Bedford and the narrow boat 'Captiva Freedom'.

8.6.13

We had a pleasant trip on the train to Bedford and were met by John and Lyn who took us to their home and fed us fresh sandwiches and delicious small tomatoes. Waiting there was a gift from Cush and the girls for my birthday.... A lovely, thoughtful surprise.

Glenn at the front gate of Lyn and John's house.

Then the Harrisons drove us to Marsh where the boat was moored after having its bottom blacked. We had our first few lessons on how to operate the boat, rules and courtesy on the waterways, and safety. We then had a very good pub dinner near the marina, after which we returned to the boat, left John and Lyn there, and drove back to their house in Bedford. We got very, very lost and frustrated in Bedford in the dark and eventually found the house at midnight. A long but interesting day.

Some views along The Embankment.

 

 

Next day we washed, explored the bank of the River Great Ouse and walked into Bedford. Then we rode the bikes in the opposite direction to the market and bought some food. The river bank is alive with newly hatched goslings and cygnets, so fluffy and capable on the water. Three families of swans cruise past the house which is beside the river, each morning with twelve cygnets between them. They are so cute and the young frolic and squabble as they go. There are marsh hens and their young as well. I can watch them for ages.

 

Today we drove the car to a pre- arranged meeting place in the marina at Oundle, where we met Lyn and John again. We had a lesson with them on how to handle the first lock on the river.... Glen operating the lock while I moved the boat into the lock, secured it while the water level changed and then moved out of the lock while Glenn closed it behind me. There was a lot to remember but we managed. Then Glenn and I chugged along to the next lock by ourselves and manouvered through it while they watched and photographed us from a bridge as we came through below them. We passed the test I guess because they left us to it and drove home.

 

 

We went through another two locks before we arrived at the King's Head Pub at Wadenhoe. We moored alongside the lush, grassy flat below the pub with two other narrow boats for company and made our way up to the pub for dinner. The food was excellent and we chatted to a few of the locals and the guy in the boat behind us. After a game of cards which Glenn won (game score 46 all), we read and then hit the sack at 9 pm. Tired after our challenging day!

In the morning we explored the lovely village and walked up to the church and graveyard on the hill.

 

 

Then we continued through the locks.

Three boats in the lock together.

The narrow boat is very comfortable and not unlike our caravan except it has a bit more room and it floats. It also looks so pretty with flowers in pots at the front and on the roof. It has a deisel motor which is noisy and a rudder at the back for steering. The great difference is that you don't have to secure everything before you move on because it's smooth cruising all the way.

So far we have negotiated .... locks on the Nene River, explored villages along the way and sampled the local ales in the pubs. The locks come thick and fast and the day is busy preparing to enter, entering, and then leaving each one. We are getting faster as we become more comfortable with the procedure and don't sideswipe the docks so much. Generally Glenn operates the lock while I get the boat in and out.

 

The countryside is so green and lush, with buttercups sprinkled across the pastures like gold dust. Trees and flowers are in bloom and we passed hedges of briar roses on our walk this afternoon. The sun is actually warm on our backs as we sit at the pub at 6.30 pm...... a rare treat this week.

 

Cooking in the boat is on a one burner Coleman gas cooker or in the crock pot which runs off the 12volt system as we putt along. Tonight we are having a pot roast with vegies already cooked in the croc pot.

One of the joys of the trip on the river has been watching the water birds.The swans are numerous, proud and beautifully graceful and they totally ignore us. They are nesting in the reeds and many have a trail of cygnets behind, little fluff balls which sometimes catch a ride on their mothers back, snuggled down under her wings. The larger, earlier hatchlings are like bickering children, pushing and rushing around. The geese are nesting and rearing their young too but are much shyer.