Little Thetford

Today's Navigation - Rive Great Ouse

A very warm day but not one where we had to do too much! When we investigated possible stopping places for a church tomorrow in walking distance from a mooring we did not have a lot of options - the most suitable was Little Thetford, a small village just beyond Ely.

First thing, Mike walked into the village of Littleport where we had moored overnight. Just over 15 minutes saw him at the first shop - there were more than we had anticipated - but that did not have newspapers. On to the next general store and then one of the two Co-Op shops and he was able to find all that was needed.

The village has an ancient heritage and, according to Wikipedia, "With an Old English name of Litelport, the village was worth 17,000 eels a year to the Abbots of Ely in 1086.

The legendary founder of Littleport was King Canute. A fisherman gave the king shelter one night, after drunken monks had denied him hospitality. After punishing the monks, the king made his host the mayor of a newly founded village."

The long main street is an interesting mixture of older and newer buildings, although few seem much earlier than late 19C. This one was once a bookseller, according to the fading sign on the wall over what probably was once the shop window.

As is often the case, the houses from the turn of the century mix large, merchant's houses alongside rows of much humbler cottages.

The library building as on the corner a memorial to James Nighthall a locomotive fireman who in 1944 was awarded the George Cross for his bravery in dealing with a fire in one of his wagons that was laden with explosives and was killed in the process. His actions were said to have saved the people of Soham from a major tragedy. His driver was badly injured and a signalman was also killed.

Not far from the level crossing, Mike spotted that one of the houses was selling rhubarb and white currants - he took a large container of the latter for just £1. The woman in the garden explained that they usually had strawberries but they have had too few as their allotment is suffering from the lack of rain.

Back at the boat we set off after taking the opportunity to refill the water tank after Christine had set the washing machine on.

Before long we passed the Daisy Hill junction with the River Lark - hopefully we will have time to explore that tributary later in this holiday but for now we continued on towards Ely.

Alongside was a sign with a phrase that wee have not seen in this context for a long time. Once favoured by American fisherman, today the expression has more sinister internet connotations. Even so the fine is pretty steep!

At last we had our first glimpse of the cathedral on the skyline. As the landscape is so flat, Ely has the reputation of being visible - a clear day - from great distances.

The long stretch before arriving into the city is a popular place for athletic rowers. At times it some careful observation and navigation as crews and their coaches came from all directions. Some wanted to pass on one side but others took a different path!

After finally leaving them behind as they turned and went back downstream once more, we passed the club house. On the opposite bank is a brand new club house. We are not sure whether it is the same or different club as it is too new to be on Google maps!

The cathedral is much closer now.

This plane - we could see no distinguishing marks - flew low overhead in what seemed to be on the glide path into RAF Lakenheath. As we saw it, or its twin, doing this several times, we imagined that there must be a trial or exercise underway.

The Rotary Club in Ely organise an annual Water festival - this is its 40th year and all of the visitor moorings are reserved for those boats already booked in to the event which takes place tomorrow.  In places boats were rafted out three or four deep. At least we were able to come alongside the sani sgtation where we were also able to dispose of rubbish for the first time in some days. The main crowd pleaser is a raft race in which entrants view with each other for the craziest design possible.The old buildings looked interesting and we will have to hope that we will have a chance to visit and look around before we leave the river later in the month.

Shortly after leaving the city we passed under the new Southern Bypass which is still under construction. It is said to be on programme and will open this coming October and will relieve through traffic congestion, especially large trucks, around a level crossing and narrow underpass both of which have had frequent accidents.

The cathedral is now beginning to recede into the distance.

This is the entrance to Soham Lode. At one time the first part of it to Soham itself was navigable although its main purpose was flood protection. Alas, a quirk of legislation, as responsibility was transferred from one public body to another, led to the right of navigation being lost, although it is reported that some occasionally still try! There are a number of lodes that have recently been studied with a view to bringing pressure for them to be re-opened.

About three miles outside Ely we arrived at the Little Thetford EA mooring. Despite our concern about finding a place, it turned out not only to be very long but also almost empty. Although one or two more boats arrived during the afternoon, they only made brief rest stops and by the end of the day it was no more full!

Late afternoon, with a gentle cooling breeze, we walked into the village, mainly to check out the service times for tomorrow, The reply we had to our email enquiry yesterday seemed a little uncertain. Just as well as when we found the noticeboard, tomorrow, as every other Sunday, is at 9.30 and not the hour later that we had been told.

A member of the congregation was inside the church and was keen to tell us ,lost about the church. Unlike in many places where we first get told about the long history, this person related all of the many activity that they regularly hold for young children, especially those at the next door church school.

The chancel, the older part, was originally built for pilgrims and other travellers making their way across the marshy Fens, long before they had been so extensively drained as now, In those days,travel was very dangerous, especially if you did not know the right route to take.

We also were told that this old building, now incorporated into a very large modern dwelling, was once an important dovecote.


7.7 Miles - 0 Locks