Larking about up the tributaries

 Having come across the tidal section to Denver on the Great Ouse we set off last Saturday to explore the River Wissey. Between Ely and Denver three tributaries join the River Great Ouse and all of them are navigable for 10 miles or more. We decided to explore two of them on our way up the Ouse - the Wissey and the Lark - and save the other one - the Little Ouse or Brandon Creek - for our return.

We stopped on the public moorings at Hilgay on Saturday. There is an excellent butcher's shop in Hilgay which sells all sorts of things as well as meat including bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and newspapers and it is even open on Sunday mornings. This photo was taken soon after leaving Hilgay on Sunday morning. With little wind, the reflections were superb and this might well be on our boating calendar for next year.

At Wissington the river passes a factory where sugar beet is turned into sugar. Now is not the right time of year for processing so there was little activity and no smells of malt.

The tributaries cross the 'cut-off channel'. In times of flood, water is diverted off the rivers into the cut-off channel and here we are crossing the aqueduct over the channel. A little further on we passed through a sluice gate which can be closed to redirect the water. The cut-off channel is another part of the marvellous water systems linked to Denver Sluice. The water from the channel can be allowed to flow north into the Wash to get rid of flood water but it can also be transferred to reservoirs in Essex via pumping stations, tunnels and pipelines.

At Wittington we spent the night on a GOBA Mooring linked to a caravan site. GOBA stands for Great Ouse Boating Association and we have joined this in order to use their many mooring places along the Ouse and its tributaries. On Monday morning we carried on for half a mile to the navigable limit where we turned round as shown here. The front of the boat, where Helen is taking the picture, is in the river Wissey while Ian is reversing into the Stringside Drain which joins the river here at right angles and allows long boats like ours the space to turn.

And so it was back passed the sugar factory. Just before reaching this the river flows through two lakes which makes for an interesting bit of boating. We had some fun doing a 360 degree spin in one of the lakes - not that narrowboats really spin, it was more of a sedate circle.

On Monday night we moored near the mouth of the Wissey on a GOBA mooring in a remote and peaceful spot. On Tuesday we rejoined the Ouse not far the other side of this railway bridge. Ely  is a major junction for railways and this branch links Ely with King's Lynn.

Coming up the Great Ouse once more, we passed the Ship Inn. To left is the River Little Ouse or Brandon Creek which is also navigable but we'll leave this until our return.

This picture looking behind us gives a good impression of just how wide and straight is the lower part of the Great Ouse. No need to search for a winding hole here if you want to turn round.

On Tuesday we moored at Littleport on the Ouse. There was not much space left on the landing stage by the Swan on the River, nor at the mooring opposite, but we just managed to get the bow onto the end with our stern in the reeds beyond it. After a good lunch at the pub we walked into Littleport. We were intrigued by this little white house: it looks like a dolls house next to its neighbours.

We didn't know that Littleport has a connection with Harley Davidson in that William Harley was brought up in the town. Hence this monument.

On returning to Leo, we noticed much squeaking coming from a grebe chick and managed to get some good pictures of the Great Crested Grebe family opposite. Here you can see the adult on the left holding a fish in its beak to feed the little one which is swimming fast towards the parent.

They really are handsome birds and we've seen plenty on this river.

Here is the young grebe.

And here the young one is zooming towards the parent expecting to be fed. But there is no sign of a fish in the beak this time!

Wednesday saw us setting off up the River Lark only about a mile further up stream from Littleport. After passing the village of Prickwillow, the Lark become ridiculously straight for several miles. From the roof of the boat, we could see over the fields to the cathedral at Ely and look down along the very straight dykes which drain the fens. From the back of the boat we noticed the rough water in our wake. Normally we've found that the wake is calmer than the water either side but not on this occasion.

We passed this octagonal building which was once a windmill. It's not very tall but perhaps being built on the flood bank it was high enough to catch the winds.

The River Lark has that rarest of structures on these waters - a lock. It is at Isleham and has a guillotine gate like on the Nene. The difference in level was only a foot or so.

The navigable limit is at Judes Ferry where there is a welcoming pub with moorings pub about 10 miles upriver from the Ouse. The last mile or two is narrow and very bendy with some shallows and the river flow is quite fast. We were the only boat moored at the pub and we enjoyed a drink at lunchtime and a meal in the evening. It is a lovely spot and well worth a visit. You will notice in the picture an inflatable kayak moored beside Leo. We bought it this year and it fits in the front locker where two bags of coal would ordinarily be.  This was to be its maiden voyage.

And here is the proof as we paddled upstream beyond Leo's limit for a mile or so to a weir where it was too tricky to get out to carry the canoe to higher water beyond. It was lovely drifting back in the fairly fast flowing water. We could understand why narrowboats cannot go further. Not only is there nowhere to turn but there are also some shallows. Boats used to be able to navigate to Mildenhall, a further couple of miles, but not now.

On Thursday we first had the challenge of turning Leo round. Just downstream of the pub mooring is handy inlet. It proved to be reasonably straightforward to reverse in with most of the boat sticking out into the river. The flow of the river turned the bow round to head downstream. Very simple really.

Part way back we passed this memorial to the Reverend Charles Spurgeon who was baptised here in 1860. Baptisms by total immersion in the river were carried out for hundreds of years.

There were lots of swans on the Lark and here we are chasing a group of 6 youngsters (probably last year's brood) who haven't learned yet that the best way of avoiding boats is to retreat into the side of the river, not try to outswim them.

Here 5 are learning the lesson and the sixth is taking to the air.

It's strange the places you find narrowboats. This one is completely surrounded by a growth of reeds.

Last night (Thursday) we moored at Prickwillow on a fantastic new mooring platform built by the Environment Agency. It even has water available.

Prickwillow is a small village which has no pub or shop. It does however have an interesting drainage museum. Drainage is a way of life here to preserve the fen from flooding. Rivers are above the level of the fens which have subsided over the years as water was pumped into the rivers and thus out to sea. Unfortunately the museum, which we have visited before, is only open on Sunday and Monday afternoons. This however is the old church at Prickwillow. It is no longer consecrated but, as we passed, we noticed the door was open so we peeped in. A couple were inside having tea. They have bought the church and are turning it into an art workshop and gallery as well as a community space. They kindly gave us a tour and we wish them every success in this venture. Do pop in if you are passing.

From Prickwillow it was just a couple of miles this morning back to the Great Ouse and turning upstream we headed down a long straight wide river to Ely where we are now moored. Ely Cathedral is known as the 'Ship of the Fens' and stands on an island well above the surrounding land. As we approached the city the cathedral dominates the view. It is seen here across the railway, hence the wires across the photo and the goods train below.

Ely has some interesting sights but this giraffe wasn't here when we last visited!

This is the classic view of the river at Ely from a bridge across to the marina. You can just see Leo moored on the left bank before the railway bridge.

We plan a day out tomorrow off the boat but on Sunday we will continue up the Ouse, though we've yet to decide whether we will turn south on the River Cam towards Cambridge or leave this until later.