Home › News › Page 25

by Paula SyredPosted on Posted in Canal Blog, Featured articles, Guest & customer articles, Navigation articles
sunset on the Middle Level Navigation
sunset on the Middle Level Navigation

sunset on the Middle Level Navigation

Before reading this article further it is worth thinking back to 1984 when John Revell first visited the Middle Level Navigations.  In those days entry by boat to the system was restricted to boats of 49 feet in length because of the short locks at Stanground, Ashline and Marmont Priory. Fortunately during the 1990’s thanks to campaigning the locks were lengthened to take full length narrowboats. Before that in the 1970’s our first holiday hire narrowboats transited the Old Bedford river to access the Great Ouse river system at Denver, the reason being Well Creek was not navigable.  Thanks to the East Anglian Waterways Association, the Inland Waterways Association (Peterborough Branch) and the Well Creek Trust along with their campaigning members the waterways have been opened up for navigation, recreation and fishing to all. Their campaigning would have been fruitless without the willingness of the Middle Level Commissioners, the fourth largest and perhaps least well know navigation authority in the country.

Although I try and visit the main canal system in spring I usually leave my boat on the Middle Level for the summer and winter months. Not everyone is a fan of the Fens but I am.

On my first visit to the Middle Level in June 1984 I moored near a bridge and saw a narrow road leading towards what looked like a pub. I was right as I had arrived at the Three Horseshoes pub in Turves which was heaving with people on a Saturday night. My long journey had started at Bunbury near Chester and I was heading for the Fish and Duck near Ely. Both the pub locals and we were amazed that my journey had led me to Turves.

Sunrise on the Middle Level Navigation

Sunrise on the Middle Level Navigation

We returned to the Middle Level in August that year and visited some of the remoter parts. As we struggled along one somewhat weedy stretch a farmer came out to say hallo. He said he only ever saw weed boats there and added that he wished there were a few more boats passing as he was looking for a wife.

Away from the “Link Route” the Middle Level is little used, even in the height of summer. On a day’s journey from Holme to Floods Ferry this summer I met one moving narrow boat, passed 2 friendly fishermen when I went up to Ramsey basin for lunch and saw 5 kingfishers. If you want a good sunset or sunrise , lots of wildlife and peace and quiet this is the place to be.

Fox Narrowboats at March, Bill Fen Marina at Ramsey and Peterborough Boating Centre (just the other side of Stanground lock) provide most boating services. Whittlesey, Ramsey and March have a good range of shops and pubs, Upwell and Outwell provide a smaller choice of shops but convenient short term moorings plus 2 butchers, 2 fish and chip shops , the Globe PH, the Crown PH and the Crown Lodge Hotel and an amazing display of daffodils each year.

Sunset on the Middle Level Navigation

Sunset on the Middle Level Navigation

Away from the bright lights there are several pubs that have managed to survive, the Golden Lion at Stonea, the George at Ramsey Forty Foot, the Five Alls at Benwick, the Lion at Ramsey St Marys, the Admiral Wells at Holme and the Three Horseshoes at Turves. The shop at Three Holes next to the public landing stage (paid for by the Peterborough Branch of the Inland Waterways Association and built by the Middle Level Commissioners) has recently been renovated with a café and the Village shop at Ramsey St Marys is just before the Lion PH.

Now, if only we can restore Horseways Channel, Welches Dam lock and the Old Bedford to full navigation.

This is a guest blog by John Revell waterways campaigner and mooring customer here at Fox Narrowboats.

Tags: , , , , , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Canal Blog, Featured articles

fossils galore activity centre march

If you’re planning a narrowboat hire boat holiday in 2017 these upcoming local Halloween events will give you some unusual ideas of places to visit, so that you can create haunting holiday memories to die for!

1) Fossils Galore Halloween Fun Day

Fossils Galore Educational Activity Centre in March is holding a Halloween Fun Day on Saturday 29th October this year. But when it isn’t Halloween you can still enjoy fossil hunting in a prehistoric sand pit, an arts and crafts shop, tea shop, geode breaking and lots more. It’s just one of the many family-friendly activities you can incorporate into your narrowboat holiday next year.

2) Ely Ghost Walks

On the weekends beginning 21st and 28th October 2016 you can discover the dark side of Ely on a Ghost Tour that takes you along the narrow passageways and dimly lit streets to hear about the local tales of scandal and death. Ely is home to some of the most haunted buildings in the country and in fact Ghost Tour visitors are guaranteed to see real “live” ghosts is in this character, themed event. (For bookings and more information visit www.olivercromwellshouse.co.uk)

There are events on all year round at Oliver Cromwell’s House in Ely, which can be easily included in your Fenland narrowboat holiday. Oliver Cromwell’s (haunted) former home is now a museum and tourist information centre; great to visit at any time of year.

Travelling by Fox narrowboat your cruise from March to Ely will take in ancient inns and maybe the murdered ghosts of Southery. (Read more local legends of violence and death in The Spooky Truth About Cruising to Ely!)

3) Cambridge Pumpkin Festival

This October Cambridge Sustainable Foods are promoting a number of local events, as part of the 2016 Pumpkin Festival: Such as pumpkin carving in Market Square, pumpkin cuisine made from rescued food, a pumpkin feast at The Free Press Pub and St James’s Pumpkin Picnic. If you want to include narrowboating to Cambridge as part of your 2017 holiday check out the other seasonal, local events on their website.
Visit Cambridge at any time as part of your Fox boating holiday and discover more about this beautiful English city of students, bikes, colleges and stunning architecture.

Narrow Escape

Cambridgeshire and the Fenland Waterways offer history, heritage and culture at all times of the year; if you like the idea of exploring the Fenland waterways by boat check availability for next year now.
For more haunting ideas to add to next year’s holiday plans, sign up for digital updates from this blog. (We never share or sell email addresses – your details are safe with us.) Just look for ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar on the right.

Tags: , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Canal Blog, Featured articles, Get healthy

narrowboat-recipies

 

Don’t assume that the confines of a narrowboat kitchen will prevent you from cooking almost whatever you want to. Our holiday boats are equipped with a fridge with a small freezer compartment, and a gas cooker, which has a four ring hob, oven and a grill. (However, cooking times can vary compared with the more usual natural gas at home.)

Here are six of the best suggestions, tried and tested by real boaters.

1) Bubble and Squeak

Bubble and squeak is an easy, no-nonsense recipe that can use up any left overs on board. This recipe from the BBCs Saturday Kitchen suggests serving bubble and squeak with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce, and could be a welcome family favourite on a lazy holiday morning.

Bubble and Squeak

2) Barbecue with Salad

This is not so much a recipe but just a nod to the obvious holiday idea: a barbeque next to the boat. Choose your own meat or vegetarian options and prepare green salad and potato salad to accompany the grilled food. Corn on the cobs also go down well.

3) Hot Bananas and Chocolate Buttons

Another one for the barbeque – not a complicated recipe! Slice a banana down the middle and fill the slot with chocolate buttons. Wrap the banana in foil and warm through on the barbeque until the chocolate melts. It can also be done in the oven on a day when you don’t have perfect barbeque weather.

4) Grilled Cinnamon Peaches with Pecans and Ice Cream

This 40 second video was shared in the Narrowboat Recipes Facebook group and looks easy to do and delicious to eat. You will need pecans, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, peaches and ice-cream. It can be cooked on the grill or on a barbeque.

5) Healthy Spaghetti Bolognaise

This healthy and frugal recipe can be found on the Living on a Narrowboat forum and only costs £1 to make! Because it is made with soya mince the ingredients won’t perish and won’t take up space in your fridge: A good back-up option if you spontaneously decide to moor up in a beautiful rural location, far from any shops. The author says, “Please don’t dismiss the soya mince. I am not a vegetarian but this soya mince looks and tastes just like real mince in a dish like this, in fact I have tested it on many people, none of whom could tell they were not eating real beef mince.”

Spaghetti Bolognaise for Two

6) Camembert and Spinach Tortilla

And finally, the Boatshed blog runs a regular feature called ‘From the Galley’ and this is one of my favourites that they’ve shared. It’s quite easy to serve on board as you don’t need many ingredients, and it’s absolutely delicious (I’ve tried it!)

Camembert and Spinach Tortilla

Grocery Shopping

You can either bring supplies of food with you on holiday, or shop locally in March before you set off on your cruise. Remember also that you won’t be cooking every day, as there are so many opportunities to stop at restaurants and pubs on your journey. There are waterside pubs marked on the maps and cruising guides. You may also like: Our Top 3 Pubs for Your Fenland Narrowboat Holiday.

  1. To get more brilliant ideas of how to really enjoy your narrowboat holiday subscribe to our blog in the right sidebar – look for Follow Blog. (We don’t send spam or salesy type stuff – just interesting articles about boats and waterways!)
Tags: ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Canal Blog, Featured articles

staycation brexit

 

The Guardian recently reported that more and more Brits are staying at home, instead of holidaying abroad, and overseas tourists are now tempted to choose a UK holiday because of the favourable exchange rate post-Brexit. Figures from TravelSupermarket found that the drop in the value of the pound against the euro means that a holiday in Europe will cost a UK family more now than it would have done before Britain voted to leave the EU.

A survey by online deals site vouchercodes.co.uk found the increased cost of holidaying abroad is likely to lead to more and more British people deciding to holiday in the UK this year. The tourism board says the recession is encouraging holiday-makers to stay local and look for value.

Staycation; a combination of the words ‘stay’ and ‘vacation’ is a relatively new word describing the trend of holidaying at home and locally due to the tough economic climate. The advantages include less time spent travelling, and more cultural familiarity. Staycations are also good news for our economy!

Here are Three Great Reasons to Take a Narrowboat Staycation

1) Travel expenses are minimal. Your holiday budget can be mostly spent on dining and local attractions because there will be no need for car journeys to these places, as you will be travelling by boat!

2) There will be no long waits at airports, which can be stressful with children. Bundle everything into the car and enjoy familiar road signs and traffic rules. Then abandon motor traffic altogether in favour of a slower pace of transport. There is plenty of car parking at our base, which is free to our customers for the duration of their holiday.

3) Self-catering has a certain novelty when you are cooking on a narrowboat; standing at the kitchen sink or hob can be a pleasure when your view is lush green foliage or the local water fowl. On sunny summer days try cooking outside; the towpath or riverside is abundant with picturesque barbeque locations.

What better way to enjoy the villages and towns, culture and countryside of Britain, than from a floating holiday home that travels at four miles per hour? Colourful, traditional narrowboats are unique to England offering comfortable beds, bathroom and shower, TV, DVD, central heating and access to the Fens: The best-kept secret of the inland waterways. Away from the queues at the locks on the main canal network, or the challenges of finding a mooring in London, the Fenland waterways offer so much peace and tranquillity.

See what dates we have left for 2016 or book your 2017 holiday with us.

PS. To find out more about narrowboat staycations subscribe to our blog in the right sidebar – look for Follow Blog. (We don’t send spam or salesy type stuff – just interesting articles about boats and waterways!)

Tags: , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Amazing things to see, Canal Blog, Featured articles
Kind permission: Jan Pickles
Kind permission: Jan Pickles

Kind permission: Jan Pickles

As summer draws to a close there are still plenty of fun local events, exhibitions and fairs planned for Autumn in the Fens. Here are eight great incentives to book a September narrowboat holiday.

1) It’s Quieter

If you already follow our blog you may know that the Fenland waterways are the quieter alternative to the Norfolk Broads. Some boaters prefer the East Anglian waterways to the main canal system because of the uncrowded peace and tranquillity they offer. In September the waterways are even quieter still, leaving more choices of perfect mooring spaces for the autumn boater.

2) March and District Museum.

Your Fox Narrowboat holiday will begin at our hire base in March, and on September 9th Geoffrey Lee will be giving a talk on the History of Fire Fighting at The March Museum. The building itself dates from 1851 and was originally a girls’ grammar school. Set up as a local folk museum, the displays show the life and times of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and ongoing to the present day. The museum is run by volunteers, and there are no paid staff.

3) Skylark Garden Centre

The Skylark Garden Centre in March offers a Giant Maize Maze, Pesky Pigeon, Tractor Ride, Pig Racing and more. The Skylark Maize Maze and Funyard runs throughout September, on the weekends.

4) Peckover House

A short cruise away from March is the picturesque village of Upwell. From this pretty mooring you can take the quick bus journey to the Georgian town of Wisbech to visit Peckover House. Here the current exhibition is A Georgian Town in the Fens: A miniature model of Wisbech in 1795, accompanied by an overview of how the town would have been to live in during the late Georgian age. The ‘model village’ includes everything, from the grandest houses to the smallest privies.

5) Wisbech Fair

Wisbech Statute Fair is a funfair held in September, occupying the whole of Chapel Road Car Park and part of Somers Road Car Park. The Fairground rides and stalls are sited in Chapel Road Car Park.

6) September Ball

Situated on a stretch of the historic Well Creek waterway, The Crown Lodge Hotel in Outwell offers moorings, and is hosting a September Ball. Entertainment will be provided by a live four-piece band, The Funtime Frankies. There will also be a cocktail and canape reception followed by a hog roast hosted by the Fruit Pig Company.

7) Whittlesey Festival

If your narrowboat holiday takes you onto the River Nene you may discover the ancient Fenland market town of Whittlesey. The Nene – Ouse Navigation link meanders alongside the Manor fields, south of the town.

Whittlesey Festival is held on the first Sunday of September and begins with a community parade through the town alongside an impressive classic car display. A climbing wall, swing boats and pony rides will be found on the church yard green and the market place hosts live singers, musicians, marching bands and dance displays throughout the day. The streets will be lined with speciality stalls, including arts and craft.

If you’re headed up the Nene you may also like our article The 3 Best Moorings When Narrowboating on the Nene.

8) It’s Cheaper!

When the hustle and bustle of the summer season is over we offer some very affordable bargain breaks. Check out the prices of our boats, depending on the size of your party – and note that booking online gives you a further discount! Choose a three night short break (Fri-Mon) or a seven night week (Mon-Mon or Fri-Fri). Our all-in price includes hire, damage waiver and fuel.

Check September prices here

Tags: , , , , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Amazing things to do, Canal Blog, Featured articles

fishing on a boating holiday

I love lazily cruising underneath overhanging trees with the sun sparkling on the water’s surface and a mug of coffee on the roof in front of me. I also like looking at the guide book to plan this evening’s mooring stop, and having a barbeque on the bank for dinner. But if you’re interested in walking, nature, heritage, drawing, painting, photography, market towns and rural villages, country pubs and city shopping, a canal boat holiday can include all of these too. Tailor your holiday to your own tastes by including museums, historic towns, stately homes, festivals or fishing tournaments. Here are three cool ideas to add to your narrowboat holiday plans.

1) Fishing

For both the keen seasoned angler and novice alike, the tradition of taking fish from the waters of the Fens lives on. Fishing is allowed on the waterways provided that you have a current Environment Agency rod licence, and you don’t need to carry your fishing gear very far: Just step off your canal boat! Most clubs will not object to you fishing from the boat, but some may require you to purchase a day ticket. (This varies from area to area, please check with us on arrival at Fox Boats.) Ferry Meadows Country Park on The Nene offers opportunities for fishing, and the Ely area offers roach and bream. Free fishing is permitted on the Ely Ouse River in the town centre.

2) Shopping

Before you set off, you may like to visit the supermarket in March; situated half a mile from our marina. March town centre is about a mile away offering a varied selection of shops, and markets are held in the town on Wednesday and Saturday.

Known for its university, beautiful architecture, students and bicycles, Cambridge is full of quirky English charm, history and shops. You’ll find most of the main national shop names on the streets of Cambridge, but you’ll also discover the local charms and quaint architecture of craft workshops, antique centres, jewellers, and art galleries.

Ely is one of the smallest cities in England. Well known for its ancient narrow streets, timbered houses, medieval gateway and attractive waterfront it is also the place for antique shopping. The largest collection of antique centres in East Anglia can be found on the waterside front. It’s also an ideal stopping point for stocking up on holiday food provisions.

If you enjoy shopping in historic market towns try Whittlesey, St Ives or Oundle. For the excitement of city shopping, check out Peterborough or Northampton.

3) Discovering History

The Oliver Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon contains some interesting exhibits of life during our Civil Wars. If you visit Cambridge you’ll see the beautiful architecture of the many colleges of the famous university, and if you stop at Ely you can discover the stunning cathedral, known as The Ship of the Fens. Oundle Museum is on the outskirts of Oundle and exhibits trace the history of the settlement over the last 2,000 years. This thriving market town has buildings dating back from the 17th, 18th and 19th century.

Travelling by narrowboat is a charming and nostalgic way to travel through ancient villages and towns, and a very relaxing way to discover parts of England you’ve never seen.

Check availability now and book your own adventure!

  1. For more cool ideas of what to do on a canal boat holiday subscribe to our blog in the right sidebar – look for Follow Blog. (We don’t send spam or salesy type stuff – just interesting articles about boats and waterways!)

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Canal Blog, Featured articles, Navigation articles, Towns & villages
with kind permission: Jan Pickles
Wansford Station EA Boat Moorings jan pickles

with kind permission: Jan Pickles

 

The River Nene passes through Cambridgeshire and Northants where it connects the east of England to the rest of the UK waterway network. If you’re looking for a less-crowded narrowboat holiday where you can enjoy stunning countryside and attractive villages, these three narrowboating writers recommend these three moorings.

1) Wadenhoe

Blogger and narrowboater Sue from nb No Problem has been cruising the waterways and canals of England since 2000 when they bought their first narrowboat to retire on. She loves cruising the East Anglian rivers with her husband Vic and border collies Meg and Penny. The Nene is her favourite river and she advises taking it slow so that you can enjoy the beautiful lock surroundings with ancient mills. She recommends stopping in Wadenhoe Village and checking out stone cottages, thatched rooves, the post office, and the Kings Head. Wadenhoe House is a Jacobean 17C manor house, once home to the Delacy family who were found to be involved in the Gunpowder Plot.

2) Earls Barton

Jan Pickles (co-author of UK River and Canal Info) has a 58ft traditional narrowboat called ‘Drifter’. She says, “We love the peace and tranquillity of the River Nene, as opposed to canals at this time of year. It’s much cheaper for us to buy a gold licence as we spend most of our time down on the Nene.

There are few designated moorings here. The land is all pretty much privately owned by farmers etc, so it’s not the same as the canals where you can pretty much moor anywhere you like.

With the Nene you have to think a little more carefully about where to attempt a bankside mooring. This usually involves me watching over the bow to ensure there’s enough depth and I carry a pair of shears for the few thistles and stingy nettles.

We love Earls Barton. You can now easily moor as a visitor at Whitemills Marina (lock 9) and it’s about a 20 minute walk into a lovely little town, which boasts its own butchers and bakery, fire station and lovely tea rooms.”

3) Wansford Station

Jan says, “Wansford Station has a 48 hour Environment Agency mooring where you can watch the steam train of the Nene Valley Railway chuff by. There’s a tea room there too.”

Amy-Alys Tillson lives aboard a 70 foot historic narrowboat in Cambridge, M.B Willow. She also likes to stop at the EA mooring at Wansford on the Nene because of the Nene Valley Railway. “You can stop and hop on a steam train to Yarwell or Peterborough.” She also recommends the twin villages of Upwell and Outwell for pretty village walks and churches.

Jan Pickles says, “Many new boaters are worried about the Nene because she does have a tendency to flood. We have found however that you just need to be sensible, register for strong stream advice and always keep one eye on the weather. Even when the weather is good, we never tie ropes too tight.”

You may like to read more about the Nene’s top attractions and check out the Fox holiday routes that cover the Nene here: River Nene. Our narrowboat holidays on The Nene can be taken as a week, weekend break or midweek breaks. Check availability today: River Nene Narrowboat Holidays

 

Tags: , , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Canal Blog, Canal boaters & writers, Featured articles, Guest & customer articles
With kind permission: Jan Pickles
Jan Pickles Narrowboat Peterborough Embankment

With kind permission: Jan Pickles

If you’re planning a narrowboat summer holiday on the East Anglian waterways it’s fun to do a bit of online research before you go. There are a few Facebook groups dedicated to our local waterways such as Friends of the River Nene, Fen Boaters and Middle Level Boaters.

So I asked the local boaters on Facebook if they had any tips and suggestions of favourite moorings and best places to visit on the Cam, Ouse, Nene and Middle Levels?

Fred Ray responded with a link to his beautiful photo blog. Fred explored the Fen waterways before Easter last year, with his family on board narrowboat Calamity Jayne. One of the highlights was a visit to Ely cathedral. Fred was impressed and overawed by the sheer scale and beauty of the building. The ‘Ship of the Fens’ dates from the 11th century. Fred’s blog displays examples of the intricate stonework, stained glass windows and painted vaulted ceilings. They visited the West Tower and climbed 288 steps to get some stunning shots of the flat fenlands all around, and looked down onto the top of the octagonal Lantern Tower. He even spied their boat from up there, moored down on the river! Their day out in Ely also offered shopping, playing in a country park and chip butties for lunch.

I also read on Facebook that the Five Miles in Upware, near Ely is has real ales, good food and plenty of moorings. On a Friday night they have a live band and during the summer live music in the garden. The Five Miles From Anywhere Inn is a modern, family-friendly pub-restaurant with a grassy riverside garden on the River Cam.

A visitor to our Facebook page recently suggested The Ship Inn at Brandon Creek. “They serve consistently great home cooked food and cater for celiacs and gluten diets really well. Best Treacle tart ever. Mooring over night when you go there too. There are also Environment Agency moorings alongside the pub: A truly pretty spot between two rivers – just like an island.”

Jan Moyes says, “We do have a house, but we don’t go there very often!” They spend most of their time on their boat, Pennymist. She says, “Cambridge is my favourite place and we have always been lucky in getting a mooring at Jesus Green lock, but there is not a lot of mooring. On the Nene, Midsummer Meadow is one lock and ten minutes cruise from Northampton and a much quieter mooring. Also The Kings Head at Wadenhoe is good. Most EA moorings on the great Ouse are good. I really like the Five Miles From Anywhere – and it’s a great place name! Upwell to Burwell is a nice little detour – lovely little village.”

‘H’ and Jan Pickles (and their three cats) have been exploring the Great Ouse and its tributaries on an old Seamaster river cruiser, and have collated their years of experience into a website that can be accessed on the move via mobile devices. UK River and Canal Info offers the kind of information that boaters only discover over years of exploring, so is a real help to holiday makers that are new to the area. They like to visit Wadenhoe, on the River Nene.

Jan says, “You can moor at the bottom of the pub gardens for free if you eat in The Kings Head. If you prefer not to eat, it’s a fee. There’s an E.A. water point there too, which is handy.

Further up the village you have the Old Barn Tea Rooms. They do a wicked cooked breakfast and lovely cakes, as well as gifts, plants and even free range eggs can be purchased there.

You can also moor a little further upstream against the SSSI (site of special scientific interest). It costs nothing to moor there and the pub and tea rooms are still within easy reach.”

Any one of these places is within easy reach of our hire boat base in March, and can be included in your holiday plans.

For more Fenland boaters recommendations and tips, plus our local boaty news and gorgeous narrowboating pictures make sure you’re following our Facebook page, and subscribe to our blog in the right sidebar – look for Follow Blog. (We don’t send spam or salesy type stuff – just interesting articles about boats and waterways!)

Tags: , , , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Amazing things to see, Featured articles

ouse fest 2016OuseFest is a local Cambridgeshire event that falls right in the middle of the summer narrowboat holiday season. There are more than 100 fun, local events planned over the fortnight of 18th to 31st July, which celebrate the Ouse Washes Landscape and communities.

The Ouse Washes are an area in the Fens of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. They cover the area between two diversion channels of the River Great Ouse: the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River and they are known for their wildfowl and nature reserves. The Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership scheme focusses on the distinctively rural, open and tranquil landscape surrounding the Ouse Washes and its unique heritage, and is Heritage Lottery funded.

Over the two week period the local area will be host to guided walks, photography workshops, fun days, family-friendly nature activities, exhibitions, poetry readings, workshops, talks, theatre performances and film screenings. There are many opportunities to learn about the history, wildlife and traditions of the Fens. A full programme of events is available at the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership website.

Many of the OuseFest events can be visited by boat. For example there is a free Made in the Fens Craft Workshop on Saturday 30th July 1pm – 4pm at Ely Museum, Market Street, Ely, and there are other craft workshops, including rag rugging, in other locations.

On Saturday 23rd July St Ives Town Team presents ‘The Merrie Wives of St Ives’, or ‘Much Ado About Tommy Do’: A summer evening on the quay, including a play and barbeque with hog roast.

These are just three options you can choose out of a very varied programme of events.

Amy Tillson is Marketing and Events Assistant for OuseFest. She says,

“OuseFest 2016 has plenty going on near the waterways. Boaters could visit all the events happening in the major riverside towns: Downham Market, Denver, Ely, Earith and St Ives. There’s also a fantastic Fenland storytelling event on July 28th at the Ship Inn (on the Great Ouse at the junction with the Little Ouse) and a Family fun day on Sunday 24th July at Prickwillow Museum on the River Lark where they will be running their pumping engines. On the same day, Stretham Old Engine (on the Great Ouse) will also be running their fascinating pumping engine”.

So don’t delay, check today if the hire boat you want is available during OuseFest 2016  Check availability

More local news, events and holiday tips will be emailed directly to you if you subscribe in the right sidebar of our blog. (We never share or sell email addresses, this is simply an automated way to receive our blog updates – look for Follow Blog.)

Prickwillow image credit to Prickwillow Museum

Tags: , , ,

by Tim MarrowPosted on Posted in Booking budget tips, Canal Blog, Featured articles

canal boat guideIf you’re planning your first ever narrowboat summer holiday this year then there could be three common mistakes that you don’t even know you’re making. The experienced boater knows the answers to these three questions: Get rid of holiday doubt and uncertainty once and for all with our three top tips for a trouble-free summer cruise.

1) What if it Rains?

Choosing an English canal boat holiday means that you must embrace the great British weather – this is where taking your holiday-home with you as you travel gives you unrivalled creature comforts! Should it be raining or windy or both, your options are to moor up until it all blows over, or carry on regardless with an umbrella, some team spirit and an extra helping of optimism. Depending on where you are when the bad weather strikes you might moor at a pub, or explore a local village or town. If you’re in the middle of some glorious piece of nowhere, enjoy the feeling of being isolated in nature, while grabbing a snack, playing cards or board games, reading a book or drawing and painting. Our hire boats also have a stereo and a flat screen TV with Freeview so you won’t be bored! Anyway, there’s no need to rush to reach your destination. Canal boating is all about enjoying the moment!

2) Where Should we go?

To find out how long your journey will take you, try using CanalPlanAC, an online tool for planning your route, taking into account distances and locks. This website has an extensive collection of beautiful waterway photographs and shows pubs and shops along the way. The default calculations are based on seven hours travelling each day, and on all days being the same length, but for a more relaxed holiday you might want to plan on travelling for about four hours per day, so that you have time to explore upon land from time to time. The website allows you to change the default options to plan your own ideal journey.

The Fox Waterways Route Guide will also steer you through different boating journeys, showing the highlights of the Fenland waterways and places to visit.

3) What if it’s Busy?

School holidays can be a busy time on England’s canals (that’s late July to early September) but busy just means that occasionally you might have to wait to use a lock, or the best mooring places (e.g closest to the pub) may be taken when you arrive. That’s why choosing the Fenland waterways can be a good option; they offer a much less crowded alternative to the Norfolk Broads. However, remember a busy area on a canal is nothing like the misery of being stuck in a traffic jam on the road! Queuing for a lock can mean chatting to other boaters, or just relaxing on your back deck with a cup of tea.

Check availability here: Search hire boats and dates.

The Best Kept Secret

“He is very partial to the Eastern Counties, especially the Broads and rivers of Norfolk. You remember he was on his way to Oulton Broad when he disappeared?”

“Yes; and one must admit that the waterways of Norfolk and Suffolk, with all their endless communications, would form an admirable hiding-place. In a small yacht or covered boat a man might lose himself in that network of rivers and lakes and lie hidden for months, creeping from end to end of the county without leaving a trace.”

From The Shadow of The Wolf R Austin Freeman (1925)

Adam Henson (BBC’s Countryfile) described the Fenland waterways as a “hidden gem”. If you are looking for an admirable hiding-place to get away from it all and lose yourself in a network of navigations then this is the holiday you are looking for!

More waterways secrets and holiday tips will be emailed directly to you if you subscribe in the right sidebar of our blog. (We never share or sell email addresses, this is simply an automated way to receive blog updates – look for Follow Blog.)

Tags: , ,