Floods Ferry update

[starman]

Went past there yesterday and there's a banner on the landing stage saying 'overnight moorings available enquire at reception'.

Looks like they may have changed their policy again. Didn't stop so can't confirm.

[wandering snail]

They must have been taking their medication.

[ditchcrawler]

Maybe the money is drying up

[wandering snail]

Can't help but see similarities with the PL style of management so maybe it is.

[dekker]

Can't help but see similarities with the PL style of management so maybe it is.

What is this please?

[Paul G2]

What is this please?

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=63317&page=1

 

Just read through page three and you'll understand.

[dekker]

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=63317&page=1

 

Just read through page three and you'll understand.

Ah Pilling Lock that will do nicely ta

[gazza]

The banner was up last September along with a smaller sign saying no mooring. Too lazy to take it down....

I will ring them tomorrow to check. Despite the awful attitude of the owners new wife floods ferry is in an excellent location and is a handy stop when returning home off the Ouse. It was great when remmy was manager there.

[ditchcrawler]

The banner was up last September along with a smaller sign saying no mooring. Too lazy to take it down....

I will ring them tomorrow to check. Despite the awful attitude of the owners new wife floods ferry is in an excellent location and is a handy stop when returning home off the Ouse. It was great when remmy was manager there.

It might pay to ask if the club house is open as well.

[gazza]

That was well shut last summer :-( we last stopped there end of April 2012. The signs in the toilets telling the inmates they needed to provide their own hand soap and toilet rolls was an eye opener!

We stopped at benwick after bring given the heads up by Brian Gowler from middle level waterman's club that the new wife had moved in and ruined everything there.

Loved walking along the bank to March with the hound as the sun was setting :-(

[gazza]

Answer phone message left with Floods Ferry. Will see if they reply. Update as and when I get one.

[wandering snail]

Answer phone message left with Floods Ferry. Will see if they reply. Update as and when I get one.

Ooh, what did you ask? Hope it was absolutely totally and utterly inoffensive. They do take umbrage at all sorts of speech inflections, let alone subject matter.

[ditchcrawler]

Answer phone message left with Floods Ferry. Will see if they reply. Update as and when I get one.

What time did you ring, between 10 and 3 I hope and not at weekend

[gazza]

About 1.30 today. But it is a holy day so I may have broken some mad rule that waany laminated and pinned to the wall... :-)

 

Don't do unprovoked offensive language but if the opportunity arrives I am more than capable of a not very pleasant exchange!

[gazza]

No answer was the stern reply (see what I did there... :-) )

Will try again on Tuesday but I have a feeling we all know the answer...

 

 

Cheers

 

Gaz.

 

Edited to add a word that made the crap joke make sense :-)

Edited April 19, 2014 by gazza

[junior]

This thread is all a bit cryptic. Any chance of an overview from someone who knows what it's about?

[gazza]

Floods ferry is a caravan/park home and marina in the fens on the Nene/Ouse link route. It is roughly equidistant from Stanground sluice and Salters Lode sluice.

It was an excellent place to overnight or even a destination in its own right for us fenland boaters.

It used to be run for the owner by an ace chap called remmy.

As I understand it, the owner lost his wife, took up with Mrs owner #2 who has a management style remarkably similar to PL of pillings lock fame.

Visiting boaters are now no longer welcome at floods ferry. The awful women does not have the courtesy to return a call. This would be what is known as the thin end of the wedge....!

We now stop at the middle level waterman's ace new staithe or make a detour to the lovely village of Benwick when returning home from the Ouse.

Its a shame but not an insurmountable problem.

My phone call was to confirm the fact the rumor is unlikely to be true.

 

HTH

Edited April 19, 2014 by gazza

[starman]

I heard another side of the story from someone who has moored there for ten years. Says the site owner became increasingly fed up with visiting boaters who left rubbish on the bank, let dogs foul on grass and last straw was finding recently installed toilets smashed.

True or not I don't know and don't have any axe to grind either way.

Whatever the reason, it is a shame to have lost a handy and friendly stopover on the ML.

Benwick is ok option but there's only length for one 60ft nb.

[gazza]

There's room for a couple of boats as long as you are prepared to tie up with only your arse end on the mooring.

Bit of a pet hate of mine is folks taking all the space when they only need ten foot or less of the rear end to step on and off of.

Its a shame more don't boat on the broads these days. You soon learn to make best use of the available space or risk getting wet if you won't ;-)

[gazza]

As for the other part of your post. I can believe the rubbish being left on the bank, last time we stayed she was rude and offhand with us the moment we tied up. We were immediately told the bins were not for our use. A request I freely admit I ignored. I disposed of our rubbish in the bins under the cover of darkness whilst walking the dog. There are precious few places to dispose of your rubbish and when charged a tenner for the privilege of stopping over night the use of a bin is not a lot to ask!

 

We were also told the newly refurbished toilets would be off limits to us once they were finished. My guess would be a disgruntled inmate Rather than a visiting boater.

 

Whatever happened doesn't change the fact Floods Ferry went down hill when she arrived.

[ditchcrawler]

As for the other part of your post. I can believe the rubbish being left on the bank, last time we stayed she was rude and offhand with us the moment we tied up. We were immediately told the bins were not for our use. A request I freely admit I ignored. I disposed of our rubbish in the bins under the cover of darkness whilst walking the dog. There are precious few places to dispose of your rubbish and when charged a tenner for the privilege of stopping over night the use of a bin is not a lot to ask!

 

We were also told the newly refurbished toilets would be off limits to us once they were finished. My guess would be a disgruntled inmate Rather than a visiting boater.

 

Whatever happened doesn't change the fact Floods Ferry went down hill when she arrived.

You will be on CCTV

[gazza]

Its the closest I will get to stardom :-)

[dekker]

We stopped at Floods Ferry a few years ago. One night was FOC. Mrs Dekker and me increased their bar takings 10 fold that night The guy in charge was dutch (

was that Remmy), His wife was running the bar and was very friendly.

 

I hope to come to the fens again this year. Please explain a good place to stop overnight instead of Floods Ferry and March.

 

Thanks

 

Dekker

Edited April 20, 2014 by dekker

[ditchcrawler]

We stopped at Floods Ferry a few years ago. One night was FOC. Mrs Dekker and me increased their bar takings 10 fold that night The guy in charge was dutch (

was that Remmy), His wife was running the bar and was very friendly.

 

I hope to come to the fens again this year. Please explain a good place to stop overnight instead of Floods Ferry and March.

 

Thanks

 

Dekker

We often stopped just above the lock at Whittelesey, easy walk to the town then there is Benwick with the pub, but I don't know if they still do food. March we moored by the park by the foot bridge, found it quieter than the town mooring. Three Holes now has a mooring. By the Crown at Outwell, by the road but the food was very good.

[gazza]

 

 

The dutch guy is Remmy. A great loss to floods ferry.

 

Brian has covered available moorings. It depends on what you are doing and time available.

Normally we wizz through the link route as the more southern reaches of the levels become more difficult for us to navigate in the height of summer due to duck weed etc.

If you have the time and are not so hampered by raw water cooling there is a lot to do down Ramsey way.

If you are staying on the link route Whittlesey by the sports center is OK. Short walk into town with a good 'spoons on the market square.

Benwick as mentioned. March obviously, but it does offer a few more options than before.

Upwell, Outwell and a hotel mooring the name of which escapes me in Nordelph.

 

Anything else and your on your own with mudweights and steep banks hopefully without getting told off by the land owner.

 

I absolutely love the levels, early spring is our best time to cruise before the weed gets going and the visiting canal folk take up the scant moorings :-)