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Guidance for visitors to the Fenland Waterways


Scholar Gypsy

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7 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party and it all seems a bit confusing. My good lady retired 3 weeks ago so we are off on our first 6 month cruise. After considering the covid situation we decided the Fens & Great Ouse are preferable to London. We have a Gold License so am I correct in thinking we don't need any other license?

 

 

Not for this year, But you will from next year.

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6 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party and it all seems a bit confusing. My good lady retired 3 weeks ago so we are off on our first 6 month cruise. After considering the covid situation we decided the Fens & Great Ouse are preferable to London. We have a Gold License so am I correct in thinking we don't need any other license?

 

 

 

For 2021, that is basically correct.  You would only need the Anglian pass if you wanted to visit the Cam Conservators waterways, ie upstream of Bottisham Lock.  Most people would say that is not worth £100, and I would probably agree (although I did a trip to Cambridge this week) -- though the trip through the middle of Cambridge is good fun but only allowed October-March.   

 

If you want to get a flavour of what you will see, the entire Fenland system is covered in my blog. https://scholargypsy.org.uk/contents/  

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12 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

 

For 2021, that is basically correct.  You would only need the Anglian pass if you wanted to visit the Cam Conservators waterways, ie upstream of Bottisham Lock.  Most people would say that is not worth £100, and I would probably agree (although I did a trip to Cambridge this week) -- though the trip through the middle of Cambridge is good fun but only allowed October-March.   

 

If you want to get a flavour of what you will see, the entire Fenland system is covered in my blog. https://scholargypsy.org.uk/contents/  

 

Thank you for the prompt reply and the link - we have a distant relative who lives very close to Baits Bite Lock so he'll have to meet us at Bottisham Lock (is it possible to turn a 57ft boat there?) 

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1 minute ago, Midnight said:

 

Thank you for the prompt reply and the link - we have a distant relative who lives very close to Baits Bite Lock so he'll have to meet us at Bottisham Lock (is it possible to turn a 57ft boat there?) 

Yes, you can turn easily. 

 

You might be tempted to stop briefly (but illegally) on the GOBA moorings just above the lock. An alternative is to pick  your relative up from the lock landing below the lock (which are more extensive than usual, photo belowDSC_2080.JPG.6a73c66d5d4998208cc3d7346a868792.JPG). 

 

There is a very good cycle path from Baits Bite down to Clayhithe bridge, and then a footpath on either side of the river downstream of there, all the way to Ely.  Cycle route 11 is also worth checking out... 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 07/05/2021 at 22:21, Scholar Gypsy said:

Yes, you can turn easily. 

 

You might be tempted to stop briefly (but illegally) on the GOBA moorings just above the lock. An alternative is to pick  your relative up from the lock landing below the lock (which are more extensive than usual, photo belowDSC_2080.JPG.6a73c66d5d4998208cc3d7346a868792.JPG). 

 

There is a very good cycle path from Baits Bite down to Clayhithe bridge, and then a footpath on either side of the river downstream of there, all the way to Ely.  Cycle route 11 is also worth checking out... 

 

 

I have joined GOBA great value

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On 24/02/2021 at 18:23, Scholar Gypsy said:

I sent in half a dozen suggestions to David Thomas (Chief Engineer of the MLC) last year, after my  excursions around some of the isolated parts of the system.  I would commend Woodwalton Fen in particular. 
 

 

Hello - Coming to the ML later in the year and would like to get to Woodwalton Fen.  What's the maximum length of boat that could turn above the Raveley Drain Sluice shown in the photo?  Doable in a 66 ft?  Or would it be better to moor up on the Nene or New Dyke and walk in (or bring a smaller boat, for that matter)?

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3 minutes ago, Patrick_C said:

 

Hello - Coming to the ML later in the year and would like to get to Woodwalton Fen.  What's the maximum length of boat that could turn above the Raveley Drain Sluice shown in the photo?  Doable in a 66 ft?  Or would it be better to moor up on the Nene or New Dyke and walk in (or bring a smaller boat, for that matter)?

 

You may find yourself trapped above the sluice gate. if it rains, the sluice gate will shut on its own.

 

You could moor in Ramsey and catch the 31 bus to Peterborough, ask for Chapel Road and get off there. Then it is a 20 minuite walk down the lane passed the Great Fen and Ramsey Heights nature reserves to the bridge over Raveley Drain into  Woodwalton Fen. 

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8 hours ago, Patrick_C said:

Oops.  I meant below the sluice (to the north of it - 'above' in a looking at the map sense :) ). 

 

The info about the bus from Ramsey is very helpful, thank you.

 

I am pretty confident (from advice from another boater) that you could turn at the pumping station here.

I turned my 57 foot boat at the northern extremity of the reserve,  here,  and then reversed to the sluice.  The channel is deep and there was no weed last summer. For reasons noted above I did not fancy going under the sluice (though it has been done 20 years ago: here).

 

I think I could have turned further south, but there were some large trees on the right hand (west) bank, I was single handed,  it was windy, and I did not fancy getting a tree branch through a window.  

 

Some pre-reading:  https://www.greatfen.org.uk/

This is an excellent book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Fen-Journey-Through-Time/dp/187435796X, I heard Alan Bowley give a talk last year. I can't find it on youtube but there are several videos of his rambles.

Edited by Scholar Gypsy
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  • 3 weeks later...

Have a question about this magical mystical middle level land.

 

Going between the Nene and the Ouse, on the map I see two main ways of getting through.

 

1. Via Salters Lode and Denver Sluice

2. Via the Old Bedford River (either via Benwick or along sixteen foot river).

 

Option 2 requires you to go through Horseway Sluice and Welches Dam sluice. I cant find much information on these though and when I look on Google Earth, forty foot drain looks completely dry! Is this just what it looks like, or is it unusual, or is it a case of waiting for rains??

 

image.png.b06e179275d82b58fec777ddc009a460.png

 

 

 

Sub question, how did these drains get their names - 40 foot, 20 foot, 16 foot. Is that their maximum width?

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1 minute ago, jetzi said:

Sub question, how did these drains get their names - 40 foot, 20 foot, 16 foot. Is that their maximum width?

 

Example :

Sir Cornelius Vermuyden designed the drain as part of his great drainage scheme of 1649-53, and it forms a broad, artificial river. The name "Forty Foot" is given for the width of the original works – forty feet between the tops of the banks.

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Welches Dam is closed and has been for years, so your only route is via Salter's Lode (after that you have a choice of going through Denver Sluice and down the Ouse or down the tidal New Bedford River  - though its a choice you'll need to make in advance by phoning the lockkeeper to find out what times are best for each option)

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1 hour ago, enigmatic said:

Welches Dam is closed and has been for years, so your only route is via Salter's Lode

 

Is it just the lock that is closed? Is it possible at least to cruise from the Ouse south on the Old Bedford River to the top of Welches Dam lock? And vice versa via Horseway to to the bottom?

 

I managed to find this image of Welches Dam on Google street view, seen from Old Bedford River, which looks navigable-ish. But the lock is clearly closed as you say... hopefully not permanently??

 

image.png.79681dd8a11b08c86616f543f99a9a44.png

 

1 hour ago, enigmatic said:

It's alright really, Upwell and Outwell are interesting to navigate through and even the "slow" route via Denver lets you cruise at 7mph north of Ely and other bits of river you probably won't want to miss

Sure and I'm looking forward to that but it would have been nice to go out and back a different way.

 

@Scholar Gypsy Perhaps it's worth noting on the guide that routes through Welches Dam are not possible, none of the maps I have seen indicate this and I'm probably not the only one who wondered if there is an alternative route. ?

Edited by jetzi
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27 minutes ago, jetzi said:

 

Is it just the lock that is closed? Is it possible at least to cruise from the Ouse south on the Old Bedford River to the top of Welches Dam lock? And vice versa via Horseway to to the bottom?

 

I managed to find this image of Welches Dam on Google street view, seen from Old Bedford River, which looks navigable-ish. But the lock is clearly closed as you say... hopefully not permanently??

 

image.png.79681dd8a11b08c86616f543f99a9a44.png

 

Sure and I'm looking forward to that but it would have been nice to go out and back a different way.

 

@Scholar Gypsy Perhaps it's worth noting on the guide that routes through Welches Dam are not possible, none of the maps I have seen indicate this and I'm probably not the only one who wondered if there is an alternative route. ?

The other end can be seen here https://nbharnser.blogspot.com/2012/02/horseway-lock-28-feb-2012.html

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48 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Until Well Creek was reopened in the 70s the only way through was via Horseway, Welches Dam and the Old Bedford.

And then Welches closed shortly thereafter? It seems a bit of a pity that the MLN commissioners only see the need for one way through, it would be nice for visitors to be able to go there and back a different route, not to mention the redundancy preventing people being stranded one side or tother.

 

 

26 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

The other end can be seen here https://nbharnser.blogspot.com/2012/02/horseway-lock-28-feb-2012.html

 

 

the right hand bank had been scraped clear to allow a crawler tracked dredger access and this had worked its way right up to Horseway Lock which was helpful. We have moored for the night on the lock landing which like the lock is in first class order. The bottom gats of the lock are chained and padlocked but both end gates are ajar with no level differential. The other side of the lock the cut just disappears into an overgrown mess, so I am sure no one will be wanting to lock through

 

So the lock is fine, it is just the actual waterway between Horseway and Welches.

 

Thanks for the link though, I'm reading through your other posts in the area. It looks marvellously isolated down there, probably worth the mile of reversing!!

 

 

Edit: Found some more information on the IWA website here: https://waterways.org.uk/waterways/discover-the-waterways/old-bedford-river

 

Welches Dam lock was closed in 2006, and it also notes that "Longer boats [than 50 feet] may not be able to gain access due to the tight bend in the narrow tidal channel below Old Bedford Sluice."

 

As my boat is 65' it looks like this wouldn't be possible for me anyway :( Even if the locks were open.

Edited by jetzi
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4 hours ago, jetzi said:

And then Welches closed shortly thereafter? It seems a bit of a pity that the MLN commissioners only see the need for one way through, it would be nice for visitors to be able to go there and back a different route, not to mention the redundancy preventing people being stranded one side or tother.

 

 

 

So the lock is fine, it is just the actual waterway between Horseway and Welches.

 

Thanks for the link though, I'm reading through your other posts in the area. It looks marvellously isolated down there, probably worth the mile of reversing!!

 

 

Edit: Found some more information on the IWA website here: https://waterways.org.uk/waterways/discover-the-waterways/old-bedford-river

 

Welches Dam lock was closed in 2006, and it also notes that "Longer boats [than 50 feet] may not be able to gain access due to the tight bend in the narrow tidal channel below Old Bedford Sluice."

 

As my boat is 65' it looks like this wouldn't be possible for me anyway :( Even if the locks were open.

 

The last trip on the OBR was in 2018. There are blogs around.  I am currently crewing for one of the boaters who did that trip (we are on the way to Hull, but that is another story). He hopes to do it again in 2022.

 

As well as the length issue you have noted,  the locks at Welches Dam and Horseway are the original length,  45'. The locks on the main transit route were lengthened 30 years ago - there are plaques and the extensions are very obvious. Even today 70'  boats can only transit Salters Lode when the tide makes a level and the gates at both ends can be opened. 

 

More photos of Welches Dam, well worth the walk, and the  reversing. 

 

https://scholargypsy.org.uk/2020/08/14/summer-trip-2-horseway-and-welches-dam/

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6 minutes ago, jetzi said:

 

Is it just the lock that is closed? Is it possible at least to cruise from the Ouse south on the Old Bedford River to the top of Welches Dam lock? And vice versa via Horseway to to the bottom?

 

I managed to find this image of Welches Dam on Google street view, seen from Old Bedford River, which looks navigable-ish. But the lock is clearly closed as you say... hopefully not permanently??

 

image.png.79681dd8a11b08c86616f543f99a9a44.png

 

Sure and I'm looking forward to that but it would have been nice to go out and back a different way.

 

@Scholar Gypsy Perhaps it's worth noting on the guide that routes through Welches Dam are not possible, none of the maps I have seen indicate this and I'm probably not the only one who wondered if there is an alternative route. ?

 

You can cruise down the sixteen foot and forty foot drains if you want to see some more straight lines, high banks and reeds. :) Plenty of splendid isolation anywhere on the Middle Level outside the towns  

There are other corners of the Middle Level involving actual villages, though you might want to compare the height of your boat with the Middle Level Commissioners' map of low bridge as well as be careful about length (and some of the other bits that look like loops on the map aren't: the sixteen foot drain doesn't join Well Creek, it passes under it.)

 

And (tides permitting) you can cruise on the New Bedford River which is close and parallel to the Old one and actually useful as a quick nonstop way to or from the bit of the Ouse with all the towns on.

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1 hour ago, enigmatic said:

And (tides permitting) you can cruise on the New Bedford River which is close and parallel to the Old one and actually useful as a quick nonstop way to or from the bit of the Ouse with all the towns on.

As a warning, two boats going upstream last summer grounded and got stuck, when the next tide came in it overwhelmed them and they sank ?

Was warned by Paul that it might not be advisable due to shallows near Manea where I could get stuck and suffer the same fate.

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3 minutes ago, Loddon said:

As a warning, two boats going upstream last summer grounded and got stuck, when the next tide came in it overwhelmed them and they sank ?

Was warned by Paul that it might not be advisable due to shallows near Manea where I could get stuck and suffer the same fate.

 

That is not uncommon for people not used to tidal waters.

The suction of the mud can be far 'stronger' than the buoyancy of the boat, if the boat does not start to move with the tide :

The normal way to overcome it is, as the tide starts to come in, to slide a rope under the boat and with a person on each side 'saw' the rope from side to side, working it along from bow to stern (or vice versa) this allows the water to get between the mud and the boat and breaks the seal.

 

If you are single handed you are boogered !

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When the moorings at Three Mills were tidal boats had two ropes that ran from the offside handrail under the boat and were tied to the floating pontoon. The idea being the pontoon would float and if the boat was stuck it would tip the boat and break the mud seal.

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So based on what was said above about the un-navigability of forty foot above Horseway lock, and of the Old Bedford being unnavigable for full size craft, and the New Bedford being hazardous due to shallowness, does this map (modified from IWA peterborough) reflect an up to date picture of MLN navigability?

 

middle-level-map1.thumb.jpg.0a8aa879309ca78f63842e5b411fb6af.jpg

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