Fenland Tour 2001 Page 18

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Tour 2001

Fenland Tour Summer 2001

18 - Upwell to Denver - Middle Level, Tidal Great Ouse and Ely Ouse, inc River Wissey.

Sunday 15th July 2001

Linda, Mother In Law, Wendy and son Peter, were coming out for a day trip / drop off Travelpower generator jockey pulley and drive belt. They had agreed to meet us at Salter’s Lode at 11.00, although we would not go out to Denver until around 13.00. This way we would be first in the queue.
We left Upwell a bit late at 21.15. It was the usual stoggy passage to Salter’s Lode, though due to the amount of boat movements, the weed seemed even more trashed. We arrived at Salter’s Lode at 11.30, Linda had been waiting for 10 mins. Neil showed Linda the now famous Captain Beeky swipe marks on the first approach timber baulk to Salter’s Lode and the intricacies of the Old Bedford Sluice.
We were indeed the first boat to arrive, soon followed up by a plastic boat, a Fox Boat and the Sholtbolt's Tug narrowboat. Linda was to stay on land and film the passage up to Denver and drive round, (predictably the tape ran out!) and the rest come with us to Denver. Paul was about and got us in the lock early, to wake the rest up! It was a solo passage as he does not like narrowboats over 55ft to share.
We left on the level at 13.40 and at 13.50 we were in Denver Sluice. We went up to Frogmoore, now plus Pat, but told JC that we were going down to the stupidly placed sanitary station / self pump-out staithe.
There was a lot of sailing going on at the Denver Sailing Club, below the junction, also in the start of the Cut Off Channel, above the AG Wright Sluice. Neil went wrong side, as we had to approach the staithe from up stream, due to a lifeless and parked Wilderness boat, on the main part of the staithe. Exchanges of abuse followed between the respective Commode D' Or's.......the fact being that if we had gone right side we would have done a wind right in front of the club house! Another DYC geezer agreed that we had done the right thing and said that all that mattered was that no one collided.
The Wilderness boat was indeed un occupied. We just about got moored up across the slipway, when a bloody car with sailboat trailer arrived. We had to move again! The tank was nearly empty, so we knew we had a good half an hour wait, even though the tap was quite fast. Within 20 minutes Neil had the new jockey pulley and Travelpower belt on and once again we could generate slightly more serious 220vAC. A good few sarcastic exchanges followed when the Wilderness boat people came back from a walk.
Soon we were back moored up to Frogmoore and after a cuppa on Frogmoore we all watched the Horseway Lock / Welches Dam Lock / Old Bedford Sluice video on the laptop. Linda then left and the TNC crew left John at Denver as we went off to explore the River Wissey, which is only a short distance up from Denver (16.15). John was not interested in coming, he had done it before and local gossip said that there was still bridge repairs restricting navigation at the Sugar Factory. Neil thought that if you could get through this at all, a Sunday would be a good day.
At 16.25 we entered into the River Wissey and had a pleasant evening cruise the whole length up to Stoke Ferry. At one point we kept on seeing hundreds of small paper bags. At Hilgay Bridge, we found out what this was from - it was a local river carnival. The raft crews had to paddle up to the bridge and one member then had to get through a dangling tractor tyre. At this moment, just about every body present would pelt the crew with bags of flour, from the bridge............we declined to participate!
At the sugar factory there were signs of bolt replacement in the old railway bridge, now used as a road. Scaffolding was still present above, but none now dangled below. Above the large sugar factory were some very pleasant boatless wides, making Tixall Wide look miniscule and rather busy. Next came another Brandon Creek style Aqueduct over the Cut Off Channel and a single guillotine to deflect the Wissey waters down it, if in flood. This guillotine in its “up” position had been raised, so it does not present an air draught restriction, like the one on Brandon Creek.
Soon we were at Stoke Ferry. The old road bridge showed signs of recently having been repainted, but no restriction here. We carried on passed the new bridge. Next came the small boats at end of garden moorings at Whittington. Not far above we winded where the river bifurcates. This point, where Stringside Drain enters would accommodate a full length narrowboat. We reversed a small way up Stringside Drain, but were closely scrutinised by a moaning, local boater, so we gave up. Likewise we did not venture any further up the River Wissey.
The end was reached at 19.00 and we quickly returned back, to moor up breasted to Frogmoore at 21.35. While passing under Wissington Bridge we nearly sank an unexpected fisherman in a coracle! That evening we just dined on much toast and stuff, prepared by the Junior Beeky - now a true Honorary TNC Member. A whiskey sampling session then followed on Earnest. Earnest now boasted four Islay whiskies. Plans were made for the next day, this was to be a two boat cruise up the River Lark.

Traction engine rumbling through Upwell. Well Creek. Middle Level.