It's beginning to feel a bit like Autumn

Well yet another week has passed in a flash and the weather is turning noticeably Autumnal with the chilly wind from the north and the nights drawing in. It's already dusk as I type this blog at 8:30 and there is a hint of brown appearing in the riverside trees. I've even had the heating on on a couple of mornings as I tend to rise early, before the sun has had time raise the temperature.

 

I've spent most of the week in Huntingdon with a brief trip to Jones boatyard in St Ives to collect a new 12' barge pole to replace the one I snapped in Bedford. I also picked up a new gang plank from B&Q as mine was looking tired and needed replacing. A couple of coats of Ronseal should offer some protection from the elements.

The weather was quite bright on Wednesday so I headed up river by canoe to Godmanchester and explored a few small side streams on route. These offer some lovely tranquil paddling and looking at the picture below, it's hard to believe the A14 flyover is only a few hundred yards away.

On Thursday morning I called in to see Paul B for a coffee and spent the day helping him laying decking. It was thirsty work and a glass or two of Doom Bar helped keep up morale. A return trip on Friday saw the job finished.

The bank holiday weekend has been spent being fed by friends. On Saturday I had lunch with yet another Wyton escapee, Ella and her husband and today Paul and Debbie invited me to christen the new deck and join them for dinner too.

I'm now back in St Ives for a couple of days waiting for the weather to settle before moving on toward Ely.

 

 

I seem to have bought a Ukulele

Nothing very exciting to report I'm afraid. I've spent the last week between St Ives and Godmanchester and caught up with a few more friends. This stretch of river is particularly pretty to cruise.

This thatched cottage at Hemmingford is in a beautiful setting by the river.

Even the approach to Huntingdon looks pretty as the trees mask the town. Slightly worrying to see hints of Autumn colours in the trees already.

On Friday I met up with Terri, Amy and Paul for lunch at Johnsons farm. Company and food excellent, although I would have preferred fewer screeching children. Must make sure the schools are back before our next visit.

While chatting about the Cambridge folk festival over fish & chips and a bottle of wine with Paul and Debbie on Friday evening the subject of Ukulele's came up. I decided to pop to Cambridge on Saturday to have a look in Millers music centre. Paul and Deb joined me and we walked into the store just as a Ukulele beginners workshop was about to begin. Debbie and I joined the fun while Paul per used the Sax section. An hour and half later we had mastered the basic strumming technique and learnt 3 chords. In fact we had learnt 3 chords between us as I mastered C and F but couldn't grasp G, while Debbie had the C and G mastered.

Needless to say we left the shop each carrying a ukulele. However, while we were busy learning to strum Paul was coveting a rather lovely Alto sax which, after a short test run he purchased so he didn't feel left out. I'm not doubting his skill but while Debbie and I played our Ukes in the store with an audience Paul was, after a few notes, ushered into a storeroom to try his instrument.

On more mundane matters I've replaced the gang plank and boat pole.

I'm currently at Godmanchester and planning to spend the week in the area as I'm having lunch with an old friend a Hougton on Saturday. After that I'll head back down river to Ely for a week or two before making my way back across the middle levels to Peterborough.

A week on home waters

Well another week has flown by since I reached the end of the navigable Gt Ouse a couple of miles beyond Bedford. As I headed up the last half mile the river narrowed and I was expecting to see a sign marking the end and advising boats to turn around. Instead I ran aground on a gravel bank. Closer inspection showed that it was not just a small bank but in fact the whole river was now only 6 inches deep and I had infact reached the unmarked end. Much use of reverse and levering with the barge pole, which I managed to snap, finally got me afloat again with just the minor problem if reversing down stream until the river was wide enough for me to turn the boat. Thankfully I only had to reverse a few hundred yards before managing to turn around and head back the way I came.



The rest of the day was spent cruising gently back along the river through Bedford and on to the village of Great Barford where the river is crossed by a picturesque multi arched bridge. I spent the night and ate in the riverside pub which served a wonderful lemon cheesecake.

The river passes through Castle Mills lock which us one of the deepest I've been through. Quite tricky climbing the ladder with a rope and windlass in your hand but I managed without falling in.

Following a quiet night I moved on to St Neots where I moored up on the open grassland opposite the Priory centre. There was much activity on the green and I learnt that the annual St Neots 10k race was being held. After a look around the town and a trip to Waitrose to top up the larder I had an early night. The next morning I had breakfast at the cafe in the nearby park before venturing back onto the river to wend my way slowly back to St Ives stopping overnight at Godmanchester and Houghton. Houghton was the 4 Aug, the centenary of our becoming involved in WWI and I was keen to spend the night somewhere quiet. The island mooring below Houghton lock was ideal and Mother Nature provided a stunning sunset to mark the occasion for me. It was a remarkably quiet and peaceful night.

The next day I finally took the plunge and bought a small kayak in which to explore the smaller waterways and just enjoy quietly paddling along without the accompaniment of a diesel engine. Paul Beamont kindly drove me to the marina to pick up my chosen craft and then oversaw and photographed my maiden voyage. He seemed disappointed that I didn't fall in on this occasion as I had once before in his canoe.



Friday saw a rapid change in the weather and I got caught in a downpour as I moved down to St Ives. Thanks to Mr Tilley my head remained dry. After such a warm dry summer I'd forgotten how slippy the boat and locks are when wet and slipped a couple of times but managed not to fall in.

On Saturday morning I had a surprise visit from Paul and Debbie who were in town shopping. Earlier in the week I had bought a set of knives which had been reduced from £100 to £49 and Paul liked them. He'd bought a set that morning and was pleased to inform me that they had been further reduced to £39. I really didn't need to know that.

After lunch I spent a little longer getting used to the kayak with a new paddle and I think I'm going to enjoy it. This little backwater in St Ives is beautiful but simply not accessible in a 55' boat but ideal for investigating in a more intimate vessel.

That afternoon I had a visit from another ex Wyton friend Lesley-Ann who arrived bearing cake. We stayed on the mooring as she is not a keen sailor and I enjoyed catching up over coffee. After Lesley-Ann left I moved up to Houghton as the quayside in St Ives can be a little noisy on a Saturday night.

After a quiet night I awoke this morning to the sound of more rain which was quite heavy at times. By late morning the weather cleared and the sun even appeared. I headed off for a quick trundle up to Hungingdon but didn't quite make it before the next storm front blew in and I arrived soaked and listening to thunder overhead. After a quick hot shower I was once again ready to face the world and more importantly my friend Melissa who I was looking forward to seeing again after too long. Thankfully the rain cleared before Melissa arrived, bearing cake too. We spent an enjoyable couple of hours catching up on the past three years over coffee.

And that brings the blog up to date. I'm planning to spend the rest if the week in the area and I'm lunching with friends on Friday. Following that I'll begin the journey back to the marina at Oundle. I'll be spending a few weeks on the rivers around Ely before heading over the middle levels to Peterborough in mid September aiming to reach the marina by the end of the month.  I then have to put the boat through it's 4 yearly safety inspection - bit like an MoT. I'm expecting her to pass ok but will spend a week or so checking over all the important bits to make sure all us as it should be.

River Ouse

It's been a busy couple of weeks catching up with friends as I return to home waters. The journey through the middle levels was a gentle trundle through the fens. The views are limited in many places as the route is primarily a drainage system and therefore tends to be straight with high banks. However, the villages of Upwell and Outwell offer a pleasant diversion as the river narrows as it winds through.

 

The passage across the tidal Ouse, out from Salters Lode lock and up through Denver complex was unusual and very quick. There were 5 boats waiting to go through when the lock keeper advised that as the tidal river was level with both the middle levels and the non-tidal river. This meant he had a 10 minute window when both locks could be opened at each end allowing boats to pass straight through. I followed the other boats and made my fasted passage between the two waterways. It felt very strange approaching a lock without a gate at the far end.

The unusual site of a lock with both gates open

The highlight of the trip to St Ives was seeing this seal with her cub on the river bank above Earith.

 

 

 

I spent the next few days hopping between St Ives and Godmanchester. The church at Hartford looks particularly impressive from the river

 

 

Whilst in the area I enjoyed a BBQ with good friends Paul and Debbie on the meadow at Houghton. The next day Catherine Pool, another Wyton escapee joined me for a day cruising down the river where we had a bankside picnic before heading back to St Ives.

 

 

I spent the last few days cruising up the river to Bedford where I spent couple of days exploring the town while watching the busy rowing and canoeing club nearby. It was good to see so many youngsters enjoying the river. I then travelled the final couple of miles up river to the limit of navigation - the furthest point one can take a boat. There are plans to build a link between Bedford and the Grand Union canal at Milton Keynes although it will be a few years before funding is raised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week - Round the horn to St Ives

Over the last couple of weeks I retraced my journey back to Milton Keynes where I met up with Pete Billings in his boat Hyperion. We spent few days in MK before setting off up the Grand Union to Stoke Bruerne where we stopped overnight and enjoyed a rather good take away from the local Indian, the Spice of Bruerne.

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Pete with his dog Newfie setting off after a short break on the GU

Hyperion and Mr Bunbury at Gayton junction where we parted company as Pete continued up the GU to his marina while I headed down the Northampton Arm to join the river Nene.

After leaving Pete I had a steady run down the river, stopping for a couple of days at Oundle before reaching Peterborough on Friday. I've spent the weekend catching up with my eldest son and doing a few little jobs on the boat although to be honest it's been too hot to do much.

I'm booked through Stanground lock in the morning and will head across the Middle Levels and should be ready to pass through the Denver lock and into the Gt Ouse on Wednesday. A few more days gentle cruise up the river should see me in St Ives by next weekend. I then plan to spend a few weeks on the river between St Ives and Bedford and anyone in the area is very welcome to pop in to say hello.

Tring the summit of the Grand Union

Saturday morning started off with light rain which was forecast to clear by mid morning which it did. I headed up the canal towards Berkhamstead, only 5 miles away but with 12 locks to climb the trip would take 4 or 5 hours. After the first lock I met up with another boat heading the same way and we shared the locks thus sharing the workload.  Shortly after departing the sky clouded over and a heavy shower ensured I was soaked although at least the rain was warm. Contrary to the forecast the showers continued through the day making the journey damp but not unpleasantly so. The trip was fairly uneventful apart from passing this moored boat which I initially thought had been involved in an unusual accident until I realised that somebody has actually attached a car body to their boat as a cabin extension.  There are some unusual DIY alterations to boats but this is the most extreme I've seen so far.

We arrived in Berkhamstead mid afternoon, just in time for the rain to stop and the sun to reappear.  A quick visit to Waitrose ensured the larder and fridge were restocked ready for the next few days and I passed the early evening fishing - or at least dangling a fishing line in the canal but the fish weren't playing.  I realised that the mooring was close to the main west coat rail track with high speed trains passing frequently and nosily. Thankfully the rail traffic eased by midnight.  After an early start courtesy of the 5:10 to Paddington I decided that it was time to relocate to a quieter mooring. After an excellent, if not entirely healthy, breakfast in a local cafe I set off on the final stretch of 7 miles and 7 locks to reach the Tring summit and a quiet mooring at the end of the short Wendover Arm.

After reaching the summit at Cowroast I was treated to a 3 miles of tranquil treelined lock free canal before making the turn onto the Wendover Arm.

This arm was originally 5 miles long and led, not surprisingly, to Wendover.  Like many canals it fell into disrepair and is currently being restored by volunteers as and when funding is raised. Only the first 1.5 miles is currently open to navigation but it worth the detour. I found a spot at the very end of the canal with a stunning view over the Chiltern hills.

Reaching the Tring summit marks the end of the uphill locks although there are plenty on the down hill journey to Milton Keynes starting with a group of 7 in the first mile - that challenge will wait for a day or two while enjoy the peace and quiet. Who knows I might even get on with some much needed retouching of the paintwork.

Beginning the journey north

Time for a long overdue blog update.  After a brief shore leave I returned to Mr Bunbury at Hampton Court on 27 Jun when my brother ended his short break aboard.  As ever Dave took good care of her and I had lunch with the family before they hit the road back to the Isle of Man. During a brief shopping trip found a lovely two bottle tantalus in  local antique shop at the right price, for some reason these are usually very overpriced.  My shipmate Harley Bear was not impressed.

After seeing Dave on his way I had a short cruise down the river to Kingston to stock up the larder before heading through Teddington lock on Saturday and back onto the Grand Union Canal. On Sunday I moved onto the Paddington Arm and moored up near the infamous Wormwood Scrubs before heading on to Paddington on Monday. This is a lovely well maintained mooring next to Paddington Station and thus very handy for the city. 

Paddington Basin

Whilst walking along Praed Street I spotted a Tattooist's shop and having been thinking about getting a tattoo for a few months I decided to investigate.  The place turned out to be the Duda Tattoo studio, run by a Brazilian family who have worked in New York and Milan before moving to London this year. After chatting with the owner and checking out his previous work, I when ahead and after a couple of hours I left with a slightly sore arm carrying the phrase "Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think". The title of one of my favourite songs by Jools Holland's big band and my mantra for life.

Having already spent time in London I spent the rest of the week cruising steadily back up the Grand Union canal and arrived today in Berkhamstead. This stretch begins the climb up the Chilterns and has many locks. The pst couple of days have been very hot and on Friday I covered only 5 miles but they included 12 locks. Today was even worse with 12 locks in only 4 miles but it was much cooled today with a few showers to keep me cool.  

Shortly after leaving Paddington I passed this beautiful maintained canal side garden with a row of conifers and decorated wall. A little oasis in the busy city.

The weeks journey passed through some peaceful countryside including Cassiopia Park near Watford and just further north Grove park. The weather was very hot and sunny so the shade of the trees was very welcome.

I plan to spend the weekend in Berkhamstead before continuing north towards Milton Keynes next week.  I gave the engine an early oil change this morning after only 50 hrs. Always wise after a rebuild.