Thursday 24 May 2012

Last nights GOBA moorings were very quiet and a pleasant path to walk the dog. This morning we we took him out at 10 o’clock it was already 21 deg outside.

We pushed off at about quarter to eleven continuing our journey up stream. Just before the next lock we passed an interestingly shaped boat that had come passed a couple of times last night.

 

It has both a motor and a butty stern which is not very common. There is quite a large development around the locks now. As you can see there is hardly a breath of wind to ripple the water.
At St Neots Lock the whole guillotine is scaffolded in and they are planning to change the gate next week. As there is scaffolding over the lock chamber there is a yellow plastic pipe strung across to limit how far back in the lock you can stop, also the lock is closed overnight. The raising and lowering of the gate is now mechanised but it must be the slowest moving gate in the UK.

St Neots bridge has been nicely decorated with a painting of a Dragonfly on one buttress and a Butterfly on the other. 

We then passed a boat that looks as if it once had a sedum roof covering but is now more like a wild flower garden.

 

 

Between Eaton Socon Lock and Roxton Lock there is a long row of abandoned moorings. These all have steel supports with wooden decking but they are quite high.

Also along this section we saw a large Grass Snake swim across the river ahead of us.

At Roxton Lock we found a cruiser moored about two bollards back from the front of the lock mooring, behind this by about another two bollards was his inflatable dingy. Luckily the lock was in our favour with the bottom gats open as if we had had to stop and turn it it is debatable if I could even have poked the bows against the staging to let Diana off. He was obviously there for the afternoon and asked if we had room to get round the front of him into the lock. This is the first lock we have encounter up here with mitre gates at each end. We were planning to stop at the next mooring we came to where we understand there is a water tap, the last one was at Earith. As we came up in Gt Barford Lock we could see a space on the EA moorings in front of the pub which was about 70 foot long but with a slip way at one end, We edged in with the bows just level with the slip way. What we didn’t know was the No Problem was moored at the upstream end of the moorings so after tying up we went for a cup of tea with Sue and Vic and also met Penny the new pup.
There is an interesting sluice structure at the head on Gt. Barford Lock, I am not sure what it is but will look on the way back

Since we have been here a group of lads have arrived with a canoe, the owner know what he is doing but the others have never done it before and they don’t have a lifejacket between them. Also three girls have gone by in a Canadian canoe with a small puppy on board and another group of well prepared lads who have gone to play with the weir.