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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Tour 2001
Fenland Tour Summer 2001
23 - Brampton to St Neots, via Bedford and Kempston - River Great Ouse.
Friday 20th July 2001
We shoved off at 07.05, from above Brampton Lock,
it was a promising sunny start to a slightly
unsettled but rain free and warmer day. The river had gone off a bit overnight
and we were about 9 inches lower......just as well those lines were set slack.
Basically this day was a hack to Bedford getting above the Town Lock at 14.30.
On the way up we were sorely tempted to nose up the River Ivel. The level here
was up a bit and the shingle shoal was not as present as in our last trip
up here in 1996. Just before Bedford the cratch was
removed and stowed inside after the very tight Bailey Engineers Footbridge. This
was unexpectedly low and showed that the river was still up at this end. This
would be good / bad for getting up to Kempsford. Good for more depth, bad for
getting under the low railbridges!
Next came the
lower angled low bridge into the right angled Town Lock up into the Upper River
of Bedford. This bridge over the
chamber bridge was meant to be 5cm lower. Without the cratch on we cleared this
easily. We pootled straight on up the river against the fair flow. The
railbridges presented no height problems, but then Earnest is naturally lower in
air draught than Beatty was.
There were now actual EA direction markers round the channel through the double islands.
We carried on
passed the “Beatty winding point”, by some piling on the left and carried on
upstream of the single island. The bifurcation below the island looked good and
deep enough as a
60ft winding point. Here in 1996, we ground to a halt in Beatty. On we went until we clattered to a halt, just short of the
bridge at Kempsford (15.25)
After extracting ourselves from the fast flowing shallows, it was a fairly easy reverse back to beyond the island and a
good wind, without touching the banks. Now followed a rather controlled but fast
trip down to Bedford.
We passed the lock and carried on right to the end of the Upper River, under the arched footbridge and the new footbridge.
The limit of navigation here is a very low road bridge. Now is was straight back to the Bedford Town Lock at
16.30, straight in as NO boats in Bedford!
After the low
footbridge we had a CRAP (Cratch Re-Assembly Procedure) We steamed along the
Tempsford straight at somewhat over 7 mph, for an earlyish stop in St Neots.
This ended up as 20.35.
We moored up on the shortish EA town pontoon, just before
the bridge. There was some music venue thingy going on in the arts centre
beside, so Neil took no chances and chained boat from pontoon centre cleat to
Earnest's enlarged centre fender eye.
Standby that night was the Beefeater, so we moseyed
around and found the La Bicyclette - a French bistro, up an alley. this was
quite pricey
but good food and excellent cheapish house red. This was somewhat a bargain
compared with some of the wines on offer - up to £65 / bottle!
Entrance to Buckden Marina. River Great Ouse.
Buckden Marina and "A" frame holiday cottages. River Great Ouse.
Offord Lock Cut. River Great Ouse.
Offord Lock. River Great Ouse.
Offord Lock. River Great Ouse.
Leaving Offord Lock and Mill. River Great Ouse.
Extracting ourselves from the Weir streams above Offord Lock. River Great
Ouse.
The straight by the ECML rail line, above Offord Cluny. River Great Ouse.
Arriving at St Neots Mill and Lock. River Great Ouse.
St Neots Mill and Lock. River Great Ouse.
St Neots Mill. River Great Ouse.
Leaving the derelict St Neots Paper Mill and St Neots Lock. River Great
Ouse.
St Neots - St Neots Church. River Great Ouse.
The River Great Ouse below St Neots - Lammas Meadow and Crosshall Marina.
Approaching St Neots Bridge. River Great Ouse.
St Neots Bridge and the Bridge House Beefeater, that we did not have to
resort to on the way back!. River Great Ouse.
Looking back at the Visitor Mooring pontoon from under St Neots Bridge.
River Great Ouse.
Apartments and St Neots Marina. River Great Ouse.
Weed cutting at St Neots. River Great Ouse.
Eaton Socon Mill. River Great Ouse.
Eaton Socon Lock. River Great Ouse.
Eaton Socon Mill. River Great Ouse.
Eaton Socon Lock. River Great Ouse.
Leaving Eaton Socon Lock. River Great Ouse.
Tempsford. A1 bridges and Kelpie Boatyard. River Great Ouse.
Tempsford. A1 bridges and Kelpie Boatyard. River Great Ouse.
Tempsford. The old A1 Bridge. River Great Ouse.
Earnest is drawn like a magnet to the River Ivel! Roxton Lock and Weir to
right. River Great Ouse.
Roxton Lock and Weir. River Great Ouse.
Roxton Lock. River Great Ouse.
Roxton Lock. River Great Ouse.
Leaving Roxton Lock. River Great Ouse.
Great Barford Lock and weir. River Great Ouse.
Great Barford Lock and weir. River Great Ouse.
Great Barford Lock and weir. River Great Ouse.
Great Barford Bridge. River Great Ouse.
Site of old staunch above Great Barford. River Great Ouse.
Site of old staunch above Great Barford. River Great Ouse.
Willington Lock. River Great Ouse.
Willington Lock. River Great Ouse.
Willington Lock. River Great Ouse.
Lower lock waiting jetty. Willington Lock. River Great Ouse.
A421 Bridge. River Great Ouse.
Castle Mill Lock and weir. River Great Ouse.
Castle Mill Lock. River Great Ouse.
Castle Mill Lock. River Great Ouse.
Castle Mill Lock. River Great Ouse.
Leaving Castle Mill Lock. River Great Ouse.
Leaving Cardington Lock. River Great Ouse.
Above Cardington Lock. River Great Ouse.
Approaches to Bedford. The Bedford pyramid. River Great Ouse.
Approaches to Bedford. The first low bridge. Disused railbridge. If the GU /
GO link is built this could be raised / replaced by a modern lightweight bridge
as it only carries the Bedford to Sandy Country Way. River Great Ouse.
A5140 Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
The lowness of Engineers Footbridge caught us unaware. Bedford - Lower
River. River Great Ouse.
Looking over to Upper River. Bedford - Lower River. River Great Ouse.
Looking down the Upper River after having just come out of Bedford Lock. River Great Ouse.
Looking down the Upper River and weir to Lower River. River Great Ouse.
Looking up to Bedford Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
Looking back at Bedford Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
Bedford. River Great Ouse.
Bedford. River Great Ouse.
County Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
Looking up at the first low Rail Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse - up to
Kempston.
The second low Rail Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
looking back at the second low Rail Bridge. Bedford. River Great Ouse - up
to Kempston.
The two moored narrowboats above the railbridges. River Great Ouse - up to
Kempston.
Footbridge. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
Coming up to the pair of islands. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
Leaving the pair of islands. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
Coming up to the Beatty winding point. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
We come up to the second island and it is still all go and room to wind
here. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
Leaving the second island behind. River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
River Great Ouse - up to Kempston.
Still sailing up to Kempston Bridge. We soon run aground, but get within a
boat length of it. River Great Ouse.
The first footbridge on the Upper River. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
The second footbridge on the Upper River. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
The Bedford Rowing Clubs boathouse - fortunately non of these were about
today. on the Upper River. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
The end of the Upper River. Upper River. Bedford. River Great
Coming back to the new footbridge. Upper River. Bedford. River Great
Lower River - we have just come out of Bedford Lock and the very low over bridge.
Bedford. River Great
Entrance to Priory Marina. Bedford. River Great Ouse.
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