Retirement with No Problem

Sunday – Moored March
Saturday – Whittlesey to March, Middle Levels, 10.5 miles 1 lock

We decided not to say in Whittlesey on Saturday.  A group of about 40 or 50 youths decided they would party on Friday night on the park just by where we were moored.  They were OK, but I find large groups of youths rather intimidating shouting and swearing and generally being loud.  One or two of them knocked on the window then ran away again.  I guess it was more of ‘I dare you’ rather than any yobbish behaviour. I decided at that point to go and sit outside on the front deck just to try to deter them from approaching the boat again… Lucy sat on the pontoon… they all started to drift off just before 11pm leaving us in peace for the rest of the night.

Not wanting a repeat of the previous night we decided to move on to March on Saturday.  But it was extremely windy and blustery showers made for an uncomfortable trip.  Here then Ashline Lock where we used the windlass that we had recently purchased to let the water into the lock before diving inside NP to sit out a heavy hailstorm.

As soon as we left this lock the banks got higher and higher, and the Middle Level became straighter and straighter… now this was getting boring.. the wind making my enjoyment of the waterway almost turn to hate.. Here the turn for Twenty Foot River..

This drain bypasses March to emerge once again on our route the other side of the town.  I doubt if we could have got under that bridge anyway even if we had wanted to.  We have found the bridges extremely low.. the guide book is miles out with the heights (well many inches rather than miles!).  At the bridges that look very low we have had to be careful and take off the roof whatever needed taking off at the time, then replacing it again!

We passed ‘The Meridian Line’ between the two towns… I don’t really know what that means… I wondered if I went from today to yesterday or today to tomorrow… anyway I didn’t change my watch!

I sure was pleased to see March appear… a bit of shelter from the wind, and something to look at apart from banks and straight lines.  It was a delight through the outskirts, houses with lovely gardens cascading down to moorings at the waters edge was the favourite… most of the waterside houses had a boat of some sort moored.

On Saturday evening we decided to celebrate our arrival in the town with a pint at the Ship Inn right by the visitor moorings.  It is the oldest building in March.  Renovations found beams dated from the 1500s… It had good soundproofing too…. Good grief when we walked in the door a karaoke was in full swing!  We looked at each other with a silent “shall we, shan’t we” but found ourselves face to face with the landlord keen on serving his newly arrived customers… OK then.. he had made up our minds for us! .

After a couple of beers I decided that really it was quite good… well it takes a couple!  It was 11.30pm and still the karaoke was in full swing, I really didn’t want to leave.  The later it got the more brave the locals became.  I guess they thought themselves as budding Rowan Keatings… the beer of the evening giving them not a care in the world if they hit bum notes! .  We had also been invited to join in the buffet for someone’s birthday party… very welcoming!

Such a good night led to a late rise for me the next day, Sunday.  I am glad we didn’t plan to do anything… the weather once again was very unsettled, and the showers heavy.  The F1 was on anyway… A lazy day .