Retirement with No Problem

Yesterday and Today – Upwell to Alwalton, Middle Levels and River Nene, 29 miles 5 locks

A long day yesterday as you can see, and horrid weather again, very disappointing after the sunny and calm day before.. so a dank crossing of the Middle Levels with high winds once again..

Marmont Priory Lock was our first yesterday, and Mr Norton locked us through.  Eggs collected as usual at the house on the road beside the ditch.. including two blue eggs would you believe, one of which I had for breakfast this morning.. delicious it was!

Onward, yawn….

Straight as far as the eye can see, and further.  Ashline Lock breaks the boredom, and here some corrective graffiti written I believe by Mo of NB Balmaha putting right a wrong!  There is an overhanging walkway on the lower gate as you can see.  It is easy to get caught under that when the lock is emptying filling!

Whittlesley is the next village, and the bend there is 90 degrees…

Looking back.. It is lucky that No Problem bends! .  Bit tight that and inside concrete walls so we don’t play contact sport around here!

We moored for the night on the lock landing at Stanground Lock, and this morning we were put through there by the lock keeper Tina and her Dad.. A quick stop in Peterborough for water and a bit of shopping before setting off again.

Always a quiet place the waterfront, sometimes there are a few mums out with their toddlers, but there are problems there with winos.. and also with geese and other wildfowl…

Such a mess they make.  I have seen the council clean up, but it is a never ending job I would think.. not very pleasant to go feed the ducks around here at all.

There is a barge the other side of the bridge, it always has lots of customers every time we have passed, next time I will stop and go see what it is like, after all there are moorings!…

It looks better than in the picture.  Just a couple of locks to do to get to Alwalton our overnight stop. 

Some biking gongoozlers (waterway onlookers) took a lot of interest in our boat and life, they are off for a few days on a narrowboat shortly to give it a try and had lots of questions for Vic while he worked us through this one.

We like it here it is very quiet.. but tonight it is very windy again so double mooring stakes are out as the wind is broadside..