Peterborough to Brandon

We stayed for a couple of days in Peterborough which has some interesting buildings including the old Buttermarket. 

The old Buttermarket in Peterborough's busy Cathedral Square.  The church in the background is St Johns parish church.

We had a look around the Cathedral and then went into St Johns Church to see the Peterborough Art Society exhibition.  Before leaving Peterborough we stocked up at the nearby Asda ready for the next leg of our journey.

At Stanground Lock we left the Environment Agency navigations to travel on the drainage system controlled by the Middle Level Commissioners.  Our first stop was at Whittlesey, a small town with an excellent haberdashery where I bought some materials for my next project.  

After Whittlesey Lock the long straight drains are flanked by reeds. 

Passing one of the connecting watercourses, Bevills Leam, after Whittlesey

We had been told the moorings at March might be full so were relieved to see plenty of space when we arrived.   Unfortunately March has a rat problem and we watched rats running about quite openly on the opposite bank, Bess was very interested.

On the moorings at March

On Sunday morning we left March heading north-east.  The waterway was wide and deep and we made good progress to Marmont Priory but after the lock we were travelling on the narrow, shallow Well Creek.   A sign showed the speed limit was 4 mph but our Garmin showed we were travelling at 1.9 mph when we weren't stopping to clear the prop.  The villages of Outwell and Upwell lined the banks and their bridges were very low. 

Looking back at Kev as we sailed under a low bridge

Thankfully Well Creek became deeper after Upwell and we sailed on to Salters Lode Lock in time for the tide on the Great Ouse.  Two other narrowboats were already waiting and we expected to be locked through after them so were just taking it easy watching the proceedings. 

Salters Lode Lock

 A long working boat came into the lock off the river and very slowly came up to our water level.  The lock gates opened and we could see the bottom gates were also open; the boat was too long for the lock and had been waiting for the tide to bring it up to our level.  Suddenly it was action stations, the lock-keeper wanted us all to sail through the lock in the few minutes he could keep both sets of gates open.  We hastily cast off and sailed through onto the Great Ouse and turned upstream to travel the short tidal stretch up to Denver Sluice.  Once through Denver Lock we stopped on one of the many free moorings, by our standards it had been a long day!

The wind had been picking up and heavy rain was forecast but it didn't seem too bad when we set off on Tuesday morning.  That soon changed and as we reached the moorings at Ten Mile Bank heavy rain had set in.  We tied up and spotted something in the water.  A closer look revealed the silver grey head of a seal which turned our way.  Two round black eyes watched us for a moment before it ducked underwater and disappeared.  

Strong winds kept us at Ten Mile Bank until Thursday morning and then we sailed upstream to Brandon Creek, the junction of the Little Ouse.  We turned onto the smaller river which forms the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk.  Private moorings line the river and we had a surprise, Scotch Mist was moored up among them, unfortunately I didn't have my camera handy.  

The river continued on a south-easterly course and we didn't see any visitor moorings until the GOBA moorings near Lakenheath.  We had already joined the Great Ouse Boating Association and pulled up on the isolated stretch of river.  Unfortunately we discovered later that the jets from the nearby air base were very loud.  

Despite a late night watching the election results we were up early on Friday and continued upstream.   It seemed a funny coincidence to see another boat which had previously moored at Viking Marina, Musbee Dreaming.

Musbee Dreaming

We arrived at Brandon Lock and quickly realised we wouldn't be going any further; Brent III was too long for the lock.  Luckily there was space to moor up and the little town was only half a mile away. 

Moored up at Brandon lock,

Brandon is on the edge of Thetford Forest and in the 1790's had the worlds largest flint knapping industry which provided gunflints for the Napoleonic Wars.  Some of the buildings in the town are decorated with flint and the town sign depicts the flint knappers. 

Flintknappers on the town sign

Back at the lock lively grey wagtails were foraging around the weir and one stopped still long enough for a photo. 

A grey wagtail on the weir

Our journey from Peterborough to Brandon