halloween Archives | Fox Narrowboats

Warning: Haunted Forests and Spooky Woods

Tim Marrow — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 12:20:21 +0000

photo: deposit

Imagine the mist swirling around your ankles, and the sound of twigs mysteriously cracking behind you… You turn around, but there’s nobody there!

As I write this on Halloween weekend, I am reminded that woods can be scary places sometimes. But if you’re feeling brave you can choose to venture into the depths of some spooky woods as part of your next narrowboat holiday.

Ferry Meadows Park

Just off the River Nene in Peterborough you can use the pontoon moorings provided in the lake, before heading off towards the woods in Ferry Meadows Park.

The woodlands, meadows, lakes, the River Nene and miles of paths and trails make Nene Park a lovely place to walk. Many of the paths are surfaced and suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The Ferry Meadows leaflet shows a choice of walking routes of various lengths and may just save you from becoming lost in the woods! You can also buy a pocket sized, water-resistant OS map in the Visitor Centre, to plan your spooky adventure. You may like to try a virtual guided walk, using a smart phone to scan a series of QR code markers as you go.

But be brave and get off the main paths and into some of the other woodland walks. The Bluebell Wood Boardwalk offers river views, and bluebells in springtime. Sheep Wash Walk in Bluebell Wood was uncovered and restored in 2018. Impressive trees such as the black pine, Douglas fir, larch, box and yew along the avenue are actually around 170 years old. Also in Bluebell Wood, (by the entrance of the Riverside Walk), you will find a 100 metre woven willow tunnel.

To reach this woodland from our hire boat base you will cruise along The River Nene through stunning countryside and charming villages, passing stone cottages and thatched rooves. (On your way to Ferry Meadows Park check out The 3 Best Moorings When Narrowboating on the Nene.) The trip from March to Peterborough is a 12 hour return trip by narrowboat, but you’ll want to allow extra time for exploring.

For example, along the Old River Nene you will cross the Greenwich Meridian, before arriving at Ashline Lock. You may like to moor in Whittlesey, an ancient market town. Then cruising on towards Peterborough you’ll pass through open country, and eventually you will see the cathedral across the flat fields that lead to Stanground Lock.

As you cruise up river from the centre of Peterborough you will see parts of The Nene Park’s meadows, lakes and woods. Although you can lose yourself in the peaceful waterside walks and wonderful woodlands, you are never too far from the convenient shopping and restaurants to be found in Peterborough. If you stop at the visitor moorings beside the park you can explore the city centre, before spending a day exploring the woods in the park.

If the cracking twigs, branches catching in your hair, and creeping woodland mist isn’t spooky enough for you, you can always embark on your own paranormal investigations. Fright Nights Cambridgeshire offer guided ghost hunts at Peterborough Museum, which claims to have eight resident ghosts!

still missing one year later – abandoned boat found but no clue ….. a halloween post by mooring customer Chris

Paula Syred — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 07:29:01 +0000

We received this incomplete email from a fellow fox boat owner late last night:-

I’m currently moored near Prickwillow on the River Lark, somewhere between the middle of nowhere and the back of beyond.

I’ve just been reading a local folk tale of a lady who had come from India to live near Prickwillow with a ‘child’ who appeared to be half human and half ape. The child was captured and taken to Cambridge but escaped, terrifying the local townsfolk.

Although she was shot and wounded, she managed to make her way home across the fen, killing those she met. She died after strangling the lady who had looked after her. The derelict cottage lies near a remote mooring on the River Lark. No one goes near the old home as, on a misty night, two shadowy figures can be seen, one a lady, the other an ape with its arm around the lady’s waist.

There’s just been an awful commotion outside of the boat’s window, I’ve managed to snatch a picture, and I’m going out to investigate ………

the email abruptly finished there. This is the photo that came with it :-

If ghosts and the paranormal are your thing you might wish to check out some of our previous mysterious Fenland stories. How to hunt Fenland Ghoasts, Even when it isn’t Halloween or 5 Halloween Stories that will Haunt your Holiday Plans.

The post still missing one year later – abandoned boat found but no clue ….. a halloween post by mooring customer Chris appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

5 Halloween Stories That Will Haunt Your Holiday Plans

Tim Marrow — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 17:59:50 +0000

Do you enjoy cruising along through the countryside on a narrowboat?

Are you happiest when you’re far from the sights and sounds of modern life?

Do canal boats inspire you to imagine bygone days?

For some, the attraction of a canal boat holiday is a taste of a simpler life, reminiscent of yesteryear, and our Cambridgeshire hire boat base is the ideal starting point for exploring old market towns and the romance of England’s “olden days”. But in these five Halloween stories the past catches up with us in the form of ghostly hauntings…

Local Spooks

A narrowboat is the stealthiest way to travel if you are planning a paranormal investigation in Cambridgeshire, and our local area is surprisingly haunted. This article describes some of the ghosts you might see around March and the Fenland waterways: How to go Ghostbusting with a Narrowboat.

Ghostly River

After leaving our hire boat base in March and heading through the Middle Levels you’ll join the River Ouse at Salter’s Lode. You may expect cruising the beautiful River Great Ouse to be quite peaceful, simply absorbing the local history, folklore and architecture. But in this article, we reveal what the local boaters won’t tell you: three anecdotes from the past that could affect your serene impression of the tidal Ouse. Read about the murdered ghosts of Southery and the hanged men of Littleport in this article: The Spooky Truth About Cruising to Ely.

Eerie Events

In 2015 these six local attractions offered various Halloween themed events, from ghostly tours to the Cambridge Pumpkin Festival. Many of them are taking place again this year, and they will show you just how much there is to see and do around the Fenland Waterways: Six Halloween Events Every Fenland Boater Should Know About

Then, in 2016 these Fenland Halloween events gave us even more unusual ideas of places to visit, so that we could create haunting holiday memories to die for! 3 Spooky Reasons to Visit the Fens on a Narrowboat Holiday.

Ghost Stories

In times gone by, long before there were narrowboat holidays, I imagine that working boatmen may have gathered their families around the cabin stove on All Hallow’s Eve, and told ghostly stories by lamp-light. Here are seven creepy towpath tales to share beside the fire this Halloween: 7 Chilling Canal Ghost Stories for Halloween.

If you fancy haunting the canals yourself next year, be brave and check availability here to plan your next narrowboat holiday! Cambridgeshire and the Fenland Waterways offer history, heritage and culture at all times of the year.

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 and sign up today!

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