Environment Agency at Work

Taking advantage of a brief window of good weather, we took Patience to The King's Head at Wadenhoe, a two hour trip each way, giving Patience a useful stretch and ourselves a beer and a fine lunch.
On the way up the weather was splendid, bright with whispy clouds. It started to rain at Wadenhoe in the afternoon and stayed wet or damp all the way back.
But what it was good to see was the efforts of Environment Agency men busily keeping things up to scratch.
Here we encountered three men in a boat, at Barnwell Top Lock, painting the yellow "cill" signs inside the lock.

And here we found more men, one in a Landrover and another in a giant weed-gathering machine (most impressive) which is bigger by far than the weedy little boats we passed last year on the Middle Levels.

Thank you, EA men - and keep up the good work!

Oundle to Wadenhoe And Back

With warm weather expected followed by a cool change, we took Patience up river to Wadenhoe on Wednesday and back on Thursday. This gave her a breath of fresh air, a bit of leisurely exercise on a sparkling and clear river and a change of scene.
Wadenhoe is a charming and attractive village, preserved by a Trust, and our interest is focused on The King's Head and its garden which rolls down to the river, near the lock. So popular is it that we had to moor alongside another boat for a while, with river edges at a premium.

On arrival at Wadenhoe and tying ourselves to another narrow boat, we headed up the slope to the bar for our choice of beers.
In the afternoon, torn between going for an improving walk or relaxing in the shade down by the riverside, we opted for the latter, while swimmers and canoeists floated energetically to and fro.
In the evening we indulged in some great food at The King's Head.

Thursday dawned misty on the river ...

... but we headed off for our walk (a modified version of the walk at Walking World id=5874 bypassing Sudborough but including Wadenhoe) of 7 - 8 miles roughly following the Lyveden Way to Lyveden New Bield (National Trust) where we found more of interest than we had expected...

... including a very pleasant coffee shop, useful information centre, replanted orchard, moat, lake and entry to the never-completed Elizabethan house built for Sir Thomas Tresham.

Our walk in bright sunshine took us across fields and through woodland, with no traffic, hardly any other people, and a sense of surprise that we were so far from the non-stop frenzy of the A14.

With deteriorating weather expected on Friday we headed home to Oundle reinforced by a substantial lunch at The Kings Head, very satisfied with our little trip.

Up The Nene Again

After this frustrating year for boating, with strong stream advice and all, it was good to get back on the water again, setting out from our new home in Oundle Marina.
We planned three or four days, partly around the weather forecast and partly to explore the river and its pubs and villages.
The first section of only two hours is already becoming a favourite: Oundle to Wadenhoe through locks at Upper Barnwell, Lilford and Wadenhoe, ending up at The King's Head for lunch. All the locks are very scenic, the river is delightful, with fields opening out, trees closing in, Lilford Hall glimpsed between the trees ...

... houses with delightful gardens extending to the river, with little summer houses and dinky jetties and a very pretty bridge ...

just downstream of Lilford lock.
The King's Head and the church at Wadenhoe are well worth a visit - all within 2 hours boating from our base.
Suitably refreshed we motored on, through Titchmarsh, where the Middle Nene Cruising Club dominates the lock  but there are no apparent moorings for passers by like us.
On to Islip Mill Lock where we see the tallest bollards ever ...

... designed, we imagine, to cope with severely rising water levels.
On again to Thrapston, through their nine arched bridge and acutely right into some very pleasant moorings - and it's still only 4 pm.

Thrapston Moorings

The Nine Arched Bridge, viewed from upstream

Though the moorings are very close to the bridge, traffic at night is light and we are not disturbed by it.
Eating, however, is more of a problem. We inspect several pubs in Thrapston, none of which appeal unless you are keen on gaming machines, pool and karioke and though the Woolpack looks reasonable we opt for the ever so slightly pretentious Bridge Hotel which provides us with a few pints of Spitfire and excellent meals. We are satisfied to have paid more for better, though we think The Bridge's decor hasn't quite decided whether it's a wedding venue, a bar, a restaurant, a conference centre, a gentleman's club or a Maharajah's palace.
Thrapston itself seems a rather down at heel place. It has facilities for boaters in terms of supermarkets to stock up with but it feels tired and worn. John was intrigued by the remains of Thrapston Station and its railways and found this detailed explanation. He says:

The LNWR Nene Valley (Peterborough to Northampton) line station was on the site of Scotts (the summer house manufacturer) and the viaduct across the Nene was on the Midland Railway line from Cambridge to Kettering. The Midland Railway station is the one you can still see from the A14.
 The Nene Valley line is the one whose bridges (now footbridges) we kept passing under on the river.

Sections of the railway line seem now to be part of the Nene Way long distance route.

Oundle to Wadenhoe

At last! A day that is warm and sunny, both John and I are free, and Patience is safely berthed at Oundle Marina. So, after all that strong stream advice, lousy weather and all, we set out for a jaunt a little way upstream to the pretty village of Wadenhoe, accompanied by wife Sarah and friend Angus.
The trip takes us out of the tight entrance to the marina (especially tight approaching from upstream) and quickly on to Upper Barnwell Lock where the Oundle Mill, now a restaurant, looks very fine though gives the impression of being rather exclusive. It describes itself as "a chic retreat", which isn't quite our thing, though Patience is happy to act as moving wallpaper for the chic retreaters.

Then there is a relaxing and very attractive stretch of river with varied views of fields, woodland, distant churches ... all very English on this wonderful sunny day.
Next to Lilford Lock, close to the Nene Way and popular with canoeists who hire from further upstream and wisely move their craft by portage rather than the lock, tempting as it may be. We don't want to crush a flimsy canoe with a 14 ton narrow boat as the water surges through.

Then through Wadenhoe lock and to the moorings immediately nearby at the bottom of the gardens of The King's Head.

So popular is it today, being the best weekend day for months, that the world and his wife are out enjoying the day. With kind and helpful advice from nb Dorcas Lane we manage to moor up alongside and are later joined by a hire boat, making it a triple sandwich.
Lunch is from the Paddock menu, served in the garden followed by a short walk uphill to the attractive church.

then we extricate ourselves from the triple sandwich and, thanking nb Dorcas Lane, we decide we will certainly return to the Kings Head. There's ample turning space outside the Kings Head and the lock is just yards away so you can choose your time to enter.

Return journey much the same (in fact many of the pics above were taken on the return), again attractive, warm, pleasant and the best of easy boating.All three locks at Upper Barnwell, Lilford and Wadenhoe are electrically operated guillotines plus the normal wound vee gates, so this is a bit easier than, say, Perio or Warmington where there is a fly wheel needing manual turning to raise the guillotine.
Incidentally more useful detail about locks on the Nene is provided at Sue's Blog.
Boating on The Nene is fun. At last!