Here are some of the birds, plants, and animals you might meet on your journey.

1) Birds of the Fenland Skies

Whether you’re a keen birdwatcher or a curious beginner, the Fens are a brilliant place to spot water birds and rare species.

kingfisher | vincent van zalinge

Kingfishers: If you’re lucky, you might spot a flash of electric blue darting across the water. Although they nest in the riverbanks, it’s pretty rare to see one; so look out for them in the morning or at dusk.

You’ll be more likely to see swans, ducks and geese. Swans glide alongside the boat as if escorting you, while moorhens bob around the reeds with their chicks in tow. Herons keep impossibly still, but you may notice one on the bank, poised to catch a fish in the shallows.

Marsh Harriers and Owls: In more open areas, keep an eye on the sky. These larger birds of prey are often spotted circling overhead.

marsh harrier | paul kelly

Top Spotting Tip: When you’re moored up, a narrowboat allows you to observe without disturbing the wildlife, like a floating bird hide! The waterfowl may even approach you.

2) Towpath Botanicals

Walking the towpath is not only a chance to stretch your legs, but also to enjoy a closer look at the wildflowers and plants lining the banks.

Purple Loosestrife and Yellow Flag Iris are out in the summer, adding splashes of colour to your journey. Reed beds rustle in the breeze, creating a habitat for many small creatures.

yellow flag iris | martin wemyss

In spring and early summer, you might spot cow parsley, wild poppies, and meadowsweet, while later in the year, blackberries offer the opportunity for a little wild foraging. There are brilliant towpath foraging tips, and a muffin recipe, by narrowboater Helen here: Foraging With Children.

blackberry raspberry cake | micheile henderson

Why It Matters: Noticing these small details can turn an ordinary walk into a mini nature treasure hunt for kids, or a mindful practice for grown-ups.

3) Creatures Great and Small

While you’re relaxing on deck or strolling the towpath, keep your eyes peeled for shy mammals and water-loving insects.

Water voles (think Ratty from Wind in the Willows) are often seen along Cambridgeshire’s quieter waterways. My favourite are dragonflies and damselflies dancing above the surface on sunny days, their shimmering wings catching the light.

Hares and deer sometimes appear at dawn or dusk in the open countryside beyond the riverbanks. And of course, frogs and newts can be found near weedy stretches of canal and pond-like areas.

deer divide | zero

Family Bonus: Even children used to tech can’t help but be curious when a dragonfly lands on the roof of the boat or a tiny frog hops across the path.

4) Nature Reserves along the Way

Cruising with Fox Narrowboats puts you within reach of several wildlife-rich destinations.

Welney Wetland Centre: A must for bird lovers, this reserve is part of the Ouse Washes and is famous for its migratory swans and waders. The best way to visit is to take a taxi from either Denver or Littleport to the centre. Fox Route 1 will take you on the River Ouse and you can reserve tickets for the centre online.

Wicken Fen: One of the oldest nature reserves in the UK, Wicken Fen offers a magical mixture of sedge, water, and sky. You can moor nearby and take a walk through the boardwalks to explore rare habitats. From the moorings on Wicken Lode it is a short walk to the National Trust Visitors Centre and café.

wicken fen | phil hearing

Roswell Pits, near Ely: A peaceful spot for watching birds and dragonflies, and a good place to stretch your legs before heading into Ely town.

Planning Tip: Check mooring locations in advance if you’d like to combine cruising with a visit to these wild havens.

5) Slow Travel, Rich Encounters

What makes wildlife spotting from a narrowboat so special? It’s the combination of stillness and surprise. One moment you’re making tea in the galley, the next, you’re calling out to everyone because a deer just leapt across the bank. It’s not staged or rushed, it’s real, and it stays with you.

Whether you’re a family looking to connect, or a couple seeking peace and quiet, nature finds a way of making your narrowboat journey unforgettable.

Ready to Drift into Nature?

At Fox Narrowboats, we’re proud to help families, couples and nature lovers discover the hidden wildlife wonders of Cambridgeshire’s waterways. All of our boats come with the comforts of home, and the convenience of being close to nature.

Book your holiday narrowboat today and begin your own slow adventure.

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Photo credits: Kingfisher by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash. Marsh Harrier Paul Kelly on Unsplash. Yellow flag Iris Martin Wemyss on Unsplash. Blackberry and raspberry cake micheile henderson on Unsplash. Deer Divide By Zero on Unsplash. Wicken Fen Phil Hearing on Unsplash

The post Exploring Cambridgeshire’s Wildlife: Spotting Flora and Fauna with Fox Narrowboats appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

The Fenlands

Fox Boat owner Chris shares his thoughts on Fenland names throughout time.

What’s in a name ?

Fenland has been described by many nicknames over the years – and each one sheds a different light on various aspects of its history..

In the Medieval times the area had a number of major ecclesiastical establishments, including Crowland, Ramsey, Chatteris and Thorney Abbeys, as well as Ely and Peterborough Cathedrals. Reflecting this ample provision for the Spiritual, the name The Holy Land of the English was applied.

Prior to Vermuyden’s draining of the Fens, the area was often times referred to as The Great Eastern Swamp, or The Old Drowned Lands.

Vermuyden’s first drainage scheme was intended to provide relief from flooding during summer months and gave rise to the description The Summer Lands.

During WWII the productive rich black soil of the Fens was put to use feeding the Country, which was in danger of going hungry as the German blockade of shipping tightened. The area acquired the deserved nickname The Breadbasket of Britain.

The flat countryside, devoid of hills, with its great panoramic landscapes has given rise to the name The Land of the Three-quarter Sky.

And because it is home to Fenland’s only service marina, which builds the best boats, and hosts the only hire fleet, us boaters also call it Fox Boat Country !

If you enjoyed this post consider reading Five Things You’ll Love about teh Middle Levels

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swift fox stopped for lunch on a narrowboat holiday

If you’ve never tried a boating holiday on the Fenland Waterways you may discover a number of unexpected benefits that make it a little different from your average canal boat holiday.

Among Cambridgeshire’s attractive villages and cities is an impressive network of tranquil rivers, offering strikingly flat landscapes, underneath expansive skies. Here are our top 5 reasons why we love boating in Cambridgeshire.

1) More Water Than the Broads

The Fenland waterways offer more than twice the navigational distance than the Norfolk Broads, although your boating holiday may be a similar experience, enjoying working the locks and cruising through natural surroundings. However, there is so much more choice of place to explore and routes to take!

2) Divine Inspiration

This area has earned itself the name ‘The Holy Land of the English’ because of the churches and cathedrals of Ely, Ramsey, Crowland, Thorney and Peterborough. Ely Cathedral is particularly popular with visitors and is known locally as the ‘Ship of the Fens’ because of its waterway surroundings. If you are fond of discovering our heritage and exploring places of worship then these waterways will provide a fascinating adventure for you. Places to visit

3) Nature Reserves

The Fens nature reserves are a beautiful place to discover a variety of wildlife such as birds, wild flowers and dragonflies, as well as endangered species like the water vole. Travelling far from the rush of traffic and modern life you can get really lost in the natural beauty.

4) Places to Eat

Exploring the rivers and waterways of Cambridgeshire you won’t be short of a tempting choice of places to stop. From traditional country pubs, to fine dining in city restaurants there are many small villages and large towns that will cater for the travelling boater.

5) March

Fox Boats is based in March Town where you will find plenty of places to eat, as well as a museum and a church dedicated to the town’s saint, St Wendreda. March is a Fenland market town and like many Fenland towns, it was once an island surrounded by marshes. March lies on the banks of the old course of the navigable Nene, and today is very popular for leisure boating.

To find out more about boating in Cambridgeshire you may like to follow us on Facebook or sign up to receive blog articles by email. (See ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar on the right.)

The post 5 Surprising Rewards of Choosing a Cambridge Boating Holiday appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

Legging or leggin’ it means to propel a boat through a tunnel (without a towpath) by lying on planks and ‘walking’ along the walls or the roof. Toe rag is now sometimes spelled as tow rag because the original background story has long since been forgotten.

When you begin boating on the cut (the canal) you start to learn all sorts of weird and wonderful slang words and boating terms. Some of my favourites are:

Crack the paddles: A paddle is a ‘trap-door’ that allows or prevents water to flow through a lock gate.  So the phrase just means to wind the paddles up on a lock gate.

Strapping in: This means stopping the boat on a post of some sort using a rope.

Cheesing the ropes: Cheesing is to tidy your ropes by winding them into a lovely spiral shape.

 Fenland boater Amy, from M.BWillow says,

“Some things vary by area. In the Fens, paddles are known as slackers or penstocks and on the Severn a narrowboat is a longboat, and what we call a cabin shaft on the canals is a hookshaft on the Severn.  In the Fens we also call a dock or mooring a staithe, and a man-made drainage channel is a lode.

Amy is a huge fan of historic boats. She says, “Toe rag was used as a slang term to describe Severn canal boats and their steerers! No idea why! As the owner and steerer of my own Severner I find it interesting… if a bit offensive!”

Val Manning, author of the narrowboat novel The Other Side of Solitude says, “Not really canal-related, but a lane is called a drove. You also have a lot of Fenland place names relating to witchcraft, such as Wicken and Coveney.”

Other waterways words are used right across the network; such as butty, which is a cargo narrowboat that has no engine and is towed by one that does. A barge however is a canal or river cargo-carrying boat with a beam (12ft or more) that is about twice that of a narrow boat. The term is often incorrectly used to describe any boat carrying goods on a waterway.

The place where a canal narrows under a bridge is known as a bridge hole and a flight is a series of locks rising uphill with pounds in between them.  Inside each lock you will find a cill, which is a doorstep on which the lock gates sit.

A winding hole is a short length of very wide canal, used as a place to turn a boat around, and it is pronounced ‘whin-ding’; not ‘wine-ding’. It is so named because the wind can be used to help the boat to turn.

However, my favourite canal word is probably Gongoozler; meaning a bystander who enjoys watching the activities of boats and boater as they pass by.

What’s your canal lingo like? Do you have any favourite words or phrases? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

New to boating? You may also like What’s it Like to Actually Steer a Narrowboat?

https://www.foxboats.co.uk/whats-it-like-to-actually-steer-a-narrowboat/

For more ideas to add to this 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 and get insider knowledge about the Fenland Waterways.

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