Christmas Trip Completed

For some reason I woke around 4am and could not get back to sleep so by 5am I was enjoying my second coffee and sorting out a few little jobs I had been meaning to do.

By 7:30 the sun was over the horizon so I decided to make an early start as the forecast was good for the day with more showers due on Thursday and Friday.  Progress was slow initially as the river was flowing quickly but after a couple of locks it calmed down a little and I realised I would have time to reach Oundle today. The trip covered 19 miles and 11 locks, not a long day on the canals, but with the river against me and the fact that the electric guillotine gates make each lock a 20 minute job I expected the trip to take around 8 hours - which it did.

The day developed into beautiful spring morning but as the sun hid occasionally behind trees I was reminded me it was still February and quite chilly.

I spotted my first lambs of the year so hopefully spring is not far off.

Shortly after seeing the lambs I was treated to a stunning display of gliding by this beautiful Red Kite. Life afloat is liberating but to be able to soar like these birds do must be sublime. No wonder the Wright brothers wanted to fly.

So, after only 10 weeks my 2 week Christmas trip is complete as I return to my berth at Oundle marina.  I have a new neighbour on the left, a old working 70ft Butty currently being restored and converted to be a home for some lucky person.  A butty is an unpowered boat which is towed by another boat with a motor. In the haydays days of the canals these two together would form a "working pair" of two 70ft boats, a motor and butty, often operated by man and wife.

Return to the Nene

Just a quick update. Yesterday I enjoyed a pleasantly warm morning cruising from Whittlesey through Stanground lock and onto the river Nene at Peterborough. A major step on the return trip to the canal network. After a trip to Asda to replenish the fridge I had planned to continue to Ferry Meadows but the weather took a turn and heavy rain ensured I stayed put overnight.

This morning I cruised up to Ferry Meadows for breakfast and just managed to beat the next rain front. This lasted a couple of hours and around lunchtime I set of again up river. Progress was slow as the river is still running quickly and I am of course heading upstream. There is still a lot of water rushing through the weirs and sluices which can make lock approaches interesting.

I'm now moored at Alwalton for the night and will spend the next couple of days trundling slowly up to my marina at Oundle.

March to Whittlesey

Just a short hop of about 10 miles through the fens to stop overnight at Whittlesey before heading up to Peterborough in the morning.

My mooring in March was surprisingly quiet considering it was so close to the town centre on a Saturday night. Very handy for Sainsbury's and the high street.

Last nights mooring in March

 After doing a few jobs on the boat I set off around 10:30 for the 3 hour cruise up to Whittlesey. A fairly straight forward trundle through the fens although the wind was very strong.  The highlight of the trip was crossing the Greenwich Meridian which had been kindly marked by the March Round Table.

Greenwich Meridian

It is quite ironic that as the rest of the country is suffering the worst floods in many a year I seem to be facing frequent water shortages.  To be fair I realise that the EA have to lower levels in areas like this to allow water from the flood plains to run in. 

Over the last couple of miles the water level was about 9" below normal and I felt the boat touch bottom on several occasions. As you can see the prop is so close to the river bed it is churning up the mud. Thankfully the prop did not pick up any rubbish, probably as this is such a rural stretch, and I continued at a slow pace to Whittlesey.

Scraping the bottom

Denver to March

Having spent the past 7 weeks pootling up and down the Ely Ouse today I began my journey back to the canals. I had booked passage through the Denver sluice onto the tidal Ouse and then through Salter's Lode lock onto the middle levels. I arrived at the lock around 8:30 and spent an enjoyable hour chatting to a live aboard boater with 20 years experience. A lovely old chap with a wealth of knowledge which I will try to remember.

The lock keeper arrived around 9:30 and kindly inform me that the flood water had created a few sand bars in the river and I was the first boat through since the new year.  He thought I should get through OK but wanted to send me on my way before high tide so that if I did run aground the rising tide would free me.  He also mentioned that there was a sand bar at the entrance to Salter's Lode and that I should keep an eye out for it.

So it was with a little trepidation that I entered the lock and sat waiting for the gate to lift and was soon on my way.

Waiting to leave Denver Sluice

Thankfully, the short trip of about 500 yds was uneventful and I was soon safely in the entrance to Salters Lode having avoided the small sand bank (I have posted a video on Facebook of my rather excellent approach to Salters Lode).  Having missed the sand bank the lock keeper asked if I would be kind enough to reverse up to it and then use full power to help shift it which I was happy to do, always best to keep in the lock keepers good books.

After passing through the lock I spent a pleasant 3 hours cruising along the middle level drains to March where I'm currently moored up for the night.  The middle levels are basically drainage channels through the fens and tend to be fairly straight with flood banks on either side which rather limit the view.

A typical stretch on the Middle Levels

 Although there are some delightful villages on the route which provide a distraction.

Entering the pretty villages of Upwell and Outwell

Tomorrow I will just have a short cruise up to Whittlesey where I'll stop overnight before heading on to Stanground lock and the river Nene on Monday.  With any luck I should reach Ferry Meadows on Monday afternoon and am already anticipating a rather good breakfast on Tuesday.

Moving aboard

I've not updated the blog for a while as, to be honest not much happened on the river.  However, after much thought I have decided to move onto the boat full time and let my house.  The last 3 weeks have therefore seen me driving almost daily between the boat and home emptying the house and filling the boat. Yesterday I completed the job and handed over the keys to the agent and returned to the boat as a full time live aboard boater.

So this morning I set off on the next leg of my journey through life. I left Ely on a beautiful sunny morning and with a final glance at the hill top cathedral headed down the river towards Denver.

After a couple of hours at the tiller I stopped for an early lunch at this tranquil spot.

A further couple of hours saw me arrive once again at Denver sluice. I am booked to go through the lock tomorrow morning and will then head along the middle levels through March and Whittlesey to join the river Nene in Peterborough early next week.  The river conditions continue to improve and the river should be navigable by then.