Navigating the Great Ouse tributaries

[ditchcrawler]

Those wheely difficult locks on the Nene can be made more user-friendly by the use of a screwdriver, put through the hole where the original handle used to be. It doesn't make it any easier, but it enables you to change to a different muscle-set every 5 minutes! Thanks go to nb 'Armadillo' for this tip.

 

NeneLocks.jpg

and a cork to hold the button in on the electric ones to save your thumb muscles

[Mac of Cygnet]

and a cork to hold the button in on the electric ones to save your thumb muscles

I have seen miniature clips used for the same purpose, but this is a practice frowned upon by the EA (I saw a notice to that effect).

[ditchcrawler]

I have seen miniature clips used for the same purpose, but this is a practice frowned upon by the EA (I saw a notice to that effect).

With the cork you are holding the button in with your hand (saves the thumb), with a clip you can walk away and leave it. Does that make a difference.

[Scholar Gypsy]

With the cork you are holding the button in with your hand (saves the thumb), with a clip you can walk away and leave it. Does that make a difference.

I think it does. Maybe you need an arrangement like a kill cord on a powerboat, so that if you walk away the clip comes with you and the gate stops ...

 

I noticed recently that the gates at Denver have high speed and low speed buttons - only for lockkeeper use, of course!

[Mac of Cygnet]

With the cork you are holding the button in with your hand (saves the thumb), with a clip you can walk away and leave it. Does that make a difference.

 

Yes, of course. I thought that somehow the cork was of such a diameter that it could be bunged in and left, the buttons being recessed as they are. If you have to stand there with your hand on it anyway, I don't see the advantage over a thumb. It's coming to something when one complains about a lock mechanism because one's thumb gets tired.....

[gazza]

 

Yes, of course. I thought that somehow the cork was of such a diameter that it could be bunged in and left, the buttons being recessed as they are. If you have to stand there with your hand on it anyway, I don't see the advantage over a thumb. It's coming to something when one complains about a lock mechanism because one's thumb gets tired.....

It's a different breed these days, our locks used to be hard work, the gates were all handraulic and the paddle gear needed about 1000 turns to raise and lower them.

 

Now the gates are mostly all electric and the paddles have been altered so they need about 6 turns from shut to open and back again

 

Sore thumb indeed!!

 

[ditchcrawler]

I think it does. Maybe you need an arrangement like a kill cord on a powerboat, so that if you walk away the clip comes with you and the gate stops ...

 

I noticed recently that the gates at Denver have high speed and low speed buttons - only for lockkeeper use, of course!

I noticed that, they do some bits on fast and some on slow

It's a different breed these days, our locks used to be hard work, the gates were all handraulic and the paddle gear needed about 1000 turns to raise and lower them.

 

Now the gates are mostly all electric and the paddles have been altered so they need about 6 turns from shut to open and back again

 

Sore thumb indeed!!

 

I have no problem with your manual gates, a lot quicker than the electric jobies

[gazza]

I noticed that, they do some bits on fast and some on slow

 

I have no problem with your manual gates, a lot quicker than the electric jobies

It was much better when there was a handle to get hold of and whirl like mad, Rigstead Upper was one of the quickest locks on the river, going up I did it full to empty in just over 10 minutes on my own in the little 16' boat.

The stainless wheels and electrification has slowed things down alot, as has stiff gates, or worse still, loose gates that won't stay shut meaning the gate interlock switch won't make.....

[Theo]

It's a different breed these days, our locks used to be hard work, the gates were all handraulic and the paddle gear needed about 1000 turns to raise and lower them.

 

Now the gates are mostly all electric and the paddles have been altered so they need about 6 turns from shut to open and back again

 

Sore thumb indeed!!

 

Six turns! I think not. I seem to remember counting something like sixty six on some of the locks. Who cares, though?

 

Nick

[gazza]

Six turns! I think not. I seem to remember counting something like sixty six on some of the locks. Who cares, though?

 

Nick

Tounge in cheek my dear fellow

 

it would be an impressive gearbox for that kind of ratio!

 

[Theo]

Right ho, back on topic.

 

We have done the Lark, Little Ouse and Whissey. What a change from the GO! You turn from the mostly straight and somewhat yawnworthy miles of the GO and immediately enter into a different world (for the LO and Whissey, that is. The Lark is a bit samey until you get to Prickwillow)

 

Moored at Stoke Ferry GOBA moorings for the night. All very mown and retirement up here. Even had to report to the caravan site manager with my GOBA number.

 

We are booked to go back through Denver Sluice at 0830 on Friday morning.

Tounge in cheek my dear fellow

it would be an impressive gearbox for that kind of ratio!

Which ratio? If you mean the 66 turn one then the gear box int the problem. Its a matter of the crown and pinion turning a fairly fine pitched screw.

 

PS: Note to self: Don't forget to add smileys as appropriate.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Theo
Add the PS

[gazza]

Right ho, back on topic.

 

We have done the Lark, Little Ouse and Whissey. What a change from the GO! You turn from the mostly straight and somewhat yawnworthy miles of the GO and immediately enter into a different world (for the LO and Whissey, that is. The Lark is a bit samey until you get to Prickwillow)

 

Moored at Stoke Ferry GOBA moorings for the night. All very mown and retirement up here. Even had to report to the caravan site manager with my GOBA number.

 

We are booked to go back through Denver Sluice at 0830 on Friday morning.

 

Which ratio? If you mean the 66 turn one then the gear box int the problem. Its a matter of the crown and pinion turning a fairly fine pitched screw.

 

PS: Note to self: Don't forget to add smileys as appropriate.

No, I meant my fictitious 6 turns open and shut again!

 

Remember, you have the delights of Ashline on the way home, don't forget to leave it empty with penstocks/slackers/paddles shut...

Stoke ferry is great, we are no longer welcome having a little person on the boats company now though

[Theo]

No, I meant my fictitious 6 turns open and shut again!

 

Remember, you have the delights of Ashline on the way home, don't forget to leave it empty with penstocks/slackers/paddles shut...

Stoke ferry is great, we are no longer welcome having a little person on the boats company now though

 

I was not all that impressed by the caravan site where the GOBA moorings are. It was like a retirement home! And the notice at the end of the mooring read like the press report of the Grumpy Old Men's Annual Moanfest. A walk up into the village revealed that it had really fallen on hard times. There are many beautiful old buildings but most of them looked well on the way to dereliction. The church had been abandond and one of the loveliest rows of 17th century buildings imaginable had had a factory built hard against the back of them meaning that no one would be likely to take them on to restore them. The windmill marked on our OS map as still having its sails, had been demolished. There was much new building in what appeared to me to be rather uninspired style and many weed grown building plots. I would guess that no end of the old buildings would be grade II listed but no one seemed willing to take them on.

 

I could go on but there is no point in wallowing in it!

 

The River up to and through Stoke Ferry is very lovely, though. We boated up in the most delightful and unexpected weather and will enjoy the trip down tomorrow.

[ditchcrawler]

 

Stoke ferry is great, we are no longer welcome having a little person on the boats company now though

Always found that a bit noisy

[Scholar Gypsy]

Right ho, back on topic.

 

We have done the Lark, Little Ouse and Whissey. What a change from the GO! You turn from the mostly straight and somewhat yawnworthy miles of the GO and immediately enter into a different world (for the LO and Whissey, that is. The Lark is a bit samey until you get to Prickwillow)

 

Moored at Stoke Ferry GOBA moorings for the night. All very mown and retirement up here. Even had to report to the caravan site manager with my GOBA number.

 

We are booked to go back through Denver Sluice at 0830 on Friday morning.

.

 

Glad you enjoyed the tributaries, and the adult campsite. Will you have time to try the relief channel, and get to Downham Market?

[gazza]

 

I was not all that impressed by the caravan site where the GOBA moorings are. It was like a retirement home! And the notice at the end of the mooring read like the press report of the Grumpy Old Men's Annual Moanfest. A walk up into the village revealed that it had really fallen on hard times. There are many beautiful old buildings but most of them looked well on the way to dereliction. The church had been abandond and one of the loveliest rows of 17th century buildings imaginable had had a factory built hard against the back of them meaning that no one would be likely to take them on to restore them. The windmill marked on our OS map as still having its sails, had been demolished. There was much new building in what appeared to me to be rather uninspired style and many weed grown building plots. I would guess that no end of the old buildings would be grade II listed but no one seemed willing to take them on.

 

I could go on but there is no point in wallowing in it!

 

The River up to and through Stoke Ferry is very lovely, though. We boated up in the most delightful and unexpected weather and will enjoy the trip down tomorrow.

We haven't been up there for two years, at that time there was just a small sign saying no children.

We were let off as the little un was only 4 months old and unlikely to terrorise the campers!

 

Handy for the garage and a few essentials

[MoominPapa]

 

I was not all that impressed by the caravan site where the GOBA moorings are. It was like a retirement home! And the notice at the end of the mooring read like the press report of the Grumpy Old Men's Annual Moanfest.

 

I got that feeling about the oldies-only park-home site at Torksey. The fisherman on the opposite bank I chatted with raved about it, but to me it had the ambience of a POW camp, complete with guard hut and barrier at the entrance!

 

MP.

[Mac of Cygnet]

 

Glad you enjoyed the tributaries, and the adult campsite. Will you have time to try the relief channel, and get to Downham Market?

 

Adult campsite? Is that a euphemism? The second sentence is a bit doubtful, too!

[Theo]

 

Adult campsite? Is that a euphemism? The second sentence is a bit doubtful, too!

 

Dear me! I hadn't noticed the second sentence.

 

Now I am all conflicted about moderating it...

 

...Naah. Leave it.

 

No time to do the Relief Channel. Had a walk around and looked at all the interesting notices about the logic of draining the fens. All very instructive. We had a chuckle about the work of fiction that is the map on the side of the lock down the the RC. Some significant differences on the map from what I could see around me. I am sorry not to do the RC. I like to do every navigable waterway that we can but looking at map indicates that you can tie the tiller and go to sleep for a few hours. Then turn around and do the same.

 

Nick

[gazza]

 

Dear me! I hadn't noticed the second sentence.

 

Now I am all conflicted about moderating it...

 

...Naah. Leave it.

 

No time to do the Relief Channel. Had a walk around and looked at all the interesting notices about the logic of draining the fens. All very instructive. We had a chuckle about the work of fiction that is the map on the side of the lock down the the RC. Some significant differences on the map from what I could see around me. I am sorry not to do the RC. I like to do every navigable waterway that we can but looking at map indicates that you can tie the tiller and go to sleep for a few hours. Then turn around and do the same.

 

Nick

The relief channel is worth doing.

 

Downnham is a nice town with a good selection of shops, decent rail link, good pubs and a cracking market.

 

The moorings at both Wiggenhal and Stowbridge are cracking, remote, quite and with good pubs at both.

 

I love it on the channel and would spend longer on there than we do if there was more time.

[ditchcrawler]

 

Dear me! I hadn't noticed the second sentence.

 

Now I am all conflicted about moderating it...

 

...Naah. Leave it.

 

No time to do the Relief Channel. Had a walk around and looked at all the interesting notices about the logic of draining the fens. All very instructive. We had a chuckle about the work of fiction that is the map on the side of the lock down the the RC. Some significant differences on the map from what I could see around me. I am sorry not to do the RC. I like to do every navigable waterway that we can but looking at map indicates that you can tie the tiller and go to sleep for a few hours. Then turn around and do the same.

 

Nick

Last time we were there we scrubbed all those interpretation boards

[Theo]

Last time we were there we scrubbed all those interpretation boards

It's not the interpretation boards that are factually wrong. It's just the shiny new maps beside the lock. The interpretation boards are really good. Getting a bit old now and the plastics covering is getting less transparent. I tried doing a bit of algae removal but it didn't make a huge difference.

 

After the accolades for the relief channel I am more sorry that we don't have time for them.

 

I met John and Kathy (?) from Sirius this afternoon. They will be going through the sluice to Salter's Lode tomorrow, too.

 

N

[ditchcrawler]

It's not the interpretation boards that are factually wrong. It's just the shiny new maps beside the lock. The interpretation boards are really good. Getting a bit old now and the plastics covering is getting less transparent. I tried doing a bit of algae removal but it didn't make a huge difference.

 

After the accolades for the relief channel I am more sorry that we don't have time for them.

 

I met John and Kathy (?) from Sirius this afternoon. They will be going through the sluice to Salter's Lode tomorrow, too.

 

N

If you see them again pass on my best wishes please.

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

Adult campsite? Is that a euphemism? The second sentence is a bit doubtful, too!

See the link in post 10: bottom (sorry, foot) of this page: http://www.grangefarmtouringpark.co.uk/site/

 

Here's the mooring at Downham Market on the relief channel. Denver Sluice complex in the distance

 

[Theo]

If you see them again pass on my best wishes please.

I did and had a long chat on the bridge over the Denver Sluices and then another long chat when we moored up at March.

 

John mentioned you. I might see him tomorrow but we are leaving the boat hear for a bit to visit fiends and relatives so might not see him again.