It took about 3 hours to reach Hermitage Lock and this raised me about 300mm into the short tidal stretch. I saw a couple of adult seals, both with pups; one was even suckling. How lucky was that!
Brownshill Staunch and St Ives locks were easy to get through and each of them raised me another 1.5m. I reached St Ives in a total of 6 hours. I pulled up at the Town Moorings, next to the medieval bridge. What a view from my side hatch!
The next day I went further up the Ouse to historic Huntingdon. This took less than 2 hours. The river and its adjoining buildings along this stretch are beautiful, especially in the sunshine.
I headed back to St Ives in the afternoon, once the heat of the sun had started to moderate. I hitched up at the Town Moorings again and settled down for the evening. These moorings would have been a bustling centre of trade and transport in the past with large ships moving produce far and wide. Now it's temporary home to the odd narrowboat and cruiser.
On Wednesday, I headed home. The only problem was the build-up of submerged and floating blanket weed on the middle section of the Old West River. At some points near the Aldreth Bridge it was like pushing through a grassy field! After about the sixth time I cleared the prop, I was starting to get a bit peeved.
All in all, it was a good few days. The river between Brownshill and Huntingdon is lovely. There were lots of things to see - wildlife, buildings, boats, etc. It's just a week before the school holidays so it's still quiet on the river - lovely!
Wednesday evening, I went to a read-through for Cinderella. Auditions next Sunday. I may have a shot at one of the Ugly Sisters. Sorry to any readers outside the UK - you probably have no idea what I'm taking about!
BFN
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