he never had to do any washing up as he licks the plates clean!!!!

He also asked Tom if I was for sale to help him through the future locks - those that know Tom well can guess the answer.

Wednesday 17th June 2009

2009-06-17T16:52:00.003+01:00

It was still bright and sunny but quite windy this morning. We were in a really nice setting and it was tempting to stay there another day, but the weather forecast wasn't that good so we decided to keep going while it was dry

Synchonised Locking?
We had a few things to do on the boat and finally left at 11oohrs. I decided to walk to the next lock for my daily exercise and met Ray and Saffy on Ivy Rose, just about to enter.

Little Saffy who kept us company
through six Locks

We waited for Tom to catch us up and then proceeded to share the next six locks. It helped both of us as he is on his own and some of the lock gates were so heavy I could hardly move them. I had to chuckle when I told him that I was trying to lose a bit of weight, he said "Well you'll never be a size zero, will you" I wonder why he is on his own?

There's no holding Christine back
now! What next, jumping from boat
to boat?

We passed through Watford and Rickmansworth and were surprised how little any craft seem to move on this stretch. The canal is very busy but mainly with boats that don't look as if they ever move.
We got to Batchworth at about 1500hrs and it was trying to rain, so we decided to call it a day.

A pretty picture postcard Lock Keepers
cottage
(wish the same could be said for the helmsman)

I had heard there was a Tesco nearby, so went to investigate while Tom found a few more odd jobs to do. There are all sorts of different craft moored up here, some don't even look like boats. I will take some pictures tomorrow.
Having stocked up on a few essentials, it was back to the boat to tuck in for the evening. It is raining quite heavily as I write this, so we won't be venturing out again tonight.

Tuesday 16th June 2009

2009-06-16T21:07:00.006+01:00

A beautiful sunny day and we were on our way by 0910hrs. The canal was very quiet and we didn't meet any boats going our way and only a couple going in the opposite direction. This meant that most of the locks were against us and were much harder work, although we managed to go through 16 in total.

The first part of the journey was very much like the previous day with lots of trees and the locks fairly close together. We both walked between a lot of them as it is easier than trying to get on board again, especially as you have to close the gates as you leave. We passed through Hemel Hempsted and then stopped for lunch for an hour. When we set off again we started to see a change in scenery, with some lovely riverside properties and quite a few cyclists and pedestrians. We were passing through Kings Langley and Abbots Langley and decided to moor for the night in Grove Park, which is renowned for it's ornamental bridges. It is a really pretty spot and we still had a couple of hours sunshine. Tom took the opportunity to wash the other side of the boat and I fell asleep.

When I looked at the map, I realise we have just entered the tube network. We are definitely on schedule for our stay in Limehouse, and can probably relax a little in the coming days.

Tuesday 16th June 2009

2009-06-16T13:42:00.002+01:00

Friday 12th June. We left the end of the Wendover arm and went over old ground to continue our journey. One of the boats that wasn't tethered was still across the canal, so yet again we nudged past it, stopped off for diesel at Cowroast Marina and continued on to Berkhamsted.
The moorings were very busy by the time we arrived, but we managed to squeeze in at the end. The moorings are for 14 days, although some of the boats looked as if they had been there 14 years!
Saturday 13th June. A change of plan and I am now going to London tomorrow. We are right next to the station here so decided to have a day in town. The church fair was on and the market, so it was quite lively everywhere. A really nice town with lots of little shops to browse around. We also found a launderette, so took the opportunity to strip the bed. There is no problem washing on the boat but the drying of such large items can be challenging at times. One big disappointment - our villa in Italy for Lottie and Lee's wedding has been cancelled due to the pool being out of order! Spent hours on the internet looking for an alternative.
Sunday 14th June. I was up bright and early and was on the train at 0840hrs to London. Tom breathed a sigh of relief to have a day to himself, working through his list of jobs.
I was at Lottie and Lee's by 1000hrs and we set off for Lakeside. I think Lee sighed with relief too and he also had his list of jobs!! It was great to have a girlie shop and we managed to buy the brides shoes and choose the bridesmaids' shoes, so we are slowly getting there.
I arrived back in Berkamsted at about 1900hrs and Tom's peace was shattered. We spent the evening still looking for a suitable villa - not easy when you have poor signal.
Monday 15th June We pottered about when we got up, bought some last minute groceries and were on our way by 1130hrs. We immediately teamed up with "Elysium" who had 4 crew on board.Four sets of friends had clubbed together to buy her, and two sets were out for a few weeks on her. It was great having company for the next 7 locks, before they turned round.
The landscape here is very pretty with lots of canalside pubs but the locks are quite hard, with some really heavy gates.
Once we were on our own, I took the tiller and soon Tom had an electric swing bridge, where he had to put the barrier down to close the road and then turn the bridge to make a path for me. I am so pleased I didn't get that one!! It took him a bit of time to work it out, so there would have been no hope for me. We continued on until about 1530hrs and then found a sunny spot to moor for the night, just before arriving in Hemel Hempsted.
Just in time, within a couple of hours the sky was black and we had a downpour.

Thursday 11th June 2009

2009-06-11T21:36:00.007+01:00

Unusual wildlife seen on the walk to Wendover (no trickery used)

It was a beautiful sunny morning and we decided to walk to the end of the Wendover Arm. The guide book said it was five and a half miles each way, so we set off at 0915hrs along the tow path. The middle part of the canal is completely dry and

Modern materials make life easier although it must be hard going with only a volunteer workforce

The canal bed from one of the new bridges that have been errected

the first part that is under restoration and due to be opened in 2010. It was interesting to see how the canals look beneath the surface, and how the trust are following the old methods although where they are putting in moorings they are using modern materials not available to the original engineers.

Lovely quaint canalside cottages at Helton on the Wendover Arm

The last part has very shallow water but beautifully clear with lots of wildlife. We arrived in Wendover two and a half hours later. It was market day and we had a look around and also at some of the interesting buildings.

We had lunch sitting in the sunshine before we made our way back, arriving mid afternoon. Time to sit out next to the boat for another couple of hours sunshine, reading the paper.

It was nice to have a day exploring the local countryside, especially as we have been doing quite a lot of "locking" over the last few days. This has proved to be a lovely spot and hope we can come back one day to do the whole journey by boat.

We are off to Berkhampstead in the morning for Christine to get the train to London on Saturday to meet Lottie for a days accessory buying and I will be carrying out all the necessary checks on the boat.

Wednesday 10th June 2009

2009-06-10T18:28:00.005+01:00

Our usual start of 0930hrs, although the weather wasn't very promising and sure enough almost immediately it started to rain. We did stop for a drink after about an hour to see if it was going to improve but in fact there have been showers off and on all day.

We knew we were in for quite a few locks today and unfortunately we didn't manage to team up with anybody. There were nine in total and most were in quick succession and we met a few boats going in the opposite direction to pass the time of day whilst waiting for the locks to fill or empty.

We were heading for Tring Station to see it's proximity to the canal ready for my journey to London on Saturday. Once we were through the last lock, the canal narrowed and was surrounded by wooded area on both sides. It became quite gloomy and we were unlucky enough to come across a wreck of a narrowboat that was diagonally across the canal. We managed to nudge past it very slowly and moored at the station bridge.

I went off to see how far it was and the frequency of the trains while Tom looked after the boat - I was back in no time with my ticket etc sorted and we found a winding hole to retrace our steps. Once again we had to gently nudge the wreck out of the way and I phoned British Waterways to make them aware.

We had decided to investigate the Wendover Arm, a short stretch of canal which has been restored. We had no sooner turned into the arm than we encountered another narrowboat drifting across. Another phone call to BW and a gentle nudge by and we were on our way.

This is a very narrow stretch of water, which reminded us both of the Fenlands from last year. There was not much of interest, unless you count the huge flour mill on one of the banks.

After about an hour, we came to the end with a big winding hole and some designated moorings. We are the only boat here, and we didn't pass any boats on our way, so we don't think it is used very much. Anyway it suits us for the night and as it was 1730hrs and starting to rain again, we didn't feel inclined to make the journey back.

Tuesday 9th June 2009

2009-06-09T20:31:00.006+01:00

It rained again last night and was still a bit dull in the morning. We knew we only had one lock and a very short distance to go until we moored for Tesco. We arrived at 1100hrs and then had two hours of indulgence, stocking up on food and generally browsing at the shops.

We didn't get time to have a good look at Leighton Buzzard, so another place on the list for our return journey. The weather was looking a bit overcast and we wanted to tackle some of the locks ahead before it rained.

We were really lucky that at the first lock we met with another narrowboat who wanted to share the next 9 locks. Tom and I took it in turns to do the locks and I managed to get a good walk in between some of them. We were passing through the Valley of the Ouzel with beautiful views of the hills. Most of the locks were really pretty and well maintained with the obligatory picture postcard cottage. Our last lock of the day was followed by a working swing bridge which Linda, the lady from the other boat, and I happily swung across - it was a bit like being on a roundabout in a children's playground. We were all exhausted, it started to drizzle and we found our mooring for the night at Pitstone.

Monday 8th June 2009

2009-06-08T20:32:00.010+01:00

For some reason we are waking up very early each morning and as we could hear that it was raining again this morning, we had our leisurely cup of tea in bed listening to Terry Wogan By 0900hrs it had brightened up, stopped raining and half anhour later we were on our way.
We knew it would take us quite some time to pass through Milton Keynes but were surprised at how pleasant it turned out to be. There is no evidence of the centre but the canal has been surrounded by parks and some housing and is very attractive on the whole. We didn't want to spend time exploring today but will definitely have a better look on our return journey, especially as it boasts one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe.

We came across our first lock of the day late morning but we were lucky enough to join another boat, especially as it had a swing bridge which looked pretty complicated to operate. Luckily a local man helped us out, and as a boat was coming in the opposite direction, we did not have to reset the lock.

We were now venturing out into the country again and our next lock, Stoke Hammond was so pretty that we had our lunch break just beyond it.

Striding out along the towpath

I had decided that I needed a bit of exercise so set off on the towpath for the next leg of the journey while Tom followed on the boat. All the towpaths so far have been really well maintained and easy to walk along.

By mid afternoon we came to Three Locks, supposedly haunted. I decided to take the boat through as you have to make sure you fill them properly so as not to waste water. They are alongside the pub garden but luckily I didn't have an audience as I didn't do it very well. There is a short pound between the locks where I found it really hard to control the boat due to the water emptying from the lock in front. I very nearly managed do a 360 degree turn. Poor Tom looked a bit panic stricken as he was powerless to help. Alls well that ends well and we managed to all get through in one piece.

We soon started to look for an overnight mooring as Tom had an online Spanish lesson at 1800hrs (hilarious - he sounded like Manuel from Faulty Towers) and have found a nice secluded bankside spot just outside Leighton Buzzard. I had a short walk and to my delight I found a Tesco, an Aldi and a Homebase right on the canalside. Can't wait to explore tomorrow!

Sunday 7th June 2009

2009-06-08T20:11:00.004+01:00

It was raining hard this morning and we decided to have a cooked breakfast and only move on if the weather improved. We were pleasantly surprised when it dried up and the sun came out and we were on our way by 12 midday.

We didn't have a plan but didn't want to end up in the middle of Milton Keynes for an overnight stay, as we weren't safe how safe it would be, having never been this way before.

We had to cross the River Great Ouse at the Wolverton Aqueduct. it was quite an unnerving experience, not being able to see the sides and just the sheer drop. Wolverton itself did not look too appealing from the canal with some light industry and graffiti and litter. We also had a second aqueduct over a busy dual carriageway.

Our next stop was the village of Great Linford, which had been recommended by Margaret and Michael from "Ellisiana". It was mid afternoon so we had a long walk around the village and along the towpath. By 1700hrs it had started to rain again, so we made our way back to the boat and settled in for the night. We are having to have the heating on again intermittently, but it doesn't take long to warm up.

Saturday 6th June 2009

2009-06-07T10:27:00.004+01:00

It poured with rain all night and into the morning. I had a walk into the village of Yardley Gobion and bought the newspaper, before settling in to wait for Cathy and Simon. We had managed to find a postcode to feed into the SatNav and they said the journey was straightforward.
After a quick coffee and catch up, Simon took the helm with Tom by his side, while Cathy
and I stayed inside gossiping! Luckily it had stopped raining by the time we set off, although the sun never did shine.

Cathy and Simon cheerful as always

This is a very friendly stretch of canal with lots of hire boats having a riotous time. We were moored next to a hen party and two boats passed with all the lads dressed as pirates - it looked great fun.
We moored at Cosgrove, which was about an hour away and found the local pub The Barley Mow for a meal. We hadn't seen Cathy and Simon for many months so we had lots to talk about. Before we knew it, it was 1830hrs and we made our way back, with Simon turning the boat very expertly without hitting anything, which is more than Tom and I achieve sometimes.
When we got back to the original mooring where their car was parked, we settled down for another couple of hours before at 2200hr they decided they had better go as they had the drive back to Essex.
The day had flown by and it was so nice to see them again, and also nice to know we will be seeing a lot more of them this summer.

Friday 5th June 2009

2009-06-05T19:00:00.004+01:00

It was cold this morning and we were almost back to winter clothes again. We set off at 0915hrs and knew we were getting close to the Blisworth tunnel - the third longest canal tunnel open to navigation in Britain. Evidently it is 3056 yards long. Just before the entrance to the tunnel we went under Candle Bridge, where the boatmen used to buy candles for use in the tunnel. It was Tom's turn to take "Lottie" through as I didn't enjoy the experience yesterday through Crick Tunnel which is nowhere near as long. We were very lucky as we only passed one boat, which turned out to be a trip boat. Why anybody would want a trip through a dark wet tunnel is beyond me but it was full up and the passengers seemed very cheerful - mind you they had lights and were under cover.
Once we emerged into daylight again, we were straight onto the 7 locks at Stoke Bruerne. We were very lucky and managed to go through them with another boat, halving the work. By the end of the locks we had discovered that they had a timeshare in Los Gigantes, Tenerife so are hoping to get together next October. Mind you, they are on their way to London too, so might see them further down the line.
I also met a lady who was on holiday for a week. Two days ago she saw a lamb in the water who was unable to climb up the bank. She got into the canal, only to find it was so frightened of her that it tried to scurry away. Eventually she managed to catch it and put it back onto dry land, where it seemed to be okay. She then found she could not get back onto her boat. Luckily a passing boat had a plastic chair which it lowered into the water, she was able to stand on it and then climb onto her boat. Not to be recommended, I think!
By early afternoon we started to look for suitable places to moor to enable us to meet with Cathy and Simon, who are visiting tomorrow. We decided on Yardley Gobion, which is a small village just outside Milton Keynes. We had a walk to the shop there and it seems a pretty village with a mixture of thatched stone properties and a new modern estate.
By late afternoon it had started to rain so we were happy to settle down for the rest of the day.
Sorry can't upload any photos at the moment - will try again tomorrow.

Thursday 4th June 2009

2009-06-05T18:36:00.003+01:00

At last it was time to leave Crick. We have been there nearly three weeks, and whilst it is a beautiful location, we had started to get itchy feet. On a positive side, the bridesmaids dresses are bought, we had a weekend in Essex to catch up with all the family and we are sleeping on a new orthopaedic mattress.
We set off at 0930hrs and almost immediately had to go through the Crick Tunnel - not my favourite place but I decided to take her through for the experience. I felt quite disorientated at times and was very relieved that we didn't meet a boat coming in the opposite direction.
The day just got better and better, with the sun shining down. We were travelling over old ground so didn't hang around - just a short stop for lunch and finally moored up for the night at about 1830hrs just outside Gayton Junction, which is where we joined the Grand Union. We both felt tired after such a long day on the move but it was a beautiful evening surrounded by countryside - oh and the London - Crewe railway line!

Monday 25th May 2009 - Crick

2009-05-25T18:20:00.003+01:00

3 views of the show. All the chandlery was in tents at the back of the marina

An old icebreaker on display. Before it was mechanised it was pulled by 18 horses.

Just a quick update - 3 glorious days for the show and it was a great success. It wasn't as busy as previous years but there was still a lively atmosphere.

Terry and Carol came to visit and while they went to the show, we borrowed their car, in order to collect ours.
We are going to stay around this area for another week, as we have ordered a new mattress for the bed and it will be easier for delivery to be here.
In the meantime, I am off to London tomorrow for a few days to go shopping for bridesmaids dresses with Lottie, Jean, Laura and Steph, so it will be a bit quiet on the blog as Tom will be too busy wading through his list of jobs!!!

Thursday 21st May 2009

2009-05-21T21:59:00.004+01:00

The Butchers at Yelvetoft
The Main Street at Yelvetoft

We went for a bike ride this morning to Yelvetoft, a nearby village. We had heard there was a good butcher, and wanted to stock up on meat. It is a very pretty village with the canal running by it.

After a look round, we cycled back to Crick to have a lunchtime drink in the local pub. It was very busy and the food looked really good, so we are going to try it on Saturday night when Terry and Carol arrive.

In the afternoon, I went for a walk along the towpath, while Tom carried on cleaning the boat - the weather is improving all the time - fingers crossed for the show.
Sorry can't upload any pictures - signal not good enough!

Wednesday 20th May 2009

2009-05-21T21:13:00.003+01:00

A much better day weatherwise - bright and sunny. We pottered around the boat, I took Ebony for a reluctant walk, her not me, while Tom cleaned the boat.

In the afternoon the horse arrived pulling the barge - it was travelling so fast, it was hard to get any decent photos. The horse was in training but was doing a great job.

After dinner we went for drinks on Linda's boat with Iain from "MayBee" - a lovely way to end the day.

Tuesday 19th May 2009 Cracks Hill

2009-05-19T19:10:00.002+01:00

There is no let up in the weather here, a real mixture of wind, rain and sun. Hopefully it will settle before the show starts on Saturday.
We caught the bus to Northampton - it was about an hour's ride each way, passing through some lovely countryside and villages including Althorpe, Princess Diana's home. We took the shopping trolley and stocked up on groceries while we were there. Luckily we didn't have the camera with us, for Tom to capture me sitting on it while waiting for the bus.
Northampton was not as large as expected, probably just as well as the last bus left at 1445hrs!
The heaven's opened as we walked back to the boat - enough to keep me in for the rest of the day!

Monday 18th May 2009 Cracks Hill

2009-05-18T21:36:00.004+01:00

Another blustery day with heavy showers but it didn't stop us from having a fabulous day.

We had read a notice to say that the Crick Tunnel would be closed to traffic from 1500-1600hrs to allow a horse drawn butty to use it. Before the days of engines, the butty was the canal transport and was pulled by horses or mules. When a bridge was encountered, the animal was led over the top, leaving the crew to "leg" it along the walls of the tunnel.

It was too good an opportunity to miss, so even though it was raining we walked to the tunnel exit with Linda and Ebony.

Sure enough, at 1610hrs, the Elland emerged - it had brightened up and the local press were there to record the event. We never did see the horse but were assured it had been led to a horsebox for the night.

Amongst the narrowboaters waiting was William, an 8 week old Jack Russell. Hopefully the pictures show what a brilliant event it proved to be.

Sunday 17th May 2009 - Cracks Hill

2009-05-18T21:15:00.003+01:00

We are now just outside Crick, in place for the show next weekend. We have a great position with easy access to both the show and the village but beautiful views.

The weather alternates between rain and sun but there is quite a breeze most of the time.

In the afternoon we climbed Cracks Hill which gave us panoramic views of the boat, the village and the marina, where the show is to be held.

We walked with Linda and Ebony to the local pub in the evening to have our meal and a couple of drinks. A great end to the day.

Saturday 16th May 2009 Watford - Crick

2009-05-16T22:37:00.003+01:00

It had poured with rain during the night and was still a bit overcast, so we had a slow start this morning.

Tom was tired and stayed in bed and I went for a walk along the towpath. We knew we weren't far away from the Crick tunnel, and sure enough met it within about 10 minutes of setting off. It looks a bit formidable as you approach - like entering a black hole - but actually it isn't too bad as it has a high roof enabling you to stand up straight. We were lucky as we didn't meet another boat whilst going through.

Almost immediately on emerging we could see Crick Marina where the show is held. We had already spoken to Linda twice to ascertain where she was moored, and easily found her.

What wasn't so easy was actually getting moored near her, as the canal was so shallow on the banks. I was at the helm and made very heavy weather of it, only to find we couldn't get a TV signal. Tom took over and went a bit further up where a boat was just leaving so we tucked into his space.

It was great to see Linda again and Ebony jumped on the boat and went to the biscuit tin - does she remember us from last year?

A quick walk round the village, stock up on groceries and book the pub for dinner tomorrow night. By this time it was very windy and raining on and off so we returned to the boat for a cosy night in.

Friday 15th May 2009 Weedon - Watford

2009-05-16T21:56:00.005+01:00

A bit cold and drizzly this morning but we waited for a bright spot and set off. We had decided that I would do the locks today - I obviously had no idea what was ahead. Everybody had assured me that the locks on the canal system were a doddle after the River Nene but that is not the case!!!

The first seven were the Wilton Locks and the Buckby locks - some of the gates were so stiff, it was impossible to move them single handed.

Luckily we had a companion, featured in the picture above. She was about 20 feet long and the couple who own her, spend many days at a time on her. It certainly made it easier with two people - the men had a good chat as both had been in the merchant navy while us girls huffed and puffed our way through the locks.

We stopped for lunch before we tackled the next seven - the Watford flight with a lock keeper supervising to make sure we didn't empty the locks in the wrong order.

We were very lucky as we had just completed the flight when the heavens opened. We weren't very far from our destination but we were both tired and wet and decided to moor on the riverbank very close to the locks.

The picture above is a cottage on Norton Junction which we stayed in about 4 years ago for a week's holiday, incorporating the Crick show. It seems quite different seeing it from the water.

In bed by 2130hrs tonight - not as fit as we thought we were!!

Thursday 14th May - Gayton - Weedon

2009-05-14T20:10:00.005+01:00

The pressure was off this morning after such a busy day yesterday. Tom cleaned some of the boat outside and I did the inside.

We set off at 0930hrs and stopped at the local marina for diesel, water and a new gas cylinder.

The canal seemed so much easier to manouvre the boat with no current and it was great to see some different landscapes. It was also strange to see so many places to moor boats as there is such a shortage on the River Nene.

We didn't travel too far and have moored just beyond Weedon on the canal bank. We popped out briefly for milk etc and by 1600hrs it had started to drizzle and we were in for the night.

We saw our first cygnet today - the parents were so protective, we thought we were imagining it at first as it was huddled around the mother's feathers.

Wednesday 13th May 2009 Northampton Washlands- Gayton Junction

2009-05-13T22:31:00.005+01:00

When we woke up this morning it was raining. We decided to wait a while to see if the weather improved. By the time we had got up and had breakfast, it had brightened so we set off at about 0930hrs.

We didn't have any set plan today but decided to see keep going until we had had enough or the weather deteriorated.

The first three locks brought us to Northampton and we fully intended to stop to pick up some shopping, but mooring was difficult so we carried on.

We then came to the Northampton Arm but couldn't get any further as the lock was padlocked and we didn't have a key.

We phoned up British Waterways, who confirmed that they have had a lot of trouble with vandals emptying the locks so the padlocks have been a new introduction this year.

However they were very helpful and said that they would send somebody to us within an hour. We took the opportunity to have some lunch and true to their word, Sean turned up and gave us a key.

We set off again at 1400hrs and followed another boat up the flight of 17 locks. I attempted to set the first lock but made such a hash of it, that Tom put me in charge of taking the boat through the remaining locks - I think he thought we might never make it otherwise.

We finally got to the end at 1800hrs and were both tired - Tom physically from the effort of opening and closing so many locks and me from the mental concentration of getting his beloved boat in the narrow locks without hitting the sides.

One amusing anecdote. When we were going through one of the locks in Northampton town, four elderly people came to see the workings of the lock. At first we thought they were Polish but then realised they were Spanish. They seemed very shocked when we started conversing with them in Spanish - I think it was the last thing they expected.

We are now on the Grand Union Canal.

Tuesday 12th May 2009 Billing Aquadrome - Northampton Washlands

2009-05-12T20:35:00.003+01:00

We had a very windy night on the boat as we were on a very exposed mooring. We were surprised to find we were still in the same position this morning!
At 1000hrs as arranged we struggled against the wind to the boatyard within the marina, who duly fitted three new batteries.
By 12midday we were on our way but decided that we would not venture far today as we were both tired. We went through three locks and by 1400hrs we were moored in the washlands.
It offers a bit of seclusion from the wind and it was a gloriously sunny afternoon. Tom washed one side of the boat and I pottered about quite happily. We wanted to have a rest as tomorrow we will be tackling Northampton and joining the Grand Union Canal.

Monday 11th May 2009 Irthlingborough - Billing Aquadrome

2009-05-11T21:01:00.005+01:00

Railway viaduct on way to Billing

Fabulous Rape fields all the way

Not wet but very cold easterly winds blowing all day

We were on our way by 0715hrs this morning but it was quite cold and very windy. It didn't help that the first four locks had been left reversed, which meant more work for us.

The river was deserted but we were lucky to meet other boats at just the right time at two locks, which meant an easier passage through.

This stretch of the river was fairly flat with little of interest en route, but the scenery and wildlife more than made up for it.

We finally arrived in Billing at 1530hrs and made our way into the marina. The wind was really fierce and we slowly made our way to the visitors moorings. We couldn't believe them - a couple of scaffolding poles and some planks into the river for about 30feet leaving about 17feet of our boat overhanging.

When we went to the office they informed us that it is £15 per night or £30 if we want electric hook up! We are only here to change three batteries tomorrow, so won't be lingering.

Sunday 10th May 2009 Titchmarsh - Irthlingborough

2009-05-11T20:28:00.004+01:00

Another early start and we were away by 0730hrs. The river was very still but within a couple of hours the wind was up. We are under pressure to get to Billing on Tuesday, so there wasn't time to stop off anywhere. However we have made note of places that we can explore on our homeward journey.
We had a brief look at the new marina in Ringstead - it only has six boats in it at the moment and no facilities laid on.
We stopped for breakfast and spent another half an hour chatting to a couple who are building their own narrowboat. They are going to Crick later this month so have arranged to meet them there.

We reached Irthlingborough at about 1430hrs and went for a walk in the village before settling down for the rest of the day. We were so tired - not used to all this physical work - that we were in bed by 2130hrs.

Saturday 9th May 2009 Fotheringhay - Titchmarsh

2009-05-09T21:31:00.002+01:00

We woke up very early this morning and decided to get going as the wind had dropped. We couldn't believe it ourselves when we left Fotheringhay at 0715hrs - our earliest ever!!

It was quite chilly but we were well wrapped up and the next two hours were so peaceful - we didn't see another soul or boat - a beautiful time of day to be on the river.

We arrived at Ashton at 0930hrs and stopped for breakfast and a walk to Oundle to get the paper and food essentials. We left about 11am by which time it was getting warmer but the wind was up.

The next leg of our journey was fairly uneventful apart from a canoeing class who decided to take refuge under a narrow bridge - not ideal when the wind is up.

We also saw two red kites who circled above us, lots of calves, lambs, swans on their nests and geese and ducks with their young. Spring is definitely here.

We managed to get to Titchmarsh by 4pm and decided to call it a day. The cruising club here are very friendly and found us a lovely mooring on the river bank.

Friday 8th May 2009 Peterborough - Fotheringhay

2009-05-08T17:51:00.002+01:00

Well here we are again. We arrived back in UK from Tenerife and took the boat straight to Peterborough with a view to getting her out of the water for bottom blacking. Unfortunately it didn't happen and we are going to try again in the autumn. However we had a busy week shopping, sorting bills, insurance, boat licence etc and finally set off for our summer adventure this morning.

It was an early start for us and we were filling up with diesel and water at 8am and were on our way by 0930hrs. It was very windy but at least it was dry and we decided that as the first part of our journey was such familiar territory, we would keep going until we had had enough.

We had a small narrowboat and a cruiser to keep us company for most of the journey and we helped each other out at various locks that were proving to be tricky due to the wind. Unfortunately we couldn't all get in the locks together, so we caught up at different parts of the river. We must be seasoned travellers by now, as three years ago when we got the boat, we would never have ventured out in such gales!

We stopped at Yarwell briefly for a quick lunch, waved to our mooring at Nassington and made our way to Fotheringhay, arriving at 1630hrs. We are moored this side of the bridge and hope that the wind has died down in the morning when we will endeavour to get through it.

Within 10 minutes of mooring it poured with rain but luckily we were tucked up in the warm by then. If the weather improves a bit we might venture out to the Falcon tonight for a drink.

Thursday 4th September

2008-09-04T19:03:00.003+01:00

We weren't due to go through Stanground Lock until 4pm yesterday, so set off on foot to have a browse in Whittlesey. This town had a reasonable selection of shops and a large leisure centre with a good sized pool. We were lucky as the rain held off and we had a really lovely morning, stopping for the obligatory belgian bun and coffee.

Pictures show the 90 degree bend upriver from Whittlesy
( Christine did very well and negotiated it perfectly)

When we got back to the boat, we set off for the lock. It was really windy and just before we got to Stanground, there was a tree that had obviously fallen during the storm the previous night and was lying across the river. We just about managed to squeeze by and the lock keeper notified the EA and they arrived to remove it before we had even got through the lock.

We moored at Peterborough embankment overnight and after a quick visit to the shops, bank etc we made our way to the Peterborough Yacht Club arriving about 5pm, the end of our journey.

We have been on the river for 11 weeks and it has been a great experience. We are already planning our trip for next year but the sunshine in Tenerife is calling us for the winter.

Monday 1st September

2008-09-02T11:37:00.004+01:00

Today we moved on, leaving Fox Marina about 10am. The wind was really blowing and it was against us all the way but we battled on. We retraced our steps until we got to Floods Ferry and then branched off on River Nene Old Course towards Ramsey.
We seemed to be going for such a long time that we doubted we were on the right course but finally another narrowboat passed us, which was reassuring. There was very little scenery en route but lots of very low bridges!
The chap at the marina had said we might have trouble turning the boat at Ramsey, which is the end of navigation so we turned into Bill Fen Marina, topped up with diesel and booked a mooring for the night.

Peacock at Bill fen Marina

We then walked into Ramsey and one of the bankside boaters said that the turning point is big enough for a 60 foot boat, but we were settled by then and the weather was deteriorating.

Turning Point at Ramsey (would have been very tight)

Ramsey was a pleasant surprise as it had more history than we expected and we spent a pleasant couple of hours looking around the town, church, abbey remains etc.

The Church of St Thomas a' Becket with some of the houses in the old part

On our way back we couldn't resist picking more blackberries and windfall apples - more pies to make! By now it had just started to rain and the wind was really fierce. We settled in for the night, very happy to be secure on our mooring with the heating on.

Sunday 31st August

2008-08-31T20:55:00.007+01:00

We now have the pictures of the church ceiling that was so spectacular. The church is at least a mile out of town but well worth a visit.

Truly remarkabe hand carved ceiling

Inside St Wendrida's Church

St Wendreda's Church March Cambridgeshire

I have spent some time today picking blackberries and windfall apples. They are both in abundance in this marina. We stayed here as the weather forecast was indicating rain and stormy weather but in the event it turned out to be a nice day. Tonight however, there is rain in the air and it feels like autumn.

Gazebo in March High Street erected to

commemorate the coronation of George V IN 1911

"Lottie" berthed in Fox's Marina

We are on the move again tomorrow- the last few days of our journey.

30th August 2008

2008-08-30T12:03:00.002+01:00

This reminded me of the three Vultures in Disney's version of The Jungle Book

Well it's been a week since we have written on the blog. It is now Saturday and we are in Fox Narrowboats marina, which is just outside March. We have been to the town and today we are going to find St Wendreda's Church which is a 14th Century church famous for it's hammerbeam roof which is decorated with four tiers of 118 angels with outstretched wings. Hopfully will be able to get some photos.

Thought we could get one of these, tow it behind us and call it "The Dog-house"

We have had an uneventful week and it has been good to travel back over previously visited territory. It gives us a much better idea of distances and suitable places to moor - mostly different to our outward journey.

The church at Outwell stuated on a very severe bend with a bridge which Christine navigated very well

We had a bit of a job going through Salter's Lode Lock. We were on the ebb of the tide and there was a brisk wind blowing. I wanted to try but managed to get the boat in completely the wrong position, so Tom had a bit of a disadvantage by taking over at the last minute. It is a really acute turn to get in and I wish we could do it all over again as I feel I would make a better job of it. (I don't think Tom shares my confidence).

Getting readyto set off for the tidal passage between Denver Sluice and Salters Lode

After Salter's Lode we moored up at one of the Well Creek Trust moorings about a mile outside of Outwell. Tom wanted to clean the boat and I walked into the village to get a paper etc. When I got back the boat was gleaming. However later that day, two combine harvesters mowed the field opposite, completely covering the boat inside and out with a fine layer of brown dust. We stayed on the mooring another day to clean up the aftermath.

And to think we were moaning about a bit of dust!!

We have been here two days, and in that time have had our batteries checked yet again, and have replaced four which hopefully will cure our lack of power problem. We plan to move on tomorrow but the weather forecast is terrible so could mean an extra night.
We have got plenty of time to get to Peterborough for Friday. I spent a lot of time yesterday on the laptop, especially as we are hooked up to electricity. We have now got our flights booked to Tenerife for 7th October - you can guarantee that we will have an scorching October now.

Thursday 21st August

2008-08-21T21:43:00.007+01:00

We spent the morning at the mooring - Linda and Ebony moved on to St Neots - we caught up with jobs etc.

This afternoon, although the forecast wasn't too good, we decided to go for a long walk to explore the surrounding villages which we hadn't visited so far.

The first one was Hemingford Grey, which has a spectacular church on the waterfront and some very commanding properties

Not so much a commanding property

more a" lean too"
We wanted to visit Houghton with Wyton but realised we had to cross the river at some point in order to do this. We ended up walking through a riverside meadow to St Ives which was about 2 miles away but was the first crossing point.

Luckily for us, "Sunrise" and "Mio Amore" were moored there and as we had met them earlier, they invited us on board for a cup of tea.

"Sunrise" and "Mio Amore" awaiting our arrival

for a well earned cup of tea

An hour later and fully refreshed we set off again and finally came to Houghton - a really lovely village and Wyton which adjoins it

Chocolate Box or what!

On our way back we came upon our ideal retirement location.It is called "The Boathouse" and is situated on a backwater off the Ouse with a mooring big enough for "Lottie" electricity for hook up and water. The trouble is it has only just been sold.

The Boathouse

We were so lucky with the weather as it just started to rain as we got back to the boat.

We got ourselves ready and then it was back to Hemingford Abbots to the pub for our evening meal.

The pub was the Axe and Compass and they were offering Cod in a beer batter with crispy chips and mushy peas which we had seen advertised yesterday on our walk. I made the mistake of ordering two portions of fish and chips as I thought that was what we had decided upon. Christine however wanted to see the menu which we were duly given then the waitress read out all the specials on the chalk board and after much deliberation Christine eventually plumped for the (yes you've guessed it) FISH AND CHIPS!!! It has been a bit of a trial on occasions, for the both of us I am sure. It was the right choice and lived up to our expectations so much so that there was no room left for puddings

This will probably be the last blog for a while (who said Hooray! take their names) as we will be going back over old ground as from tomorrow but will update now and again so watch this space.

Wednesday 20th August

2008-08-20T21:44:00.002+01:00

We were awake very early this morning and as it was dry, we decided to cycle to Hartford, a village just outside Huntingdon.

All Saints Church Hartford

It was very pretty and the church above is right on the river front. We had just got back, when it started to pour with rain but luckily we didn't get too wet.
We waited until the skies looked a bit better, but decided to set off on the boat and take a chance. We stopped off at Hartford Marina again to refuel and fill up with water and then made our way to Hemingford Abbots, where we had arranged to meet "Kanbedun Again".

We only had one lock to negotiate but the wind had got up again and the cruiser in front of us had a real problem getting in and tying up. It didn't help that his daughter who was meant to be holding the rope, let go as she had seen a spider. This meant the boat was sideways on in the lock with no one on board and no one able to get the bow rope.
In the meantime we were just outside the lock waiting to go in but the wind took us towards the weir, so we had to re manouvre with great difficulty to get back in position. By this time a crowd had gathered on the bridge of the lock to see the antics - it all ended well and we were on our way again.

We met up with Linda and Ebony and are now rafted against her boat for the night. We all set off for a long walk around the village - and as you can see from the pictures above it is very upmarket with some real picture postcard properties.

Christine enjoyed having a dog to walk again

Drinks at The Axe and Compass

(Home cooked fish and chips night tomorrow will probably eat there)

We stopped off at the pub on our way home and got back just in time before it started to rain again.

Tuesday 19th August

2008-08-19T19:13:00.004+01:00

It was cold this morning and we had no sooner finished breakfast than it started to rain. There was plenty to do on the boat while we waited for it to stop and we finally set off about 11am.
It was very windy and we knew it would be difficult but as we were only planning to travel a short distance, we decided to take a chance.

Leaving Godmanchester this morning

Almost immediately we had the first and only lock, but that went very smoothly. We then travelled for about an hour without meeting any other craft and finally reached Huntingdon.
There were no mooring places initially but as we were passing, a cruiser decided to leave, and we quickly turned round and took his place.

The A14 Crossing the Great Ouse this is what we look down on when going to the boat at our mooring

Town Bridge at Huntingdon
( 2 bed ground floor apartment in old mill block on left going for £150k)

Huntingdon Church ( unusual style )

The mooring is set in a park and is only 5 minutes from the centre of town. We walked in this afternoon between showers but it is quite small and we are a bit "shopped out" at the moment.
We came back and spent the evening watching the sculling teams out on an evening exercise.

Monday 18th August

2008-08-18T21:25:00.003+01:00

It was pouring with rain again this morning when we woke up. Luckily by the time we had got ourselves ready, it had brightened up and we decided to set off. There was a really stiff breeze but we knew we were only travelling for about 4 hours and only 3 locks.

Christine on the helm and managing the locks (busy girl)

We were very lucky as the river was deserted but each time we came to a lock, a boat was leaving it, which meant we could go straight in with minimum work. The river was very wide for most of the journey but quite attractive with willows and other trees at the water's edge.

We finally arrived in Godmanchester at approx 2pm. We had managed to miss it completely on our outward journey as it is down a little backwater by the lock. This time we found it easily and were lucky enough to get a central mooring.

The Waterfront at Godmanchester

The town is very pretty when viewed from the river but like most of the towns and villages we have visited, some of the back streets are less appealing.

The famous Chinese Bridge at Godmanchester

We walked around for an hour or two and then the rain was threatening, so returned to the boat.

Christine threatened me with thr RSPB

for making these two walk the plank!

It has now been raining for most of the evening and is quite cold.

We have had the heating on in the mornings and evenings for the last few days as we have felt cold.

Sunday 17th August

2008-08-17T20:23:00.003+01:00

It was pouring with rain first thing this morning but soon cleared up into a warm sunny day, although slightly windy.
We had some good news late last night from Lottie and Lee to say that they had become engaged. Lee had been very brave and had a ring made as a surprise - luckily she loved it.
On their way home from Chester they found us in St Neots to show us the ring. It is beautiful and we all had a glass of champagne to celebrate.

The Happy Parents

The Happy Couple

The Fabulous Ring!!!

We will be moving on tomorrow after a lovely weekend in St Neots.

Saturday 16th August

2008-08-16T22:35:00.004+01:00

After an uneventful night, we awoke to blue skies and no sign of the rain that had been forecast. We set off on a shopping trip in St Neots - this is the closest we have ever been moored to the main shopping centre of a town and I was determined to make the most of it.

Our view of The Bridge Hotel

Tom had had enough after a couple of hours so we went back to the boat, where I left him and hit the shops by myself. It was much better for both of us!!

Lottie at St Neots Park Town Mooring

We had been looking for a sideboard for the boat for some time and I managed to find one that I thought might be suitable, so it was back to the boat to collect Tom and I made my third expedition to the town.

The sideboard was perfect and was soon loaded into the van with Tom going off with the driver to take him to the boat. They had to carry it across the park as it was impossible to get a vehicle close to the boat. I stayed well away until I thought all the hard work would be over.

The Bridge Hotel (wide angle view)

We have now been joined by another narrowboat on this mooring, with three others across the river. Although we are in the middle of the town and we can hear music etc, it feels very safe. We are here for one more day as Lottie and Lee are coming to join us tomorrow for a few hours.

St Neots Church

Friday 15th August

2008-08-15T21:27:00.004+01:00

A lovely sunny day and we set off at 0945 to make our way to St Neots. The trip was so much more enjoyable on this return journey, as it had rained most of the time when we made our way to Bedford.

Christine wants to buy this, tow it behind "Lottie"

and call it "Peace and Quiet" (I am totally up for it)

We soon met up with another narrowboat and it was the first time the owners, two ladies had taken the boat out on a trip. We helped them through some of the locks as there was quite a current and they were a bit anxious. It didn't help that their engine kept cutting out, despite a recent service.

Still going down (Deepest Lock yet at Great Barford)

We reached Great Barford at approx 1pm and stopped for lunch and left our companions as they were going to make their way back to Bedford.

Riverside Chalet with mooring (could be a good option when we have finished cruising the system)

We continued on our way and finally reached St Neots at 4.15pm having negotiated 6 locks. We easily found a mooring and had a cup of tea with 3 workmen who were repairing the landing stage. We had been warned that St Neots can be a bit troublesome with youngsters, but so far all is well and it is a lovely river frontage.

We locked up the boat and set off for a walk to familiarise ourselves with the town and then stopped at a riverside pub for a drink.

One of the many Link Bridges in St Neots

It was still warm and a very pleasant and a good way to round off the day.

View of "Lottie" as seen from the Bridge Hotel St Neots

Thursday 14th August

2008-08-14T21:06:00.005+01:00

Thank goodness it was dry and sunny today, although there was still a chill in the air. We were intending to move on but had to wait for Wayne, the mechanic to come to do a final test on the batteries.
Luckily we had plenty of jobs to catch up on as he didn't turn up until 3pm. In the meantime Jeanette and Pete turned up. We had met up with them at St Neots Lock the other day going in the opposite direction. They have sold their house and intend to live on their boat permanently summer and winter. They came here to have a look at this marina with a view to mooring here over the winter period. It was good to catch up with them again - that is one of the nice things about the river - you dip in and out of peoples's lives and generally people are very friendly.
Anyway the batteries seem to be okay but by this time it seemed a bit too late in the afternoon to set off, so we plan to leave early tomorrow morning and make our way to St Neots.

Wednesday 13th August

2008-08-13T21:42:00.002+01:00

It was a very bad start to the morning as we had to set the alarm for 6am. As a result, neither of us slept well, thinking we might miss it. We left the boat at 7am to make our way to Essex. The roads were clear initially but the traffic started to build up as we neared our destination.
Our first stop was the dentist for Tom, then a visit to the crematorium and finally we caught up with Tom's Dad. Unfortunately we couldn't stay too long this time as we wanted to miss the traffic on the way home and return the hire car tonight.
We came home the country route and it was only in the last half hour that the heaven's opened. We returned the car and they dropped us back to our boat.
It has now been raining steadily all evening and is quite cold again. We are moving on tomorrow and have been told that the weather forecast is better - let's hope so!

Tuesday 12th August

2008-08-12T20:01:00.003+01:00

We had to set the alarm this morning as the car hire company was coming to collect us at the Marina. We were finally on our way to Yarwell at 10.30am. We went to collect our post again and then to check on our mooring to make sure it is waiting for us on our return.

At lunchtime we went to Yarwell where Alan was having a party to celebrate a special birthday. The weather just about held out but it had poured beforehand and was raining on our way home, so we were very lucky.

Our Hosts, Alan (Birthday Boy) and Pam

We had an uneventful drive home and have kept the car as we have a trip down to Essex tomorrow.

Monday 11th August

2008-08-11T21:20:00.002+01:00

Still charging the batteries in Priory Marina. We went off on the bikes today and followed the river again until the end of navigation. There is a designated cycle path running alongside the river and it is mainly flat.
On the way back we stopped in Bedford Town to have a look at the shops and stopped to have afternoon tea in town.
We went back to the boat for a quick change and then cycled to the cinema to see "Mama Mia" I had a wonderful time and Tom enjoyed it too, although he hadn't been keen to see it. It has so many famous names in it, including Julie Walters, and they all looked as if they had such fun filming it and none of them seem to be taking it too seriously.
We must have an early night tonight - we have a car being delivered tomorrow at 9.30am as we are back to Yarwll for the day.

Sunday 10th August

2008-08-10T21:03:00.003+01:00

We didn't wake up until 9am and knew we weren't moving the boat today, so it wasn't a problem. It was very blustery but at least it was dry.

The Narrow lock at Bedford notice the limited headroom clearance of the bridge

(we didn't want to clear our roof so this is the end of the navigation for us)

We decided to take the bikes out to have a look at Bedford and followed the river into town. The river is very wide and it looks as if the main shops lead directly off it - I will investigate tomorrow as we need the bank etc.

We had a surprise phone call from Terry and Carol who wanted to pop up this afternoon for a few hours. It was great to see them again - they arrived about 4pm and after tea and cake, we went for a walk along the river bank and back for tea. The time flew by and at 8pm they had to make a move for the journey home.

A good day with old mates. Cheers!

We settled down for a quiet evening - we are here until Thursday morning so time to relax and take things easy.

Saturday 9th August

2008-08-09T20:45:00.006+01:00

It started out bright and sunny and I walked into the village to get the paper in my summer outfit. We set off about 10 am to aim for Bedford. We were surprised how quiet this part of the river was, considering it is Saturday and school holidays.

Some of the pretty views en route

We weren't very far into our journey when the rain started, gently at first but then it pelteddown as Tom was in the bottom of a deep lock and there was no way of getting any protective clothes. The double V gates all took a time, as they were all against us, so by the time I managed to get to the boat, I was drenched.

Some woolly friends were seen despite the rain

We carried on, despite the weather and it just rained and rained and rained!! We finally reached the outskirts of Bedford about 3pm and moored up, having passed under some very low bridges.

The weir shows the drop in the river level about 15'+ to go up in the lock

Luckily we hadn't left the boat as some young lads started pestering us, and wanted to get on the boat and were knocking on it. As we were the only boat there we decided to turn back as the river was quite high and we didn't think we could get under the bridge that straddles Bedford Lock. We just went a few hundred yards back up the river and are now in Priory Marina, which is secure. It also means that yet again we can hook up so we are sitting here with the central heating on as it is so cold tonight, and all our electrics up and running.

Friday 8th August

2008-08-09T20:28:00.007+01:00

We left about 10am today with a view to getting as far as possible on our way to Bedford. It was nice weather and although the river was quiet, there was plenty to see en route.

Notice the unusual roof covering(I wonder if they have been reported to the police for having grass on board)
The locks on this part of the river are mainly manual with V gates both ends, so can take a while to get through but as we were not in a rush, it didn't matter. One of the bonuses of this river is that you leave the lock and don't have to prepare it for the next boat.

More riverview flats
We passed through St Neots and managed to catch up with Linda and Ebony, who were moored there. We have planned another meet in a week or so as we both have committments next week. Ebony looked as if she would like to jump on our boat - obviously remembers our secret stash of dog biscuits!

Our friend Linda on her boat "Kanbedun Again" at St Neots

Five locks and approximately 6 hours later we arrived at Great Barford and decided to settle there for the night. It is a picture postcard setting by the river and is quite a large village with 2 pubs and a shop.

"Lottie" moored at Great Barford

A quaint old cottage up for sale
Opposite the Anchor Pub and by the river
(What more could you ask for)

Tom spent some time fishing but caught nothing apart from wecd

Thursday 7th August

2008-08-07T19:38:00.005+01:00

Woke up to a bright sunny day and it was bliss to have electricity on tap for all the things we take for granted in everyday life. We both had a long lingering shower and charged every appliance we have got on board.
Hartford Marina is the nicest one we have seen so far. It is very large and they have not crammed too many boats in, so the views are very nice. They have 9 chalets, a handful of watercaravans and about a dozen specially designed "houseboats" as well as the usual river craft.
We could easily have got carried away as we went to view a chalet with mooring, and then a brand new houseboat!! Luckily by the time we got back to the boat we had our sensible hats on again.
We finally left more or less fully charged at about 2pm and spent the next 3 hours on the river with two locks to negotiate.

Church on nthe river at Hemmingford Grey

This part of the river is very beautiful in parts - we also passed under the A14 and it was interesting to see it from the river, as we are usually travelling on it to and from Essex looking wistfully down at the boats going past.

A better view of the A14 than the usual one

"Lottie" in the lock at Brampton Mill

Fabulous hanging basket at The Horseshoe

in Offord Darcy

We finally settled on a mooring by Offord Cluny, just before you reach St Neots. It was still very warm and we set off for a walk to the village and the nearest pub and had a very pleasant couple of hours in the garden.

ONE FOR THE BOYS

I went for a drink at the clubhouse at the Hartford Marina and got talking as you do.
One of the lads said "do you really like boats?" I said yes I do and I have a great love of the water and as long as I am near or on it I am happy. He then asked me to follow him and we went into a workshop. He called out and asked someone behind a large canvas curtain if we could come in. The hidden voice said yes and as the curtain was drawn back I couldn't believe my eyes. In front of me was a re-furbished Wooden Riva power boat in all her glory with just a few finishing touches needed.(replacement of the re=upholstered seats steering wheel etc. The owner has spent upwards of £100.000 on her and the current value is around £600,000. Look at the pics and drool. I am going to try and get backfor the engine test launch sometime next week when I should get some better pics!!!

Twin V8's = 55 mph

What a beauty she is

Wednesday 6th August

2008-08-06T21:32:00.004+01:00

We were up bright and early this morning waiting for Cliff to come and fix the boat. We were on the last bit of electricity with the radio going on the blink and the ignition for the hotplates only just working.

Luckily Cliff arrived at 0930 and in no time the fuel pump was fitted and we were £344 poorer. We set off about 11am and our first stop was to fill up with diesel and water. We had been advised that as our batteries had got so low, they would need a long charge to make them efficient again. With this in mind, we decided to book into a marina for the night and hook up to electricity.

Our Old Mate at Earith

The first three marinas were full but finally Hartford Marina reserved us a space. We had one hiccup on the journey when one of the guillotine locks refused to open. We eventually had to get an EA man to sort it, and then we had an uneventful journey.

Once past St Ives we were on new territory. The scenery was really pretty and we will definitely spend longer on the homeward journey. We have decided to go straight to Bedford and then take our time coming back down

We will stop here and explore on the way back

Once settled in the marina, we both had a shower- not possible for the last 2 days!! and spent a quiet evening. It is a very spacious marina and has quite a few caravans on water with a mooring for their boat alongside. Some have a sun deck on the roof!! They cost £85,000 and £3,000 a year ground rent per annum.

Hartford Marina with floating caravans and houseboats

Tuesday 5th August

2008-08-06T21:23:00.002+01:00

We woke up to rain and so it continued all day and evening. The boat is moored at Earith Lock and there is a really busy B road with no pavements running past it and into the village. This meant it was almost impossible to go out, especially in such poor weather.
We managed to keep busy and the lock keeper was really helpful, allowing us to charge our phones and dispose of rubbish etc.
We were extra frugal with water and electricity which meant no computer, TV, toaster or freezer.
We spoke to Cliff in the afternoon and he has got the part and will fit it in the morning.
We had a game of Scrabble until it got dark and then it was an early night.

Monday 4th August

2008-08-05T13:25:00.004+01:00

The day started off well. It was bright and sunny and we set off at 0930hrs to get as far as we could to retrace our steps to St Ives.
Unfortunately our good fortune was not to last!! We were travelling on the Old West River in a fairly remote place when we ran aground. The boat was on a bit of an incline and as I was sitting on the kitchen floor looking in the food cupboard, I had a bit of a shock when all the jars and tins came tumbling out.
There was quite a stiff breeze but we managed to get off the bank only to find the engine had stopped and wouldn't start again. The wind took us diagonally across the river at first but then took us straight back to where we were and we were aground again.
After a few abortive attempts to get her going again, and with no help in sight, we phoned River Canal Rescue. Thank goodness we had joined before we set off!!
After about 20 mins Cliff from RCR phoned trying to locate us. There was no question of getting the car to us and he eventually found us by foot but of course he could not get on board.
By now the cows in the field were showing a huge interest in our dilemma and I was pleased to be on the boat and not amongst them, as poor Cliff was!
A cruiser happened to come by at that point and Cliff asked it to tow us off. We were very reluctant and in the event it was no match for our weight and we managed to get him aground sideways on the inside of our boat which promptly got carried by the wind again into his bikes, crushing the wheel of one.

Tom pushing off the cruiser that had been blown round
onto the shelving bank

Off at last but a bent bi cycle wheel and a queue

forming

Another two cruisers arrived but there was no hope of getting past so they were bobbing about nearby and then a hire narrow boat came with 7 lads of 20 on their annual holiday. Cliff asked them if they could tow us to somewhere where he could get on, but in the meantime they ran aground too.
I can have a little chuckle now about the pandemonium that we had caused but at the time is was very stressful.
Anyway the lads poled themselves off, then attached their boat to us and poled us both off and we set off.

All tied up an raring to go (well the lads were looking forward to it)

Three hours later we arrived at Earith and were met by Cliff and waved the lads off to enjoy the rest of their holiday!! Anyway the fuel pump needs replacing and evidently it was totally coincidental to running aground. (Tom breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't anything to do with him) Unfortunately they have to get it from Wroxham and we won't get it fixed until Wednesday.
We are now moored on the landing stage at the entrance to Earith Lock and as we can't start the engine our batteries are low and we must conserve energy.
We went for a walk into Earith and into a local marina where they have a resident family of seals. I was really lucky that two of them were basking in the sunshine.
An early night tonight - I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Sunday 3rd August

2008-08-04T08:57:00.002+01:00

We decided to have a quiet day today. After breakfast we moved the boat back to a remote mooring on the River Cam and settled down for the day. It was fine but not sunny. Tom's first job was to tune in the TV as he wanted to watch the Grand Prix. Luckily he got on the right station quite easily. We both spent the majority of the day doing very little until 3pm when we decided we really must make ourselves go out.
We set off on what I thought was a five mile round walk but unfortunately I had read the map wrong. However it was really lovely walking through the fields following the path of the river - it looks so different on foot.
We were doing well until we met a herd of cows in one field and that was enough to make me turn back. We got back to the boat at about 5.30pm just as it started to rain.
It then continued to rain for the rest of the evening - it is really nice to have a lazy day once in a while.

2nd August

2008-08-02T22:38:00.015+01:00

Woke up to pouring rain this morning but it soon cleared. We had arranged to meet Jennie and the boys and Lottie and Lee at 11am in the "Five Miles from Anywhere" pub car park. We were only 5 minutes away, so set off about 10 to be there in plenty of time.

We were lucky that there was a mooring available and in no time at all they had all arrived and we were on our way. Unfortunately David couldn't come as he is working in Vancouver and is not back until Monday.

All too soon it started to rain - not too heavily at first and the boys were able to take a turn on the tiller.

I'm The Skipper

No I'm The Skipper

No I'm The Skipper !!

However on our arrival at Wicken Fen, the heavens opened and we all got drenched. It was our first experience of having 8 people on the boat in the rain, trying to eat but believe it or not, it wasn't too bad and we weren't under each others feet.

Oh please! please! please! stop raining

Tom inflated the kayak and the boys took turns in having a go, despite the rain. By 2pm it started to look brighter and by 3pm we had glorious sunshine for the rest of the day.

Kayak Inflated ready to go

They are off

Jennie, Lottie and myself set off for a walk but none of the boys wanted to join us. When we returned, they had all got a home made fishing rod with a lump of sausage as bait, that Tom and Lee had made them.

Fishing from the boat with home made rod

Bridesmaid Revisited

Tom kept them amused but unfortunately none of the men managed to catch anything. It was time to have another go in the kayak and I ventured in, although not too confidently. Jennie couldn't as she broke a bone in her hand recently when she fell off her bike. Lottie and Lee declined, although they would have got in if the weather had been nicer earlier.

No fish, not even with a proper rod!!!

Christine looking set fot the Olympics

The time flew by and we turned back at about 6pm and again all the boys had a turn on the helm to get us back at about 7pm. We were really lucky that there was a mooring still at the pub and they have said we can stay overnight.

Just time for a quick drink in the pub garden and everybody had to think about getting home. We were all tired (except the boys of course) but had had a terrific day with lots of laughter and catching up.

The Day ended all too soon but some good memories

The boys are now going to start saving as they want their own narrowboat!!

Friday 1st August

2008-08-01T21:19:00.002+01:00

It was a much more comfortable day today, although quite windy. We had to get back to Upware, which is where we are meeting up with everybody tomorrow.
We set off at about 10am and found the river was quite deserted. It is amazing how the weather can change everything. We only had one lock to get through and we were the only ones going through. Luckily when we arrived at the moorings, there was plenty of room - now we only hope that when we get back tomorrow night there will also be a space for us. We are literally in the middle of nowhere but we only have to take the boat up river for five minutes to get to the pub landing stage where we are picking everybody up tomorrow.
We have been going back on ourselves the last couple of days but intend to move forward on Monday- sorry no photos again.

Thursday 31st July

2008-07-31T21:08:00.002+01:00

We had set the alarm for 7am this morning - we certainly don't want to do that too often - it was really hard.
The car hire firm came promptly, took us to the office to complete the paperwork and gave us a black KA for the day. We had decided that I would drive and Tom would navigate. It only took us 50 minutes to get home (bearing in mind it has taken us 6 weeks by boat) The post was in the garage as arranged and then we went to check on our mooring. It all looked fine but by now it had started to rain on and off so we didn't linger. Next stop was Peterborough to do some bits and pieces and also had lunch. Finally we went to Tesco to stock up on food etc.
We wanted to get the car back tonight so we had a free day tomorrow. We made it in good time and then they took us back to the boat. A brilliant service and one we will definitely use again.
It was very hot on the boat when we returned so we went to the pub and sat in the garden under a parasol for an hour or two. It started to pour with rain again but we kept dry. As I am writing this, it is still pouring.

Wednesday 30th July

2008-07-30T21:44:00.003+01:00

A slightly earlier start today and we were on our way by 10am. We needed to get back to Waterbeach as the car hire firm are picking us up there tomorrow at 0930hrs.
It started off quite breezy but by lunchtime it was getting much warmer. The traffic on the river is noticeably busier - probably a combination of the nice weather and the school holidays. It means you are never alone to go through a lock. It was no exception at Bottisham Lock where there was a build up of craft both sides. Although they are mainly electric, it is still helpful to have extra hands. We tend to be cautious (mainly because of me) and rope up fore and aft in the locks to prevent us drifting over and touching a cruiser. They are mainly made from fibreglass and we could easily damage them.
Once through the lock, we headed for our planned mooring and luckily there were spaces. We have been travelling over old ground and it has the advantage of knowing what is ahead etc
We walked into the village and then went back to the boat. By this time, it was very hot and we spent the rest of the day doing very little.

Tuesday 29th July

2008-07-29T20:55:00.004+01:00

We didn't wake up until 0920 this morning!!!! It was a much cooler day but still sunny. We decided to get on top of all the bits and pieces that needed to be done and stay put for the day.

It isn't the most beautiful location but it is fine for another day.

Tom busied himself with as many outside jobs as possible so that he was out of earshot in case I found him any jobs. I spent most of the morning on the phone to the American Navy trying to track down our tenant. Finally I found her and arranged to pick up our post - 6 weeks worth! I then had to hire a car to get us back to Oundle. They are going to pick us up at the boat on Thursday.

Not sure what we had to beware of
but luckilyit didn't materialise

The old pump engine house at Streatham

By mid afternoon we decided to go on a long walk across the fields - we are on the outskirts of village called Stretham but decided to follow the river rather than go into the village.

A Red Admiral in all it's stunning glory

We got as far as the Stretham Old Engine which was built in 1831 to lift water from the fenlands. It is now preserved as a museum but is only open weekends.

NB Lottie awaiting our return

We wandered back and settled down for the evening.

Monday 28th July

2008-07-28T22:53:00.003+01:00

We set off today at midday - it was still very warm despite our storm last night but luckily there was a breeze on the river.

Today was our day of good deeds. First of all we needed to stop to fill up with water etc but a narrowboat was moored there and the young couple were eating their lunch. It transpired that their boat was only one month old and belonged to the girl's dad. He had let them have it for a week's holiday but they didn't know the basics. We let them use our hose to fill up with water, showed them where to empty the loo and rubbish and gave them some hints on where they might moor. They hadn't realised they couldn't stay at the water point - they were probably so grateful to get a space!! Sometimes boat owners aren't very considerate when mooring and space themselves out or don't seem to move on so it can become a problem.

Which brings me to our next good deed. Having got ourselves sorted we decided to go a short distance up the river and moor for the night in a remote spot. After a week in St Ives, we fancied some peace and quiet. We hadn't got very far before we came across a young man with a boy of about 12 stranded on their narrowboat in the middle of nowhere.

Musing the salvage value?

The boat was pretty old but he had bought it five weeks ago and had just had it serviced. It had suddenly lost it's oil pressure and was dripping oil in the engine. We offered to tow him to safety (I must admit I thought it would be about 10 minutes) To cut a long story short we managed to get him to a marina 3 hours later where he was met by a friend who was able to help him out.

Three hours later!!!!

Job Done and a friendly wave

We had gone much further than we intended and now had to find somewhere to moor for the night. Further up the river we tried to moor bankside and ran aground, so Tom had to pole us off. I tried to give him some helpful advice of how it should be done, but by then we were speaking to each other through gritted teeth!!!!

Anyway we finally moored at 7.30pm just by the main Ely to Cambridge railway line and the express train seems to be whizzing past about every 10 minutes. That is the longest we have been on the move since we started this trip and we are both tired. It didn't help that the boat we towed passed us about an hour later, having been temporarily fixed.

Oh well, so much for this tranquil stress free life. Once we had eaten we could laugh about it - who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Sunday 27th July

2008-07-27T19:48:00.005+01:00

Quite a noisy night with the Saturday night revellers in St Ives but we had no trouble and they were just high spirited.

Robert and Laraine came to visit us today. It soon became obvious that it was going to be another scorching day and therefore we abandoned all plans of cooking a meal for them.

Robert and Laraine take the helm

Unwinding on a perfect summers day

They arrived about midday and we set off to retrace our steps of yesterday, but this time to have a meal at The Ferryboat Inn.

The lock was really busy again and we all crammed in but after that it was plain sailing with Robert and Laraine taking turns at the helm.

Enjoying another drink at The Old Ferry Boat Inn

(It's a hard life but someone has to do it)

The pub was also very busy as expected on a hot sunny day but we didn't have to wait too long for our lunch and we were all ready for it when it did arrive.

A busy beer garden at the Old Ferry Boat but the food was worth the wait

We had a leisurely trip back with Robert at the helm - Laraine decided she preferred to be a lady of leisure at the front of the boat with me.

Rob takes the helm for the homeward cruise

We managed to negotiate the lock quite easily this time as most of the cruisers were going in the opposite direction on their way back to their permanent moorings after the weekend.

Successfully through the lock and back to the mooring

Our mooring spot was waiting for us and two men in an adjoining boat helped by taking our ropes, as they could see what a hash Robert and I were making of it.

We had a quick bite to eat and cup of tea and all too soon it was time for them to go as they both have work tomorrow. As they were leaving it started to rain and it has been thundering intermittently since then but still feels very oppressive.

Tom and I have had a super weekend and it has been great to catch up with the boys and their partners again and hope to see them all again in the near future.

Saturday 26th July

2008-07-26T22:47:00.005+01:00

Yesterdays Pictures

Paddle Boat going past our mooring

Green Goddess up for hire for functions

Our Favourite House in Holywell Village

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N.B. Lottie awaits her passengers arrival

(note her New Parasol holder in position on the tiller)
Thank you to Diana and Derek

The hottest day so far!! Matthew and Julie visited us, arriving about 1pm. After a quick ploughman's lunch, we decided to set off by boat. Matthew took the helm while Tom did a bit of fishing and Julie and I sat in the front like the figureheads. The river was busy and we negotiated the lock with 3 cruisers - there was a lock keeper in attendance this time.

After that we cruised for an hour or so until we came to Holywell.

We managed to moor up just beyond the pub, although my foot did slip into the water as I jumped off. Luckily as it was so hot, it dried off in no time.

Matthew, Julie and I had a walk around the village, while Tom got the drinks in and we spent a pleasant couple of hours there.

Drinks at The Old Ferry Boat Inn

We had already decided to eat on the boat, not realising how hot it would be but Tom managed to serve us up a delicious meal.

Julie takes the helm

All too soon it was time to think about the return journey, in order to get Matthew and Julie back to their car. Julie took the helm on the homeward journey and only had a little wobble when she came across a naked man swimming - unfortunately he was doing backstroke!!!!

Tom gives Matthew an introduction to fishing

( a good example of the blind leading the blind)

All aboard for the homeward trip

The journey back was great - no other boats and everywhere was very peaceful. It was just beginning to get dark when we arrived back - the latest we have been out on her. We managed to moor up in town and after a drink and chat, Matthew and Julie were on their way home at 10.30pm. A really lovely day - I bet we all sleep well tonight!!

Friday 25th July

2008-07-26T12:06:00.002+01:00

Another hot day - because we are moored in the countryside, we had to spend some time removing insects, spiders etc inside and out!!!
We decided to go a bit further afield by bike today. We hadn't used them for a few days so we were "comfortable" again. We wanted to visit a small village called Holywell - we had seen it from the river but hadn't been able to moor anywhere near at that time. It is only one and a half miles from St Ives but the road was very busy with no cycle lane so we decided to go cross country.
It was a bit of a bumpy ride but definitely the better option. The focal point of the village is the pub The Ferryboat Inn. It had lovely gardens and is obviously a popular place as it was really busy - considering the village hasn't even got a shop. It is a real picture postcard village with lots of thatched properties. We sat in the gardens and had a drink before tackling the journey home.
Bythis time it had really warmed up and after a bit of shopping it was time to sit out again and recover! Have taken some photos but will add them to tomorrow's blog.

Thursday 24th July

2008-07-24T19:30:00.006+01:00

Another hot day! We had found a launderette and took the sheets, towels etc in to be done while we went to Waitrose. On our return they had all been washed and dried - worth every penny!!!

This afternoon we went to the St Ives Museum, which has a lot of local history, followed by a visit to the Chapel on the bridge.

This is now purely a tourist attraction but in the past has been a toll booth, a pub and a private residence. The top two floors have been removed from when it was originally built, as it was felt it was too heavy for the bridge. Evidently there have only ever been five built on bridges throughout the country

The Bridge Chapel/Pub/House

A model showing how the bridge used to look

(Note the extra floors on the chapel)

Inside the Bridge Chapel

On the balcony of The Bridge Chapel

We bumped into Linda and Ebony the dog in the town - they are moored in the centre of town but are moving on tomorrow.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing alongside the boat - it was just too hot to do anything else

Wednesday 23rd July

2008-07-23T22:43:00.004+01:00

Today was the hottest day we have had so far. We stayed on the boat during the morning and finally went out mid afternoon when it wasn't quite so warm. We had a walk around town and did a bit of shopping before settling into a riverside pub to watch the world go by

Lottie at the GOBA bankside mooring in SAt Ives

This morning we saw a hotel boat go by - the first time we had seen one although we had read about them. Two identical narrowboats are roped up alongside each other and we saw 4 passengers reading the paper while one member of crew was steering the boats. There must be times, such as narrow bridges etc, when they have to separate but it looked very pleasant and relaxed.

The Hotel Narrowboats

Like the old cargo boats one is the tug with an engine the other is the Butty with the large tiller

This evening there were all sorts of things going on in the river. Apart from the usual river craft, there were kayaks, scullers and some people were swimming.

Tuesday 22nd July

2008-07-22T22:07:00.005+01:00

We awoke at 8am as all the boats surrounding us set off on their way. It was a lovely sunny morning and we finally got away at 10am. Our first lock was at Earith and had a lock keeper in attendance. This connected us once again with the River Gt Ouse. We had already decided to make our way to St Ives so will explore this town on our return journey.

We were now on a tidal stretch of the river until our next lock. It was a very wide stretch of river and the journey was uneventful.

After this lock, I took to the tiller and Tom did some fishing and managed to catch 2 perch.

Tom with (believe it or not) the Larger of the 2 Perch he caught

We had one more lock to go through before arriving at St Ives about 4pm. The journey had taken longer than we thought but the weather had remained sunny and the scenery was really pretty. We saw some punts collecting reeds for basket making - evidently one family has had the harvesting rights for years. It looked hard work!

A very pretty stretch of the river

Reed Harvesting on the Great Ouse

The river narrowed and was much more shallow as we neared St Ives and the town looks really appealing as you approach by river.

Coming into St Ives

After mooring, we had a walk around the town. We met some fellow members of Peterborough Yacht Club and spent some time with them before returning to the boat for the rest of the evening. We intend to stay here and do the town in depth tomorrow.

A quick look around the town

Monday 21st July

2008-07-21T21:26:00.004+01:00

It was bright and sunny this morning but still very blustery. We said goodbye to Linda and Ebony, with whom we had spent the last 4 days and set off on our way. This was the first time we had set off without a definite plan of where we were going to moor for the night.

Ebony says Goodbye or is it Au revoir?

(as we still have some doggy biscuits left)

We left the River Cam after about an hour and turned onto The Old West River. This was quite narrow in parts initially and was also quite busy with other boats. Sometimes it was so windy, it took all our strength to keep the boat going in a straight line.

The view from our mooring

The river widened but was then quite shallow in parts so altogether an interesting journey. We kept going until about 2pm until we found a nice mooring just outside Aldreth, two miles outside Earith.

Christine sitting out comfortably

The wind dropped sufficiently for us to sit out comfortably for an hour and then we went for a walk to find the village. It was about a mile away and was quite small with no shop or pub. A lot of the villages that we have visited have a lot of new houses being built and this was no exception. Unfortunately sometimes it detracts from the appeal of the village as a whole.

Butterflies seen on our walk to Aldreth

Sunday 20th July

2008-07-20T22:27:00.003+01:00

As planned we stayed on our mooring today and caught up with our chores. It was a bright blustery day and there was plenty of movement on the river and on the towpath. Everybody seemed to want to stop and have a chat which kept Tom occupied while he washed and polished one side of the boat. He has said he will do the other side when we are on a different mooring on the other side of the river.

We decided to have our Sunday lunch at the Bridge Hotel, a riverside pub adjacent to our mooring. It was nothing special but neither of us felt like cooking.

The Bridge Hotel where we had Sunday lunch

However what was a real and unexpected treat was the narrowboats President and Kildare, which had moored opposite the pub. President is the oldest surviving cargo carrying narrowboat and is steam powered. Kildare is the butty which is towed behind, giving double the capacity for cargo.

Narrowboat and Butty President and Kildare, a rare sighting

These are exhibition boats that are based in Birmingham, crewed by volunteers who take them round the country to various shows and events and next year will be their centenary year.

Another "Lottie" on the river this one a cruiser

Saturday 19th July

2008-07-19T20:59:00.003+01:00

We had a bit of a lazy day today. We went across the river this morning to the Elsan station where we also filled up with fresh water. While I was doing this Christine went into town to get the paper. Having completed the replenishment we signalled to Linda that we were leaving and so we both got underway. We only went as far as Waterbeach having negotiated the lock at Baits Bite in tandem. The wind that was forecast hadn't really got up to any strength at this time so the anticipated problems never arose and both boats got through unscathed. The trip up to the lock was a case of dodging the rowing eights that all seemed to be out training but we managed to get through them without causing any catastrophies.

We had a walk around the village of Waterbeach which apart from a couple of pubs and a few picture postcard cottages, is of no real consequence. We have decided to spend Sunday on this mooring to get upto date with the cleaning etc. (yes it's not all beer and skittles ) and as Christine keeps reminding me "You are not on holiday you know!!!".

Only a couple of pictures I'm afraid one of the very imposing house that the warden/baliff of the Cam Coscervancey (the body that is responsible for the river from Waterbeach to Cambridge) lives in, nice work if you can get it.

and the other showing the weekend build up of boats on the mooring, luckily we got here early enough to get the best positions away from the bridge we are the last boat but one Linda's being the last. We will probably go to The Bridge Hotel tomorrow for Sunday Lunch after all our hard exertions

Friday 18th July

2008-07-18T21:37:00.004+01:00

Lottie moored just below Jesus Lock (in foreground) Linda's boat moored in front of us

It was fine this morning and we decided that we would do the city bus tour to acquaint ourselves with Cambridge. Our neighbour, Linda came with Ebony the dog and we all clambered to the top deck of the open top bus and hoped it would not rain.

Immaculate manicured graves

We decided to get off at the American Cemetery and WW2 memorial and have a walk round. It was very emotional and well worth the visit.

Inside the Chapel at the American War Cemetery

The weather was still good so we decided to press on and went on a chauffeured punt trip along the part of the river that is called The Backs. (Linda and Ebony declined!) It was a really good trip - Luke our guide actually goes to Leeds University but nevertheless was very knowledgeable about the local history.

In the Punt along the backs

Having now got to grips with the city both by road and by boat, we decided to walk under our own steam to retrace our steps to some of the places of interest. Cambridge is absolutely heaving with people at the moment, both with tourists and students but it all adds to the atmosphere. There are also plenty of parks and open spaces so it does not feel cramped.

Quite a few bikes in Cambridge!!!

We returned to the boat at about 5pm as it was just starting to rain. The forecast for tomorrow is strong winds, so we have arranged to leave with Linda to go through the lock together. She is then meeting friends and we aren't sure where we are going next.

Should there be a Congestion charge in Cambridge?

We have really enjoyed Cambridge but the 48 hours has been long enough as we have been here many times before.

Thursday 17th July

2008-07-17T21:51:00.002+01:00

Woke up and it was raining and so it continued throughout the day. We set off with our neighbour to Cambridge City Centre. We had one lock to go through and arrived one and a half hours later. We were really lucky as there were just two mooring places left - probably the weather had put people off.
We went to the market and to the information centre but spent the rest of the day on the boat, so no pictures today. It feels very safe at this mooring - there are lots of students and tourists but no sign of any trouble. (apart from the police helicopter flying round the park and police cars with sirens going, hurtling round in ever decreasing circles!!! back to civilisation.)
We are going to stay at this mooring for 48 hours and are hoping that it will be dry tomorrow when we will spend the day exploring the city.

Wednesday 16th July

2008-07-16T22:23:00.003+01:00

We managed to get away at 0945hrs this morning - our earliest yet. We retraced our way back down the Burwell Lode and joined the Cam. We had already decided where we wanted to moor and luckily there was a space waiting for us. We had had to pass through 2 locks on the way - quite a shock as there have been so few locks to date.

Another Black Swan (not so rare)

The Cam becomes much more interesting as you progress down it - we were both surprised how wide it is, although I don't know why.

It was still only 1.30pm and we knew we were only about 6 miles from Cambridge city centre. The towpath doubles up as a cycle track, so we set off on the bikes to see how far we could go. We actually arrived in the city about 45 minutes later. We padlocked the bikes - two of thousands - and set off by foot to have a quick look around.

The River Cam as you enter Cambridge

We saw the public moorings and will try to get one tomorrow morning. There are a lot of residential boats on the river which means there is limited mooring for visitors.

We cycled back to the boat against a fairly stiff breeze - feel we should be getting fitter but we were both exhausted

d.

Boat Crews in training past our mooring

The lady in the boat next to us is widowed and has been travelling on her narrowboat by herself for two years managing all the locks, mooring etc by herself!! Puts me to shame!!

Tuesday 15th July

2008-07-15T22:14:00.004+01:00

We decided to stay in Burwell today. Our next river was to be Reach Lode but the books differed in their advice and one said it was unable to be navigated. We therefore thought we would go to it by road and see for ourselves
First of all this morning we had a walk into Burwell Village. It is in fact quite large and has lots of new building in progress. It had 3 pubs and quite a few shops too.

The Village Green at Reach

The narrow Reach Lode

After lunch we set off on our bikes to find the village of Reach. By this time it was really hot and sunny and it probably took about half an hour by bike. This was a very small picturesque village with a large village green, one pub and no shops. We went in search of the river and found that it had very high banks and there was no mooring at the end of it. We would have been able to turn the boat but it would not have been worth the effort, so it will be down the River Cam tomorow making our way to Cambridge.

Saint Etheldrida and the Holy Trinity Church at Reach

We sat in the pub garden and had a drink before cycling back to Burwell where we had a doze on the travelling rug by the side of the boat. Lots of interruptions from some exhuberant dogs going for their afternoon walk, but we didn't mind - although Tom wasn't too pleased when a Labrador puppy came charging after his piece of cake.

Tommy's Home Made Lemon Cake that the Lab fancied

Some Evening visitors

Monday 14th July

2008-07-14T18:39:00.003+01:00

Catching up with Jennie

Lifting Bridge

Weed on the Burwell lode slowed progress

Turn following the boat for a turned up fish?

We had a surprise visitor this morning. Jennie (our Great Ormond Street nurse) came for morning coffee. She lives in Histon, near Cambridge and caught a train as we were so near. We hadn't seen her for 8 years and it was wonderful to catch up again. Needless to say we had to mark the occasion with cream cakes.
We have arranged to meet again with her boys and Lottie and Lee in 3 weeks time to spend the day together - we are really looking forward to it.
We set off about 1pm to go down Burwell Lode which is off the River Cam. Although this river is wider than Wicken Fen, it is obviously not used much and was covered in thick green weed. At times it was quite hard going but the river wasn't wide enough to turn round, so we just kept going.
The turn in the picture kept us amused for nearly the whole journey. he followed the boat swooping down to catch his dinner. We only saw him catch one fish, which he managed to drop back into the river. It looked like a lot of effort for very little reward.
Luckily the lift bridge in the picture was in the up position as we have never encountered one before.
We arrived at Burwell at 4.30pm and were relieved to find that we could turn the boat. The EA had provided just one mooring space but luck was with us again as it was free.
There was a local fisherman at the landing stage who managed to catch an 8lb pike and filled us in on some of the local history.
We decided to explore the village and surrounding area tomorrow, as it looks interesting enough to spend some time here.

Sunday 13th July

2008-07-13T21:15:00.004+01:00

We all woke up at about 8 am and had a leisurely breakfast. Tom and I had a walk around the village nearby and Ted tried his hand at fishing again.
We set off about 11am and made our way back to Ely. The weather was improving all the time and by the time we arrived, the sun was shining.

Wild horses on Wicken Fen

We had time to have a walk around Ely and show Pat and Ted some of the sights. They were all a lot more appealing in the sunny weather.

Pat and Ted Navigate The Wicken Lode

We had booked lunch in a river front pub called The Cutter and had got a window table. It was a relaxing afternoon watching the boats go by while we had lunch. All too soon it was time for Pat and Ted to leave, as they had a 2 hour drive back to Essex and Pat is working tomorrow!!! I think we were all shattered but it had been a lovely weekend and was great to see them both again.
Tom and I had a very quiet evening - time to move on tomorrow but we have really enjoyed our time in Ely

A visit to Oliver Cromwell's House

The end of a lovely weekend

Saturday 12th July

2008-07-13T19:38:00.003+01:00

Pat and Ted arrived about 11am and after a coffee and a quick catch up of news, we decided to set off for the day. The weather was a bit changeable so it had been difficult to decide the best option. We settled for a trip up the River Cam and then branched off to Wicken Lode. All the books had said that this was a narrow stretch of river but was navigable. Well it was so narrow, that initially we went straight past it, not believing that it could possibly get a narrowboat up it.

However safety in numbers, so we set off. Thank goodness we didn't meet another boat and it was such a pretty journey and even included one lock. When we got to the end, there was ample room to moor for the night and we were in the middle of the National Trust nature reserve called Wicken Fen.

Wicken Fen Lode ( approx 10ft wide)

The boys immediately decided it was time for a spot of fishing and Pat and I set off for a long walk to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine. We met a group of 30-40 wild horses and a few were very interested in us and decided to have a little nuzzle.

Gone Fishing

Water Lilies on Wicken Lode(not the usual MarshMarigold )

We were in a very isolated spot and no other boats were there, so we enjoyed an evening meal on the boat and caught up with all the news since we had all been together in Australia.

Friday 11th July

2008-07-11T17:12:00.004+01:00

Woke up this morning with the sun streaming through the porthole, so decided to make haste and crack on with the last bit of touch up painting on the boat after a quick breakfast. We then went off to Tescos to top up on food etc (yes even in this wonderfully laid back life you still have to do Tescos!) Having deposited our shopping on the boat we decided to go off to the local museum and finish our education on this interesting city. On the way we called into the local chandlers and spend some of the hard earned on some new fenders as we seemed to have lost one and damaged a couple somewhere en route. A length of 2mtr chain was also purchased as we have been told that it is adviseable to padlock and chain the boat to the mooring bollard as it has been known for boats to be set adrift at night around the St Neots area and beyond.

Not sure if the Cambridge Boat Race Committee will appreciate having a boat painted in Oxford Blue moored outside their boathouse!!!

The museum was very well laid out and very informative. We both felt it was well worth the time and effort and answered a few of the questions that hadn't been covered by our other expeditions. On the way back to the boat we made yet another purchase (I think Christine will be using the chain to wrap around her purse) of a coir mat which will fit into the stern area over the engine room and will serve to not only keep the interior of the boat a bit cleaner but also to act as a sound deadener (that's the theory anyway)

My punishment after spending too much money on the boat!

Our friends Pat and Ted are arriving tomorrow for the weekend so fingers crossed the weather will be kind to us, I'm afraid it means another early rise (no really) to get everything shipshape for their arrival but we are both looking forward to it.

Thursday 10th July

2008-07-10T22:49:00.001+01:00

We were up bright and early this morning as I was going to London to visit Lee and Lottie as they were not working today. Tom opted to stay with the boat and do a few jobs, including a bit of paint touching up!! I am sure the scrapes couldn't have been caused by me but he will tell you a different story.
I had a lovely day and it was great to see both Lottie and Lee and spend a few relaxing hours at their place. It was very strange having to negotiate Kings Cross and the tube in the rush hour, having spent the last few weeks in the back waters.
Luckily it was fine and Tom managed to do nearly all the painting but will finish off tomorrow.

Wednesday 9th July

2008-07-09T17:04:00.006+01:00

It was another rainy day but we decided to go ahead with our plans to see the city and it's attractions. We started by going to Oliver Cromwell's house as seen above. After an inheritance from his uncle, he moved to Ely, became an MP and the rest is history. As you can see Tom quite fancies himself in the role.

From there we went to see the Stained Glass Museum, which is in Ely Cathedral. There was a class of infants there and I tagged along - it was really informative!!! It was well worth a visit and spectacular to see all the windows together.

Our next trip was up the Lantern Tower of the Cathedral - luckily the guide didn't point out how high and narrow the climb was, or I might not have embarked on it. However there was no going back once you had started and the views both inside and out, were well worth the fear experienced.

We then walked around the cathedral under our own steam, having picked up a lot of the history on the previous tour. By this time we were flagging a bit, so it was back to the boat for an hour before setting out again in the pouring rain, for the evening tour of the city by foot.

Needless to say we were the only two fools who turned up and the guide seemed a bit surprised to see us. However we spent the next one and a half hours getting soaked while he took us to see all the points of interest and I think we all enjoyed it.

Altogether a really busy but fantastic day and we are now experts on the city of Ely! It was probably the wettest day so far as it didn't stop raining all day or evening and we were truly drenched but it didn't spoil our fun.

Tuesday 8th July

2008-07-08T21:30:00.004+01:00

A local bird who has seen better days

Not so much a chocolate box cottage, more an After Eight as it is so slim!

For some reason we were wide awake at 5am - we had a cup of tea and then the next we knew it was 9am.

Luckily it was dry and bright - sunny would be going too far as there was a definite nip in the air. We were a bit tied for time as I had booked a hair appointment for 2pm, but managed to have another walk around town. It is surprisingly small and everything including the cathedral, museum etc are situated within minutes of each other. There are no big stores like M@S etc but local people go to Cambridge or Newmarket, both of which are nearby.

We are going to visit the cathedral tomorrow - it looks so spectacular from the outside.There is also a guided tour of Oliver Cromwell's house so might go for that too if we have time.

The marina where we are moored is full of big "Gin Palaces". We are the only narrowboat in this part, so have had a few strange looks. There are a handful which are moored in the far corner on the other side but this river is predominantly used by cruisers and of course, as we are getting near Cambridge, rowing clubs abound.

Th cruisers tend to go quite fast and don't slow down when passing other boats and the rowers seem to think that we have the ability to move faster than we can, to get out of their way. It can be a bit hair raising at times.

Monday 7th July

2008-07-08T06:42:00.002+01:00

Rain again! We tried to move the boat into the marina during a dry patch but unfortunately the heavens opened while we were on the way and we both got drenched. It carried on with thunder and lightening storms for most of the day and in the evening we even had the heating on.

However we did manage to get out and walk around Ely acquainting ourselves with the area and deciding what to do in the coming week. The waterfront is a lovely area and was very quiet today - we could easily have moored. We have been allocated a nice mooring in the marina but obviously we are surrounded by other boats and we haven't got the views we have been used to looking out to each day. On the plus side we have hook up electricity, a water tap next to the boat, and all the facilities to hand re gas, fuel, and elsan disposal so it is a bit of a novelty.

We went to the station to sort out trains as I am going to London on Thursday to meet Lottie and Lee as they both have the day off. Tom has opted to stay and tinker with the boat, doing a few odd jobs that have been building up!! We also managed to find a Tesco to replenish stocks as Pat and Ted are coming to stay with us for the weekend. Hope the weather improves by then.

Sunday 6th July

2008-07-06T20:35:00.002+01:00

We woke up this morning to rain and it has continued to rain on and off all day. We took the opportunity to clean the inside of the boat.
Tom settled down to watch Formula One and we both watched the Men's final at Wimbledon and that meant we had managed to stay on the boat all day without moving.
Despite the weather, there has been quite a lot of movement on the river, although mainly cruisers.
Nothing else to report but will be up bright and early to transfer into the marina.

Saturday 5th July

2008-07-05T12:53:00.005+01:00

Our Mooring at the Judes Ferry Inn

What a night! The barbecue was such a success that a couple of the lads had a little too much to drink and decided to have an in depth conversation outside our bedroom window until 1am. The evening climaxed with one being sick on the decking, his drunken friend getting a bucket of water to clean it up but throwing over his head instead, the police coming and pinning one to the floor and putting handcuffs on his wrists and ankles. At this point he was screaming at the top of his voice, so an ambulance was called. They then decided that as he was 6'4" and 17 stone, they couldn't move him and they had to release his ankles to try to get him to walk.

During all of this, Tom and I were lying quietly in bed and by the time it was all over, we were wide awake. It wasn't quite what we expected from our quiet country location.

Anyway this morning all was well and we set off at 10am, our earliest to date. We had an uneventful trip apart from a short burst of rain and made our way through Ely before mooring at Little Thetford.

We then cycled back to Ely and booked the boat into the marina for next week so that we can really do this city justice. The man said he wouldn't charge us for electricity hook up as we wouldn't be using much. I didn't like to tell him about the washing waiting to be done, the freezer, the tv and the laptop!!

A quiet evening and an early night I hope - we are both shattered.

Friday 4th July

2008-07-04T17:26:00.006+01:00

A Heron frightened by our appearance

Some interested spectators

Another sunny day and after breakfast we set off on our bikes to have a look at some of the local villages on a circular tour. We visited Worlington, Barton Mills, Mildenhall, Beck Row and finally West Row where we are moored.

We were out for about three hours and were both a bit saddle sore when we returned! Barton Mills was particularly nice and the price of the properties reflected this compared to the others.

When we got back we sat in the gardens of the pub and fully intended to move on. However the pub has a barbecue arranged tonight to celebrate American Independance Day, and by now a few boats had arrived to join us, so we decided to stay put for another night. I expect it will be busy as Mildenhall has the American Air Base - it was very noticeable today that they are on holiday as no jets are flying around.

We aregetting very lazy but will definitely move the boat tomorrow as we are heading towards Ely and the River Cam.

Thursday 3rd July

2008-07-04T15:16:00.003+01:00

We left our mooring at about 11.30am and travelled to Ely to get an idea what the mooring is like for next week. As you approach you can see the cathedral in the distance and it looks very majestic.

Ely embankment was also a lively vibrant place. There are 48 hour moorings provided with no return within 48 hours. Evidently this is monitored to stop people having extended stays. Most of the moorings had already been taken so when we return we will make sure we have an early start. The trouble is we haven't managed an early start yet!! How did we ever work?

Just as we were leaving Ely we had a downpour of rain which lasted for about an hour - we moored up and had a cup of tea. In no time the sun was shining and we set off for the River Lark, a tributary off the Gt Ouse.

This is a pretty river but again very quiet and we didn't pass any boats on our five hour trip to the end of the navigation. We moored up at the pub Judes Ferry, only to find our neighbours from the previous night were already here.

We had a meal in the pub with them and the food was really good - much better than last night's pub.

Wednesday 2nd July

2008-07-02T22:22:00.002+01:00

It was dry this morning although not sunny. We set off at 11am to retrace our steps down the River Little Ouse. It was a quiet uneventful trip, although rain threatened for most of the journey.

After 4 hours we arrived back onto the River Great Ouse and made our way to moor for the night at Littleport. This is a small village which is fairly close to Ely. By this time it was raining quite heavily so we didn't explore the surrounding areas.

We had our evening meal in the nearby pub "the Black Horse" before returning to the boat for the night. We are going to try to start off a bit earlier tomorrow and spend a couple of days at Ely.

Tuesday 1st July

2008-07-01T18:49:00.004+01:00

It was such a beautiful day and we were in such a pretty spot, that we decided not to move the boat today. It meant we could explore the surrounding countryside a little more.

We started off with a bike ride to the neighbouring village of Weeting as we had heard it had a castle with a moat. Unfortunately as you can see from the picture, very little remains. However it is a pretty village with the green surrounded by thatched cottages. We were unable to get in the church as it was padlocked and the notice indicated that it doesn't have regular services anymore.

We arrived back to the boat in the afternoon and sat outside enjoying the sunshine. There were lots of passers by, mainly walking their dogs, and they all stop for a chat.

At 4pm after school finished, the local lads were down to have a swim. They had a wonderful time, although I was a nervous wreck watching them jump from the sluice gates.

A thoroughly relaxing lazy day. Evidently the only one as I have just heard the weather is going to change tomorrow.

2008-07-01T09:46:00.006+01:00

Top left - A residence on the river

Look Gilly - a boat named after you!

Gilly relaxing!

Happy Birthday Gilly for 1st July.

Woke up to a bright sunny day and the wind had dropped so we set off up the River Little Ouse. It is a very quiet river with very few moorings and we only passed one boat in the whole 4 hour journey.

Tom took the helm for the whole journey and I sat in my chair with a book in the front of the boat. It was really peaceful with lots of wildlife to keep it interesting including this lone black swan.

When we reached the end of our journey at Brandon Lock we were able to moor easily, as there were no other boats around. We were unable to go through the lock as our boat is too long but there is very not very much river the other side that is navigable anyway.

We set off on our bikes to explore the area. There are two American air bases nearby and also there is obviously a large Polish population as all the signs are written in both english and polish.

Although the village is quite pretty, the housing in the back streets indicated a growing population, so yet another place has been crossed off the retirement list.

We went for a walk a little later and then sat out in the sunshine talking to various people who were out enjoying the sunshine.

This is a very pretty location to moor for the night and it feels very safe.

Sunday 29th June

2008-06-29T22:19:00.004+01:00

Another fine day so after breakfast we set off in the boat for our return journey along the River Wissey. It was uneventful and a couple of hours later we arrived at a village called Hilgay where we moored for lunch.

It was bright but still very windy - it didn't stop the local children from swimming in the river though. We got the bikes and set off to explore the village. There is only one shop - the butcher but he seems to sell everything. We found the local church which is approached by a long avenue of poplar trees. It looked very impressive. It was nice to find it open but unattended - obviously the locals feel theirs is a safe village.

We set off again late afternoon for another couple of hours, rejoining the Great Ouse and are now moored at the mouth of the River Little Ouse - the mooring just happens to be a pub garden! Needless to say we had to be polite and sample the brew.

Saturday 28th June

2008-06-28T17:57:00.006+01:00

Another fine day today, although still very blustery. We decided to cycle back to the windmill and to Denver village. We must have looked true professionals as two young boys asked us to do a wheelie as we rode by! The village was much prettier than anticipated, as the lock area had been quite plain. At the windmill they were just finishing baking the bread, so we had a cup of coffee before collecting our loaf and heading back for the boat.

We set off about 1pm to explore the River Wissey, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Parts of it are flat fenland but parts reminded us both of the Nene. It was very narrow initially but widened to a lake by the sugar beet factory and eventually narrowed again as we reached the end of the navigation at Stoke Ferry.

There were mainly cruisers on this part of the river and as it is the weekend there were lots of boaters tinkering although very few were actually using the river. One poor chap was out in a rowing boat and hadn't heard us approach. I had to hoot him as he was right in our path and he looked terrified to see us advancing on him and scuttled out of the way.

There was a very large willow tree overhanging the river and in trying to avoid it I managed to hit the boat moored on the opposite bank. Luckily it was empty and no damage but Tom took over at this point - he didn't say a word but the look said it all!!

The only place to moor was a busy caravan site which didn't appeal, so we turned and found a good mooring on the river bank, adjoining a farmer's field.

We then had a quiet evening enjoying the wildlife without a building in sight.

Friday 27th June

2008-06-27T06:46:00.003+01:00

We woke up to a bright sunny morning and set off for Downham Market. We knew the market was on today but as an extra bonus we found a Somerfield and stocked up on food. It was back to the boat, a quick bite to eat and we set off to retrace our steps to Denver Lock. We moored up for the day on the other side of the lock and had a quiet afternoon.

At about 5pm we decided to go for a walk to find the famous windmill. It was a bit cloudy but we thought we would take a chance. We did eventually find it after about half an hour in a fairly
isolated spot. It has been restored to full working order and they are baking bread tomorrow so we might go back to get some fresh bread. Unfortunately it is not a very picturesque area so there was very little to see on the walk.

Just as we got back, the heavens opened and it rained for the next couple of hours. So far we have been very lucky with the weather but can it last?

NB Lottie on the Denver Vistors Mooring

Thursday 26th June

2008-06-26T10:35:00.006+01:00

Denver Sluice

Now on the Great Ouse

We had a leisurely morning doing a few domestic chores, whilst waiting for the tide to rise. Christine even made a cake!!!!! At approximately 11am the lock keeper signalled that we could enter the lock. It was like entering a crypt, dark and damp. He closed the gates behind us and went to raise the guillotine gate only to find that the tide wasn't high enough and we had to wait in the lock chamber for a further 15 minutes until the water reached the correct level.

Having been apprehensive about the transit through tidal waters, it proved to be very straightforward and only took an hour to come out onto the Ouse unscathed

Field of Wild Flowers at Salter's Lode

We stopped on the EA mooring for a cup of tea then replenished the water etc. We had decided to visit Downham Market, which was situated on the Great Ouse relief channel which meant going through another lock at this point.

Having got the boat into the lock, Christine manually half closed one of the V gates which was very stiff and required lots of effort. At this point she decided to read the instructions, only to find that the gates were electrically operated!! The men mowing the lawn nearby looked on astounded.

The relief channel is very wide and straight with no real views, so we decided to up the revs on the engine and put the washing machine into action.

With the washing done, we moored up at Downham Market and set off to explore the village. We bought some English strawberries for tea and found out there is a market tomorrow, so will be returning to replenish food stocks.

It started to rain about 6pm - the first rain we have had so far - but luckily we are tucked up for the night and hope it will blow over by tomorrow.

#Lottie waiting to enter Salter's Lode Lock

Wednesday 25th June

2008-06-25T21:31:00.005+01:00

We stayed in Upwell for the morning and went for a tour of the local church before leaving at lunchtime. The villagers are really friendly and were keen to fill us in on the local history.

Our next lock is Salter's Lode and you can only go through it once a day as we are leaving Well Creek and joining the River Ouse which is tidal at this point. We phoned the lock keeper and we should be able to go through at 11am tomorrow.

It was very windy but bright and sunny so we set off at a leisurely pace. The river is quite narrow in parts and we passed through the village of Outwell before hitting the Fens again and a large expanse of countryside. It is quite disconcerting as the road runs alongside the river for most of the way although the cars seemed to be travelling faster than us!!

We passed through another small village called Nordelph before reaching the lock at about 3 pm. We went for a walk and familiarised ourselves with the layout of the lock and Denver Sluice, which we have to negotiate before joining the non tidal Ouse.

Our trip through the Middle Level and Well Creek has been a pleasant surprise and not as boring as we had been led to believe. We think this is because we have taken our time and spoken to a few characters along the way.

Tuesday 24th June

2008-06-24T20:59:00.005+01:00

Thanks to Michael, we have now managed to put some pictures on the blog. If any of you are wondering what they are, there is Stanground Lock, Peterborough Embankment, Tom at the helm having negotiated a 90 degree bend which you can just see in the background and the stretches of fields that were our view for most of yesterday.

Well yet again we changed our plans for today. We woke up to glorious sunshine and had a leisurely cooked breakfast and a general potter around. Just as we were thinking of leaving 3 boats came towards us heading for March. As we hadn't seen any coming in the other direction, we thought the chances of securing a mooring were still fairly slim. We decided to carry on and see March on our return journey.

We had needed to use a plank last night at our mooring as it was quite a steep bank and we couldn't get in too close. I spared you the details yesterday of the sight of me trying to jump off the boat and grasping at the grass to get up the bank. Tom then threw me the mallett and two stakes to hammer in to secure the boat.

This morning I thought I would be clever and take the helm while he reversed the procedure. Unfortunately as he took the first stake out, a boat passed making the boat move and the plank looked in danger of falling in the water. I had a little panic and the end result is that we have one less solar light on the roof, but the bottom of the river will be well lit up tonight!

With Tom, plank etc safely on board we set off and had an uneventful couple of hours until we came to the next lock. It transpires that we should have telephoned ahead to book to go through, but the lock keeper took pity on us, and even told us where we could moor in the next village. He told us that he had been in the RAF and his wife bought the cottage adjoining the lock without telling him. At that time the lock was derelict and stayed that way for the next ten years. When they decided to make it navigable again, his wife became the lock keeper and he helps out.

So here we are at Upwell (pictures above)- on the borders of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. It is a very pretty village that has the river running through the middle with a road either side. We retraced our trip on foot this afternoon looking at all the riverside properties from the road.