Denford to Titchmarsh

Sun 17^th June  Denford

We had failed to find a taxi firm that was available, so we walked to Thrapston to visit the Baptist Church, where we have been twice before. We had a wonderful welcome. People were sitting around on easy chairs having teas and coffees when we arrived and we were immediately included in.

Thrapston Baptist Church

The worship team

The worship team were very competent , and there were two songs that were new to us out of six. The talk was not about Pentecost, but about fathers, as it was Fathers Day. More coffee and chat afterwards, and then we visited the nearby Co-op for some essentials before going down the main street to the Bridge Hotel for their carvery. Excellent food and friendly staff.

The Bridge Hotel

Then it was the walk beck to Denford. On the way we saw four egrets near the river. We also met two guys who came from a boat we had seen moored under the A14 road bridge. We discussed navigation issues with them, and they said Thrapston Bridge shouldn’t be a problem.

We noticed that the water level was down a bit from yesterday, and we thought we would get away in the morning before more heavy rain arrived, forecast for Tuesday evening.

Denford Village sign

No boating today

Mon 18^th June  Denford to Titchmarsh

We set an alarm for this morning, as we wanted to go as far as we could today and tomorrow before more rain arrived.

Sunny morning at Denford

The first lock had a manual wheel to raise the guillotine gate, and they take a lot of effort. To fill the lock was fairly easy as the water was still cascading over the lock gates but not as much as previously.

The wheel

Under the guillotine

After the lock we passed egrets again, and saw a kingfisher. We passed under the A14 where the guys were moored that we met yesterday. This was followed by the old railway viaduct, and then there were some bends before we came to Thrapston Bridge, which has nine arches. Only one is used for navigation and it does not line up properly with the natural course of the river. We crabbed towards it and straightened up at the last minute. We couldn’t avoid nudging the left of the arch as we went through.

Railway arches

The old bridge at Thrapston

Soon after this we arrived at Islip Lock, which thankfully was a push button system for the guillotine gate. Even though they are powered, they still take a long time.

Into Islip Lock

Going with the flow

We continued our journey downstream, and passed the official moorings by Thrapston Sailing Club, where we noticed a BCF boat, Constance Alice, moored up. We couldn’t see anyone aboard except a cat, so we carried on.

There were some tight bends after this, which needed concentration with the strong current behind us. Some moored boats heralded MNCC (the Middle Nene Cruising Club), based at Titchmarsh Mill. Here also is Titchmarsh Lock, and we saw a red sign saying that navigation is forbidden. We stopped on the lock bollards, and went to speak to the Environment Agency staff who we could see at the lock. The locks from here onwards had been “reversed”. They hold the top gates back with padlock and chain, and then raise the guillotine gate a bit to allow the water to flow through the lock. We weren’t going any further.

We contacted some people in the cruising club, and they invited us to moor on the other side, away from the worst of the strong flows that would occur if they raised the guillotine any higher.

Moored at Titchmarsh Mill

We were also able to use their elsan point, which was good news, but sadly they don’t have rubbish bins. All the club members take their litter home with them. Our bag of rubbish was therefore put in the bows.

We made use of the time by running through the songs we need to use for the two funerals we have next week.  When we had finished, we had a look out at the front, and were shocked to discover that a crow had been wrecking our rubbish bag.

The crow’s mess

Titchmarsh Lock and our mooring

James went for a walk around Titchmarsh Nature Reserve. As he walked alongside the river he saw a boat coming downstream. It was Constance Alice and he was able to have a brief shouted conversation with them. They were going to use the facilities at MNCC.  Hazel saw them as they arrived, and she helped them to turn their boat. They had been as far as Peterborough and were now running late due the river situation. They moor at Braunston, and they had contacted their home church in Essex to say they wouldn’t be back in time to undertake their duties.

Meanwhile James was going round the lake and visiting all the bird hides in the nature reserve. He saw some sleek and agile terns, a flock of goldfinches, a reed bunting, lots of greylag geese, and the usual swans, grebes, mallards etc. There were paths mown through fields of deep hay with lots of damsel flies and butterflies. He spotted a painted lady at one point. He heard a cuckoo and knew which tree it was in, but couldn’t see it.

Painted lady

Squirrel

Swan and cygnets

Greylag geese

Tern

Titchmarsh Nature Reserve

When he arrived back at the boat, Constance Alice had returned to the Thrapston mooring where we had first seen them.

2 locks, 4 miles. Dep 0745, arr 0920.

Tue 19^th June  Titchmarsh

It was pleasantly sunny today. Frustratingly, the lock was still padlocked, although the flow seemed to be much less than before.  There are several boats from the boat club here that want to go upstream, and two of them even left their moorings and waited on the lock bollards below the lock.

We heard the cuckoo again today several times. We ran through some songs. We started the engine and did a load of washing. We connected two hoses together and filled up the water tank from a tap around the corner of the building.

We put up the hood as rain was forecast. And it arrived in the late afternoon, but not as heavy as predicted.  The Environment Agency staff did not appear.

Red boards still out

No boating today

Next: When they finally let us go, we will travel as far downstream as we can, as we want to be in Peterborough by Saturday. We have booked a passage through Stanground Sluice for Monday morning at 10am. We have 14 locks to do before then, including 3 more dreaded wheels, and more than 30 miles. It's about twelve hours cruising.