Shortly after setting off we arrived at Houghton Lock
As with several yesterday, this lock i also wider in the middle but not all boats realise that this means that they can share with another boat.
The next landmark was the entry into Hartford Marina, perhaps one of the largest on the Great Ouse and the Nene rivers.
A feature of today's stretch of the river is the number of places where the river divides around small islands and the direction signs are not always very obvious. In some cases they were all but buried in undergrowth. Fortunately our maps and guide books gave us good warning although there was one point at which we had to take a junction dead slow until we could work out which way to turn. Not helped by the fact that newer sign indicated using a route that was not that of the older navigation indicator, nor what it says in our guide book!
All Saint's Church at Hartford (now a suburb of Hungtingdon) is right on the river bank. Unlike many churches along the river this one only has a tower and not a spire. Perhaps it lacked a wealthy and self-important sponsor at the appropriate time in history!
Purvis Marine is a riverbank operation and part of its business is day boats for hire. At the next lock later we met one that had already set off but here another group are being given instruction about the boat. Alas they will probably still be bemused when they arrive at their first lock!
Huntingdon itself does not seem to want to attract passing boats to stop and sample their delights. This short 48 hr mooring is about all that there is close to the old bridge.
As we passed through Godmanchester (the opposite bank from Hungtingdon) we could see plenty of very posh houses with gardens stretching down to the river. This one had a rather unusual eating or drinking area with a small boat house underneath.
Further back, above Godmanchetser Lock, we had seen a small ferry boat offering trips up to Brampton Mill. The impressive old building is of course now a pub/restaurant but the water wheel was still turning.
We spotted this inscription on the quoin stone of the bottom gates but have no idea what it stands for.
As we cruised along we spotted a kite soaring overhead - and making quite a close dive towards us at one point. OK so the photo is going to win no prizes in the Countryfile Calendar Competition for 2019 but we were pleased to have caught anything at all - especially as the photographer was also steering at the time!
Huntingdon is also getting a new bypass which will avoid heavy vehicles on the A14 from going through the town. In fact, part of the project is to remove some of the old route to deter those whose memories are stuck in the past! It is due to open in 2020 and some heavy lifting is currently underway over the river. A similar elevated section will be needed for the railway line.
Buckden Marina have a service point on the riverside - much easier to use! We will be back here on Thursday as we have booked a mooring here for several days.
Just after the marina comes Offord Lock. Its seemingly narrow width took us a bit by surprise but actually the width gauge for boats to pass through is much the same as the other locks.
The area alongside the lock has recently been extensively re-developed - the name suggests what was here before: The Old Flour Mills.
After this, the river is closely followed by the busy electrified East Coast Main railway line through Peterborough, on its way from London to Scotland. Here it is also close to St Peter's parish church of Offord D'Arcy.
This wooden cabin caught our eye with its unusual shape as well as its special log store.
St Neots Lock also lacks the side section but it makes up for it with an extra length. Even our boat, let along a small river cruiser, looks rather lost. It is also different in having two ground paddle mechanisms on the same side of the lock. The surrounding area has also been converted into modern apartments.
We stopped at the main pontoon mooring in the town centre, just before the old bridge. Alas, we failed to take a photo! whilst Mike filled up the water tank, Christine walked gto the nearby shops for a newspaper. She was disappointed that Waitrose were out of stock but her longer walk to find a copy was rewarded by spotting the new pair of shorts that she had wanted.
And finally for today we negotiated Eaton Socon Lock. We must have begun to wilt as someone (no names, no pack drill) came to take this photo whilst letting the boat drift across the lock. No danger but it looks untidy!
Later, Mike went for a walk along the path beside the mooring. The sign calls this Eaton Socon Island Mooring - a narrow brook runs parallel to the river for a short way. It starts at Black Trap Weir and rejoins the main waterway near the lock at another Trap. An information board at the lock says of a former Five Arches Bridge close by, "The bridge, pulled won in the 1960's when the new weir and bridge were constructed, marked the boundary between Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire. Children would learn to swim in the brook between the traps and then progress to Five Arches Pool where the water was deeper."
Just beyond the brook is a lake and beside it a development of large apartment blocks. Although pontoon moorings have been provided all log the edge of the development, only a few seem to be in use. Also, we have not yet found the origin of the lake as it was not on even the 1950 OS map so it must be quite modern.
However the map does show an Electric Power Station just a little further upstream where it has a close connection to both river and railway. A new gas turbine generator seems to be on the site now - but we should have a better view tomorrow.
14.7 Miles - 6 Locks
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