Grandparents Gadabout - Week 7

 

Monday 5th July - Southampton

Spent a lovely day with Alba playing on the beach at Lepe Country Park, not quite the weather for swimming but great fun playing in the waves.

Tuesday 6th July - Southampton 

A wet and muddy walk through Itchen Valley Country Park and great fun playing in the mud kitchen!  Tonight we return to the boat hopefully where we left it at Queen Adelaide! 

Wednesday 7th July - Queen Adelaide to Judes Ferry, West Row

Today we are having a few days exploring the rivers off the Great Ouse.  Dave took the car into Ely and left it with Laura and Amy, then walked back to the boat, before setting off back towards Denver Sluice and taking the first turning right onto the River Lark.  These are the GOBA Moorings before the village of Prickwillow.

The only lock on the River Lark that we go through, it is 1.1 feet depth and automated although it took some time to work out how it worked! 

After the lock the river became narrower and very windy, but eventually we arrived at Judes Ferry, Dave turned the boat and we moored up on the pontoon at the bottom of the garden.  The pub was making preparations for the match between England and Denmark tonight, but we were pleased to see that it was all very quiet and civilised! 

We went for a walk into West Row and found the church, again with no tower.  West Row had a Methodist church and a Baptist church. The few Anglicans had to go all the way into Mildenhall to attend divine service at St Mary, so in 1875 the village school was extended and converted into a church. The school had been built 25 years earlier as a National School, but soon turned out to be too small. It constituted the nave of the new building.

This was the space for turning the boat, with a blustery wind blowing and the narrowness of the water, it took several reverses and forwards to bring her round, but Dave did it brilliantly!

A lovely photo of the boat on the mooring taken from further up the River under the bridge.  The current navigation ends at West Row where a minor road crosses beside a pub which provides moorings alongside its garden. This used to be a commercial wharf and was known as Jude's Ferry.

12.25 miles, 1 lock, 4 hrs 12 mins

Thursday 8th July - Judes Ferry to Prickwillow

We left Judes Ferry and began to make our way back up the river to Prickwillow.  I spotted a deer in the shade of the willow tree, but it was well camouflaged! 

The side of the lock was a mass of colour from the wildflower planting, the number of bees and butterflies was amazing, shame they don’t come out on the photos.  

We moored in Prickwillow before the bridge, another lovely quiet mooring.  Prickwillow Museum, a registered educational charity, tells the story of the drainage of the Fens, the history of the local area, and those doughty individuals who ran the drainage pumps in out of the way places.  

Ella on her mooring at Prickwillow, a welcome sight after a walk along the Hereward Way and the river.  

8 miles, 1 lock, 2 hours, 30 mins.

Friday 9th July - Prickwillow to Wicken Fen

We left Prickwillow after stopping to fill up with water and headed back towards Ely.  I spotted this little egret on the river bank, the little egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on crest, back and chest, black legs and bill and yellow feet. 

We stopped in Ely for diesel and water and then continued down the River Cam and turned into the Wicken Lodes and through the lock called Upware Ship Lift!  We moored just before the turning into Wicken Fen on the visitor moorings.  The water was incredibly clear and very weedy, and at this point we decided not to try and cruise the three lodes, Wicken Lode, Burwell Lode and Reach Lode, but to explore them on foot instead.

We walked along Wicken Lode and did come across this boat sitting in the middle of the water, just watching the fish and the dragonflies, looked very peaceful!  

We stopped at the National Trust Visitor Centre for tea and scones and then walked back across the fen.  We saw these ponies in the fields, they did look amazing, a lot of foals.  Wicken Fen is home to the beautiful Konik ponies who help by grazing the scrub, stopping the wetlands from turning into woodland.  On the back of their legs they have zebra stripes and on their back is a thin stripe and their mane is both blonde and dark.

Artists Heather and Ivan Morison have built the artwork Mother..., a thatched hut offering sanctuary and solitude in Wicken Fen Nature Reserve.  Heather and Ivan, who together lead Studio Morison, wanted to explore how the natural world might be used to improve people's mental health.

Ivan Morison said - Mother... makes us think of the sculpture as a vessel that might take us places; this could be on an imaginary journey around the solar system, it could be a journey connecting the past with an imagined future, making the work a time machine of sorts, or it could be a journey within our own minds, a rehabilitative journey from upset to calm.

13 miles, 1 lock, 4 hours, 18 mins.

Saturday 10th July - Wicken Fen Junction

This morning we saw the trip boat, Mayfly, which comes from the National Trust centre at the end of Wicken Lode,  comes up the lode, turns in the junction and goes back again.  All with an on board commentary.  

 

Once the rain had stopped we set off to explore the Burwell Lode and Reach Lode.  This is Burwell Lode from the footbridge, very narrow and quite long, about 4 miles from the lock! 

On the way we saw these cattle grazing on the fen, they are Highland Cattle and the hardiness of the breeds means they are more than capable of withstanding the rigours of life on the fen throughout the year and thrive on the available forage.  The Highland cattle originate from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, they are tough and robust with a placid nature. 

We walked along Burwell Lode, stopped for a drink at The Five Bells, then carried on to Reach and walked back along Reach Lode, up to the lock and then back to the boat.  A total of 10.5 miles!  

Sunset from the side hatch of the boat, stunning reflections in the very still water.

Sunday 11th July - Wicken Fen Jumction to Little Thetford Moorings

This morning we decided to move the boat off the Lodes and back onto the Great River Ouse. This is Ella entering the lock at the entrance to the Lodes, which we managed easily this time.

We moored up at Little Thetford Moorings and spent the afternoon watching the Men’s Singles Final before going for a walk back down towards the Fish and Duck Marina.  It had turned quite cold and blowy, so it was a short brisk walk!  

4.75 miles, 1 lock, 1 hour 48 mins.

Grandparents Gadabout - Week 6

 Monday 28th June - Sunday 4th July 

We have spent this week moving the boat between Queen Adelaide Moorings and Ely, every 48 hours.  Here I am turning the boat ready to take her back into Ely.  Dave is going to drive the car into Ely and find a good mooring spot on the riverside.  Almost all of the week has been devoted to helping out with the twins.

On Tuesday we drove down to Bedford to visit my mum, I haven’t seen her for 18 months because of the pandemic, and she was looking fit and well.

On Thursday, Amy’s mum and dad came to visit and we had a lovely lunch at the Prince Albert in Ely.

Whilst turning the boat on Friday I saw a  Great Crested Grebe, I was lucky to catch this one as they tend to dive as soon as they are aware of the boat!  

On Sunday we drove down to Totton to spend a couple of days looking after Alba whilst mummy and daddy are at work.  Here we are with our glad rags on, ready for an evening out, after a lovely hot bath!

Not really a week of cruising, but a busy one all round!  

Grandparents Gadabout - Week 5

 Monday 21st June - Ely Riverside

A slow start to the day, Dave caught the train from Ely to Worcester to collect the car so that we have our own transport for a total of 3 weeks whilst we are over this way.  

I walked up to Laura’s and spent the afternoon helping out with the babies, going for a walk until Dave got back and then we returned to the boat.  

Unfortunately, where we were moored on The Riverside there is a very weak wifi signal, so it was radio and an early night! 

Tuesday 22nd June - Ely Riverside to Cawdle Fen to Queen Adelaide

We have moored the boat for 48 hours so we have to move it to a different mooring for the next 48 hours. We set off out of Ely to Cawdle Fen, it was cold and windy, and when we got there, I turned the boat and attempted to moor up.  It was really difficult, and eventually we decided against it and came back into Ely.

Here we are cruising back through Ely and out the other side to Queen Adelaide’s EA moorings.  This time we were successful and with the help of EA men cutting the grass we were able to moor beautifully.

After a lunch on the boat we walked from Queen Adelaide, over the footbridge and into Ely, a very pleasant walk, and spent the afternoon with Laura and Amy and the twins.  

At the end of the day we drove the car back to Queen Adelaide where we were able to park in a lay-by on the road, really handy, so I think we will use this mooring again!  Also the wifi signal is superb out there, so that is a real bonus! 

This was taken from the window at gone 8pm, a rowing crew with a training boat shooting past the boat, they certainly get up some speed!  

3.5 miles, 0 locks, 1 hr 42 mins.

Wednesday 23rd June - Queen Adelaide EA Moorings 

We spent the morning quietly on the boat and then drove the car into Ely to spend the afternoon with Amy and the babies.  We had a lovely time, the babies are changing so quickly! 

We left the boat for the day at these moorings and it was a warm sunny day, I was delighted to see that the solar panels had done a great job with keeping the batteries topped up and we have no need to fire up the engine to top up the batteries.  Absolutely chuffed about this!  

Thursday 24th June - Queen Adelaide to Jubilee Gardens, Ely

We woke to a calm and warm morning, ideal conditions to turn the boat and bring her back into Ely for the next 48 hours.  Dave stayed on the bank whilst I turned the boat and then he drove into Ely to park the car and find us a mooring spot.

He found us a mooring alongside Jubilee Gardens, this is the boat cruising into the riverside moorings, as it is a Thursday the moorings are still quite empty.  We spent the afternoon with Amy and the babies whilst Laura went to work.

1.75 miles, 0 locks, 0 hrs 48 mins.

Friday 25th June - Jubilee Gardens, Ely

Toby found a friend, another cockapoo, with almost the same colouring but with a much curlier coat. They seemed to accept each other and get on pretty well! 

In the afternoon we went for a walk with Amy and the babies, we saw several wildflower meadows and in one we spotted these bee orchids, stunning little plants which really do look like a bee! The Bee orchid gets its name from its main pollinator - a species of bee - which is thought to have driven the evolution of the flowers. To attract the bees that will pollinate the plant, it has flowers that mimic their appearance. Drawing them in with the promise of love, the bees attempt a mating. As they land on the velvet-textured lip of the flower, the pollen is transferred and the poor bee is left frustrated. Sadly, the right species of bee doesn't occur in the UK, so Bee Orchids are self-pollinated here.  The bee orchid is also the county flower of Bedfordshire! 

I was fascinated by this building in the distance, a crenallated tower.  I looked it up and discovered that this building was originally the Ely Union Workhouse. It was built in 1837-8 by W. J. Donthom. It was built as a result of the Poor Law Act (1834). It was designed to accommodate 300 inmates and cost £7,000. When the NHS was established in 1948 it became the Tower House Hospital. It closed as a hospital in 1993 and has since been converted into apartments.

Saturday 26th June - Ely

We have had our 48 hours in Ely, so we turned the boat around and headed back out to Queen Adelaide and moored up again on the EA moorings. 

We then drove out to Linton to meet up with Lizzie, Bea and Hollie.  We went to the local park where Bea played on the brand new skate park on her scooter, she was excellent at going up and down the ramps.  Lizzie and I had a go on this giant swing, such fun! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Rugby Final between Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs, a great match and made even better by Harlequins becoming the champions!  We even had home made pulled pork baps for our interval meal, really spoilt!  

1.75 miles, 0 locks, 0 hrs 54 mins

Sunday 27th June - Queen Adelaide Moorings

Today Laura works all day, so we spent the whole day with Amy and the babies.  We had a walk into Ely and bought lunch from the Ely Bagel Bar, bringing it back to eat in the garden whilst the sun was out.  We stayed until Laura finished work then came back to the boat for the rest of the evening.  

Grandparents Gadabout - Week 4

 Monday 14th June - Fotheringhay to Wansford Railway Station

One of the locks we went through was Elton Lock, we used to go to Elton when we lived in Peterborough, have a babysitter and go out to the Crown at Elton, lovely memories!  

I was looking forward to an ice cream from this kiosk at Yarwell Lock, but unfortunately it was all locked up and a notice on the door informed us that the owner had passed away in February of Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 58, very sad! 

We moored for the evening at Wansford Railway Bridge and took a walk back into the village of Wansford.  This is the church at Stibbington, a village we walked through.  It doesn’t have a tower and I discovered that a tower was built in the 1500’s only to be demolished in 1848/49 because it became unsafe.

I rather like this house in Stibbington, it looks a little like a  gingerbread house, most edible! 

This is The Haycock at Wansford.  We used to visit here with our young children and treat ourselves to a cream tea either in the lounge or garden depending on the weather, I remember the scones were enormous and delicious!  It is in the process of a major refurbishment, so we weren’t able to sample their cream tea this time! 

Parked at the back of the Nene Valley Railway, we found Thomas the Tank Engine!  Although there was lots of activity, we had missed the actual opening times.  Later in June, Thomas is celebrating his 50th birthday.  The little blue engine spent its entire working life at the British Sugar Corporation Peterborough factory pushing wagons of sugar beet up an incline until the day came when a diesel engine replaced the steam power of Thomas. The Peterborough Railway Society purchased this delightful little engine on 9th September 1973 and he was moved to the Nene Valley Railway, where he has since delighted his friends and children of all ages.

9.5 miles, 4 locks, 4 hrs 18 mins.

Tuesday 15th June - Wansford Railway Bridge to Peterborough Embankment

Our first lock of the day was Waternewton Lock, it is one of the prettiest locks on this river.  Water Newton is world famous because of the discovery in 1975 of the 4th century Water Newton Treasure at the site of the nearby Roman town of Durobrivae, in the parish. The treasure is the earliest known Christian mass silver in the world and is now in the British Museum.  It also has a Roman tomb in the graveyard.

The Watermill taken from the other side of the lock.  Three water mills at Water Newton are mentioned in the Domesday survey, the present mill, which replaced an older structure bears the date 1791.  It has been developed into 5 dwellings.

The mounds in this picture could be the pottery kilns where calcite-gritted cooking pots were produced dating to the late 1st century AD.  Clay and wood could be brought in by the Nene and the finished pots dispatched by water.

At the last lock of the day we came across two boats with these workmen.  They were cutting back vegetation but kindly let us take their lock which they also worked for us, very kind and most helpful.  Anything to avoid working apparently!  

Festival Boat was commissioned from the artist as part of the final ‘Festival of Sculpture’ in 1989 which marked the end of the Development Corporation in Peterborough. This large scale artwork rests on the bank of the River Nene in Thorpe Meadows and takes as its inspiration from its location and the festival boats used ceremonially in the artist's native Nigeria.

After putting on water, we moored on Peterborough Embankment and walked into the city.  Peterborough Cathedral is dedicated to St Peter whose sculpture is in the centre of the magnificent West Front of the building.  

9.5 miles,3 locks, 3 hrs 24 mins.

Wednesday 16th June - Peterborough to March

We left our mooring early to get to Stanground Lock in time for 9am.  We were half an hour early but it was a pleasant morning and Dave took Toby for a gentle walk.  By 9am we were in the lock and descending on to the Middle Levels, Julie checked with us that we had the correct windlass and key to open gates and taps and we were on our way! 

Only one lock today, just outside Whittlesey.  The windlass fits on top of the metal bollard in the foreground on the photo, Dave said it was 90 turns to open or close the paddles!  Although these locks are wide, they aren’t wide enough to take 2 narrowboats, so it is one at a time. 

There are several of these pillboxes along the banks of the Old River Nene, it was part of the massive defence strategy against invasion during the Second World War.

A view along the waterway we have come along, a straight even ditch stretching away into the distance, where the water meets the horizon at a point.

The Greenwich Meridian crosses the Fens at this point and is marked by this structure.  I saw it at the last minute so it isn’t very clear, I found this fascinating, that we had cruised over the Greenwich Meridian!  

We cruised into March and found the visitor moorings empty apart from one boat, so we moored up for the evening.  Dave did some shopping and we went to the local key cutter to see if we could get some keys cut for the engine.  We were asked to go back in the morning as the owner wasn’t there at the time.  Weather is forecast to break down, so we stayed on board whilst the rain set in.

16 miles, 2 locks, 5 hrs 12 mins.

Thursday 17th June - March to Upwell Church Bridge

A much greyer day today with light rain showers.  The fens look dark and foreboding, as we continue our journey across them.  

There is a lot of weed in the water, and we passed these weed gathering boats collecting great shovel loads full and depositing it on the adjacent fields.

We decided to moor for the day on the visitor moorings below St Peter’s Church in Upwell, we intend to continue to Salters Lode tomorrow in time to catch the ebbing tide.  A pleasant mooring with Joanne’s Pantry across the road, perfect! 

Once the rain had dried up we went for a walk around the back of Upwell, we couldn’t do the circular route as it was too overgrown, but it was a pleasant ‘out and back’.  We saw this very young calf suckling from its mother when she would stand still long enough! 

I was intrigued by this tower in the property behind the church.  The property is Welle Manor Hall a 14th century hall, which has towers that flank the former courtyard entrance in the wall, which has since been demolished.  They are octagonal and date to around 1480, constructed of brick and retain their original brick spiral staircase.  The East tower has since been converted into a dovecote.

7 miles, 1 locks, 2 hrs  24 mins.

Friday 18th June - Upwell

Today the weather has taken a turn for the worst, heavy rain and high winds.  We have decided that we don’t want to tackle the tidal Great Ouse in these conditions and have delayed until tomorrow, when the conditions are forecast to be much better!  So a day on the boat catching up with admin and playing scrabble!

Saturday 19th June - Upwell to Denver Visitor Moorings.

A much better day weather wise, less wind and dry but still cloudy and cool.  We set out from Upwell early to make it down to Salter’s Lode for 12.40 when the passages are allowed to go through.  I think this narrowboat completes the family, with both eldest girl’s names on it!  

Crossing the fens, a flat and wide open landscape, with this line of electricity pylons marching across fields in a perfectly straight line, you could see them for miles! 

A converted windmill without the sales, called Mill House, very attractive and beautifully done on the outside. 

When we got to Salter’s Lode there were three boats ahead of us and one came after us, but as there wasn’t any mooring space left they buttied up alongside.  We had to wait for another hour before Paul the lock keeper started to let the boats through.  It was a neap tide, so he was able to let the boats out on the incoming tide once there was enough water, right through to the outgoing tide, a window of about 2.5 to 3 hours.

There were some fishermen near us and here one of them had just caught an eel, and they were trying to remove the hook.  It was a good size, but the fisherman didn’t like them and it went back in the water.  He was fishing for Zander.

We have just left the lock and turned right and heading up to Denver Sluice and onto the River Great Ouse.  The water was just beginning to ebb, so the flow was minimal and quite gentle.  We made the turn with no problems and sailed into Denver Lock beautifully.  The Denver Complex is amazing with sluices and locks regulating the water within the Great Ouse.  The stretch of water between Denver and Ely rarely floods because of the work of the sluice to keep the the water on an even level.

We moored up at the visitor moorings at Denver and spent the night there, tomorrow we shall continue down into Ely. 

6.75 miles, 2 locks, 3 hrs, 12 mins.

Sunday 20th June - Denver Sluice to Ely

We woke to grey skies and relentless drizzle, fortunately there are no low bridges between Denver and Ely so we were able to cruise with the pram hood up keeping the worst of the rain off us!  This is a lovely stretch of the river but it really didn’t do justice to itself in these conditions!  

Coming into Ely we passed the boat house, where many of the crews were out on the water practising. This was where the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was held this year, we happened to be visiting and saw the TV presenters talking to camera outside the boathouse.

After we had moored up, Lizzie came to find us which was lovely, she came bearing gifts for Father’s Day!  We then had lunch at Peacocks Tearooms, very pleasant indeed!  

Ely Cathedral, an imposing building, and we walk past it to reach Laura’s home.  We intend staying in the area for the next two weeks to help out with our grand twins and live on the boat.  All very exciting!  

16 miles, 0 locks, 3 hrs 42 mins.