Need to catch up again, not sure how I’m getting behind 😉

Day 77 – probably the most anticipated and tense day for some time. We are making the passage to the Great Ouse today which involves waiting for the right time for the tide so we get out of one lock and into the next passing through the tidal stretch at the safest time. It was an uneventful two hour cruise to Salters Lode lock, we were booked to go through at 1430 but arrived in plenty of time. There was one boat there when we arrived and then “Knot on Call” (last seen in Peterborough) appeared. A long, hot wait for the tide and for the lock keeper who was occupied with some boats coming out of the Old Bedford River, only one of the two made it; this boat hit the boat ahead of us midships as he tried to get out of the lock, no apparent real damage. It turned out that the people on both boats knew Dave and Beryl from Peddler and one of then knew Ian and Chris from “Knot on Call”, we were feeling a bit left out.

We were the last to leave, lifejackets on and into the lock. A short trip up in the lock and then out into the tidal water and onto Denver Sluice where Peddler was waiting for us. Relieved to have negotiated this passage without incident (though J not looking forward to return trip). Saw a seal on the wrong side of the sluice (not a great picture sorry)

Dave from Peddler asked the lock keeper about moorings. The lock keeper must have thought we wanted a pub and recommended the Ship Inn and told us it would take about an hour; in fact it took us about and hour and a half and we passed a number of good looking out of the way moorings. When we got to the pub the only remaining mooring was too short for us so J chickened out but Dave on Peddler is more used to river moorings and managed to get in and we moored alongside. J and Beryl checked out the pub and then walked about half a mile to the next public mooring to see if that was a possibility – unfortunately it was full so we stayed on the pub mooring and ate there – OK pub food nothing special.

Day 78 – after the tension and waiting of yesterday a short run into Ely where we found some good moorings. Only potential issue was the number of rowers. Coming in by river you can really understand why Ely Cathedral is known as the “ship of the fens”. Weather still really hot. Had a good Indian meal with Dave and Beryl to thank them for their help when we had the battery problem

Day 79 – and we stayed on the moorings in Ely as we wanted to do the tourist thing. Finally a cooler day. Visited the cathedral, the stained glass museum and the Ely museum.

 

Said goodbye to Peddler, Dave and Beryl; we have been getting on really well and we will miss them. They are off to put Peddler in a marina for a month before coming back for the IWA festival in August.

Ate on board (salade niscoise) and had a tidy up as we have visitors tomorrow.

Day 80 – Joined at Ely by Sue, Emma and Oscar for a short trip. Went slowly up the Great Ouse to Pope’s corner then turned onto the Cam and moored (a bit precariously on a mooring we would have not considered until travelling with Dave and Beryl) at the “Five Miles from Anywhere” pub for lunch. Emma had a go at steering (echoing the last time she came on a boat with us about 20 years ago).

After lunch our visitors left and we continued up the Cam; we had decided not to shell out on the additional licence to got the last few miles into Cambridge so winded at Bottisham Lock and returned the way we had come and moored just beyond Pope’s Corner on the Old West River. Although close to the railway it was a really good and quiet mooring.

Day 81 and we continued down the Old West River, this much narrower than the other parts we’ve been on so far, much more like a badly maintained canal, very shallow in places; but also very weedy. We can’t get over how many fish eating birds there are particularly grebes but also the more commonly seen herons; and kingfishers. However with the number of small fish we can see it seems there is plenty to feed them. At the end of the Old West River we went through Hermitage lock onto the tidal stretch of the Great Ouse, this is tidal because it has a junction with the New Bedford River.

This short stretch took us to Brownshill staunch; the river terminology and customs are quite different from the canals but we are getting used to it. Although we have been on rivers the flow is really slow, I would say less than the Llangollen canal or the Shroppie. We have been told by many people that the levels and flows are really low but it is difficult to tell.

We carried on up river to St Ives and found a good mooring near the Dolphin hotel – a bit shallow but a nice quiet setting. We had considered the town wall but it looked far too high for a narrowboat. Had a wander around the town early evening. A great evening sky.