Thurs 30 Aug 2012 Ashton Weir Stream

Last night a little after 6pm a Narrowboat came round the arm, it was Ray who we had been on the outside of at Whittlesey, so now it was our turn to repay the kindness with him alongside us for the night.
Its full moon tomorrow night so I thought I best get a photo of the moon while the sky was clear. We then toddled off up to the Queens Head to eat. The place was full and unfortunately the staff just couldn’t keep up. After sitting for half an hour we still didn’t have any wine, I don’t know what time the starter arrived and then they had to go back for a soup spoon. The main course arrived after a reasonable wait but they had forgotten the water we ordered and also my knife and fork. Diana’s meal was not as described on the menu, they apologised and said she had received an old menu, but as we went out it was on the specials board as well. The food was cooked well and also well presented but it didn’t say I have got to come back.

This morning all the boat crews were about by 9-30 so Ray on the next Narrowboat and I discussed how we planned to get out, not being sure of the depth of water. However at the end of the day it all went fine with a good depth of water. Ray put his stern out while I pulled the bows round and he was away. I did the same thing driving the stern out and then Diana pulled the bows round with the crew from the cruiser giving a good push out after she was back onboard.

As we made our way up the Nene, a short way before Elton I spotted a Pelican sitting in a field by the river, goodness knows what he was doing there.

It wasn’t long after this that it started to rain and not just drizzle, but the real stuff, the rain is much colder now than it was a couple of weeks back. As Fotheringhay came into view it the sky was quite dark.
Last time we were this way a land owner was advertising plots for sale on the river bank, obviously sales have been going well with just 3 left. I wonder if they have permission for residential mooring.

Below Cotterstock Lock there has been a new mooring put in, its the first I have seen like this on the Nene and its for the use of boaters who are members of the Association of  the Nene River Clubs looking at their web site this is the first of their moorings, so sounds similar to the GOBA moorings on the Gt Ouse and can only be of benefit to us boaters, especially where moorings are in short supply.
We pushed on it the rain to Ashton Weir stream. The water discharging from the weir was building up quite a pile of froth until the wind caught it and sent it on its way. Just above the lock the weir stream runs off to the left and I backed down it until I could find a space. This looks as if its become the permanent home to several boats now with only room for a few visit boaters to get in. Needless to say it stopped raining shortly after we tied up at 2-30 pm.