Tuesday 29 May 2012

As expected yesterday afternoon i got the BBQ out, the table set up and it started to rumble, the clouds gathered but we thought that will pass behind us. Then the wind picked up and its snowed blossom, the wind eased and the rain started. Slowly at first, just a few large blobs but then it really came down. Thankfully it didn’t last to long and I was able to light the BBQ and we ate outside listening to the Archers. After we had finished Diana took a walk back round Buckden Marina and to the lock, by the time she returned humidity levels had started to rise and the midges bite as the mist rose off the river and meadows.

This morning was much cooler, I had to put a fleece on over the tee shirt. we set off dead on 10 am.swinging round in the current to continue our journey down stream. We passed “Noproblem” who had been moored probably less than half a mile away but on the other side of the river. Just before we left we had four gents go by in a canoe and a skiff. Diana had seen them last night while they were looking for a corner of a field to pitch their tents.
The river was quite busy today and we met our first boat, a Narrowboat on the narrow bendy lock cut below Brampton Lock. Brampton lock is quite interesting as the main channel goes straight ahead after leaving the lock but is very shallow, there is a narrow twisty lock cut that is a semicircle that comes out just below the lock at right angles. It can be seen here on the right. Also at the lock is a memorial stone to Terry Kaye who was the Navigation Officer for several years.
At Godmanchester we slid off to the right to have a quick look round. We had heard that the visitor moorings had closed, but its only the EA visitor moorings that were by the lock that have gone, as we went down the arm the canoe and skiff went down the lock. After a brief look round without going ashore we backed out just as a cruiser was coming up in the lock so we didn’t have long to wait before we were on our way again. We caught up with the canoe and skiff just as they were about to pull over to the Jolly Butcher moorings.
It was not long after this that we came to our destination for the night, the GOBA moorings at Hemingford.