Stanground

Today's Navigation : Middle Level

The weather was bright and sunny when we awoke but by the time we set off from the Rural Mooring the forecast rain was just arriving. Ultimately it came to very little, although we did don waterproofs for a  short period. Still pleasantly warm but with an even stiffer breeze than yesterday.

Most of today's cruise was to be along mainly long straight sections with few special features to note. As a result most of today's pictures are chosen for themselves rather than to illustrate a particular point.

This one brings out the sense of isolation even though there are quite a few farms or other dwellings spread out along the bumpy roads on the top of the banks lining the navigable dykes or drains.

As we found on Sunday, these rural roads, even the named A or B roads, are bumpy from subsidence. The bumps are not usually marked - there are just too many - locals get to know when to avoid the normal left side of the road. Sometimes, the highway authority does indicate a particular section with a standard 'bumpy road' sign. We wondered if this section was especially rough, enough to warrant the addition of a SLOW sign!

Someone must be especially patriotic (hopefully and not something more partisan) as their substantial flagpole must have cost a few pennies. In the exposed and windy location they may well have to replace the flag quite often as well.

The way in which this pipe bridge neatly encloses the brighter sky is even more striking on a thumbnail.

Just before the junction with the Twenty Foot River at Angle Corner we suddenly spotted this Rural Mooring. Information about the locations of the new moorings is scant and we had thought that this one was actually on the Twenty Foot. If we had known we might have been tempted to press on to here yesterday (glad we didn't) This one is even 'rougher' than where we did stop and only had two poles for attaching mooring lines. Still, the Commissioners are moving in the right direction, so don't complain!

That is the Twenty Foot, going under this low bridge, where we thought the Rural Mooring had been built. One of the reasons we did not originally opt for here was uncertainty of whether we could get under that bridge. Few boats venture that way as there are several very low bridges in that direction.

Just a 'nice' picture. Note: we missed the shot from the other side as we were a bit too slow so have flipped the image so that the MLC is easier to see! (Just in case anyone who knows the Middle level spots it)

Going around one of the few corners, we were taking this shot of a pumping station, for reference, when we suddenly realised that the grey clouds had suddenly been replaced by bright blue sky, which remained with us until after we moored.

And so to Ashline Lock - which we knew would be hard work.

Alongside the lock is this instruction. How difficult is that to understand? So Mike was not a little displeased to see, as he walked up from the lock landing below, to discover that both top gates were left open. As there is no way across the top of the lock it is a long walk around to do both. Back then to the bottom gate and to begin opening one of the penstocks. (These take 70+ turns to open fully) After 30 turns the water below looked as if it was letting put a good flow already so Mike paused to regain his breath. But he could see that the water level in the lock was barely dropping at all. The top gates did not look quite fully closed  - the mitre normally ensures that this happens quickly. So, he closed the penstock and walked up to the top and made sure that the gates were as closed as could be and that nothing was blocking, holding them ajar.

Back to the bottom penstocks and the same experience repeated except that he could now see that water was coming through at least one of the top penstocks - the water level had to drop just a little for it to be obvious. Mike had already checked the towpath side penstock and it seemed closed so back around to the offside and he found that one to be fully open. He closed it and returned to the other end. yet still it seemed as if water was coming in at the top. Back up to the towpath penstock. This time he discovered that it had been opened sufficiently firmly that it required quite a bit of force to start it turning to close.

At last the lock level was dropping! Whilst waiting for the lock to empty Mike spotted the remains of the original location of the bottom gates. The lock has clearly been extended at some time to allow today's longer craft to pass through.

The original location is just this side of the modern escape ladders.

Eventually it was possible to open both gates and allow Christine to bring our boat inside. This is not the fastest of locks to fill or empty at the best of times as the penstocks take even the fittest navigator (the MLC term for boater, everything has a special name hereabouts!) some time to open fully.

Once Christine had escaped, on her way to the upper lock landing, Mike closed up the top gates and penstocks. But of course, those who can read will know that the sign meant that his work was not over as he still had to empty the lock. An hour after arriving Mike could now return to the boat, exhausted, waving farewell to the lock with not a little relief.

Whittlesey Mooring, just above the lock, was under repair when we came down but is now in operation, we were more than grateful that it was empty so that we could tie up for a longer lunch break.  As well as being extensively refurbished an entirely new water point has been installed. Our tank was quite full but decided to top up anyway.

Before we set off this morning we phoned Stanground and discovered that there were no booked passages this afternoon and so (with the 24 hours notice rule) we would need to wait until 10 am tomorrow. However we were also given permission to moor on the lock landing at Stanground overnight so that we did not have to set off from Whittlesey before dawn! It is around an hour and three quarters cruise to the lock, with no known moorings in between.

Not long after leaving the Whittlesey mooring we had to negotiate the Briggate turning, a well known problem for longer boats. At one stage the turn was so tight that navigation was limited to the size of boats indicated by the original gate position at Ashline Lock. In more recent times, a little more space has been squeezed out of the steep sides but it is still necessary to take it at the slowest speed possible. This is to allow the boat time to turn about its centre position before running into the outside of the corner. Also, we knew from our last visit here that if you take the boat too close to the inside it is likely to stick on built up silt. We are pleased to report that we made it around without touching any of the sides!

Approaching Peterborough these chimneys are a landmark for some time. They belonged to a large brick works that made millions of the famous Fletton bricks. As far as we can discover the site has now closed and is being made over to the inevitable new housing.

Just before the junction with Morton's Leam (not accessible here for navigation) is the Peterborough Depot of the London Tower Cranes Company. We assume that the three cranes that tower over the site are used to sort out the stock of parts and load onto lorries. Passing them they feel quite ominous, almost ready for a part in a mid 20C sci-fi special - or even a location for a Doctor Who contemporary episode.

Another 20 minutes and we turned the corner immediately ahead of Stanground Lock. It was with a great sigh of relief that we could see that it was quite free (actually only just long enough for us, we stuck out both ends) There are very few 'wild' moorings on the Middle Level and, despite keeping a beady eye for a Plan B just in case someone had beaten us to the space, we had not really seen anything suitable. Pix of the lock and landing will have to wait to the morrow.

9.9 Miles - 1 Lock