A very different day, both weatherwise and for boating. It has been a wonderful day for cruising - plenty of great sunshine, not uncomfortably so, and a good breeze much of the time, although when we set off the water was absolutely calm. Ahead we had a long level cruise on a wide and straightforward navigation. No white knuckle rides today.
We took a closer look at the two moorings that we had wanted to use yesterday. Here is the first on the right hand facing upstream (as we were going) Alongside is a photo we took in 2018. From a few small references on line we understand that the closure in 2021 'until further notice' is on the basis that the pilings have collapsed.
And here is Silt Farm, again with 2018 for comparison. At least five years after the event there does not seem to be any indication from the EA of what is to happen long term. Of course, neither is very far from the main Denver Visitor mooring at Jenyns but in the past we have found that oversubscribed quite early in the day. Right now the number of boats on the move is low so there was room to spare last night but what will happen as and when demand returns? It is quite a long ride to the next opportunities.
In 2018 we made several diversions along the tributaries to the Great Ouse - here is the start of the River Wissey. This time we are not being distracted from our main aim of reaching as far up to Bedford as we can manage - hopefully further than we have been before.
This farm imperiously oversees the junction from its location on the opposite bank, directly facing the Wissey.
Roads run very close to the river bank on both sides. To the east much of the time it is the busy A10 whilst to the west just a local road. However, it is on this side that we could see a number of small villages/hamlets - groups of houses more than just a farm.
There are few bridges over the river - historically it would have been too wide for the available technology until concrete and railways turned up. This railway bridge carries a line from Kings Lynn to Ely and Cambridge, with hourly services direct to London. It has been elcgtrified but at the time the bit between Littleport and Downham Market struggled to obtain the necessary funding and eventually had to put up with it being only a single track.
Just after we had passed underneath, one of those services ran across - we have included both photos as the train makes it difficult to see the bridge itself.
Ten Mile Bank has seen a number of new small scale housing developments. This set of four looks very new and each is substantial, perhaps five or six bedrooms?
The small St Mark's Church in Ten Mile Bank was built in 1846 as an offshoot from Hilgay. In the early 2000s it seemed likely that it would have to be demolished but local people raised several hundred thousand pounds to bring it back into use and it reopened in 2010.
This photo could have been included at almost any point in today's cruise - all along it is much the same in character. But it never seemed boring and we bowled along at just kover 4 mph. Never do that fast on the canal network!
Denver Cruising Club is a small collection of short finger moorings, principally for typical GRP cruisers, Its website states 48 moorings but we counted 24 boats today with most spaces filled. Perhaps like SUVs and older people, the typical boat has spread its beam over time! The history of the club can be found here,
The next tributary is Brandon Creek. On the corner, beside the A10, stands The Ship Inn, a popular pub with moorings for patrons (as well as EA ones just beyond). Their web page says Mark Twain once ‘sobered up’ here but Cliff Richard was once turned away for not being appropriately dressed.
A very different vessel from most around here is this one. moored just before Littleport Bridge. Its name, Buiten Verwachting, indicates its origin in the Netherlands. Unless there are two similar boats with the same n ame, the current owners of this one are in the process of restoring it.
Littleport Bridge is where the A10 takes a sharp turn to cross over the river and heard towards Ely - a recent bypass then allows most of the traffic to avoid delays in the city centre. The difficulty of such a t-junction has been alleviated by the constriction of a roundabout just to the west of the bridge.
Littleport Boat Haven is built on what was once the old route of the Great Ouse and there is a bit more to it than can be seen from the river.
Our plan had been to moor at the EA moorings beside Sandhills Bridge, another road in to Littleport. But would there be room?There are two moorings, one either side of the river and equally convenient. However, the one to our left also has a water point and after a washing machine cycle this morning we needed a top up. Although we could not see clearly from a distance, there was plenty of space (there were two boats when we arrived but one left during the afternoon) and even allowed us to fill up and leave room for someone else to access the water point! And room for a group of youngsters to really enjoy the water, albeit accompanied by much laughter and screams.
11.4 Miles - 0 Locks
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