Stretham

6^th June 2012, it was time for us to depart the fair City of Ely, as we had overstayed the permitted 48 hour mooring over the Jubilee weekend. Today we are heading for a mooring at Stretham and hopefully see the Stretham Old Engine. This being a drainage pump that controlled the water levels in the fen.

Setting off we were able to see the west side as we made our way up the Ouse through Ely, with its riverside hotels and restaurants.

 Our mooring at Ely

Then it was out into the countryside once more, with the Ouse widening again and offering a little more to see as the flood banks were not so high now. Behind us we got our last look at the Cathedral until we return later in the year and this view shows why they call it “The Ship of the Fen’s”.

 Sally's artistic flair, well done Sal.

A little further down we came across what must have been a beautiful boat, before it was attacked by fire and sank just before what is called Pope’s Corner and the Ouse’s junction with the river Cam. At the junction we decided to carry on and do the river Cam and Cambridge on our return journey, and made a right at the junction passed the moored boats. Here the river narrowed somewhat and signs told us that the speed limit was now 4mph, to cut down on bow waves which erode the river banks.

Pope's Corner, the Cam going left and the Ouse on the right.

It wasn’t long after the junction that we came to the Stretham Old Engine, with its sign telling us that it was open to visitors at weekends and Bank holidays (bad timing I guess). So on under the bridge to what was a nice mooring, were we pulled over for the rest of the day.