Category Archives: Moorings

14ft! 15th July

Priory Centre, St Neots to Barford Old Mills

The original plan had been to leave at 9am, but that didn’t quite happen as Mick had decided to purchase an electric fan from Argos which wouldn’t open til 9. It had been ordered so he went to be first in line at the front door to pick it up.

We were slightly disappointed, yet not surprised at the size of fan. We’d have difficulty finding somewhere to put it after all if the description had been correct! It was 14inches not 14ft! Yes it will use power, but may just help move air about to help cool us in the coming days.

Tilly’s pooh box had a clean out as we topped up the water tank, best to leave with a full water tank. As we made ready to push off Paul stuck his head out of their hatch to say goodbye, we suspect our paths will cross another time somewhere.

Across the way the Macc boys were discussing things, would everyone be trying to find some shade on the river. We hoped for their sakes they were, but also hoped that the mooring we were after would be free by the time we arrived.

An old riverside house has been having quite an extensive refurb along with an big extension. With 1.5 acres and a mooring long enough for a narrowboat no wonder it’s £2,250,000!

**Oleanna waiting with Eaton Socon Mill behind**

Eaton Socon Lock was soon in view. There was movement at the lock, a day boat having just been helped up the lock. We set the lock to out favour, a sign by the control panel saying that there is an intermittent fault where the delay timer trips the guillotine. Thankfully it behaved for me and we were soon up, after the 6mins 30secs delay that is inbuilt.

Above the lock we pulled in at the EA mooring, the bank decidedly awkward to moor to. We managed to get the stern close enough to the bank for our needs and headed to the big Tescos 3/4mile away.

A big stock up required the bike to be a sherpa. The ability to cook outdoors a necessity and other meals to require the minimum amount of gas usage. We came back with the bike fully laden.

Time for lunch on the go, with the next mooring at Great Barford we had another two locks and six and a half miles to go, we needed to keep moving. The river started to remind us of the upper reaches of the Thames, narrower, more bends to keep you on your toes. A keen eye required to spot those in canoes or on paddle boards who are oblivious to our existence.

Under the A1 where it splits in two. How many times have we been over the river here and not realised it was the Great Ouse below? We’ve also been thinking about that as we’ve seen trains rushing past on the East Coast Main Line recently.

At Roxton Lock we came across our first totally manual lock for ages. The gates were heavy, or is it just that I’m not so used to opening and closing gates as I used to be.

A Kingfisher darted in front of us, managing to stay for a while on a post, my zoom only just managing to catch it before it flew off.

This was then followed by a Little Egret, I’d never noticed how fluffy frondy their tails are before.

At Great Barford Lock the wild flowers were past their best, but the teasels still had enough purple flowers to keep the bees occupied.

Above the lock was busy, swimmers getting ready for a dip, canoes, paddle boarders. Here there are two lots of moorings, the GOBA one’s we might have been able to squeeze into between two boats, or outside the pub where there was plenty of space but also it was more than likely to get really quite busy.

We carried on though hoping that the EA mooring tucked behind on an island would be free. Thankfully it was apart from a small rib tied up in the middle. We tried here and there to moor, the bank not very even and the water shallow. As soon as we started to hit a spike in a very muddy dog came rushing round to see what was going on. It was soon followed by it’s owner who kindly moved his rib round the bend.

Eventually we found a spot where we could get off at the bow with ease and just close enough for the plank at the stern. As the cloud cleared away we could see what the afternoon shade would be like, not as comprehensive as we’d hoped, but at least there was some. We’ll get shade first thing, then the port side will heat up followed by a couple of hours of the starboard side. Our sheets would be needed, they were cut in half and folded up ready for a trial run tomorrow.

I tried out a new recipe for a mushroom biryani tonight, it didn’t turn out quite like the recipe had suggested, I suspect my pan lid was a touch too tight as it ended up being a bit soupy, never mind it was still very tasty so I’ll try it again with a looser lid or less liquid, adding some chicken too would be nice.

3 locks, 8.54 miles, 14” new fan, 1 full water tank, 1 clean pooh box, 1 fully laden bike, 3 boxes wine, 2 boxes Tilly food! 1 island mooring, 1 bridge should we want to leave, 3 sheets cut to size, 800ml reduce to 600ml, 1 very boisterous woofer that we hope will leave the island.

https://goo.gl/maps/tWhswHy2PZBJxAcj8

Jelly Babies Or Inuits. 14th July

Paxton Pits GOBA Mooring to St Neots Priory Centre

NB Still-Waters moved off whilst we were still having our morning cuppa in bed. We waved but I’m not sure they saw us.

Last night we’d adopted a new routine on heading to bed. The last few nights we’ve been plagued by flying insects, we really need to sort out some fly screens for our windows! All the windows and curtains were closed in the bedroom before any lights were turned on, then once we’d finished reading the lights went out, windows opened, the glass from the porthole above our heads removed. We only had one little blighter buzzing around our ears, success. But I suspect by the time the weekend comes we’ll not be wanting any windows closed.

We pushed off ourselves a little after 10 making our way towards St Neots. Some of the moorings have very high flood proof scaffolding, keeping their boats from straying onto the banks. A two tone tree? How has that come about? One side a pale variegated leaf the other green.

After a couple of miles we approached St Neots Lock. Here our maps suggested a one way system around an island below the lock. However two cruisers came towards us the wrong way. At least it meant the lock would be in our favour.

St Neot’s Lock is quite a modern lock. The bottom has a guillotine gate and vee gates at the top. In the chamber there are steps rather than ladders, the sort you find on Thames locks. There are also cable risers on the sides to pass your rope around. The length of the lock seemed vast with Oleanna sat at the back. A pair of slackers at the top end sat side by side. Lifting the first one I wondered where the water would come into the lock, would both paddles lift at the top end, or would one route the water further down the chamber?

Blimey the colossal noise of rushing water below my feet sounded like I’d set a tidal wave going, yet in the chamber nothing much seemed to be happening. I steadily opened up both slackers and Oleanna rose at the far end.

The river now wider, day boats and later on rowers and paddle boarders everywhere. We made our way into St Neots a space on the pontoon by the Priory Centre, phew! Opposite the Macc boys were breasted up along with some cruisers, through the bridge looked full too. Maybe we’d move on after some shopping and topping with on water.

Fresh food was needed along with something to make a home made shade for Oleanna. If we can’t find a shady mooring for the weekend then we at least want to cover our cabin side to stop Oleanna becoming a very big storage heater. White fabric was required.

**Locals are asking boaters to take their rubbish home rather than leaving it where bins used to be!**

Boaters bins along the river seem to have been removed, so we’d taken our recycling along into town which got deposited in bins around the market square. The market was okay, but not much to it other than the figures that were stood holding up the ends of the benches.

Were these Jelly Babies or Inuit people? Which ever they are what do they have to do with St Neots? If I get time I’ll try to hunt round the internet for information, but if anyone knows please let me know. Hang on they might be monks holding beads with a cross hanging down.

The charity shops let me down on the hunt for white fabric/sheets, so we bought Argos out of all the flat sheets they had, only three. Not quite enough for the whole cabin side, but a good amount will get covered if needs be. We just need to sus out how to hold it all down. The roof will be easy, but the bottoms?

Back at Oleanna we were just settling down for lunch as NB Mosi-Y-Tunya came past, they’d been travelling with NB Caspar, we waved and it was obvious they were looking for somewhere to moor so we offered them our starboard side. This led to quite a lot of boaters chat.

During the afternoon a cruiser that had been issued an overstay notice was pulled back to the end of the pontoon, which made enough room for both us and NB Mosi-Y-Tunya to be moored. As both boats filled with water more conversations were had, comparing notes on places we’d been, Paul and Jackie’s tales of crossing the Wash and we handed on tips for the River Nene locks. At last we also managed to palm off the wine gums I’d won at the Oscars party that had sadly disagreed with me. Paul, Jackie and their friends Peter and Kath wolfed them down within minutes!

1 lock, 3.17 miles, 2 neighbours, 0 shore leave, 3 white sheets, 1 sad gits stir fry, 0 work done, 1st production meeting arranged, 1 tea dance, 1 exercise class, 1 full water tank, 0 boaters bins again, 32 jelly babies, or 32 Inuits, which ever they are going to be very warm next week!

https://goo.gl/maps/j3g8C1AiCTHinHFs9

Pits Brunch. 12th July

Brampton Park GOBA Moorings to Paxton Pits GOBA Mooring

Time for us to move on and hopefully find another shady mooring. Once we’d had our cup of tea in bed we postponed breakfast and pushed off, NB Eleanor Rugby had long since gone!

**Is this an Aquavista 60/40 split price?!**

First things first. Water! We’d last filled up in St Ives and have been frugal with our usage. A water point was shown on our maps at Buckden Marina, we pulled up on their service mooring. Maybe we’d top up on diesel too whilst we were here. The petrol pump had a sign on it saying they were out and more was on order. The diesel pump just boasted the price £2.25. HOW MUCH!!! Yes this might be the price of a 60/40 split, but still!

We connected up our hose, it was still too early for the office to be open. Water came forth and we started to fill our tank, we’d see if anyone had a problem as we weren’t inclined to top up on diesel. Nobody came to see if they could help us even once the office was open, so we coiled up our hose once full and pushed away.

Offord Lock came next. The top guillotine gate open. As I pressed the close gate button I looked at the lock, blimey it was narrow! Having got used to the D shaped locks which fit three narrowboats side by side this was narrow. Not in the sense of a narrow canal lock but you’d never get two narrowboats in side by side and at 11ft 2″ wide some wide beams would have difficulty.

By the time Oleanna was in the lock coming up we had four gongoozlers. One wondering if the crocodiles would get us on the river, another two not realising that the river continued on up ahead of us for quite some miles.

Onwards now for a couple more miles. We passed a couple of narrowboats including NB Jolly Lamb whom we’ve come across a couple of times in the past. Did this mean that the next mooring would have space for us, we hoped so.

Yes! Just enough room for us beside a shady tree at Paxton Pits. We pulled in, I hopped off the bow with Mick staying on board as the mooring meant we’d need a plank once tied up.

Time for breakfast, well brunch and with it being a touch cooler we risked a cooked breakfast, not quite the full works but certainly a good effort and very tasty.

I continued hunting out panto references. Mick sat outside listening to cricket. Our route northwards at the end of the year was looked at in more detail. Tilly headed off to find friends, breaking the first rule within half an hour! She was speedily reminded of that rule whilst being forcibly removed from the boat along with her friend!

During the afternoon we got some rain showers, the sort that just seemed to add to the general mugginess of the day. Despite this I decided to go for a walk. Solutions to be found for panto are best done whilst walking . I filled a water bottle, showed Mick the route I planned on taking and headed off.

Paxton Pits were gravel pits, in the 1930’s the gravel was mostly used in building airfields around the country. Today gravel is still dug here but the old pits are now filled with water and have become a nature reserve.

In the early 20thC the Trimmings family grew plantations of Cricket Bat Willow on islands at Little Paxton. The trees produce a wood that is light, tough and doesn’t splinter. The firm now called Hunts County Bats still continues today, producing 20,000 bats worldwide every year.

There were also paper mills at Little Paxton, 184 years of production. A raised causeway gave access to the mills in times of flood. Now the area is a modern housing estate.

Much of the land in the nature reserve is gravelly as you would imagine. Plants vie for enough moisture to be able to grow. Purple flowering plants had pushed their way up, possibly Viper’s Bugloss?

I followed the Heron trail handy hides every now and then giving me shelter from the now almost constant showers of rain. One facing towards a bank which may or may not have been Kingfisher nests. I listened out for them but sadly none were to be seen or heard. I did spot 2 Egrets , 2 Cormorants and a Heron all sitting together on a bit of mud.

The nature reserve is a Dragonfly Hotspot with 26 varieties of dragonflies and damselflies. Today however there were none to be seen here, they must all have been out on the river.

I soon had walked past the active gravel pit with all it’s machinery. Wondered if quicksand is still as treacherous in a drought as it seems in the movies. The path turned again to be alongside the river. A home made banner attached to a gate. Was this advertising Matt Walsh’s film examining changing concepts of gender in the digital age? This is what Google suggested it might be.

Tilly’s white tipped tail sprung into the air to greet me back at the boat. A pleasant walk even if a touch warm, I did manage to come up with a few more ideas for work too.

With the beginning of next week likely to be too hot to do much other than breath, we spent some of the evening trying to work out a plan to try to be on the shadiest mooring on the hottest days. Will we succeed? Will we be beaten to the mooringOr will we just cook?

1 lock, 3.27 miles, 0 bins, 1 full water tank, £2.25! 0 crocodiles, 11am mooring, 2 plates of brunch, 32 more images, 3 mile walk, 0 Kingfishers, 2 solutions, 3 possibilities, 30C, 3 hours of gentle showers.

https://goo.gl/maps/M7QuYGaCnM6kMLzZ7

Shade Hopping. 10th July

Brampton Mill GOBA Mooring to Brampton Park GOBA mooring

Shade hopping is likely to be a regular occurrence over the next week with temperatures set to soar. Why did we decide to cruise the area set to get the highest temperatures in the country?!

The cruisers in front of us had already headed off this morning and a narrowboat had just pulled up in the vacant space, making use of the very good shady tree to sit under for breakfast.

Our 48hours were up and it was time for us to move on. Leaving too early in the morning would mean arriving at a suitable mooring before it had been vacated, arriving too late would mean someone else would have grabbed the shade before us. Waterway Routes, Google maps, Google Earth and Ordnance Survey all come in handy for checking out prospective moorings. We hoped that the next GOBA mooring would be as good as it looked.

The route to Brampton Mill Lock is confusing. Our map showed a route around an island, avoiding currents from the weir. A sign suggested up stream boats should stay to the right. This could mean keep to the right on the narrow channel around the island, or keep to the right and head straight for the lock. Hidden deep behind nettles stood the Lock ‘This Way’ sign, it was only when we were going the right way that we could see which way the arrow pointed.

A couple sunned themselves by the lock with their Yorkshire Terrier who had to bark at anyone or thing that came by. The lock was full, needed resetting so this meant I got barked at several times as I walked too and froe.

The entrances to the locks are not quite wide enough for two narrowboats side by side, which means that both gates need to be opened to get one boat into the chamber, then closed, walking all the way round the lock to do so.

By the time the four minute timer was counting it’s way down, delaying the top gate from being lifted too quickly, there were three cruisers waiting to come down. The river would be busy again today.

The mooring we’d got our eyes on came into view, a narrowboat just pulling away, we’d be jumping straight into their spot, pulling as far along as we could to get into the shade as early in the day as possible.

Tilly spent the day exploring and trying to get back to the boat as differing boats came to join us. One stopping for lunch, another two for a very noisy swim, the next for some fishing and their evening meal before they pushed away and left us on our own.

A barbeque this evening, tucking ourselves into the hedges and shade. The still evening brought a hot air balloon over head, gradually drifting towards the A14. Here’s hoping the boat doesn’t get too hot tomorrow before the shade starts to come over.

1 lock, 1.5 miles, 3 neighbours, 6 hours shore leave, 1 edited reference folder, 2 cobs of corn, 4 veg kebabs, 2 salmon steaks, shade by 1pm, 28C.

https://goo.gl/maps/NpaRPux6AoH8FrVb9

Fenced In. 9th July

Brampton GOBA Mooring

Opening the curtains to enjoy the view this morning whilst having a cuppa in bed brought something quite unexpected. A Unicorn!

Last night it had been attached to a cruiser two to three boats up from us, now it was gently swimming past heading towards Godmancheter. It had escaped. A short while later a chap in a canoe arrived, took photos, who wouldn’t, then attached a rope and paddled it back up stream, someone pointing out which boat the rainbowed one had escaped from. It was soon tied up back where it belonged.

Mushrooms ala Pip for breakfast, out of necessity as the sad gits white mushrooms we’d bought in St Ives really needed eating up. Chestnut mushrooms last a lot longer!

The Geraghty zoom this morning had an extra box with Mick being in Scarborough. Subjects discussed included, MP’s dress choices, Unicorns and the Continent.

Tilly was given 9 hours and doors opened front and back whilst I settled down to finish re-reading my script and taking notes. This was followed with several hours of hunting for images on Pinterest and Getty Images.

**Vintage engraving showing a scene from 19th Century London England. Likely to be by Gustave Dore**

Plenty of boats moving today. The narrowboat behind us had moved off very early, possibly to get through Hemingford before their regatta started for the day, 160 races! Canoes, paddleboarders, swimmers, big cruisers, little ribs, long narrow boats, short narrowboats. A busy river.

By late afternoon I’d drawn out Chippy stage ready to start on a story board and moved outside to try and put ideas down on paper. So far I maybe have an idea for the basic setting, architectural detail with a feline influence. Victorian sketches by Gustave Dore have always been a favourite of mine, but maybe they are a touch too dark for a panto. Hopefully I’ll get chance to chat to the director in the next few days and that should send me off in a direction.

During the day Tilly had kept herself busy most of the morning. Mick had mown the grass in Scarborough and I’d selected a couple of folders I wanted him to bring back. Tilly slept for a couple of hours and then vanished back outside.

Boaters who’d visited the pub returned and headed off. Others arrived, paddle boards inflated and a lot of hysterics and soakings went on. No sign of Tilly, maybe she was on the other side of the crowd. When it calmed down I went to have a look, but to no avail.

Mick arrived back, we both had a short walk round trying to encourage Tilly home for Ding Ding. Nothing! The couple on the cruiser behind were most probably thinking how irresponsible we were as their cat was only allowed out on a lead and harness.

**Oleanna not quite visible on the other side of the field.**

As I got our evening meal together Mick headed of for a more concerted effort. A phone call saying he’d found her, but she was on the other side of an impenetrable fence! Well it obviously was penetrable as she’s got through it. I went off to see if I could assist.

Right at the far side of the field (who says cat’s don’t stray far!), Mick was stood on one side of a double layered chicken mesh and barbed wire fence and Tilly was shouting to him from the other side. ‘You got yourself in there!’ That really doesn’t help! It took us quite a while following her along the fence, every now and again a gap showed itself on our side, ‘Follow my voice Tilly, this way!’

She’d walk past that gap, shouting and shouting, then falling silent! Where was she?

Mick walked back across the field to get a key so that he could access a track which might lead to where she was. This all took plenty of time, me doing my best mad cat woman. Thank goodness I’d not managed to get our dinner in the oven, it would have been burnt by now. Eventually Mick was on the other side of the fence/brambles/nettles/barbed wire and was with Tilly. Well until she walked away from him into the hedge on their side!

If only Mick could grab hold of her, he could then drop her over a low bit of fence/hedge/brambles/nettle/thistles and she’d be on the right side. But no, she stayed in the hedge well out of arms reach. Then she vanished from sight and sound!

**You told me to find the way I’d got through!**

Was that her bell? There she is! She’d found her own way back through the obstacle course! After she’d wrapped herself around my ankles a few times we started to walk back across the huge field. Who says cat’s don’t stray far!

This was delayed for a feline comfort break, after which she charged a good hundred yards before getting distracted! This WAY!!!! An hour after I’d left our dinner to assist we were all back on board, our dingding by now cold!

0 locks, 0 miles, 3 trains, 6 boxes, 7:15 start, 1 unicorn, 432 boats, 32 canoes, 51 paddleboarders, 4 swimmers, 3 hours, 2nd read, 4 ages notes, 321 pictures, 12 outlines, 4 hours, 1 hour to rescue, 1 double fence, 8:30 dingding all round!

The Early Boat Claims The Shade. 8th July

Riverside Park Mooring to Brampton GOBA Mooring

A more rural mooring was required today, hopefully one with a bit of shade as the temperatures are due to rise again. With sunscreen applied we pushed off and were soon heading under Huntingdon Old Bridges and the A1307, not much to see of the town as we passed.

Now we followed the river round another huge meadow. Islands here there and everywhere just to keep the navigator on her toes.

Godmanchester Lock sat empty and waiting for us. The EA mooring alongside the top side was filled with cruisers, we hoped they had all congregated here and had left the moorings further upstream for us. As Oleanna rose in the lock another cruiser arrived to go down, friends of some of the crowd already around the lock. We chatted about moorings and how Brampton was empty when they came past, phew! Then the subject turned to Bedford River Festival which is in a couple of weeks.

The river carries on doing a huge bend around the meadow, the railway line crossing shortly before the moorings we were after. On Google earth it looked like there might only be space for one or two boats, but clicking on someone’s photos (River View) there seemed to be a long length of mooring available.

As we approached all I could see was a heron, the moorings, as reported by the cruiser were empty! Not much tree cover for shade, but we nosed ourselves up towards a willow tree, the end of the day we might just get some shade.

Inside the curtains were drawn on the port side, starboard side open as the sun was just avoiding that side of the boat. The doors were opened and Tilly headed off to explore. The nearest Willow had some attention but was deemed to be not so interesting as the one OVER THERE!

Late morning we were joined by a couple of cruisers, then a narrowboat pulled up asking if we’d nudge up to make room. I paced out the gap for him, it was at least fifteen foot longer than us so even a 70ft boat would not have to squeeze in. Luckily for Tilly she was spotted by the chap who said he’d keep his dog on a lead.

Mid afternoon and it was time for Mick to head off to catch a train northwards, a visit to Scarborough for an overnight and cut the grass. He strode off across the field, reaching a gate on the other side, only to find he needed an EA Abloy key to open it.

I set up an office under the big willow to re-read the panto script, making notes and hopefully having ideas as I went. This was all going very well until a cruiser pulled up late afternoon just in front of us. It would have been rude not to chat to the new neighbours especially as they are thinking of buying a narrowboat to explore the canals. The last twenty pages of panto will have to wait for tomorrow, at least I’d found lots of reference photos that may prove useful.

1 lock, 1.96 miles, 1 heron, 0 neighbours to 6, 3 swimmers, 7 hours, 2 woofers, 1 outdoor office, 0 help from the feline assistant, 3 trains, 1 very clean house, 20 pages to go, 211 reference images, 0.5 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/WdWWkvednNJ3mSET8

Milling About. 6th July

Houghton EA Mooring to Hemingford GOBA Mooring to Houghton EA Mooring.

Last night we decided we’d head back towards Hemingford Grey to moor for the day and our visit to Houghton Mill. We knew where the mooring was and that it existed, where as if we’d have gone up the lock we might have been in a situation where no mooring opportunity showed itself.

After our cuppa in bed we rolled up the covers headed a short way up stream where the river was a touch wider. Mick then made use of the current and wind to help turn the bow round to face down stream. We pootled our way to the meadow and pulled in where there was maybe a touch too much goose poo, but it would do us.

With breakfast out of the way we set off to walk the mile and a half to the mill. On reaching about a quarter of the way Mick said he’d not got the National Trust cards, would they allow us in just with our booking confirmation email? Possibly, but he turned back to the boat. I said I’d walk onwards, we’d left just about the right amount of time to walk, would we make it in time?

I slowed my pace, took in the wild flowers on the verges. All the thatched roofs had straw finials, some quite amusing. Had Mick got back to the boat by now? Should I quicken my pace again, would we reach the Mill in time for the tour?

**Across the field that had been cut yesterday**

Mick appeared on the Brompton, I should have carried on walking at a normal pace and not slowed so he could catch me up. I had to quicken my pace now, the mill only open for tours on Wednesdays and the weekend, if we missed our slot then that would be it!

Thankfully we managed to arrive in time to stash the bike somewhere and have a quick comfort break, still with a couple of minutes to spare! Phew!!!

In 974AD the Manor of Houghton and the Mill were given to Ramsey Abbey, all the local farmers used the mill and a cut was taken off as payment, a mulcher, for the Abbey. The mill was kept very busy and the Abbey became very affluent. New sluice gates were added to the river to increase water headed to the mill, but this caused flooding in the village. After ten years of campaigning the villagers got their way and the river was returned to it’s old course.

After the dissolution of the monasteries, Ramsey Abbey was flattened, the mill was still seen to be very profitable and was taken over by the crown. Ownership passed to the Earls of Manchester who leased out the mill as a commercial concern.

In the 18th Century there was a rapid development in mill technology. The original mill had had one water wheel this was increased to three at it’s peak. Inside ten pairs of stones milled the flour operated by eighteen people. In 1850 the mill was run by the Brown and Goodman families and was producing a ton of premium white flour every hour. This flour supposedly improved if left for five to six weeks, just the right amount of time for it to have headed down stream to Kings Lynn, round the coast to the Thames estuary and in to London where it would reach the best price!

But in the later part of the 19th Century technology took milling away from mill stones and Houghton just couldn’t compete with steam driven mills. The repeal of the Corn Laws brought in cheaper foreign grain which was milled at the ports to help feed the growing work force of the Industrial Revolution. Houghton Mill moved to milling animal feed and the work force reduced down to two.

**A corner showing how the YHA had looked**

On the retirement of the last miller in 1928 the mill closed and the water wheels were removed. In 1929 the local council bought the mill, it was soon earmarked for redevelopment. In 1934 Houghton Mill Restoration Committee leased the mill and sublet it to the newly formed Youth Hostel Association, providing accommodation for fifty people. In 1938 the committee managed to buy the mill and then handed it over to the National Trust for £1, the same as the original mill had cost to build.

In 1983 the mill was opened to the public, repairs were made and milling could resume with use of the original stones powered by an electric motor. Millennium funding was then sought to reinstate the water wheel.

Sadly due to the mill having to close during the pandemic the water wheel was left idle for too long. The wood that sat in the water swelled soaking up the water and the wood at the top dried out. Once they got it started again the balance was seriously off! They were recommended to turn the water wheel as often as possible which had been helping, but sadly right now the wheel is in need of some tlc. The tour was very informative and well worth doing, thank you Sue from NB Cleddau for reminding me to check the days it was open.

A look around the village brought so many more chocolate box cottages and finials. Ducks, boxing hares, I couldn’t stop taking photos!

Then a round route brought us down Green Lane where both sides of the road were filled with fantastic Hollyhocks. Wow! We got chatting to a lady who is responsible for a third of them, they are wanting to rename the road Hollyhock Lane. She offered us some seeds, but the seed heads weren’t ready yet, maybe if we stop on our way back we might collect a few and leave them places to cheer up people next year.

Back at Oleanna we quickly pushed off again. The meadow as nice as it was really wasn’t suitable or Tilly with the number of woofers around. We winded and headed back upstream pulling in where we’d left five hours earlier, our end space still empty. In fact we had the island to ourselves for a couple of hours before three more narrowboats turned up, Tilly ended up having to share her kingdom with another black and white cat.

Act 1 of panto was read, props and setting notes highlighted with my neon pens left from #unit21. I did have to stop just as Queen Rat was proclaiming that the panto was over and the audience should all go home, she’d crowned herself Queen of England and wasn’t budging. We watched the news and caught up on events in London. I think real life events may run a similar course to those of Queen Rats in Act 2, but without so many belly laughs. Tomorrow will tell!

0 locks, 1.42 miles, 2 winds, 2 cards forgotten, 3 minutes spare, 10 stones, 3 waterwheels, 1 wonky wheel after the pandemic, I blog problem possibly solved, 1 Queen about to loose her thrown, 1 silent Whittington singing for the future, 1 country waiting.

Houses for Sale.

Houghton Thatched Cottage £550,000

Common Lane Hemington Abbots my favourite £1,500,000

Barnfield, Hemington Abbots £775,000, too boring to take a photo!

The Thing About Islands. 5th July

Dolphin EA Mooring to Houghton EA Mooring

The Norris Museum opened in 1933, purpose built to house the collection of Herbert Ellis Norris who left it and money to establish a museum and library in St Ives, a museum for the people of Huntingdonshire. A recreation of his study stands at one end of the museum.

The museum traces the history of St Ives from the Romans, through to Medieval times when the great fair was held every Easter, one of four main wool fairs in England, traders flocked from right across the country and others came from abroad. Mick recited the following rhyme to me the other day, although it could just as easily be relating to the other St Ives.

As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, How many were there going to St Ives?

By the end of the 13th Century fairs were loosing their popularity in favour of places where goods were traded all year round, Flemish weavers out-competed the areas cloth making industry. Then followed poor harvests and the Black Death which killed half the population.

The Anglo Saxons settled in the area and founded the village of Slepe which became St Ives. Ramsey Abbey was one of the richest in the country and with a wooden bridge across the Great Ouse the town prospered. Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon and for a time was a tenant farmer in St Ives.

There were freezes (good for skating), floods, a great fire which burnt down a large proportion of the town. Mechanical methods in farming brought about unemployment of farm labourers, the landowners grew richer whilst the workers rioted.

Outside in the courtyard a wonderful wisteria covers the building and lavender bushes line the paths. The museum may be small but it is looked after by very enthusiastic people, we nearly spent as long chatting to one chap as we did looking at the displays.

Time to move the boat, Mick umphed the stern out and we were soon reversing out of the arm. We winded and then headed over the other side of the river and up another arm alongside the Norris Museum to fill with water. Here were NB Casper and NB Mosi-y-Tunya. Brian and Ann on Casper invited us to breast up so that we could fill with water, the pressure not the best so there was plenty of time to have a chat with them. We seem to have a lot in common with them, Yorkshire and theatre. It was good to actually have chance to talk to you today and our paths will cross again upstream somewhere.

Backwards down the arm as there’s nowhere to wind, we then turned and headed upstream making note of the nice GOBA mooring on the outskirts of town. Up Hemingford Lock, another D shaped lock and past Hemingford Grey. Heather had mentioned the other day about the Manor House. Not quite so easy to just turn up as you need to book to go round the house and this is done either by email or phone. We’ll think about it on our way back.

We aimed for the Houghton EA Moorings. I’d spotted that they were really quite close to Houghton Mill a National Trust property. Last night I had booked us onto a tour round the mill for first thing on Wednesday morning, it’s only open weekends and Wednesdays. With a long stretch of moorings we tucked ourselves at the end and let Tilly out, four hours of shore leave.

During the afternoon we discovered that the blog had reached it’s maximum size! I’d been having difficulty uploading photos, so left it with Mick to see what had happened and see if he could sort things. We really can’t have used 20 GB this year!

I decided to head off for a walk, see where we needed to go in the morning and have a nosy around some of the islands that make up the area. The one we were moored opposite was being mown and the hay was rapidly being bailed up.

I walked with purpose to the other end of the island where the path petered out. Hang on!

I checked my map.

**Another lovely GOBA mooring, so long as you don’t want to get off it!**

We were on an island, with no means of getting off it without a boat. We have a boat, but there is nowhere else to moor Oleanna close to the mill. Oh B**er! I walked back and chatted to a lovely couple on a cruiser who knew the area very well. We could maybe go up the lock and pull in where a boat used to moor, they pointed out roughly where they meant as boats went past. Or we could tie up on the lock landing for our visit. Or we could go back and moor at Hemingford Grey Meadow and walk from there in the morning. Hmmm, what to do?

During the afternoon I’d had a much awaited for email. My Panto script has arrived! It is now printed out and awaiting a first read, all very exciting!

1 lock, 2.55 miles, 2 reverses, 2 winds, 3 familiar boats, 1 museum, 1 full water tank, 1 island mooring, 0 way off, 2 tours booked, 1 change of plan required, 1 ecstatic cat, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval, 1 panto script, 1 boater about to change into a designer.

https://goo.gl/maps/BgBk2uEpw2jZ3yT79

Windlass And Crowbar At The Ready. 4th July

One Pound GOBA Mooring to EA Dolphin Mooring

Time to move on and let someone else enjoy this lovely mooring. Shortly before we pushed off two familiar narrowboats came past, NB Caspar and their friends. We’ve seen them down on the Relief Channel and at Waterbeach, would they get to the moorings in St Ives before us and fill them up? We hoped there’d still be space for us.

We pootled on along the river, the meadow stretching all the way along to Holywell where a narrowboat looked to be surrounded by cows. Here the river takes a bend to the South West, a council mooring sits invitingly in front of a collection of thatched cottages, more chocolate boxes required!

From the wide river with meadows on both sides we’d now entered a narrower channel, bordered by trees, sometimes hard to see too far ahead. The river was busier than we’ve seen it, plenty of boats on the move. Under an old railway bridge, now used by the Guided Busway which links Huntingdon to St Ives and Cambridge, sadly no bus came past as we went underneath.

We suspected we’d have a wait when we reached St Ives Lock due to the two narrowboats ahead of us. Sure enough they were both going up and another waiting to come down. I’d noticed on our map that this lock had vee gates at the top, similar to a River Nene lock, but would I need a windlass to open the paddles/slackers? I dug one out just in case.

Up at the lock the downhill boat had entered I opened up the control panel as they sorted ropes out. They were hoping to get about half way to Ely today. The guillotine gate, as with others, has an inbuilt timer delay. It will lift a few inches to help drain the lock then the timer kicks in. Here there is a visible timer, 4 minutes plus. By now Oleanna had been joined by three cruisers, would we all fit in the D shaped lock? The entrance to these locks are not wide enough for two narrowboats to come in side by side, yet once in the lock you can fit three boats side by side. The cruisers decided they’d rather lock up together and we should go ahead on our own. Mick pulled in, flung a rope up to a bollard as I closed the gate behind.

Following normal lock operation I opened the same side paddle as to Oleanna, who was on the long wall in line with the exit, I needed the windlass. At first this worked, holding her into the side. But then the current changed and started to push her over, lifting the other paddle didn’t do much to help. Next time if we’re on our own we’ll go into the D and see how that works.

The cruisers came up to help turn the lock round for them and we were on our way again. Not far now to St Ives. The spire of All Saints Church came first into view, soon followed by the converted mill. We could moor along the wall, but it seemed too busy for our liking and a high wall to clamber up.

Through St Ives Bridge with it’s chapel/toll house halfway and bridge arches stretching off into the distance, helping to keep the old road up above flooding land. Most of the arches are pointed, but two towards the west are rounded. These two arches were pulled down by Oliver Cromwell in 1645 and replaced by a drawbridge in case the Royalists attacked. They were rebuilt in 1716. The bridge used to take all manner of traffic until the bypass was built in1980, now pedestrians cross.

We dipped under the larger arch and made ready to turn into a short arm on the west side of the river. A cruiser and NB Caspar were just in the arm, a lady waved and then realised we were turning in, she grabbed hold of a rope quickly. They had pulled in with the intention to moor, but getting close to the bank had proved difficult, their friends had headed further upstream. As Caspar had started to reverse out they had picked up a chair on their prop which was proving to be an awkward thing to shift!

The arm proved to be shallow for us too. The bow coming close enough to jump off, but the stern staying out further than our plank would reach. With help from others we tied up and then went to see if we could help. Hacksaws were followed by crowbars, eventually their prop was freed and they headed off to join their friends. Our paths will no doubt cross again in the coming days.

Lunch whilst Tilly did her best to like our new mooring. The huge meadow looked interesting but without denser cover or trees she was put off somewhat. So she spent most of her time sitting on the back deck staring at it wishing it was a better outside!

A top up shop was required along with collection of a prescription in the centre of town. We arrived just as the market was closing up, most of what was still on display was tat that nobody needs in their lives. The wide street can certainly hold plenty of stalls, a shame we hadn’t arrived on a Farmers Market day, maybe we’ll try to time that for our return.

We walked through another market selling other peoples old possessions and headed to Waitrose. With some vouchers to use and only a few bits needed we hunted round for the reduced items and came away with a bag of fresh produce.

As much as Tilly tried to like our mooring again, it still failed for her. But as the sun started to dip towards the horizon the meadows made for a very pretty picture.

1 lock, 3.9 miles, 3 boats behind, 2 infront, 1 shallow arm, 1 jaunty mooring, 1 chair, 1 windlass and crowbar dug out, 1 disappointed cat, 1 sunset.

https://goo.gl/maps/FJo8ihWwgXddgkgU8

He’ll Drown Soon. 3rd July

One Pound GOBA Mooring

Nine hours!

Brilliant, a Sausage Day, well that’s what She said it would be.

All the doors were opened whilst Tom cooked their morning dingding and I could come and go as I liked, I went for a couple of hours and had a very good time. No photographic evidence of what I got up to so that’s for me and my friends to know. I returned to Tom and She who were just sitting tipperty tapping, I had a snooze then went out again.

This time it was different! Huge big cows filled the outside. Today had just turned from a Sausage Day into a Beef Burger Day!

Cows smell and poo everywhere! They must have had a conversation with She as they wouldn’t let me near the tree that overhangs the river, I could have easily watched them from up there, but no! Instead I hid just out of view.

Tom came out when all the cows had gone, but the cows had taken the sun with them, so it was a touch chilly. We had quite a pleasant time, me doing my thing and Tom listening to cricket in his ears, that must be so uncomfortable.

Meanwhile She did some baking. She says if you click on the photo it will tell you how to make them.

***Shew, go away! It’s my outside today, all day!!!***

We’ve had loads of boats come past us today. Some fast, some slow. Some big, some paddleboards. We’re glad we’d claimed our mooring early on yesterday.

Two inflatable canoes came past, a mother and daughter in one (quite competent and making good progress), the other with father and son (Dad reclined at an odd angle, son doing all the work). A while later when they returned there was a discussion going on about how far it was to get back, He said a mile, She said a fraction of a mile.

The back of the chaps inflatable didn’t seem to be that inflated anymore, he was still lying down, his and his son’s paddling only digging them deeper into the reeds on the otherside of the river from us. The son was obviously miffed at Dad who was excelling himself having a strop that you’d see in a toddler, he’d obviously not wanted to go canoeing in the first place! Discussions were on going about how they’d get back to land, ‘It’s a MILE!’ he said. ‘Well what do you think you’ll do?’ Mum asked. ‘I think we’ll swim’ came the reply. Very soon afterwards the reclined figure slipped into the water in a haruff sulky way.

Eventually the chaps both in the water clung onto the inflatable and trailed behind Mum. Dad kicking to aid movement, Mum shouting ‘Who ever is kicking STOP IT!‘

I said, ‘He’ll drown soon, if she holds his head under for long enough!’ I can hear the arguments in the car going home now.

The day had started off sunny, we’d defrosted food with a barbeque in mind, but had we miscalculated? We decided to battle on creating a wind break with our chairs and pop jumpers on, such a lovely mooring couldn’t be wasted.

As the charcoals turned white hot, the sun returned, the breeze subsided into a wonderful evening. Add into the mix the high pitched tweet of a Kingfisher darting up the river. Wonderful.

Then add another two Kingfishers darting back and forth in front of us, three all at once. Wow!

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 sausages, 1 rasher of bacon each, 0 burgers, 432 cows, 64 boats, 7 paddleboarders, 7 canoes, 1 lawnmower, 2 inflatables, 1 deflating, 40 year old sulking dad acting like a 2 year old, 1 Mum wondering why she married him, 9 hours turned into 10.5, 3 Kingfishers, 2 pork steaks, 4 veg kebabs, 11 cheese scones.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna