Fenland Tour 2001 Page 21

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Tour 2001

Fenland Tour Summer 2001

21 - Upware to Cambridge - River Cam, inc Wicken Lode and Swaffam Bulbeck Lode.

Wednesday 18th July 2001

It was a horrible still overcast morning - the kind when light rain could start anytime. We eventually both shoved off a 09.20. Frogmoore went first, reversing back to the junction with Wicken Lode. It was a fairly easy trundle to the winding point at the bifurcation near the low footbridge.
Speed was only governed by the width of the fairly deep, but narrow, reedy channel. It was a very pretty little waterway, one cruiser was already on the Great Ouse Boating Assc. moorings and another plastic hire boat followed us up. We stayed at the end from 10.15 to 10.40. JC went on a walkabout to the National Trust hut, so we left first.
We wanted to meet Captain Beeky in Cambridge at around 16.00, so had to push on as we still had Swaffam Bulbeck Lode and Botisham Lode to do on the way up to Cambridge. After at brief swapping of waterpumps and boat hooks to be repaired by Neil, for John we parted company at Upware Lock, with John Chapman and Frogmoore II.
Neil still had to get the spares for John's water pump, that Captain Beeky would be dropping off. It was agreed that we would meet up later, probably back on the Middle Level, on Earnest's way back home via the rest of the Middle Level and the River Nene.
We set off from Upware Lock at 12.00 after a water fill and carried on up the River Cam. It was an aborted attempt up Swaffam Bulbeck Lode, through the lock. This was meant to be navigable about a mile up to the bridge at Slades Farm, but the bottom pointy gates and manual guillotine was chained up - not the boater EA key. We spent 12.30 to 12.50 here.
The next disaster was Bottisham Lode. This is shallow but meant to be unofficially navigable, through the pointy flood doors. Here the EA were replacing the flood doors!
We sped on up to Cambridge through Bottisham and Baits Bite Locks, in increasing rain. No rowers about on the "revered rule of the road" bit. We stopped and moored up, just one boat away from Jesus Green Weir (15.30) Captain Beeky arrived a while after to take home Doug. John Rushbrook managed to get Neil on Peter's fone, to say that he will be joining us tomorrow morning until Sunday. Peter and Neil went out into the town that night. After a wander we went to a very good (and expensive) Chinese restaurant (name again please Peter!). The big annoyance here was that there were no dish warmers and the place had EXCESSIVE air conditioning, which made matters worse.

Wicken Lode.