Field fire next to River Great Ouse

We waved goodbye to Sheila and Christine this morning as we set off up the remaining part of the Cam we didn't need a Cam licence for.

This is as far as we could go: Bottisham Lock. To travel beyond the lock would have cost an extra £49 - and we wouldn't even have had time to stop overnight. Something for the future.

On the way back towards Upware I nosed up to Swaffham Lock at the entrance to the unnavigable Swaffham Bulbeck Lode.

At Popes Corner we turned left to resume our journey on the River Great Ouse, here known also as the Old West River.

We passed Stretham Old Engine, which was closed today as was the Prickwillow engine museum when we went past that a few days ago.

Just before the Lazy Otter pub I spotted a narrowboat pulling onto the GOBA mooring. I wasn't surprised to see that it was Tentatrice, with Chris and Jennie. We came alongside and chatted for a bit; it was good to meet you both.

They warned of the duckweed blighting the next stretch of river … but I don't recall them mentioning the field fire.

We saw the smoke from a couple of miles back; when we got closer we could hear the sirens of fire engines and the clatter of tractors.

To get the pictures I had to stand on the roof of the boat. I'll let them tell the story.

When that excitement was past we could return to the small matter of duckweed. It wasn't that bad, actually: the boat just carved through it without hindrance.

Behind us the duckweed closed up.

At Hermitage Lock we could see that the visitor mooring had space, so we tied up and saw the lock keeper. He said it would be fine for us to stay overnight as long as we didn't leave the boat before 7 pm when he went off duty.

I crossed the road which spans the lock and had a look at the tidal section which is tomorrow's treat.

After tea we walked in to Earith, crossing both the Bedford New and Old Rivers. Whilst in Earith it started to rain, but it didn't amount to much. Tomorrow, as we lock out onto the tidal Great Ouse I will ask about travelling down the tidal New Bedford River on our way back from St Neots. That is our plan, to save time.

A strange thing to find next to one's boat

I got a surprise when I went to untie this morning. A woman in a bikini was lying on her back, sunbathing, right next to the boat. I was momentarily lost for words, she didn't look up from her newspaper, and the time for a greeting seemed to be gone. She ignored us as we left; I wonder if the boats just heading for the mooring thought we'd left a crew member behind. I didn't think it appropriate to take a photo (sorry to disappoint).

Last night nbs Ketura and Olivia breasted up to us; it was good to meet you, Christine and Sheila. We met up again this evening at the Five Miles from Anywhere pub (where we breasted up to Ketura).

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Returning along Burwell Lode after setting off we turned left onto the dead-end section of Reach Lode. This got quite narrow and seemed just as shallow as Wicken Lode. For some of the time we were brushing past reeds on both sides.

We collected plenty of broken - but long - reeds on the bow as we went along, despite earlier in the year having a piece of steel welded on to smooth off where the base plate jutted forward.

The end of the lode was marked by a weeping willow and a sign forbidding mooring unless pre-arranged with Reach Parish Council. This was right next to a GOBA mooring.

We turned right at the willow and nosed up as far as we could. A low bridge barred any further exploration.

We reversed back to the willow tree and winded, then retraced our steps to Upware Lock. On the way we passed the sunken boat which wasn't seen on the outward journey and was scraped over. It's more visible from this direction.

Through the lock we stopped at the pub, as described above. We patronised the place by enjoying drinks with Christine and Sheila.

It's been hot and sticky today - as I write this at 2250 it hardly seems to have cooled at all. Certainly not on the boat.

Walking along from the pub I saw a large collection of birds on electricity wires.

They don't appear to be swallows, but I'm no expert.

Identification, someone?

I have, at last, drawn up a schedule which takes us to St Neots when we need to be there. One highlight will be on Thursday when we pick up my cousin Victoria and her husband and give them a lift home to Godmanchester.

The challenges of Wicken Lode

We had an excellent spot in Ely, after the first night that is. Here we had a good view of the trains but were undisturbed by them.

We left at 1055, just before our 48 hours limit was up, and continued south on the Great Ouse. The structure at the entrance to Soham Lode doesn't appear to obstruct water or boats, but the weed looks forbidding. Oh, and there's a No Entry sign.

Before Pope's Corner, where the Cam joins the Great Ouse, we were overtaken by nb Cleddau.

We turned left onto the River Cam - still EA waters here - and in three miles turned left again into Upware Lock at the start of Reach Lode. This is an unusual lock in that it has a guillotine gate at each end - and there was hardly any difference in water level either side.

Having watered up at the second lock landing we continued a little further before stopping for lunch, breasting up to a boat on the EA moorings just before the entrance to Wicken Lode.

Entering Wicken Lode we were immediately into a very narrow and shallow channel. I thought we were probably getting weed round the prop, but going into astern every now and then didn't make much difference to our speed - or lack of it. We were down to 1.2 to 1.6 mph.

It was often tricky to see the channel, surrounded as we were by reeds and rushes.

Another hazard was the National Trust trip boat, which zoomed along powered by an electric-sounding outboard engine. The boat runs the length of Wicken Lode, winding at the junction with Reach Lode.

Here it is having just overtaken us on its way back to the end of the lode. We had to squeeze to the side to allow it to pass each time.

An hour and a mile-and-a-half after entering the lode we got to the end, where we winded, checked the prop (no weed) and returned slowly to Reach Lode. We encountered the trip boat again, meeting it at a blind bend on its way back. There was no contact, but it was close!

the end of Wicken Lode

It was a relief to get back onto the "main line" and achieve a speed of 3 mph.

Half a mile further on we turned left onto Burwell Lode.

Burwell Lode to the left; Reach Lode continues right

Our speed quickly dropped again as the channel narrowed and the weed made its presence felt. We made it to the end OK, though, winding where the lode splits in two and tying up on the EA mooring.

We ate tea sitting in shade on the bank, helped two boats tie up alongside us and walked into the large village of Burwell. The windmill looked spectacular in the evening sun. I've managed to exclude the housing estate which surrounds it from my photo.

Arriving back at the boat we were surprised to find a party of anglers ignoring the No Fishing sign and on the tiny bit of mooring in front of us. One younger member of the group was resting her feet on the gunwale. Cheek! They did quickly move back from the boat when they saw us, but carried on fishing.

Tomorrow we plan to go to the end of Reach Lode, and then we'll have to decide if we're going get a licence for the Cambridge end of the Cam.

Baits Bite Lock

Two days ago, on my little cycle ride along the River Cam, I reached Baits Bite Lock. There's a wide turning area above the lock and weir for rowers to spin their boats round (I think that's the terminology the sign used).


nb Water Lily was coming up the lock.


Not Nev's Waterlily.

***************

By this time tomorrow I'm hoping that we might know whether or not it's all systems go for buying our boat. I wonder how long I'll be able to hold back before phoning the surveyor? Perhaps I should wait for his full report ... yes, I think that's probably sensible. But that might take another week!

Dead bikes from the Cam

As I was in Cambridge for work today I made the most of the warm sunny weather and cycled along the river Cam in my lunch hour. Almost the first thing I came across was a bicycle which had been dragged out of the water and left, muddy and lifeless, on the bank.


And a few yards further on was another one.


There were four within half a mile.


There was no sign of the person or persons who had pulled these out, neither was there anything to suggest that they were going to be disposed of properly.


If they're not collected soon they'll just end up back in the water.

Ships of the fens

The best things about my day in Cambridge yesterday were the two train rides, followed by the four cycle rides. Well, the cycle rides were either side of the two train rides, but you know what I mean. The actual work was tough, and I'd had to leave a poorly Jan behind - she'd had to take a very rare day off sick. (She's feeling better today.)


As it happened, the most convenient seat on the four coach train from Norwich (I boarded at Wymondham) was immediately by my bike, with the loo completely obscuring the view to my right and no window on my left. So I read my Canal Boat magazine, and looked up when approaching Ely.


I snapped off a few photos, but it's always tricky timing things to get a clear shot through the trees. Here's Ely cathedral, the Ship of the Fens, towering above some more modestly sized ships of the fens.

After work I cycled along the Cam, past a dark Lucky Duck, and then across Midsummer Common following the directions to the station. I lost the trail after Parker's Piece, so I rejoined the road traffic and went down Hills Road and Station Road.

Cambridge

By the time this is published I shall be in Cambridge for a day's work there. I'll be going by train, so I'll look out as usual for the crossings of various waterways, some more navigable than others: the Little Ouse; the Cut-Off Channel; the River Lark; the Great Ouse (four times); and the Cam.


The last time I was sent to Cambridge to work was in July last year. When I'd finished I cycled back to the station following the Cam for part of the way.


And here's a fenland photo I took from the moving train. Any photos this time will have to be on the outward trip as I shall be returning after dark.


By the way, I'm being very considerate of TV licence fee payers. My travel expenses to get to BBC Cambridge (above) will consist solely of my off-peak return ticket: £15.40. Compare that with the cost of hiring a car, or even the cost of fuel for a pool car, were one to be available. And using the bike means no taxi fares either.

Two or three Ducks seen in Cambridge

For more than a year I've been saying to myself, every time I've driven along the A14 over the River Cam, I must call in and say "hello" to James and Amy of NB Lucky Duck. And now that BBC Cambridge has moved to new premises at Cambridge Business Park I've had the opportunity to combine a visit to the new building with a chance to greet the Lucky Ducks in person. Well, it almost worked. I got the train from Norwich to Cambridge, and a bus to the business park, and was suitably impressed by the facilities.


I wasn't just swanning around, looking at other people working, though. I got roped in to edit a package for Look East. I then took a bus back towards the town centre, and walked along the river looking for Lucky Duck. I knew I was unlikely to see its occupants as they had told me that they had other commitments in the evening, but I had something for them which I was planning to leave on board.

I walked along a line of narrowboats moored up along Midsummer Common without spotting any sort of duck. Two boats to go. Ah - there was someone just leaving the nearer, nameless, one. "Excuse me, I'm looking for "Lucky Duck". As the person turned round I could see that it was Amy, and she said, "This is "Lucky Duck". So we introduced ourselves and I gave her the cake - that was the "something" - and then she had to cycle off to a meeting. Just before she went, an eight came rowing along in the darkness: James was coxing, but I could hardly see him in the gloom. He didn't even look up! (Does the cox count as crew?)


Amy with headlight and cake

One other Duck I did see was their cat, Lyra. Stupidly I didn't think to photograph her. Or is that one of her cat's eyes twinkling in the window?

James and Amy, I'll try to visit again, and next time let's hope it can be mutually more convenient.

Narrowboats on the Cam to be on BBC TV East

(fleetingly!)

If you watch Inside Out on BBC One (East) at 7.30 pm on Monday 30th November you'll spot that the presenter links (four of them) are shot with the River Cam in the background. No boat names are visible, but if you know the area (James and Amy of Lucky Duck?) you'll probably recognise the narrowboats.

There's not a feature on boating (sadly), but the first item is on a phenomenon known, apparently, as "cyclism": a sort of racism against cyclists. Julie Reinger, a weather presenter on BBC Look East, investigates some of the difficulties faced by - and created by - cyclists in Cambridge. Here's some more about it, including a short excerpt. (I don't know for how long this link will work, though). (But it's let me embed the video!)



Link to the actual programme here. This will work until Monday 6th December 2009.

(edited to add above link)

Narrowboats (fleetingly) on BBC Look East

BBC Look East recently covered Prince Philip's naming of the Cambridge University Blue Boat. As it is being launched into the Cam there are some narrowboats briefly in shot. No doubt James and Amy of Lucky Duck know the boats ... and the rowers who are hobnobbing with the Prince.

The Look East item can be viewed here.

On board Shadow, we should be leaving Braunston this morning, heading for the Leicester Section of the Grand Union. The original shedule had us tying up tonight at North Kilworth, but that was assuming we'd started with the ascent of Watford Locks at 0800. We could catch up with the schedule, or we could go to Welford. David's the skipper: it's up to him.