Category Archives: Theatre Design

Where Did He Come From? 29th July

Paxton Pits to Brampton Mill GOBA Mooring

The level came up last night, we had slack ropes this morning. However the flow on the river has just about stopped. Water levels around the whole system are in trouble and it looks like rivers are not going to escape. For several weeks there have been amber boards up along the Great Ouse. We’ve become used to such boards when the levels have been high in the autumn and winter, but right now it is the opposite, we really need some sustained rainfall.

An early breakfast for us and we were on our way heading down stream, hoping for an early in the day arrival at Brampton to secure a space before the masses arrived.

It was a lovely morning, one where you remove your jumper almost as soon as you’ve put it on. Kingfishers chirped as we went past, zipping and zooming out of view too quickly for a photo.

Offord Lock was around the next few steep bends, the lock cut heading away from the main course of the river. Round the first bend. Hang on, where did he come from?! Ahead of us a narrowboat, we’d not seen him until now.

We caught him up at the lock and I went to lend a hand I asked where he’d come from. He was heading for diesel and as he turned the bend towards the lock he’d run out. So his boat was currently running on what ever he could find below, he’d managed to get about 3 litres together, citronella oil was mentioned, at least he’d be free from mosquitos for a day or two!

We chatted as the guillotine gate was lowered, Offord Lock only 100ft long so most definitely not shareable. I wound the bottom gate paddle gear for him 59 turns to raise it, then we pushed open a gate each before he headed off to top up on diesel at the marina below.

59 turns to close the slacker, hard work. Mick joined and lifted the guillotine gate to refill the lock. As we’d been heading up stream we’d heard that the bins here had been removed, boaters however were still leaving their rubbish! Today this is no longer possible as the fencing around the bin area has been moved, although I bet some boaters still will leave rubbish! Not a case of changing bin contracts, these bins have gone!

The A14 was busy unlike the GOBA moorings beyond it, not one boat moored on them. We still wanted to be that bit further on. Brampton Lock was waiting for us, we dropped down, wound our way around the islands, past the pub and pulled up where we’d been a couple of weeks ago, next to the big tree which would give us shade later on in the day and somewhere to sit out.

We arrived just before 11am, just as a cruiser was pulling away. We had the big field to ourselves for an hour or so until NB Ivy May arrived and pulled up a few feet away on the other side of the tree. During the afternoon the moorings filled up, a cruiser leaving not quite enough space in front of us for another boat. Despite having been the first to moor we now looked like we had left git gaps around us. Mick pulled us back as far as we could go, hoping there’d be enough space for a short one in front.

I spent the afternoon working on Piccadilly Circus and on board the ship. Finer details will be done after I’ve put everything into the model box to see if it works. So if anyone has any ideas on panto type Victorian adverts I can add to Piccadilly Circus please pass them on, who knows your idea may just make it onto stage this Christmas. I also spent sometime wading through on line catalogues and requesting samples to be sent out to me, lots of pink and purple fabrics, one with extra sparkles that I know we wont be able to afford, but I hope I get a sample of it!

Later in the day Mick contacted Paul from Waterway Routes regarding the length of St Neots Lock. On Pauls maps he uses the navigation authorities dimensions, after all they should know how big their locks are! A quick measure on google maps confirmed what we already knew. Paul plans to come out to measure the lock to get the correct dimension and then inform the EA. So in a future update Waterway Routes will be even more accurate than the EA.

2 locks, 4.86 miles, 1st boat, 1 extra rule regarding fences, 236 turns at Offord, 1 aching shoulder/neck, 1 hot water bottle, 12 episodes of Sherlock Holmes, 2 scenes, 5 barrels nearly made, 8.5 hours, 2 git gaps not of our making.

https://goo.gl/maps/As3tRrypqnDZN6eU8

Just How Big Is It?! 28th July

Great Barford GOBA Mooring to Paxton Pits GOBA Mooring

A wind before breakfast to fill up with water on the other bank. Tilly wasn’t impressed by the number of swimmers already in the water, Tilly Too was so upset she had turned her back to it all and was found staring at the curtain! As the tank filled we topped our selves up too with cereal.

The lock being full was handy so we headed straight in. I spotted some interesting stonework just above the lock with C&F 1844 carved into it. Is this from a previous lock here?

As I waited for the level to drop in the lock I looked around for the teasel head I’d photographed on our way up, spotting that it had been cut very low down, I suspect it’s in a flower arrangement somewhere.

Somewhere along the wiggles to Roxton Lock sits this interesting house. A playground for young and old. A rather large treehouse in the garden, a landing stage and an old branch over the water which has ropes, pallets and all sorts, wonder if it’s suitable to sit on the end and read.

Pulling up at Roxton Lock I could see a chap below on a paddleboard, he paused for a little while and then headed off downstream whilst we sorted the lock out. By the time we got going again he was nowhere in sight. Back under the A1, not too busy today.

Over the four miles between Roxton and Eaton Socon we gradually caught the paddleboarder up, only just over taking him before the GOBA mooring where one of the boats from the festival was moored, washing hung out to dry.

Thankfully the lock was in our favour, so as I lifted the slackers at the bottom end the paddleboarder climbed out, removed the skeg and deflated his board, a noise we have grown accustomed to whilst being at this end of the Great Ouse.

Now to decide where to stop for the day. With only one boat on all the visitor moorings in St Neots we wondered why it was so empty. Maybe it was because of the regatta last weekend. Maybe because there was a fair in town. Maybe it was because boats had just moved off this morning.

We had a quick think, we’d press on, cover more ground today and then hopefully have a few shorter hops between nicer moorings over the next few days giving me more time to work.

Two cruisers pulled out from Ouse Valley River Club, would there be room in the lock for all three of us? We followed them, then they vanished round a corner to the left. A quick check on our map stopped us from gliding on past the navigable route, the signs just about invisible behind the friendly cover.

At the lock the two cruisers had joined a queue behind a couple of narrowboats, add a canoe into the mix too, it was busy.

On our way upstream we’d wondered if the lock might be wide enough for two narrowboats side by side. The entrance is noted to be 10ft 10″, so not possible to come in together. Inside it is a little bit wider, I reckon maybe as much as 2ft, but this wouldn’t be wide enough for two narrowboats side by side.

I’d put a photo up on facebook of Oleanna in the lock and a debate had started as to how many boats you could get in the lock. On our Waterway Routes map it gives dimensions as being 10ft 10″ wide by 107ft 11″ long. In our Imray guide book to the Great Ouse the lock is mentioned at being 3.3m wide by 32.9m long. Both agreeing with each other. Then a look on the EA website for lock dimensions had proved confusing and an interesting read as someone had got the conversions between metric and imperial wrong. But which of their figures were the actual correct ones? Imperial or metric?

**Data from the EA! Someone needs to return to school!**

Every boat entering the lock today took it that the lock wasn’t wide enough for two narrowboats side by side, and that the length was 107ft 11″. The two narrowboats went into the lock, refusing to let the inflatable canoe in with them. The lock was reset for the two cruisers. Their combined length was around 60ft, Oleanna being 58ft 6″, no chance of us sharing with them if we believed the 107ft 11″. As the level lowered we could clearly see that there was enough room for us too, but it was too late to join them.

As we refilled the lock Mick paced out the length, 70 of his paces. Oleanna is 26 paces long with fenders down, so call that 60ft. So 60 / 26 = 2.3 ft a pace. So 70 x 2.3 = 161 ft. Not the 177ft 1″ as mentioned on the EA website. Of course our measurements were far from scientific, but we can safely say that we’d have been able to share with the cruisers and still have plenty of room and saving a whole locks worth of water in an area bordering on being in drought.

One of the ladies on the cruisers was celebrating her birthday today and they were heading for a Chinese takeaway on Godmanchester, further than we were planning. The two narrowboats further ahead, we had no idea where they were heading, we kept our fingers crossed that Paxton Pits would have space for us.

Thankfully there was a cruiser moored at the far end, leaving enough room for us. We had lunch before we enquired how their dogs were with cats and then letting Tilly out.

The afternoon was filled with one scene from panto, an explorers library, a generator and the cruisers engine running, Tilly went AWOL and Mick rang insurance companies for a quote on house insurance. Quite a productive yet smelly afternoon.

4 locks, 11 miles, 2 winds, 1 full water tank, 5th in line, 3rd lock full, 4.3 miles paddled, 107, 177, or 161? 0 bins, 4.5 hrs work, 1 hour late, 1 new plan, 1 props maker on board, RIP Bernard.

https://goo.gl/maps/Tj1c4skqbfDq4j8k6

Turn Again Oleanna! 27th July

Bedford GOBA Mooring to Great Barford GOBA Mooring

After an early (for us) breakfast it was time to listen out for the bells telling us to turn again and set off for Panto. The family who’d been fishing at our bow had left sometime overnight, leaving one very big half burnt log. We waved goodbye to WB Four Seasons spotting the wooden battens on their roof that had held the black sheets in place for their fancy dress last weekend.

Mick rang Karen at Priory Marina to see if she’d been lucky with a Calor Gas delivery at the end of last week, sadly no gas. So we were off retracing ourselves.

First Cardington Lock. Not only are the bottom gate beams cranked but also the slackers/paddles, a joint turning them around the bend.

Castle Mills Lock needed turning so Mick came to lend a hand, closing the bottom gates and refilling it from the central slackers. I spied what looks like small slackers in the top gates, the poles reaching up towards the beam but nowhere to wind them up. Was this a previous way to fill the lock? It would take forever, or just an extra means to fill it for the EA when necessary?

We spotted the airship sheds. Danish Camp already had customers, still nowhere for us to pull in.

Then Willington Lock, the last we hoped for the day. A cruiser had just come up setting it for us. A young family stood and watched us from the weir bridge, high above. Today they’d had a big treat with a boat coming up and us going down, they rarely see boats moving on the river according to Mum.

Dumper trucks thundered across Willington Bailey Bridge, one diagonal metal beam no longer attached at one end continued vibrating long after the heavily laden trucks had crossed.

Now we waited to peer down the little back water, the HOT mooring, would it be free. This would be our preferred mooring even if it wasn’t quite as far as we should go today. NB Bolli sat in the HOT spot, we could of course reverse in behind them or just carry on. We decided on the latter. If we could moor on the GOBA mooring at Great Barford that would be great, we’d see how chaotic the river got there, maybe stay a day, maybe not.

As we came through the rather fine bridge, both the GOBA and EA moorings were empty. We opted for the GOBA mooring away from the pub, benches and slipway. A high bank and uneven edge meant we managed to get the bow in but not the stern. Once we were happy the doors were opened and Tilly was allowed out.

***Oh please don’t keep this one tied up or 48 hours!***

Well what a pants outside! It smelt funny. Lots of She’s and Toms bobbed about in the water. Don’t they know it’s dangerous!!! I’m told explicitly not to fall in and there they all were choosing to go into the river, stupid people!

An early lunch was followed by me taking over the table to start model making. The model box I was sent was made before my time and I know it has inaccuracies also nowhere to hang flown pieces of scenery from. Sadly the box I made a few years ago hadn’t returned from when it was last used, this meant having to make amendments to make my life easier in the long run. It took me three hours to have somewhere to hang fly bars from and make the auditorium treads.

Today I achieved a covering for the stage floor and cut out all the larger bits of scenery so that they could come in and out with ease. Then I started on adding some details to the front portal, this will take a lot of work to get it how I want, so at the moment I’ll only go so far with it, just to get the feel of it.

**A quiet mooring for about ten minutes**

Mick ended up sitting outside, trying to encourage Tilly not to be bored, she’s a weirdo when bored, trying to get into cupboards, running around like a loon and all whilst there was an okay outside to play in! All afternoon long there was a constant stream of paddleboarders, swimmers and canoes, as one lot let another lot arrived to blew up their floating plastic.

Another look at our route planning with places we could get trains for meetings and to be able to catch up with friends. This was now getting complicated, Peterborough, March, Ely? We think we may now have a plan.

3 locks, 6.39 miles, 1 more turn, 1 boat headed to panto, 3 hours modifying, 6 out of 7 bars used, 1 bored cat, A1 card already cut up, 2nd go at Quesadillas, plans D, E, F and G, 6 hours at work.

https://goo.gl/maps/SNpLFMV1KxRaowzh8

44 Miles As The Crow Flies. 26th July

Bedford GOBA Mooring

A full work day for me, the drawing board was brought out early and took over the table. Mick made himself a little office in the cratch with a chair and his tablet, not sure what work he was doing!

Tilly was given nine hours shore leave, she made the most of it along with coming back for Dreamies and the occasional kip when the area got a bit too woofery.

Considering there were quite a few boats at the festival over the weekend the river has been very quiet, a cruiser came past and has moored up at the other end of the GOBA moorings. Everyone must have headed of on Sunday afternoon or on Monday before we came out of the marina.

**All the sketch drawings ready for model making**

At 2:30pm it was time for my next production zoom meeting. Mick headed off to pick up some things we’d forgotten from Tescos whilst I settled down with Gemma (Production Manager), John (Writer of this years Panto and Artistic Director of Chippy Theatre) and Paul (the new Technical and facilities Director at Chippy). The talk was about all things set. With the lateness of everything we are having to cut some corners, so there simply won’t be time to get quotes for the build, but a slot has already been booked with the builders who have built the last few years. The budget is up on last year, but then so are prices for materials. I’m trying to reuse as much as possible and poor Paul has been rummaging away in the Attic store trying to find things. I now have rough design dead lines to meet.

Last night we started planning our route towards Oxford for me to go to work.

As the crow flies Bedford is 44 miles from Oxford from where I’ll get the bus to Chipping Norton to start work.

A look at Canalplan first gave us the quicker route via Braunston, Cropredy and Banbury. 235 miles, 125 locks, taking nearly 106 cruising hours. This route at the moment has been short of water, like many places, and wouldn’t make the most use out of our Gold Licence.

Another look at Canalplan with a route via Brentford. 339 miles, 198 locks, 157.5 cruising hours. This would make use of our gold licence and hopefully should the drought continue the Thames may have more water than the Oxford Canal.

We use Canal plan to work out where we’re likely to be on certain dates and roughly how many hours we should be cruising a day. With this latter plan, it works out to be just over 2 hours a day to arrive in Oxford with plenty of time before I go off to work. But with me working every other day (48hr moorings on EA waters), that will mean we need to be doing at least four hours on days when we cruise.

This doesn’t account for any exploration of the Middle Level or taking time on the River Nene.

We’d best get moving!

0 locks, 0 miles, 8 hours drawing, 1 indoor office, 1 cratch office, 9 hours feline exploration, 1 useful meeting, 1 white card date in the diary, 1 cruising plan to try to stick to, 1 annoying fishing family right by our bedroom long after dark, 2 boaters ready with buckets of water in case their fire gets out of control!

Just A Load Of Hydrogen. 25th July

Priory Marina to Bedford GOBA Mooring

Boat chores to start the day, topping up on water, yellow water tank emptied, rubbish and recycling gathered together and disposed of. Whilst all this was happening we were aware that NB Cleddau had returned just a few spaces away. We said our farewells and thanks to Karen the Marina Manager, put a donation in the charity tin to cover our electric and one use of a tumble dryer. We’ve enjoyed our stay in the marina, a very helpful and friendly place to be.

Next, time to say goodbye to Ken and Sue until our bows cross again . This may happen at the end of the week with both boats starting to head back towards C&RT waters.

**Danish Camp boat returning to base with rib and raft**

We reversed and winded, the wind assisting us thankfully and we turned out back onto the river. A right turn and we pootled just as far as the GOBA mooring. The grey widebeam we’ve seen over the last couple of months was moored up, we joined them and had a chat. It turns out that WB Four Seasons was in the parade of boats at the festival and they were Black Pearl, our best in show! Blimey they had gone to more effort than I’d first thought. Sheets had been bought and dyed, the cabin sides covered to make them black, normally grey. Even more impressive, I do hope they got a prize of some sort.

After lunch Mick helped get my drawing board out from it’s slot. Today I’d have an indoor office/studio. With taking over the table and much of the sofa there’s not much space left for Mick, so he headed off on the bike with a shopping list for a reasonable sized shop, but first he headed off to see if he could find a couple of buildings in Cardington, two Airship sheds.

The first shed produced it’s first airship in 1918. Cardington had the worlds best airship facilities, but due to the depression it closed in 1921 after the construction of the R38. However the station reopened in 1924 following the announcement of the Imperial Airship Service, the site was to build R101s amongst others.

The airships were much bigger than before, so the buildings they were constructed in needed to grow, the original shed expanded both upwards and out sideways and a second shed was brought down from Pulham south of Norwich.

The crash of the R101 in October 1930 led to the decision to dismantle the R100 in shed 2. In 1931 the station nearly closed but was used for aircraft storage. However in 1936 RAF Cardington was formed and by 1937 a balloon training unit was formed, by WW2 barage balloons and aerial defences were developed here.

After the war it became a Personnel Dispersal Centre, where RAF personnel passed through to be demobbed. The balloon unit continued to experiment on the site until 1966, then it moved to Wiltshire. The RAF base here finally closed in 2000. The sheds are listed buildings and have been used as filming locations for Star Wars and now one of them houses a film studio.

A lot more information on the sheds can be found HERE

During the afternoon I managed to get a very sketchy ground plan together, rough positions of everything and what is known as a hanging plot. This is a list of what is hanging on which fly bar. I worked out depths of the stage and how things would be brought on and off. In one scene change I’m hoping to enlist the actors in part of the action to strike certain elements of the set, it kind of helps that the ship in sinking at the time!

**First drawing to help make the model**

Then I started to draw up my downstage portal, the design heavily influenced by Crossness Pumping Station.

0 locks, 0.27 miles, 1 reverse, 2 rights, 6 hours shore leave, 1 shopping trip, 2 breakdowns, 1st drawing complete, 2 hangers, 2 boxes wine, 1 longer post than anticipated.

https://goo.gl/maps/9yLdM7CXdTzYUqXd7

Bedford River Festival, Day 1. 23rd July

Priory Marina

As my phone and I woke up this morning panto emails arrived. A 10:30am meeting was possible with my director and she gave me a new route to head down for the troublesome scene. I sipped my tea in bed whilst looking at pictures of Alice in Wonderland Operas and Ballets. A quick squiggle in my puzzle book and I had a whole new look. This was then redrawn to match my storyboard, photographed and sent to Abi ready for our meeting. Thankfully things just started to click with this version and so long as other things can be made to work we have a solution and I can crack on next week.

Time to head in to see what the Festival was all about. We decided to keep to the south bank of the river, ended up missing a one way bridge onto the islands and had to walk up to the weir, but at least that brought us to NB Cleddau.

Here Ken and Sue has set up gazebos for friends and family to take shelter in, there were plenty of chairs to sit and chat. We joined Jennie and Chris who used to own NB Tentatrice, so lovely to see them again and have chance to chat rather than a quick snippet as our bows crossed.

A while later Heather Bleasdale joined us, she’d come for the day, had already spent time with other friends, had a good walk round and was in need of a sit down just in time for the Motor Boat display. About twenty or so boats processed behind the Harbour Master and Lord Mayors launches. This years theme was pirates.

Some boaters had donned costumes and hung skull and crossbone bunting, others had gone that bit further and decorated their boats. One cruiser going the whole hog with smoking cannons and the white boat hardly visible under the corex pirate disguise.

The Viking Kayak Club had also done a fantastic job creating a small galleon that they paddled along in the procession.

After plenty of chats Heather, Mick and myself headed off to have a look round some of the stalls and vintage car display on the High Street. Blimey the town was heaving! We’d been warned that on some of the bridges we’d be packed in, shuffling to cross them. But being outside we didn’t feel too covid claustrophobic.

At 4pm it was the turn of the Narrowboats and Widebeams to process. NB Cleddau had by far the most bunting and flags of all the boats and plenty of passengers to wave at the crowds.

Two boats had created cannons in their portholes. One had used black buckets, the other black flower pots along with the occasional spurt of smoke which was very effective. An Owl sat on one boat was quite happy with a chick in it’s beak, keeping an eye on everyone.

WB Black Pearl got top marks from us as we stood and waved back to them.

A walk down to the Vegan area where there were some nice things to buy and lots of interesting food items, although we did refrain from buying any Mexican Lollies at £3.50 a go, no idea what made them Mexican, unless you got to cover them with chilli sauce!

We had a brief look at the cars, some lovely specimens. A walk along the Embankment and then we tried to return in time for the Dragon Boat final, but there was simply too many people about to make it in time.

A sit down and a cuppa were required so we headed into The Swan hotel to find space. Heather managed to convince a lady to allow us to sit in an area reserved for afternoon teas, but as it was empty we were sure they’d like to make us a brew, which they did and at a reasonable price too.

Taco bowls of vegan chilli and salsa were very tasty, we don’t know how they smuggled the chill beef nachos into the vegan village, but Mick didn’t care and enjoyed them.

We sauntered along the north bank and into Russell Park where tens of thousands of people were eating, drinking, heading down helter skelters and listening to Oh My God, It’s The Church! singing about shoes! Each to their own.

A dance stage was further up and thumping away. Some people getting a little bit boozy and the aroma in the air didn’t shy away from the police. As we were so close to the boat now, Mick and I decided to head home for a quieter glass of wine on board and to feed Tilly. So we said our goodbyes to Heather as she needed to head towards the station. Hopefully our paths will cross again in a few months time that’s if we can get our boats to London with the lack of water around on the system.

What a busy and lovely day. More tomorrow!

0 locks, 0 miles, 15 baked cookies, 1 new solution, 2 bloggers, 1 guide book author, 2 jet boots, 100 cars, 2 pots of tea each, 2 processions, 1 dragonboat race missed, 2 taco shells, 1 nachos, 1 owl, 178634 people, 1 busy day.

31. Where’s 31? 22nd July

Bedford GOBA Mooring to Priory Marina

Over breakfast I worked, putting things into the panto dropbox ready for the first production meeting on Zoom. This was mostly parish notices and how everyone has progressed. The whole thing is a few weeks late. With my first panto for Chippy I was at least a couple of weeks ahead of where I am now and somehow I need to catch up. A number of factors have caused the delay in getting started, but the main thing is there is now a team together, a script and we need to crack on with things. The costume designer, new this year, has not grown up with pantos so there will be a lot of explanations needed. Such as why there are SO many costume changes and especially why everyone gets changed for the final scene into an outfit just for the walkdown, the Dames costume for this tends to be the most outlandish and impractical outfit known to man that they have to put on in a matter of seconds in the wings. Maryna comes from an Opera background so it will be interesting to see what this brings to her costumes.

**Just a touch too tall to get under the bridge**

Once my meeting was done it was time to do boat chores, the yellow water needed emptying and then we could move off. All morning boats had been coming past, quite a few cruisers with low air draught. Higher ones appeared and tried their luck at getting under the bridge just round the bend, some made it very carefully others winded and pulled up behind us on the moorings to wait for the river to be dropped in the early evening.

NB Lily May winded and headed to the marina for a pump out and no doubt fill with water. The water point we’d used the other day had now been taken over by a water bottle station for the festival. We winded and headed to Priory Marina ourselves to find our mooring, C31. The pontoons were lettered and quite easy to see, but the numbered spaces, hmm? Mick nudged Oleanna’s bow into a space and I hopped off to see where we should be, there were no markings on the ends of the pontoons. Numbers on the hook up points didn’t reach into the 30’s. Mick called Karen who made her way to help us find the right place just as I looked down to my feet and saw 31 between my toes!

Once plugged in we could start the big wash, Mick being a good house wife whilst I got on with doing more panto sketches. There is one scene that is just eluding us at the moment and time is of the essence as peoples availability now gets harder as schools have broken up.

Around about 5pm I got a message to say a parcel had arrived for me at a Parcel Shop a short distance away from Tescos. This would have been a short walk had we stayed on the GOBA mooring, but now it was that bit further away. The Oasis Beach pond had filled up slightly after the rain the other day, I’m not sure it made it look any more attractive!

**Dancing at the tiller, ready for the weekend**

A few more boats were sat waiting for the level to drop on the river. On my way back several of the boats had managed to limbo under the bridge, the level looking to have dropped by about 6 inches. I wonder if it would get any lower.

Back at Oleanna I unpacked the biggest parcel. Tilly assisted and then was allowed to do what all cats do and climb inside the empty box. This kept her content for a while. My clothes cupboards were reorganised and the model shelf emptied, the model box I’d received slid in to it’s space. I’ll need to finish packing away long sleeved tops to make room for other bits of model in the next few days, but for now everything has a home. More importantly once the final scene of panto is sorted I can start making a model.

0 locks, 0.26 miles, 1.5 hours shore leave, 1 hour talking panto, 50th Chippy panto, 5 emails, 3 sketches, 1 designer not confident, 1 huge box, 1 model box tucked away, 1 empty yellow water tank, 1 full water tank, 2 showered boaters, 2 loads of washing more to come, C31 found.

It’s Coming! 21st July

Bedford GOBA Mooring to Kempston Mill to Bedford GOBA Mooring

Today was the day we hoped to reach the end of the navigable River Great Ouse, however there was a stoppage notice regarding ‘unforeseen circumstances during tree removal works, the river is closed near to Queens Park, Bedford.‘ A look on various maps and we concluded that this was upstream of Bedford. Hopefully whatever blockage would be clear by the time we got there, we’d see how far we could get and if needs be we’d reverse.

The stoppage notices seem to get published on the Visit Anglian Waterways EA Facebook page, we haven’t been able to find some means of getting them sent to us by email. So the notice had been published yesterday and facebook had only allowed us to see it this morning!

We headed back upstream, under the low bridges, temporary pontoon bridges still leading to nowhere, more portaloos arrived, areas of wheelie bins cordoned off. Two lads studied plans alongside a load of scaffolding, I wondered how far they’d get in erecting what ever it was by the time we came back. The park between the upper and lower river was very very busy.

As I was wanting to lift the guillotine gate at the top of Bedford Lock two chaps were rigging something from the structure above. A sound cable needed to be sent across the river to connect the PA systems, an 8ft pole was erected then the cable would be taken across the river and attached to a high place on the north bank keeping it high out of the way. I asked how they’d get it across, I’d hoped the reply would be drone or bow and arrow, but it was just by boring boat! We weren’t a problem to them so the gate could be lifted to raise us up onto the final reach of the river.

It would have been nice to head east on the upper river to have a look at the bridges, but more temporary pontoon bridges stretched across the water, so we turned to the west and started to head up stream.

Mooring numbers reached 81 along the banks. Council chaps were removing duck and blanket weed from ponds, aided by a digger to scoop it up.

Under Town Bridge which will be closed to traffic at the weekend as brass bands will be playing there. From the Swan Hotel to Bedford Borough Council the architecture changed every way you looked. Then modern shopping and restaurants took over the north bank.

More bridges, including two very low ones carrying the railway overhead.

Now the river seems to follow a much more rural route, trees everywhere. Had we reached the stretch where the unforeseen circumstance had occurred? Was this the tree? Was that it?

When we eventually reached the tree there was no denying it would have been a problem. The sawn stump of a tree was very evident and on the opposite bank the undergrowth had been dragged away as the huge tree had been dragged up the bank by machinery. A chap remarked that we’d timed that well, the tree had been moved just thirty minutes earlier. We came across two more chaps with chain saws chopping into more trees upstream too. I wonder if the River Festival stirs the EA into action this far upstream?

We carried on, the river bending in front of us. The further we got the slower we went, a fisherman had warned us of it being very shallow a mile upstream, but on the big bends it seemed to be fine. Mick kept our speed down, if we got stuck we might be there for some time as not many people venture this far upstream.

**Was this as far as we could get? Yes!**

Up ahead the new landing stage for the trip boat came into view beside another low bridge and modern housing, one building mimicking an old mill that once stood here. Our speed slowed right down. Oleanna started to ground, we needed to find the deeper water on the port side. A touch of reverse then Mick changed our course, slowly moving us along. We grounded again, Oleanna being attracted to the lower water.

Maybe if we could wind where it was wider. We only made one attempt at this as it was obvious the depth would not be sufficient for this manoeuvre, this along with the current we could end up in bigger trouble, being pushed further aground. We’d not reached the end of the navigable river as marked on our maps, but we’d reached as far as we could and that was good enough for us, just a shame we couldn’t get to the landing stage and have a little walk round.

This is where one day, in the future, the plan is to connect the Great Ouse with the Grand Union Canal with the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway. The new bridge by the landing stage may inhibit some larger boats coming this way, but so would the bridges into Bedford. When it is connected it will make a fantastic ring and we’d now be able to just cruise another 16 miles, climb up 21 locks, drop down another 20 and join the GU in Milton Keynes. Instead we’ll have to retrace ourselves back to Denver, across the Middle Level to Peterborough then back up the River Nene to Northampton and up the locks to the GU.

We made the decision to reverse our way back to where the river was a touch wider to wind. We managed this without too much bother and then carried on back down stream. The tree chaps still moving branches out of our way as we went.

As we approached Bedford a widebeam was winding and then pulling into their mooring or the weekend. Another boat could be seen settling themselves in, NB Cleddau. We pulled over to have a chat with Sue and Ken, we’ll be calling in for a longer chat over the weekend.

I walked up to the lock, a small cruiser was just coming in followed by a short narrowboat and then another cruiser, it all taking time to squash them in. This lock is going to be very busy over the next few days. Mick hung about in the upper river staking our claim to be next down and not another pontoon bridge that had just arrived.

Our first downhill lock until we reach sea level again.

The chaps with the scaffolding hadn’t made much if any progress since we’d passed them two hours earlier, I hope they get it sorted quickly as the Festival is only a day and a half away, It’s coming quickly!

Back at the GOBA mooring we winded and joined NB Lily May, Chris and Chris are friends of Heathers and Chris is also the author of the Imray Guide to the Great Ouse. They have a lovely black cat called Icarus, but sadly Tilly didn’t seem too happy about his presence, so she was grounded until his shore leave was curtailed.

Paul the boatmover came past and in his jolly manner was saying hello to everyone. Good job he stopped for a chat, on his own boat rather than someone else’s. The lady in the marina had said that the river would be lowered on Friday, the reach that we are moored on. Paul said that they lower it by a foot maybe even more so that cruisers can get under the next bridge to us to access the moorings for the festival. If we headed out for the day we’d return to our boat firmly sat on the bottom and needing ropes and crampons to get on and off! This also happens on Sunday to let all the cruisers out again. Good job we’ve booked into the marina!

Time to knuckle down to do some work, with a meeting tomorrow I need to update things and stop being a boater for a bit.

2 locks, the same one there and back, 6.75 miles or there abouts, 2 winds, 2 lefts, 1 landing stage just out of reach, 0.25miles in reverse, 3 known boats, 2 boat cats, 1 war avoided, 2nd story board, 1 boater changing hats, 1 more river ticked of.

Wet T’s. 18th July

Braford Old Mill

The cool of the morning was lovely, but sadly going to be short lived as the temperature started to rise. Our neighbour of last night moved off as they’d said at 6:30 and not that long after Mick was on the gunnel lowering the white sheets again.

Tilly was allowed shore leave first thing, but when she revisited for some ‘Thank you for coming home’ Dreamies the doors were closed behind her, soon followed by the windows and all the curtains, trying to keep the coolness we’d started with trapped inside.

With the sheets on the sunny side it certainly reduced the amount of heat the cabin sides emitted inside. Maybe when Oleanna is due a repaint we’ll use the same colours, but with cream being the predominate colour rather than dark blue. Lets face it this heat wave isn’t going to be a one in a hundred year event, it may not be the last heat wave we get this year! We may also invest in foil blankets and magnets for such days to help reflect the heat away more than the sheets, thank you Adam and Chris for your comments.

Whilst the sun shone down on Oleanna we stayed inside, windows, doors and curtains all closed. The new fan was pointed towards dampened towels that we hung from a string across the boat. The evaporation from the towels helping to cool the air.

I put together my panto story board with notes and emailed it off to Abi. I don’t expect a reply for a few days as she has two young children to look after in this heat as well as herself.

**Mick preferred to sit outside in the warm shade**

Once shade started to appear on the bank Mick headed out to sit in it. I preferred to stay inside with Tilly. A cold flannel to cool down every now and again for both myself and Tilly. We’d tried a chilled hot water bottle wrapped in a towel for her to lie on, cool matt no good, escape pod in front of the fan, That one was just plain scary! But at least she would allow me, even though begrudgingly to wipe her down with a cool wet flannel. Cats don’t like being wet, she tried her best not to purr as she got used to it.

The internet stopped working or a while the server needing rebooting, phones became hot, in the end I turned mine off so that it would have chance to cool down.

I never thought that one day I’d even think of wearing a wet t-shirt, but today it was most certainly the best way of keeping cool. Mick soon followed and felt the benefit quite quickly.

***White bits up to reflect the heat away***

As the shade took over the bank and had chance to cool the ground I also moved outside. Fan turned off inside the boat and Tilly allowed back outside. A water bowl was put down for her but she seemed to prefer her self catering approach to keeping hydrated. You lead a horse to water, it’s even harder to get a cat to drink!

One of Mick’s sandals had a malfunction, the heel strap breaking. One job that wouldn’t involve too much energy. Some strong cotton and big needle and my leather thimble sewed it back together in no time.

We don’t know what temperature we got up to here on our island, the internet suggested around 38 39C. We just know it was bloomin hot!

This morning I’d message our friend David to check up on him in Yorkshire. He’d been offered shelter in a house by some people in the local village if his boat got too hot, which it will have done despite being white.

This evening we stayed sat out until 10pm, the sheets lifted on Oleanna and windows open or removed to try to replace the air inside and help her cool down. Tilly was allowed an extended shore leave as she’d had wet food for lunch today. After our barbeque she was elusive, most probably being busy. We ended up leaving her to it, she found her own way back just after the news had started.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 island to ourselves, 1 boat overstaying, 2 many lobsters on boats or paddle boards, 1 dark boat, 0 bra day, 2 wet t-shirts, 1 wet cat, 1 story board, 1 book started, 1 mended sandal, 2 rain showers, 2 steaks cooked much better than the one I had in Littleport, 4 veg kebabs, 1 bowl of roasted potato salad, 25 glasses of water each, 1st day survived, 2 glasses of wine each, yes I know it was a Monday but I just couldn’t face any more water!

Heat Preparations. 17th July

Barford Old Mill

Our neighbour on NB Atropos had sneaked away in the early hours, making the most of the cool early morning to head upstream. Mick was out on the gunnel putting the sheets back down the cabin side at around 8am, not much of a view through the curtains today!

A gentle breeze seemed to be blowing which was lifting the sheets. Time for some adjustments. Mick hunted round for some big magnets that we have and used those to start off with, nowhere near enough of them though. All the fenders and loops of the centre line were draped down the cabin side to help keep the fabric in place.

The tent on the island had gone but there was still the aroma of cooking coming from 50 yards away. We had breakfast, pottered away the morning inside keeping in the shade as there is only about a foot of it outside until mid morning.

As soon as there was enough shade I set up my office outside. I hoped to get much of my drawings done today before things get really sticky tomorrow. I just about achieved this, only one drawing left to do but as yet I haven’t found an alternative solution for that scene.

**Maybe otherworldy enough, but maybe not.**

My sketches were scanned ready to make into a story board that I can send off tomorrow. It would be good if Abi and myself agree on the way forward before a meeting at the end of the week.

Tilly came and went, although as the afternoon went on she did tend to hang around closer to the boat and sit under chairs for some added shade. She has a water bowl outside as well as inside. I’ve brought out the cool mat with the hope that she may use it, it’s now covered in a t-towel so hopefully the fabric of it won’t put her off. Having said that, she has walked round it this evening to reach her water bowl in the shower!

**Lifting the sheets to get some air into the boat**

We’ve had trial attempts at putting an ice pack wrapped in a t-towel under the towel in her escape pod, but that made the floor too lumpy and the escape pod was rejected. Hopefully tomorrow she’ll be less active naturally because of the heat and accept some of the measures we’re trying to help her with.

Mid afternoon the remaining campers on the island brought all their possessions to the mooring behind us, this was followed by two inflatable canoes. Each in turn were lowered into the river and loaded up with bags of things and one person each. We had a good chat as they loaded everything up, they’d been good neighbours as had we. The third chap headed back to their camp and then appeared in a small rib with an electric outboard. We now had the island to ourselves.

As I worked Mick changed our solids bucket in the toilet and we emptied the yellow water, all jobs that would be a touch too much to do tomorrow. He also rigged up an old computer fan in the vent of the electrics cupboard which will run when the inverter fan is running and then carry on for four hours afterwards. This cupboard can get quite hot, so we’re hoping this will help.

An chap suddenly appeared behind us on the island, he was going for a swim. His boots trailing behind him and his panama hat on to protect his head from the sun. The two ladies he joined thought he was bonkers as he tipped his hat to say hello!

Early evening we were joined by another narrowboat. Reversing in to moor behind us. They were on their way back from Bedford and had wanted to avoid mooring nearer the lock where last week it had been chaotic to say the least. On a schedule they would be off early tomorrow.

**The ash under our bbq is from a previous island visitor**

Outdoor cooking is required from now on. Well apart from boiling up some potatoes which I then wrapped in foil with some garlic and a drizzle of rapeseed oil. These sat on the grill of our barbecue as the sweetcorn cooked and then the pork chops. Apart from the garlic being a touch dark, everything was very tasty, accompanied by a coleslaw of cabbage and apple.

We sat out until quite late this evening, the air only just really cooling off just before we headed inside. Over the next two days we’ll try to remember that feeling of slight chill. It will return, we just have to live through 48 hours of exceptional heat before it does!

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 boaty neighbours, 5 campers, 4 boats, 1 swimmer, 1 hire boat too late to moor, 0 depth on the outside, 1 hot cat, 1 escape pod roof removed, 0 feline cooling attempts accepted, 2 pork chops, 2 cobs, 2 packets of potatoes, 1 of them for tomorrow, 2 boaters as prepared as we can be.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna