Peterborough to Ferry Meadows
4 miles,1 lock
Water was the first priority today - preferably down a hose pipe to fill the tanks, however, it was also leaking from the sky.
Once the boats were full we set off under Town Bridge to tie up on the railings just past the bridge on the right by Asda to replenish the store cupboards.
Then it was full wet weather gear for the run to Ferry Meadows. First you get a tantalizing glimpse of a sculpture park - as you approach the only sculpture visible from the river looked a bit like a chair
Just the one lock today, but our first Nene lock of this trip.
The protocol on the Nene is to always leave the bottom electronic gate open. This means the lock is always ready for you, but you do have to close the top vee gates, empty the lock and raise the bottom gate before you can head off. The instructions in the control box are quite clear and at least the wait for the electronic gate is only 2 minutes rather than the 5 to 6 minutes on the River Great Ouse
The top gates are manual - the clothing says it all about the weather!
This is the sign we were looking for. A lake to moor on is very unusual for us narrow boats, but down
this long entrance
and there it is (please excuse the rain drops on the lens!)
Turn left and there are the two pontoons. With double breasting it is possible to moor 8 narrow boats. When we arrived here in full sun four years ago the pontoons were full of cruisers - the weather, as we expected, kept them away today.
We breasted up on the empty pontoon
The boat on the left moved off after a couple of hours, so Cleddau was able to move round
By that time the rain had all but stopped, so Sue, Monty and I went off to explore which is when we discovered the only downside to these moorings - the construction of the pontoon made life very hard for Monty, but by taking it slowly, spreading his legs and using his tail for balance he managed
One of my priorities before I left Peterborough this morning was to find a letter box - I was in luck as they had one in Asda, however, I need not have worried as there is one in Ferry Meadows as well!
So what is there to see and do in Ferry Meadows - well far too much to mention it all, so just a few highlights from my walk with Sue and Monty and then my longer walk with Monty on Monday morning.
The area is vast with four different walking routes. Maps are available, but I did not always take the right paths - colour coded signs would have helped immensely. However that did not detract from a great walk with so much to see. I was amazed at how many people were already out and about at 09:00 on a Bank Holiday Monday.
Sadly they have been affected by Dutch Elm disease. The trees are checked regularly - there is a gap by this row of Elms by the cafe where one has been felled very recently
There are several different play areas - this was my favourite. It is in total sympathy with its surroundings, but affords lots of fun for youngsters
Round behind it a family were having fun building a shelter (and getting lovely and dirty in the process!)
There is a lot of useful information about Nurturing Nature
insect hotels
and butterfly and bird houses/nest boxes
A lakeside water sports centre
with a stunning cafe terrace overlooking one of the lakes
Picnic areas with barbecues
a turntable for the miniature railway.
A pontoon bridge
with stunning views across the lake we were moored on
On my return to the boats I came across people moving what I think is part of a climbing wall
Litter was noticeably absent and even better for boaters there are large bins that includes recycling - something that is sadly lacking on the River Great Ouse. The only boaters' rubbish in Peterborough had not been emptied for ages and was positively stinking.
They even have bins for disposable barbecues
If you are coming this way do try to get a mooring here (24 hour) - there is a lot to see and mooring on a lake is just that little bit different!
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