Out on Tidal Water to Denver Sluice

Well we've done it!  We've completed the final part of the crossing from the River Nene to the River Great Ouse today.  This entails a short section on the tidal River Ouse which has to be timed carefully for the tides so that boats can safely cross without being swept upstream or downstream out to the Wash.

On Thursday we had a short day from March to Upwell as we did not have time to reach Salter's Lode (where you join the tidal river) by midday which was the allotted time to go out of that lock.

The fens are completely flat and ideal for windfarms like this one we cruised through.

The villages of Upwell and Outwell have roads either side of the river with houses lining those roads facing the river, which at this point is narrow and pretty shallow.  This is the view looking towards Upwell Church.








Yesterday afternoon we cycled out into the farmlands round about.  Wheat, pumpkins and sugar beet were the main crops but we also saw a few cows and sheep.

Most of the houses round here have a plaque with a name as well as a date.  Many houses seem to have been built between 1908 and 1912, presumably for agricultural workers.  This particular house had an interesting name.

Here is a close up of the plaque with its name!

On our ride we came to this aqueduct which we crossed this morning.  This is Mullicourt Aqueduct which takes Well Creek across the Main Drain which carries on as the Sixteen Foot Drain.  The lower water joins to the main route through the Middle Levels but below Marmont Priory Lock that we came through yesterday.  The water at the lower level is in fact below sea level.



And so today, having crossed this aqueduct and covered a few more miles we came to Salter's Lode around lunchtime.

Here is Leo waiting for the moment to go into the lock (under the bridge) and so out to the tidal River Ouse which connects to the sea at King's Lynn.

Here is the other side of the lock.  The wall covered in tyres is to receive incoming boats which tend to get swept by the tide in turning into the lock.  We had to turn right upstream.

Here is the view upstream for half a mile to Denver Sluice.













The Salter's Lode lock keeper, Paul, warned us that there was a chance that we would not be able to make the crossing.  It is the time of low tide range (Neap tides) and the wind was against the tide.  In these circumstances there is a possibility that the tide will not arrive at all up here.  However we were in luck but only just.

Here Leo comes into the lock.  The other side of the gate in front is the tidal river.

Having come down about 3 or 4 feet in the lock the gate opens and out ahead you can see the river.  The Lock Keeper gave advice how best to avoid the mud banks outside.

Here we are part way out, stuck on the mud.  Again Paul's advice was crucial - go backwards and forwards to plough a channel through the soft mud until the boat breaks through into deeper water.  

Here is Helen's view from the bow with Ian following the advice and driving Leo forwards and back until, very slowly, with lots of throttle the boat began to move through the mud.  The bow started to float and soon the stern followed allowing us to turn right across the river and follow this upstream to Denver.

Looking back you can see the guillotine of the lock and the wall of tyres.  We're off.

Here we are approaching Denver Sluice.  To the left is the gate opening to the lock.  We had been told to go very close to the mooring pontoon (this has the red sign on it) and power towards the lock to avoid similar mud banks here too.








The lock keepers at Salters Lode and Denver are full of helpful advice and are continually casual and reassuring to boaters.  They are a wonderful pair.  Once in the lock at Denver we came up easily to the safer non-tidal Great Ouse.

We had forgotten quite how big and wide is the River Great Ouse.













 A mile or so upstream we turned off to cruise the River Wissey, a smaller tributary of the Ouse.

The Wissey is small, tree lined and twisty.  It has been a delight so far.

A few miles upstream is this vast factory built in the 1920s.  It is a sugar factory extracting the white stuff from sugar beet.  A strange smell most similar to yeast pervades the countryside hereabouts.

Just beyond the factory the river flows through a couple of sizeable lakes.

And this is where we are tonight, tied to some trees on a bank cleared by some previous boater.  We have the sound of sheep for company, unlike last night where noisy tractors and lorries shattered the peace of the village of Upwell.








Tomorrow we'll press on to the navigable limit of the Wissey about 11 miles from the Ouse.  On Sunday we have Lucy and her friend Kathryn coming to join us for the day.  So we need to make sure we're back on the Ouse to pick them up at Littleport, North of Ely.  Now that we've passed Denver Sluice we are well on our way to reach Bedford which will be the end of the line for our sortie on the East Anglian Waterways.