Mid Level Navigation to Peterborough

We joined up with our friends Ivan & Sandra and their boat Mr Toad at Denver.
We will be cruising back together to Northampton.

We met up with Mr Toad at Denver on Friday 11 July and moored there overnight.

We put our life jackets for the short tidal stretch between Denver Lock and Salter's Load Lock

This is Denver Lock.
Locking in at Salter's Load Lock will take us on to the Mid Level Navigation

Mr Toad goes first...

...while we wait at the lock landing for our turn

Not much wind today!

We arrived at March on Saturday 12 July and stay here overnight

We arrived at Peterborough on Sunday July 13 

The River Wissey & Denver

We decided to cruise on the River Wissey, which joins the River Great Ouse near Denver.

We turned onto the River Wissey on Tuesday evening (8 July) and moored here overnight

On Wednesday we passed the Wissington Sugar Beet Factory

Sugar is a major industry of the Fens and miles of the flat dark fields are devoted to the growing of beet

We stop briefly after turning around at Wittington.
This is the head of the Environment Agency Navigation

We arrived at the Denver Complex mooring on Wednesday 9 July.
The riverside pub was just a few yards away ....

...and Richard & Ruth, who live in nearby Marham, joined us for a meal

The next day Richard, Ruth and  John, a friend of theirs, joined us for a short cruise.
We then all enjoyed a meal in a local pub before going to Richard & Ruth's home for afternoon tea.

On Wednesday we did a short cruise on the Relief Channel to Downham Market, where we moored up and had a look round the town

We head back to the boat for the short trip back to the moorings at Denver Complex, where we will stay overnight

St Ives to Ely, via Cambridge

We left St Ives and cruised on the River Great Ouse to Popes Corner where we turned onto the River Cam, which took us to Cambridge. We then started the return journey home with an overnight stop at Ely.

We moored at this riverside pub for lunch but they had run out of lots of items on the menu so, after a drink, we set off on the boat...

...and moored at this riverside pub at Needlingworth but they had just stopped serving food!

At least they had a large selection of drinks to choose from!

Third time lucky!
We had lunch on board but had a nice evening meal at this riverside pub at Stretham and moored there overnight

We turn onto the River Cam at Popes Corner

We arrived at the end of the navigation of the River Cam in the centre of Cambridge on Sunday 6 July

Chris enjoyed a visit to the Botanic Gardens

Jesus College

Jesus College

Jesus College

Thus bunting was hanging in the city centre.
What event do you think was happening here the next day?1?

We left Cambridge on  Monday 7 July

The two locks on the River Cam are electrically controlled, so it was just pressing buttons and holding the ropes!

We had a this nice shady mooring in Ely, where we stayed overnight on Monday 7 July

It was not easy to get of at the bow or stern but these steps were perfect for our side hatch!

Our lunch stop on Tuesday 8 July