The March to Oundle

Previous blog entries record our frustration at the weather and Strong Stream Advice blocking our route through the Middle Levels. Patience has now sat patiently at Fox's Marina in March (all thanks to them) while we wait for a convenient few days when our free time, the weather and the Environment Agency make it possible to head further west.
At last it comes, and on August 8th we are up early - in heavy rain - to set off for March, complete with newly painted pole, hook and gas locker lids. Paying for our stay we thank Fox's for their kindness, fill up with water and turn into the Middle Levels again. It's 9.30 am.

And so the expedition - as that's what it feels like, having turned from a 4 or 5 day cruise into a 7 week trial - moves into what we hope will be its final phase. All around people are talking about "going for Gold" at the Olympics and this is beginning to feel like our very own struggle to achieve. Mind you, I don't see Narrow Boat Cruising has much of a chance as an Olympic sport....
Most of the day is a repeat of our previous venture through the Middle Levels though once the early rain has cleared up the weather is far better. Today there is more sun, less weed, dragon flies but no more moorings.
At 3pm we arrive at Stanground precisely on time for our booked passage. A lock keeper is essential here as this deep lock is the border of the Nene and The Middle Levels, an essential part of the pumping and draining system of the east of England. Quickly through, we moor up at Peterborough quay at 3.30 pm
Peterborough surprises me. I think of it as an urban scrum with sprawling estates and endless roundabouts but here in the centre is a medieval market place and an ancient cathedral with similarities to Durham. It is also the burial place of Catherine of Aragon and the former burial place of Mary Queen of Scots.
After an hour in the cathedral we head back to the Quay, where there are plenty of moorings though the quay has shallow concrete steps which could cause problems of grounding if the river level rose as high as it has been this year. However our aim is to head for Thorpe Meadows, 1.5 miles upstream and up a creek off the main Nene. Curiously unsigned, (and called Peterborough Rowing Club Junction on Canal Planner) the creek is on the north bank. Go under a red bridge then past the  Rowing Club and the well-appointed moorings are at the end.

It turns out to be a great spot both for boaters and fishermen and we are thrilled to have chosen it - not least because there is a pub, The Boathouse, with good grub, just a couple of hundred yards away.

Patience moored at Thorpe Meadow with The Boathouse on the opposite bank

This was a good day. At last we are on The Nene and today we have travelled 18 miles with 2 locks in 6.5 hours. A good day's work and beautiful weather. At last!

March to Whittlesey

Sunday 23rd
Heavy rain overnight but we fill up with water, (there's a tap, accessed using the key we bought at Salters, but no pumpout), newspapers and essentials and next stop Fox's Boatyard.
We clarify some things about the flooding, lock closure, important phone numbers and the like and go on our way with a more suitable windlass and feeling welcomed and more confident in our future plans. For the record the windlass is a two-sizer rather than the tapered one we are more used to on The Ouse. We also confirm that the key for the padlocked area around middle level locks, and the water tap at March (as bought at Salters) is one thing, while the key to downstream guillotine lock gates on the Nene is the same as that used by the Environment Agency along the Great Ouse (a half moon, in section).
Passing more attractive riverside gardens we spy a large torpedo in the garden of the Middle Levels Watermen's Social Club. Oh, the fun they must have at barbecues!
We now crack on under leaden skies though the rain keeps off and it's warm enough not to be uncomfortable.
Crossing the meridian at Floods Ferry we leave the Nene Old Course and head into increasing wind towards Whittlesey on Whitlesey Dyke.
We've seen barn owls, terns, heron, kestrels, woodpeckers and a peacock, but unfortunately it will be the weed and roots we most remember. Treatise on weed and wind here.

Through Ashline Lock using that padlock key again and moored for the night a few hundred yards further on, on the edge of a large recreation ground.

Patiently waiting at Whittlesey in the golden light of evening

Whittlesey on a Sunday night is totally different from March on a Saturday night. In the pub, where the beer and the food is even cheaper than at March, the lads preparing to watch the England v Italy match are quiet and good natured and on the recreation ground groups of lads play five-a-side or skateboard determinedly on a purpose-built course while girls stroll amiably around the field.
Bathed in a golden sundown we watch an outclassed England team struggle to a well deserved exit on penalties. Tomorrow we head for an early appointment at Stanground and hope to hit the Nene at about 11am. Note that Stanground Lock must be booked 24 hours beforehand (phone 01733 566413), and is not open on Sunday afternoons. If river conditions are adverse (too low, too high, too fast) even prior bookings can be cancelled for operational reasons.

Enjoying the Middle Levels

Still Saturday 22nd. A long day ....
After the adventure of crossing from the Ouse into the middle level, then the challenge of the weed and wind, at last we were beginning to enjoy ourselves.  We admired a wedding scene at Upwell, though we really did have to duck under several low bridges along the way. The Middle Level Commissioners do produce a map highlighting the exact height of their low bridges.
We do find a shortage of up to date online information about river conditions. You could try the Middle Level site but I note that after the wettest June in living memory it still refers to "the current drought in the coming spring". You'd do better to use mobile numbers.
For the record: Stanground Lock is 01733 566 413 and Salters Lode is 01366 382 292.
Fox's Boatyard is 01354 652 770.
After Marmont Priory (please phone ahead, 01945 773 959 ) with its very helpful lock lady, beautiful cat and surprising peacock, the river has less weed for a while, is broader and we pick up speed.

Wind generators stalk the countryside, the entrance to March is attractive with riverside gardens and an infinite variety of sheds and summer houses and we go past the main moorings to tie up past the Broad Street bridge. It's shaded by trees and opposite the water tap (pump out closed down) and vulnerable to vandalism perhaps, but it's convenient to the town centre for newspapers, pubs, and food.

March could be attractive, and has had money spent on it to enhance its Victorian splendours, but on Saturday evening the kids run wild in the parks while older folks get shouting drunk in the Olde Griffin on cheap beer and loud music. We eat inexpensively, make our excuses and retreat.
Organising our journey onward now throws up several problems.  Stanground lock is closed on Sunday evening so we have to book a precise time slot for Monday morning and to leave early to reach it. Meanwhile we hear there is strong stream advice for the Nene but we can't find out precisely what's going on.
We opt to visit Fox's Boatyard on the way up as it's only a mile away on the other side of March, and ask their advice. Could we retreat to there if all else fails?
Pondering our options onward we retire and sleep despite the lunacy around us. The kids keep at it well into the night and in our dreams we hear the screams of girls and the roar of boys interspersed with police sirens.