Thinking of going on the nene

[Acorn2]

we would be coming down the middle level from ramsey forty foot in cambridge.

we are farily new to boating and we wil have help from brother in law and his wife. my wife has bad arthritis but trys her best. so a crew of two and a half lol.

how long would it take us to get to salters lock from ramsey and would we have enough time to do some of the nene and back in a week .. or should i make it two weeks.

 

wife is scared to death as its tidal. and she cant swim. but i told her il get her a life jakcet LOL..

 

is it as scary as they say on these tidal rivers after being on the drains.

any help appreicated any tipe and would we have to man many locks as we not done any at all yet.

 

ste

[Bullfrog]

Welcome.

 

Try planning your route with this site:-

 

http://www2.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/index.cgi

[Acorn2]

Welcome.

 

Try planning your route with this site:-

 

http://www2.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/index.cgi

 

 

I don't know any places on the nene so i dont know how to use this planner.

 

ste

[Bullfrog]

Well you've already mentioned Ramsey and Salters Lode Lock - it will do those for you!

 

As for the Nene, you could pick your destinations off a road atlas if you like, then check the timings and the detailed route with the planner.

 

 

There's the result for your first query - all acknowledements to Canalplan AC.

 

Best route from Ramsey to Salter's Lode Lock

 

Middle Level Navigations (Ramsey High Lode)

From Ramsey to:

Saunder's Bridge

Junction of Old River Nene and Ramsey High Lode 1.13 miles, 0 locks (total 1.13 miles, 0 locks)

 

Middle Level Navigations (Old River Nene)

From Saunder's Bridge to:

Well's Bridge

Junction of Old River Nene and Forty Foot River 0.88 miles, 0 locks (total 2 miles, 0 locks)

 

Middle Level Navigations (Forty Foot River)

From Well's Bridge to:

Chatteris Road Bridge

A141 road 6 miles, 0 locks (total 8 miles, 0 locks)

Sixteen Foot Corner

Junction of Forty Foot and Sixteen Foot Rivers 1.75 miles, 0 locks (total 9.75 miles, 0 locks)

Horseway Village Bridge

B1098 road 0.25 miles, 0 locks (total 10 miles, 0 locks)

Welches Dam Sluice

Junction of Forty Foot River with the Old Bedford River 2 miles, 2 locks (total 12 miles, 2 locks)

 

River Great Ouse (Old Bedford River)

From Welches Dam Sluice to:

Delph Bridge

Welney Village (A1101 road) 6 miles, 0 locks (total 18 miles, 2 locks)

Salter's Lode Junction

Junction of Well Creek with Great Ouse and Old Bedford River 6.25 miles, 0 locks (total 24.25 miles, 2 locks)

 

Middle Level Navigations (Well Creek)

From Salter's Lode Junction to:

Salter's Lode Lock 0.13 miles, 0 locks (total 24.38 miles, 2 locks)

 

Total distance is 24.38 miles and 2 locks.

 

Made up of 24.38 miles of broad canals; 2 broad locks.

 

This will take 8 hours which is 1 days, 2 hours at 6 hours per day.

Edited July 14, 2008 by Bullfrog

[calamity507]

Surely if you are at Ramsey and want to go on the Nene , salters Lode will not come in to it , you wont be going that way.

[Acorn2]

Well you've already mentioned Ramsey and Salters Lode Lock - it will do those for you!

 

As for the Nene, you could pick your destinations off a road atlas if you like, then check the timings and the detailed route with the planner.

 

 

There's the result for your first query - all acknowledements to Canalplan AC.

 

Best route from Ramsey to Salter's Lode Lock

 

Middle Level Navigations (Ramsey High Lode)

From Ramsey to:

Saunder's Bridge

Junction of Old River Nene and Ramsey High Lode 1.13 miles, 0 locks (total 1.13 miles, 0 locks)

 

Middle Level Navigations (Old River Nene)

From Saunder's Bridge to:

Well's Bridge

Junction of Old River Nene and Forty Foot River 0.88 miles, 0 locks (total 2 miles, 0 locks)

 

Middle Level Navigations (Forty Foot River)

From Well's Bridge to:

Chatteris Road Bridge

A141 road 6 miles, 0 locks (total 8 miles, 0 locks)

Sixteen Foot Corner

Junction of Forty Foot and Sixteen Foot Rivers 1.75 miles, 0 locks (total 9.75 miles, 0 locks)

Horseway Village Bridge

B1098 road 0.25 miles, 0 locks (total 10 miles, 0 locks)

Welches Dam Sluice

Junction of Forty Foot River with the Old Bedford River 2 miles, 2 locks (total 12 miles, 2 locks)

 

River Great Ouse (Old Bedford River)

From Welches Dam Sluice to:

Delph Bridge

Welney Village (A1101 road) 6 miles, 0 locks (total 18 miles, 2 locks)

Salter's Lode Junction

Junction of Well Creek with Great Ouse and Old Bedford River 6.25 miles, 0 locks (total 24.25 miles, 2 locks)

 

Middle Level Navigations (Well Creek)

From Salter's Lode Junction to:

Salter's Lode Lock 0.13 miles, 0 locks (total 24.38 miles, 2 locks)

 

Total distance is 24.38 miles and 2 locks.

 

Made up of 24.38 miles of broad canals; 2 broad locks.

 

This will take 8 hours which is 1 days, 2 hours at 6 hours per day.

 

 

thankyou bullfrog that is what i wanted.

 

i want to go to the nene from ramsey as apart of a weeks trip also could you advise me

[Bullfrog]

As I said before, try :-

 

http://www2.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/index.cgi

 

it's not difficult, just follow the on-screen instructions.

 

regards

 

david

[Tim Lewis]

we would be coming down the middle level from ramsey forty foot in cambridge.

we are farily new to boating and we wil have help from brother in law and his wife. my wife has bad arthritis but trys her best. so a crew of two and a half lol.

how long would it take us to get to salters lock from ramsey and would we have enough time to do some of the nene and back in a week .. or should i make it two weeks.

 

wife is scared to death as its tidal. and she cant swim. but i told her il get her a life jakcet LOL..

 

is it as scary as they say on these tidal rivers after being on the drains.

any help appreicated any tipe and would we have to man many locks as we not done any at all yet.

 

ste

 

I think you are confusing yourself or confusing others. As calamity has mentioned you do not need to go via Salters Lode and the tidal Ouse to get to the Nene (you can do this of course by going out at Salters Lode and back into the Tidal Nene but I would suggest that this is only for experienced boaters and with the assistance of a pilot)

 

Going by the more sensible non tidal route via Stanground sluice a fit crew doing long days could possibly do Northampton and back from Ramsey in a week but a more sensible week would possibly be Ramsey to Irthlingborough and back.

 

Tim

[Rob@BSSOffice]

we would be coming down the middle level from ramsey forty foot in cambridge.

we are farily new to boating

{SNIP}

any help appreicated any tips.

 

Some of the bridge levels on the Middle level are very low, so keep your heads down.

Have fun

Rob@BSSOffice

[Scotty]

we would be coming down the middle level from ramsey forty foot in cambridge.

we are farily new to boating and we wil have help from brother in law and his wife. my wife has bad arthritis but trys her best. so a crew of two and a half lol.

how long would it take us to get to salters lock from ramsey and would we have enough time to do some of the nene and back in a week .. or should i make it two weeks.

 

wife is scared to death as its tidal. and she cant swim. but i told her il get her a life jakcet LOL..

 

is it as scary as they say on these tidal rivers after being on the drains.

any help appreicated any tipe and would we have to man many locks as we not done any at all yet.

 

ste

Hi, as others have said, from Ramsay you won't need to use Salters Lode or the Tidal Ouse

 

You need to call Tina at Stanground lock to arrange passage from the middle levels to the Nene

you'll also need a windlass for Ashline lock in Whittlesey and a key to operate the locks on the Nene

and you need an EA licence for the Nene.

 

The Nene isn't tidal and is lovely, not scary! Although there can be fast flowing water near the locks because the weirs are nearby.

Here's a some useful downloads:

nenemap.pdf

ousemap.pdf

MLC Navigation Map

MLC Navigation Notes 2008

[Chertsey]

Another candidate for a Bill Fen banter?

 

We'll be doing this in a couple of weeks. I'll have to check when I get home but I think we've only allowed a day to get from Ramsey (High Lode) to Stanground, and then three days to get to Northampton, but we're not planning on being too leisurely at this stage as we want to get to Cropredy by the 7th (leaving on the 30th)... we can relax after that!

 

Moomin will know. He can remember figures, and I can't.

 

As others have said, it's Stanground for the Nene, Salters and Denver and the brief tidal bit inbetween for the Ouse. It took me long enough to get the hang of that so I hope I've remembered it right.

[MoominPapa]

Another candidate for a Bill Fen banter?

 

 

Moomin will know. He can remember figures, and I can't.

Going the other way, we did Blisworth to P'borough in three days. We were booked through Stanground at 12, and arrived at Bill Fen at about 6.30. No low-flying was involved.

 

Having just done Ramsey to the Ouse, the hard bits were not what I expected. The tide made a level at both Slater's Lode and Denver, so we sailed straight though. Only had to stop to buy a license. We were let out when the tide was flowing inland, so the scary turn out of Salter's Lode was simple.

 

On the other hand, Well creek was dificult. It's narrow and shallow. We're 2'10" and I think we were on the ragged edge. Paul at SL said that President, the steam NB which went through the week before needed assistance from a Landrover and a long rope. (and at Whittlesey too). I'd not like to meet anything golng the other way along there, or low water levels.

 

The Ouse is fun, but large bits of the Wissey involve a prop-full of blanket weed on every bend.

 

 

As others have said, it's Stanground for the Nene, Salters and Denver and the brief tidal bit inbetween for the Ouse. It took me long enough to get the hang of that so I hope I've remembered it right.

 

Dead right.

 

MP.

 

 

Some of the bridge levels on the Middle level are very low, so keep your heads down.

... and don't assume that because you got under a particular bridge last time, you'll be OK this time. I got caught out by that!

 

MP.

[Chertsey]

... and don't assume that because you got under a particular bridge last time, you'll be OK this time. I got caught out by that!

 

MP.

And don't trust the Imray guide either, especially on the Twenty Foot, or come to that the level boards at the bridges - and that includes on the Nene.

[Mike A]

... and don't assume that because you got under a particular bridge last time, you'll be OK this time. I got caught out by that!

 

MP.

 

We came down the Nene onto Middles Levels about six weeks ago. Northampton to March took us about 35hrs. Nene was a problem because of sustained heavy rain. Environment Agency issue "Strong stream advice". When river level is up some of the locks are "reversed" to control flooding which means they are closed to navigation. Bridge at below Islip lock is low and we were held up till river level subsided. No problems on Nene at moment according to Environment Agency website.

 

MikeA