Having spent two days in St Ives we moved off heading for Earith and the diesel point to fill our tank, but not before moving onto the water point to top up the tank ready for Sally to do the washing.

Out on the river we first went upstream to meet up with Nick and Polly to return the DVD’s they had lent us last week. We approached them slowly and pulled alongside with the help of the wind and flow of the river, not needing to tie up with the boat just sitting nicely. DV D’s handed over we chatted about the last few days and noted another boat approaching. It was Bob and Anne on NB Hawkeye, the couple who we spent time with at Ashton Lock, on the Nene when we were marooned there, they to pulled alongside and after introducing them to Nick and Polly we had a good catch up, planning to meet them further along another day.

Nick, Polly, Sally, Anne and Bob

Setting off we went under the bridge at St Ives with its Chapel built in the centre and on to the lock where we had spent a week marooned on the way upstream. With a cruiser in front we waited to go in the lock, and once in another cruiser came up behind and shared the lock with us all, “Just Married”, hanging off the back of their boat as they were on honeymoon.

Guillotine open and we let them go out first as they do travel faster than we do, then off we went on a river that was running a lot slower that it was when we came up. It was a long run up to Brownshill Staunch (a lock), and the weather was kind to us broken cloud and sunshine. We saw a family of Grebe and got some nice pictures and further along we saw some guys carrying on a time old job of reed cutting, I figure these are for either weaving or for thatch but this I am not sure about. They would cut the reed with a scythe under the water, collect them and bundle them before stacking on a flat bottomed punt to take them away for drying.

Holywell

On through the lock at Brownshill, it was a short run on the tidal part of the Great Ouse onto Westview Marina for diesel, but alas not that easy. When we arrived at the pontoon there was no room to moor up as a couple of cruisers were tied alongside receiving mechanical attention, so we had to pass, turn around and tie up on the fuel boat, no mean feat, but we did it. 130 litres later, and with the water tank topped up again after Sally’s three washes, we decided to continue our journey to find a nice spot to moor.

Egret

Negotiating Hermitage lock we were off the tidal section and back onto what is called The Old West River and heading for a nice mooring that we stopped at on the way up weeks ago. Yea we arrived and with a clear space for us, we moored up and settled down for the night but not before Socks had a good run where he managed to hurt himself, getting tied up in a disused electric fence, grazing between his back legs and across his (unmentionable’s).

Note, the bird (stay on target)

Yummy this tastes good