Today's excitement was being locked through onto the tidal Great Ouse at Hermitage Lock, Earith.
The rise was no more than a foot; we were soon out onto a waterway that felt different. There was no detectable tidal movement, but we were 20 miles from Denver at this point.
Immediately upstream of the lock, under the bridge, is the New Bedford River which we intend to take as a short cut when we return after the IWA festival at St Neots at the end of this month. Yes, I know it's fairly straight and samey but I don't mind.
After two miles on this tidal section we reached Brownshill Lock. Why is this lock to tidal waters unmanned when Hermitage Lock is manned?
We stopped at Holywell to walk round the village and look in the church. Oh, and see the holy well. All very pleasant.
St Ives Lock has a couple of curiosities. The first thing is the unusual shape, being extra-wide. We thought, wrongly, that if we tucked the boat in the bay to the side we wouldn't be affected too much by currents set up when the slackers (paddles) were opened.
The other interesting thing I noticed was the universal joint in the spindle transmitting the rotation of the windlass to the paddle gear.
I don't recall seeing this system on any other of the hundreds of locks I've worked.
And then … we were in St Ives itself. We found a mooring right by the old bridge, and discovered it was as close to the town centre as it was possible to be.
We had a good time exploring the town; we included a visit to Morrisons and I found a curry house for later. The car being in Ely, and the wind in the right direction, I decided to cycle there to get the car. It was an enjoyable bike ride, on cycle paths alongside main roads and through the villages of Sutton-in-the-Isle and Witchford - about 17 miles in all.
We opted for a take-away when I got back. The PR Massala provided it, and it was good. The lamb was especially tender in my naga.
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