Wansford Station EA mooring to Fotheringhay Castle

The alarm woke us and we were up breakfasted and on our way before 8am, we wanted to try to catch ourselves up and try to be moored up before too many people took to the waters on paddle boards or swimming.

A very misty morning, the grass sock dampeningly wet with dew. We weren’t the only ones enjoying it, before the first lock we counted eight Kingfishers, each one far to quick for the camera!

We passed under the A1 bridges followed by Wansford Bridge surrounded by coaching houses.

Wansford Lock was set against us as all the locks would be today, everyone is heading upstream. Some fishermen helped close the top gates, very handy as the first gate had swung itself back open by the time I reached the other side of the lock where a walker offered to hold the gate for me too. We were soon up and on our way passing the posh houses and on to Yarwell Lock.

Here we didn’t remember the bell tents along the bank, an addition for the summer holidays? The top gate cill leaked badly but thankfully having a powered guillotine gate at the bottom this didn’t cause us any problems, Oleanna hung back in the lock to avoid any water getting into the bow. Once up we pulled in to top up with water, well fill the tank as we were really quite low. As soon as we’d got the hose sorted the cruiser that had been moored behind us last night arrived. Discussions were had with them, they weren’t keen to share a lock with anything weighing more than half a tonne, so they’d not wait for us.

Above Elton Lock we came across Paul and Jacquie from NB Mosi-Y-Tunya and NB Rosnald, both moored up and enjoying the nearby village. They both would pass us later on, leap frogging their way ahead.

At Warmington Lock a group of youngsters considered going in for a swim, I think our presence along with two EA vans put them off. Mick tied Oleanna up and came to lend a hand as this is the first of the wheel operated locks heading upstream. Of course with Mick helping it did mean that it would be one of the easiest mechanisms to operate, the wheel almost turns itself once you’ve got it started, so I left him to empty the lock and wind the guillotine gate up. I then had to bring it back down.

From here we could see the tower of St Mary and All Saints Church at Fotheringhay, sitting on it’s hill in the distance. We followed the course of the river round to the castle mound where we pulled in infront of a boat that looked like it had been re-floated after being sunk for some time.

The time was noted, as after our last visit here everyone mentioned at how quickly the land owner arrives for his mooring fee. We had lunch then walked into the village to take a look at the church.

From the river we’d not really noticed how oddly sized the church was. Walking up the grand tree avenue to the north door we all of a sudden did a double take. The church just didn’t look long enough! This was backed up when we went inside. Where was the choir, the font was in the wrong place and there was no big east window.

Back in the 1430’s the church was built with a college and cloister on it’s southern side. A short while later a parish church of a similar style was built to the west end of the collegiate church, it is the parish church which remains. The college was seized by the crown in 1547 and the chancel was pulled down almost immediately.

At the east end of the church a high up clear window sits above ridges in the wall where the original building used to continue. One coloured window shows off the coats of arms of the Yorkist dynasty.

The wonderful 15thC painted pulpit sits delicately where all can see it. Fan vaulting in it’s canopy matching that in the ceiling of the west end. A wonderful light filled church. Outside you can see where the building used to continue. The stone work less dressed than on the rest of the building, blocked in doorways and windows suggest of what once was.

We had a wander around the village before returning to the boat. Tilly and I had a good walk up the castle mound, she likes the view from up there. Then three and a half hours after we arrived the chap turned up with his Golden Syrup tin for the mooring fee. There was chance to ask about the moorings alongside the campsite. We’d been hoping to moor there and have the London Leckenbys come and camp, but sadly timings hadn’t worked out. The moorings alongside the campsite during the summer months have been suspended as so many campers now want to access the water and boats were just getting in the way. However if you turn up in winter it will be fine.

We also chatted about the boat behind us. It had been refloated three days earlier at Stibbington and had been brought up stream with the aim of reaching Oundle for it to be craned out. However it wouldn’t fit through the bridge as it was too wide! A little bit like a widebeam we’d heard coming through earlier in the afternoon!

Sadly the boat was taking on water again and later on a chap turned up with a pump to raise it, he also left it with a bilge pump going over night. The new plan was to head back down stream possibly to near Stanground Lock where they would be able to get it craned out. The boat was built in the 1930’s and they are hoping to have it as a trip boat on the River Avon.

4 locks, 9.18 miles, 1 proper days cruise, 10 kingfishers, 1 castle mooring, 1 short church, 1 props list updated, 1 meeting arranged, 1 cat of the castle, grade 1 hair cut, 1 lovely boat hopefully being saved.