Cambridge and the Lodes

Sorry for the long delay in posting news here on our blog. We have been in such remote areas that our mobile internet signal has been very poor. This means that uploading to the blog is VERY slow, sometimes almost impossible, so we have not been able to keep you up to date as well as we would like to.

In our last episode, we had just returned to Ely and were about to head up the Cam to Cambridge. The journey continues . . .

In cruising up the Great Ouse and down again, we had already passed Pope's Corner twice, where the River Cam flows into the Ouse. Actually, at this point, the Cam looks like the larger river whilst the Old West River (as this part of the Great Ouse is known) looks much smaller. Probably most of the water flowing down the Great Ouse from further upstream flows straight down the tidal New Bedford River from Earith to Denver, leaving only a comparative trickle to flow down the Old West!

Anyway, now we were heading back up from Ely to Pope's Corner and, this time, turning left up the Cam. We had arranged to meet up with Stuart and Charlotte, friends of ours who have just moved near Cambridge. At last, we were in the same area as each other!

We found the same transformation with the River Cam as we had seen on the Ouse. From Ely and up past Pope's Corner it was still the same fenland riverscape - high flood banks, sometimes not very interesting. From Bottisham Lock, once again the river changed:- the flood banks soon disappeared and we could see the surrounding countryside for some distance. Then we started coming into the outskirts of Cambridge, and moored up at Waterbeach, where Stuart and Charlotte joined us and stayed overnight, ready for the next day afloat.

The next morning we set out towards Cambridge. Even before going up Baits Bite lock, we encountered rowing crews out for their Saturday morning training, and the 'traffic' became denser as we headed towards Jesus Green (photo), which was as far as we could go. We filled up with water, turned around and moored up for lunch. Clint and Becky (more friends!), who live a few minutes' walk away, popped in with little Millie for a short visit, but then we needed to head back downstream and moor out in the countryside and Stuart and Charlotte needed to do some running training, so we dropped them off about 4 or 5 miles from their home so they could run back!

We headed for Upware, where the lock gives access to three 'Lodes', leading to Reach, Burwell and Wicken. (A lode is apparently a medieval word for a waterway which has been retained in this part of the world). Reach was the one we aimed for first. Although the water level was perhaps a little higher than the Cam, so we could see a bit more of the miles of fields around us, the lode itself was very straight and increasingly shallow. Progress was slow, and the end of the lode was a disappointment. The map showed mooring there, with some access to the village, but when we arrived we found that the mooring was almost non-existent and another boat completely occupied it! There was no-one on board, so we didn't feel free to tie up next to it and so turned around and headed back to the moorings near the junction of Wicken Lode. The next morning, we decided to chug up the short and very narrow Wicken Lode, and enjoyed the mooring there and lunch in the café at Wicken Fen Nature Reserve.

Then back to Waterbeach on Sunday night, ready for a quick dash down to Devon! At very short notice, we had heard a couple of days earlier that Val had a 'pre-op' appointment at Barnstaple on the Tuesday. At first we thought it would be impossible, but thanks to coach bookings on the internet and kind permission from the Cam Conservators to stay a bit longer on the moorings, it was suddenly 'do-able'. Stuart and Charlotte made it really easy for us by giving us lifts to and from Cambridge, where we caught the National Express bus to Northampton. A local bus took us to Blisworth, where we collected our car from its temporary home in Jim & Beryl's forecourt and drove down to stay with Joe and Wendy for a couple of nights.

The pre-op appointment was fine, and Val was given a date of 1st July for her second replacement knee operation. That date suited us just right, as it would give us enough time to finish all the exploring we wanted to do on and around the Great Ouse and get the boat back up to Blisworth, ready to drive down to Devon for another longer stay. Our heartfelt thanks to Joe and Wendy for making us so welcome again - we really appreciate it. Here's their cat Sox, waiting patiently (?) outside the kitchen door while his food is being prepared. The reason for the T-shirt? He has a chronic skin condition, and it stops him scratching it raw. Gets a few funny looks, too!

Then the whole trip in the opposite direction and we were ready to resume our travels on the Thursday morning! A brief trip up to Cambridge to fill up with water, then back out to the Lodes again. This time we went to Burwell, where it was possible to moor, and then we headed back to Wicken and enjoyed a couple more nights there.

We needed to start heading back down to the Great Ouse, but we had left ourselves a few little excursions on the way . . .

Up To Bedford And Back

Almost as soon as we went through Brownshill Lock, upstream from Earith, the Great Ouse seemed to change its character. From having been very much a 'fenland' river, with marshy edges contained by man-made flood banks, it transformed itself into a slightly more 'upland' river, not exactly in a valley but flowing through woods, farmland and the occasional village like Holywell, with its thatched cottages. It began to remind us of parts of the upper reaches of the Thames but was less remote. Locks became more frequent and were all self-operated and much smaller than Thames locks.

And then we came to St. Ives! We had heard that the bridge was something special, but it certainly made an impact as the river swung round into the town! Apparently, the chapel on the bridge (dating from 1426) is one of only three bridge chapels in the country - the other two are in Yorkshire. We walked around the town and visited the little Norris Museum, covered with its sweet-smelling wisteria.

A few days before, we had received a surprise response to an earlier blog entry. One of Jeremy's old schoolfriends from Romford days did a search on the internet which somehow led him to our blog. The next thing was obviously to try to meet up. Dan often visits Peterborough, so arranging to meet us at Huntingdon was not too difficult. We chugged upstream to a very convenient pub, enjoyed a pizza lunch and chugged back to Huntingdon. And, just to prove that he really DID do it, here is a picture of Dan steering 'Zindagi' - and very well too! We look forward to another visit sometime soon.

As we travel on the Great Ouse, we are always on the lookout for suitable overnight moorings, so we were glad to find that there was just enough room for us at a small mooring site near Little Paxton. What we didn't know was that it is right next door to Paxton Pits Nature reserve, and that the local nightingales were in excellent voice! There were plenty of experienced birdwatchers trying to SEE the nightingales, let alone photograph them, so we make no apology for the lack of a picture! We enjoyed being serenaded in the evening and morning. Perhaps they went on all night - we didn't check!

We got another surprise as we came to Willington lock - it was out of action, as some emergency repairs were needed, so we had to wait while the divers sorted it out. No problem, at least it would be done by lunchtime the same day!

And so, maybe a bit quicker than we had thought, we came to Bedford, the limit of navigation - at the moment. There are plans to link the Great Ouse at Bedford with the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes. This is not a new idea, apparently, as the original plan dates back to 1811! Explore this link if you want to know more.

On the way back downstream, we found a snug little mooring at Barford Old Mill (the site of a former lock) and were serenaded again by the nightingales at Paxton Pits. We have noticed a gradual increase in the numbers of narrowboats on the river - perhaps more have been following the route through the Middle Level. There seem to be many more fibreglass cruisers based on the river, as on other rivers we have visited, and the increased 'traffic' levels at weekends is very noticeable!

Now we are back in Ely, planning to head up the River Cam in the next few days, visiting some old friends and exploring the Cambridge Lodes.

First Impressions of the Great Ouse

Another (brief) brush with tidal waters as we left Salters Lode Lock and swung into the ebb tide of the Great Ouse, before turning to face it and travel the half mile or so upstream to Denver Sluice, which was open and ready for us. Once through that, and we were back on non-tidal river, but still in the world of flood control, with flood protection banks that would accompany us for several miles to come. We continued to be aware that we were very much in the Fens, with their long history of floods and drainage. Denver Sluice itself is a major element of the flood control for this whole area. The smallish 'guillotine' gate to the right of the picture is where we had just come up - another narrowboat was waiting to go down next.

We moved on for a few miles, having decided that we would aim to travel all the way up to Bedford and explore the 'side turnings' on the way back downstream. Ely was the next place to look out for, and next day we could see its cathedral rising over the surrounding countryside.

Val may have only had one knee operation done so far, but she certainly seems to be extending her walking range! We walked into the centre of Ely and the cathedral, and back again, without too many ill effects!

After a couple of days on the edge of the town (city, really!), it was good to move on just a couple of miles and moor up in the countryside. There are lots of moorings on the whole Great Ouse system, some provided by the Environment Agency for all boaters and some by GOBA (the Great Ouse Boating Association). As we have joined GOBA, we have the freedom to choose almost any mooring site. It's not quite like the canal system, where we can moor almost anywhere along the towpath, but it is a lot better than the River Nene, where moorings are scarce, to say the least!

One of the benefits of the rural moorings is the abundance of wildlife, especially birds, though often we can hear them much more easily than see them. Here's a Sedge Warbler (I think!), still pretty invisible in spite of the telephoto lens . . . Try clicking on the picture to enlarge it. There are swans in abundance, geese, Coots, Moorhens, Mallards, Tufted Ducks, warblers (various), Reed Buntings, Lapwings, Redshank, Cormorants, Terns, Swallows, Sand Martins . . . the list goes on!

More reminders of the history of drainage in the Fens as we cruised past 'Stretham Old Engine', built in 1831 to lift water from 2,500 hectares of fenland into the river. As the drainage continued, the land level fell and the diameter of the scoop wheel had to be increased from 8.8m to 10m and then again to 11.25m. If the engine was still in use, this largest wheel would now be ineffective too, as the fenland continues to shrink!

We were now on a section of the system known as the 'Old West River' which joins the 'Ely section' of the Great Ouse with the 'Bedford' part, and strangely, after the next lock, we would join another short tidal section, as the 'Old Bedford River' links straight to the tidal river below Denver Sluice. Complicated? Just the result of centuries of schemes to drain the Fens! This was our first lock in about 30 miles of cruising since Denver Sluice, and the only manned one on the whole Ouse system.

Here at Earith the Great Ouse begins to change its character, but we'll tell you about that next time . . .

Eastwards Through the 'Middle Level'

This railway bridge at Peterborough was to take us into completely new territory. The mysteries of the Middle Level awaited us, our first real encounter with Fenland waterways. Looking on the map, we had seen the many miles of the Great Ouse and all its tributaries, but the only way through from the rest of the canal system was to follow the route we had taken, down the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union to the Nene at Northampton, then down the Nene to Peterborough and now off the Nene and onto the Middle Level. There is a plan to join the Great Ouse at Bedford to the Grand Union at Milton Keynes - they are very close, so it's logical enough! In the meantime, we needed to take the scenic route!

The Middle Level has a long and complicated history, largely concerned with land drainage over the centuries but also including boat transport. But we were in for a surprise as soon as we phoned up to arrange to go through Stanground Sluice. Did we know that the lock at Salters Lode (at the other end, joining onto the Great Ouse) was closed, awaiting completion of the new hydraulic sluice gate there? No, that was news to us; how long would it take? Apparently it had been scheduled for completion in December - it was now mid-April, but they thought it should be done in a week or so!

We hadn't planned to do more than just go 'straight through', but we could always dawdle a bit more - a little more recuperation from the 'flu would not go amiss . . .

We soon came to Whittlesey, chugging along well below street level in a narrow concrete-lined channel and then negotiating a tight bend under a bridge. Then it all opened out a bit and we found the moorings next to the Leisure Centre. Nice and quiet, but not too far to walk into town if needed. Also a good rendezvous for our friends Alan and Jan from Blisworth, who had offered to bring out yet another heavy parcel of tools which had arrived late at Sally's house - and Sally and Ellie (her cocker spaniel) came too. It was great to see them all and enjoy a meal together at Whittlesey's Sunshine Cafe. Thanks to you all for your help and friendship!

After a few days there (and the occasional phone call to check progress at Salters Lode), we moved on into real fenland. 'Big skies' we had been told. That's because the land is so flat and there are very few trees! Come to that, the waterways are mostly straight and often a bit below the level of their 'flood banks'. But the weather was warm and sunny, so we didn't mind, finding variety where we could - like these trees, for example!

Back in the 1980s, when we lived in Romford and were wondering where we could find somewhere with some land, we looked at this area (and others) before finally settling on Lapford in Devon. It was a little odd to see the countryside that could have become our own familiar territory over the last 20-odd years. Lovely rich peaty soil here in the fens, but we both agree that Lapford was the right choice for us - Devon clay or not!

After a couple of days moored at March, the news from Salters Lode was getting more hopeful - they hoped to have the lock operational on the Thursday, which would mean a 7.30 am 'locking-through' time to catch the tide right on the Great Ouse. If we left it until the Friday, we would go through about an hour later. That seemed a bit better and gave us time for a leisurely cruise, as well as allowing for the possibility that all would NOT go well at the the first attempt!

So we set off, past lots of wind turbines, and on to the twin villages of Upwell and Outwell on the Well Creek. More history and information about this from the Well Creek Trust. To get here, we had climbed UP a level again, having gone DOWN two locks from Peterborough. We realised afresh how much of the fenland lies below high tide level! Even so, as we were travelling along Well Creek, we were still below the level of the two roads either side of us.

A couple of hours cruising brought us to Salters Lode. By now the news was good! Paul the lock keeper was delighted as the first use of the new gate had gone smoothly that morning, so we booked in for 8.30 on Friday morning. Our timing could hardly have been better! We had heard stories of several boaters who had been 'trapped' one side or the other, unable to get either on or off the Great Ouse for months. We had just chugged along and here we were, able to go straight through - Thank You, Father!

So, here it was, the new lock gate/sluice at Salters Lode, with all its new hydraulics and computer controls. Paul was very pleased to have it working again at last but just a little concerned at the potential for the technology to let him down. So far, so good! Only when we looked the other side did we realise how much below high tide level we still were - and the tides were not yet at their highest!

Ready for our next bit of tidal water the next morning, though it would only be about half a mile before we would lock through Denver Sluice onto the (non-tidal) Great Ouse.

Moving Again - At Last !

Five months moored up in Blisworth Marina, and we were really ready to get moving again. Val and Peter there had made us very welcome and looked after 'Zindagi' when we had been away in Devon. In many ways, we had adapted to our different lifestyle there, and it had begun to feel like home, especially with developing friendships in Blisworth village itself, 20 minutes walk away.

In spite of all that, though, once Val's knee was obviously recovering well, we were looking forward to travelling again. David and Mary from Okehampton were planning to join us for a couple of days in early April and we were only booked into the marina till the end of March, so 1st April saw us chugging along to Blisworth village to moor there for a few days before starting off down the Northampton Arm. Just along from our mooring was the first nesting swan that we had seen this year.

So, just a few days later, we started along the Northampton Arm, where we had arranged to meet David and Mary (and Whisk!), courtesy of Mary's brother Ollie giving them a lift to our rendezvous. Soon the old team were working smoothly together again and we made our way quite swiftly down the 13 locks of the Rothersthorpe flight. David and Mary had specially offered to come and help us down this long flight (plus the remaining 4 locks down to join the Nene in Northampton) and we really appreciated it, especially Val, as it meant that she didn't need to be standing at the tiller all the time, putting too much strain on her knees. Thanks, folks, we love having you around - and not just to work through those locks!

After stopping for lunch just on the outskirts of Northampton, we pressed on, leaving the canal and joining the River Nene near the town centre, where we saw our first ducklings of the year, then out the other side into open countryside again, to a pleasant mooring at Cogenhoe (pronounced 'Cook-no') which we remembered from our first trip this way back in 2007.

After a quiet night, we set off again and welcomed Ollie on board, as he was able to join us for a day on the river - a new experience for him, apparently! Laddie, Ollie's rough collie, was not keen on getting on or off the boat, but seemed quite content lying on the back deck while we all managed to avoid treading on him. Meanwhile, Ollie got well and truly 'stuck in', working the locks and taking a turn at the tiller.

And on we went . . . familiar territory for Val and me, a new look at familiar places for Ollie, and 'new ground' for David and Mary.

Looking at the map, we reckoned that we should be able to stop and moor at Denford, where the book said that there was a pub that served meals - just what we needed! Arriving there a little late in the afternoon, we found that the moorings were non-existent, it was quite difficult to get to the village, and the pub had just closed two weeks earlier! Plan B was soon hatched and put into operation. Bonnie (Ollie's other half) would come and collect Val, while the rest of us would be able to walk over the fields to 'the Woolpack' at nearby Thrapston, courtesy of a local couple showing us the way. It worked: we didn't get lost, enjoyed a really good meal there and got back to the boat OK.

In the morning, we did much the same, but this time by boat! We worked through Denford Lock and chugged the mile or so down to Thrapston Nine Arches moorings, where another boat was most conveniently just leaving, so we were able to slot in nicely. David & Mary disembarked and Ollie came to take them back to his house (and their car), ready for a long drive back down to Devon!

Meanwhile, our old friends Ian and Gwen (from India days) had made contact and could fit in a visit on the same afternoon, so we were able to welcome them for a VERY brief visit, just going for a short trip down and up the river and back - hopefully enough to make them want to come for a bit longer next time!

At this point, Dave's sore throat began to develop into something worse, but Ollie had kindly agreed to ferry us back to Blisworth to collect a large parcel of tools that had arrived after we had left, so he somehow put up with the coughing and spluttering and as far as we know suffered no ill effects! That occupied the next day . . .

To avoid overstaying our alotted time at Thrapston, we then moved on near to Oundle. We knew there were some quiet moorings where we could lie low and try to deal with the 'flu - that's obviously what it was!

For the next few days, we followed much the same pattern: travel on a bit and then rest for a couple of days. We enjoyed the new moorings at Wansford Station, with fairly frequent visits from the steam engine, and gradually made our way down to Peterborough - the furthest we had travelled this way before - but that was all going to change!

A Family Weekend

So, why did we travel up to Shrewsbury from Devon, instead of just heading back to the boat at Blisworth? Well . . .

Back in January, Val had a 'significant' birthday, and we both thought it would be good to get the 'children' together to celebrate. We quite often see one of them, sometimes two, but not often do we manage to get us all together, so we thought we would go and spend a night at a hotel and invite the 'kids' to come and join us for a meal.

By early March, we still hadn't managed it, but the three of them had now taken the idea over. Instead of us inviting them to join us for a meal, they were planning to book us all into a hotel for two nights, and pay for it all as well!

Which is how we all ended up in Shrewsbury! We travelled up from Devon on the Thursday and stayed overnight with Adam and Rachel. Shireen and Thor arrived by train in the afternoon and Jeremy (delayed by work) turned up in the evening.

We all checked into this fairly small but luxurious hotel just outside Shrewsbury, largely modern but with some lovely old parts.

After relaxing in the sun on the terrace by the moat after breakfast, we decided to visit Ludlow together, where we mooched round the open-air market and had a lunchtime pastie in front of the castle. Val needed to rest her knees but the rest of us went for a walk around the outside of the castle walls – Thor enjoyed being with his uncles!

Back to the hotel for another quality evening meal and the obligatory group photo – little Thor was already in bed!

On the Sunday morning, we all checked out and descended on Adam and Rachel's house, where Thor was introduced to the pet rats! Then on to a slightly more 'normal' meal together – Sunday lunch in one of Shrewsbury's riverside pubs – before we headed off in our various directions. We just managed to fit Shireen and Thor in the car with us, as they were going on down to London for the next weekend, and wanted to spend a little time on the (stationary) boat with us on the way.

Looking Back On Winter

Well, we can hope, anyway! As we begin to plan to get moving again, there are some highlights from our 5-month stay in Blisworth that we would like to share with you . . .

First things first, and very good news, is that all the medics seem very happy with Val's first replacement knee operation. She had the 'op' on 28th January, a little earlier than expected, and just managed to get out of the hospital in Barnstaple before it was snowed in on 2nd February. Here she is, about 3 weeks later, already down to a single crutch, and stepping out along the road in Lapford. Since then, she was signed off by both the physio and the surgeon, then swapped the crutch for a walking stick, and now doesn't even use that!

We had to stay with Colin and Jan in Lapford a little longer than we had expected, as the physios insisted that Val had to straighten her leg a bit more – 2 weeks turned into 4! We had a little drama on 14th February, as Colin and Jan went off for a week's holiday (leaving us in residence) – there was an electrical fault and small fire which brought out three fire engines and the electricity board and left us without power for two days. The fact that we were there meant that Colin and Jan didn't need to come back home for the emergency, and may have helped to ensure that the fire didn't spread. Our candlelit supper wasn't just romantic but necessary!

The weather was wintry, of course, but that gave us some great views, especially in the early morning sunshine. It also meant that the birds visited the bird table in good numbers! Here's a blackbird on Colin & Jan's patio.

Back in January, we had our share of snow and ice on the canal at Blisworth. The canal was frozen over for several days and the nearby flight of locks down to Northampton seemed to be preserved in a coating of snow. Sometimes friends ask us how we get on in the cold weather; it's much the same as being in a house, just get inside, shut the door and enjoy the central heating and the solid fuel fire! Outside DIY jobs have to be left until the warmer and drier weather, so we got on with some of the inside ones.

Recent new features inside Zindagi include a wooden shoe rack near the back door (needed this for a long time!) and lining the metal window surrounds with wooden mouldings. Although the end result does look better than the original metal surfaces, the main purpose was to reduce the condensation, and it seems to be working.

A more major task was to change our composting toilet. Without going into the details too much, we found that our 'Envirolet' never seemed to dry out as much as it should, so we have replaced it with a 'Nature's Head' model (another composting one), which separates liquids and solids 'at source'! Having successfully removed the old one and thoroughly cleaned it, the new one was a doddle to install, and we have even managed to sell the old one on eBay.

The 'Nature's Head' looks good, but the real test will be as we leave the land-based facilities of the marina and start travelling again. We'll spare you any pictures of this operation – just enjoy the winter canal scenery around Blisworth!

Having spent so long in Lapford after Val's op, we only had about 2 weeks back here in Blisworth before she was due to see the surgeon for her 6-week check up, so we were back to Devon again on 11th March and, as we said at the top of this, the surgeon was very pleased with her progress. We asked about a date for the second knee, hoping that the original estimate of 'about 3 months later' would be confirmed. Unfortunately, Val was told that she would be back on the waiting list, which means probably at least 3 to 4 months wait from mid-March. Ah well, more recovery time, and more time to cruise down the Nene, the Great Ouse and the Cam!

While down in Devon last time, Val had arranged for a medication review and had been told beforehand that no blood tests would be necessary. Then, at the review, she was told that she would need them! Too late, we were going back to Blisworth, so she arranged to have them done this time – which meant waiting about a week for the results.

Instead of imposing on Colin and Jan again (plus they were getting on with major decorating!), we went and stayed with David and Mary in Okehampton, and so had the opportunity to spend time with them and get some more tastes of Dartmoor again. The gorse was coming into prolific bloom, with its characteristic 'coconutty' smell, and the East Okement river caught its sparkles, even in its deep shady valley. One morning, Dave was surprised to get quite close to a roe buck!

The blood tests were OK, – no need to change any of Val's medication – so we could head back to Blisworth, but we didn't . . . we set off for Shrewsbury instead!

We'll tell you about that very soon . . .