Are you up for a vibrant music festival this year?
Or a quiet retreat cruising under our spectacular Fenland skies?
Perhaps you are looking for a budget narrowboat holiday?
We have a canal boat holiday to suit every kind of person; it just depends what time of year you would like to visit us, and which narrowboat route you plan to take.
Here are 10 surprising ideas for this coming year, taken from the highlights of last year’s blog posts.
1) The Romantic Holiday
If you want to avoid staying in an overbooked hotel with dozens of other Valentine’s couples this February, the answer is to book a romantic getaway, on a narrowboat, in the Spring! Our Top 3 Romantic Destinations.
2) The Festival Holiday
Join us for a short canal boat trip this April, at St George’s Fayre, or combine this year’s holiday with a summer festival. Enjoy live music, funfairs and market stalls, then head back to your holiday boat for some rest and recuperation. Four Festivals to Visit by Narrowboat this Summer.
3) The Easter Holiday
A Spring break away means that the waterways are less busy, the wildlife are awakening from hibernation and new baby animals and waterfowl are born. Daffodils, primroses and other seasonal flowers line the waterways. How to Grab a Last Minute Easter Boating Holiday.
4) The Art Lover’s Holiday
What’s a sophisticated narrowboater to do on a rainy day? Where can a cultured canal cruiser go to view art? And which local exhibitions are free to enjoy? Four Fenland Galleries for the Classy Canal Boater.
5) The Middle Level Holiday
Fox Narrowboats is in a great position, nestled in the centre of the Middle Level Waterways, not far from the idyllic riverside villages of Upwell and Outwell. This holiday will suit you if you want to visit ancient churches and charming old English pubs. Five Things You’ll Love About the Middle Levels.
If lavish boating holidays are beyond your budget we have several low cost alternatives for families, friends and couples on a budget. Boating on a Budget: 3 Low Cost Alternatives.
8) The Family Holiday
School holidays used to be a time for children to spend their days running around outdoors, and a rural narrowboat holiday can give your family an experience reminiscent of simpler times. Last Minute Narrowboat Holiday: Deals for Families.
9) Back to School: The Cambridge Holiday
Visit the ‘city of perspiring dreams’; a world-famous University City. Cambridge is the home of students, bicycles and colleges; a place to go shopping while admiring the incredible architecture. Three Amazing Things to do in Cambridge.
10) The Spooky Holiday
And finally, whether you’re an enthusiastic paranormal investigator, or just someone with an appetite for history, heritage and old-fashioned storytelling, East Anglia is rife with ghost stories, legends of drownings, and tales of disappearances and violence. How to Hunt Fenland Ghosts, Even When it isn’t Halloween.
For more haunting 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.
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 !
Hey! Are you new here? Subscribe on the right to receive more secrets of the undiscovered Fenland waterways, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)
Are you feeling really motivated to focus on your health?
Do you want to use this New Year to get back in shape?
Some time spent on the Fenland waterways could be just what you are looking for!
If you have ever begun a January exercise program, only to lose interest in it by February then you will know how important it is to choose an exercise that you enjoy. Combining your fitness practice with something you really like may dramatically increase your chances for long term success.
At the start of the year many people make new resolutions to begin a fitness practice, but only a few people will manage to maintain these new healthy habits. The secret is to develop an action plan, and make that plan fun.
You may want to check with your doctor that you are healthy enough to start a new exercise regime. Secondly, try to enlist some encouragement and support from your friends and family. Mental motivation is essential for those times when you may become discouraged, so think about the ‘why’ of what you are doing. Then check out these tips for getting active beside the waterways.
1) Walking.
If you live near a canal this can often be an oasis of relative tranquillity in a city. Try including a canal-side walk into your regular routine. On a canal boat holiday you can choose to walk alongside the boat while your crew member steers, and just jump back on board when you’re ready for a rest! Or take a longer, nature ramble when the boat is moored up. Pack a picnic and go off discovering the Fenland countryside. Like any other cardiovascular exercise, brisk walking boosts endorphins, which can reduce stress hormones, alleviate mild depression, improve mood and increase self-esteem. There are some lovely walks around the village of Wadenhoe. (See 5 Ways This Unknown Village Can Soothe Your Soul.)
2) Jogging on the Towpath.
If you feel like picking up the pace a bit the towpath can be a scenic running track, usually far from any noisy traffic sounds. The advantage of running on a towpath, or beside any man-made navigation, is that they are usually flat ground. You may know that the Fenlands are famously flat, so there will be no running up hills if you are exercising on your narrowboat holiday with us!
If there are a lot of locks on your journey you may find yourself ahead of your crewmates on board the boat and you may like to prepare the next lock for their approach.
3) Work the Locks.
To fill or empty a lock you will need to wind paddles with a device called a windlass, (included with the boat) and this can require some strength if the mechanism is stiff. First the boat must be temporarily moored up, by pulling in the ropes, and then you need to open and close the lock gates by pushing the balance beams. So there are plenty of opportunities to get active and burn calories at a lock. Let your crew mates know though, that there should be no running at a lock, because there is a danger of falling in, and they can be very deep.
Before hiring one of our boats you will be fully trained in how to steer it, and operate the locks, by one of our RYA qualified instructors. Why not join us for a day boat hire to increase your confidence, and get active for a day?
4) Mooring Up.
At the end of any journey offer to help moor up and you will find yourself hauling the boat towards the bank with a rope. If you are using mooring pins they may need to be banged into the river bank with a mallet, and this can also be quite a strenuous activity too. After an hour or two of walking, jogging, working the locks, mooring up and enjoying the scenery, you may find your heart to be pumping and your endorphins truly boosted. It may even feel more like fun than exercise!
5) Rest and Recuperation
Of course a narrowboat holiday is not all about the cardiovascular exercise and stimulating workout. Moor up near any town or village to enjoy a well-earned rest in a riverside pub, or a cuppa in a country tea room. You deserve it!
If you’re looking for an unusual way to maintain your fitness this year, do consider booking a hire boat holiday or a day trip with us. We’re currently taking bookings for this year’s season. Will you join us on an adventure?
If you enjoyed this article about cruising your way into fitness, 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!)
The fens spreads out over an area of approximately 1500 square miles (3900 sq. km), mainly Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire and a small section of Norfolk. The area is well known for its biodiversity and geodiversity. Most of the Fenland lies within a few metres of sea level the area now includes the lowest land in the United Kingdom.
History starts about 8000 BC
At the end of the latest Ice Age known in Britain as the Devensian approximately 10,000 years ago, Britain and continental Europe were joined by a ridge between Friesland in the Netherlands and Norfolk in England. The ice melted and the sea level climbed and produced the present coastline.
Next 2000 years
The higher sea levels flooded the previously inland woodland of the Fenland basin, over the next 2000 years, creating a mixture of saltwater and freshwater wetlands.
Silt and clay soils were deposited in the saltwater areas and along the beds of tidal rivers, while peats developed in the freshwater marshes.
Neolithic Age & Bronze Age settlements
Early Neolithic and Bronze Age human settlements were covered by peat deposits with water levels peaking in the Iron Age. Evidence of a Mesolithic settlement has been found in Cambridgeshire along the fen edges and on the low islands within the fens. Top archaeological sites include Flag Fen and Must Farm quarry and Stonea Camp
Roman period and after
Water levels fell once again. During this time the Romans built the Fen Causeway that runs for 24 miles between Denver, Norfolk and Peterborough in the west. The Townlands, places like Wisbech, Spalding & Boston developed, parishes were laid out as elongated strips, to provide access to the products of fen, marsh and sea.
Middle Ages to 13th Century
In Anglo-Saxon England, a number of Christians sought the isolation that could be found in the wilderness of the Fens, who were later to become saints; Guthlac, Etheldreda, Pega, and Wendreda. Hermitages on the islands became centres of communities which later developed as monasteries with massive estates. During most of the 12th century and the early 13th century, the south Lincolnshire fens were afforested, but then deforested around Magna Carta late in the 13th century.
Draining the Fens 1600 to modern day
A massive 200 yr drainage operation was undertaken to culminate to modern day farmland. Though some signs of Roman and medieval hydraulics survive, land drainage was begun in earnest during the 1630s by the various investors who had contracts with King Charles I
Two cuts were made in the Cambridgeshire Fens firstly to join the River Great Ouse to the sea at King’s Lynn and secondly the 100 foot drain which joins the old and new Bedford rivers. The project took about 20 years, but even after its completion the area was still susceptible to flooding. Further drainage work was carried out by the Bedford Level Corporation 1663 and Black Sluice Commissioners in 1765 but real success came in 1820 when the windpumps were replaced by coalfired steamengines such as the Stretham Old Engine. In time these were replaced by diesel powered stations, a great example can be found at Prickwillow Museum. Small electric stations are used today.
Restoration
In 2003, the Great Fen Project was initiated to return parts of the Fens to their original pre-agricultural state. The periodic flooding by the North Sea, which renewed the character of the Fenlands.
Exploring the fens
Discover the fens in a boat with Fox Narrowboats. You can take day hire trips or canalboat style holidays to cruise around at your own pace for short breaks up to a full 2 week break.
If you and your family love canal boats and narrowboating, take the pressure off of this year’s Christmas shopping and check out these unusual stocking fillers and gift ideas for your loved ones. We’ve done the research and all of these can be bought on line, so you can just sit back and relax with a lap-top while you’re Christmas shopping this year.
For the narrowboater who has almost everything, a thoughtfully chosen book is always welcome. The Imray canal guides are popular paperback books for river users planning trips along the Rivers Nene, Ouse, Cam and the Middle Levels; they make a great gift for your partner, dad or granddad. They contain maps for planning the cruises, details of moorings to stop at, and things to see and do.
Charlie Fox: Building a Legacy is a book that tells the life story of boat-builder Charlie Fox, founder of Fox Narrowboats. This will especially appeal to canal history enthusiasts and owners of Fox narrowboats. The design and build of one of Charlie’s boats is distinctively recognisable. There is even a Charlie Fox Boat Owners group on Facebook, where boat owners share pictures of their own boats and other ones sighted around the UK waterways.
‘Maidens Trip’ was first published in 1948 and is the semi-fictionalised story of Emma Smith and her two friends’ experiences of working on the Grand Union Canal during wartime. When boatmen were called up to fight, land-dwelling women were recruited to operate the boats. It offers an insight into the forgotten culture of the boat people, and the all-but bygone occupation of cargo carrying on the canals. This book will appeal to the women in your life who love boating.
‘Ramlin Rose: The Boatwoman’s Story’ by Sheila Stewart is my favourite narrowboating book. Sheila Stewart interviewed several women who were born, lived and worked on the waterways, and compiled their anecdotes into a fictional biography of a woman called Rose. It is fascinating to read about the practicalities of day to day life, and how the women managed to cook, clean, shop, birth and bring up babies, all while working the cargo boats. This book is a fascinating read if you are a mother, as it offers an insight into the challenges boating mothers faced in those days.
Do you remember the 1990’s children’s TV series, ‘Rosie and Jim’? Script writer and presenter of the programme, John Cunliffe, turned some of the episodes into children’s story books. John steered the boat ‘Ragdoll’, Duck sat on the roof, and Rosie and Jim learned about using locks and other aspects of canal travel. These books are a great introduction to inland boating for younger children.
Discover our local Fens navigations, back-waters, towns and villages with a DVD and enjoy the beauty of our Fenland waterways from the comfort of your own home. In From Source to Sea – River Great Ouse, Matt Hayes cruises down the Great Ouse on his boat with Fens expert Ernie Hall, and learns how the fens were created. Later, Matt fishes for Skimmer Bream. It’s then downstream to the City of Ely, to see the amazing Cathedral.
If you know someone who is planning a boating holiday next year this DVD may help them to decide what they want to see on their canal trip in 2020.
If you’ve already been on a narrowboat holiday why not get last year’s photos made into coasters, a cushion, a mug or a photo book? Fox boats holidays offer some stunning photo opportunities of watery sunsets, Fenland skyscapes and quaint, ancient villages.
The Christmas Gift That the Whole Family Will Love
Are you still struggling to come up with a gift idea? Do you wish your family spent more time together? Want to get the kids away from gaming, and the adults away from their smart phones?
Then a day out on the waterways could be the unique gift you are looking for! Our day hire vouchers for a trip on a narrowboat are for up to 10 people and make a wonderful Christmas gift. (Get an idea of what you might see on your day out, in this short video clip: Day boat hire near Cambridge and Ely.)
A day boat hire trip can be taken any midweek day between Easter and 30th September. Tuition and lifejackets are included and there is no extra charge for fuel. You can buy the voucher now and use it when the weather is warmer; this will give everyone time to synchronise their diaries! You could ask the whole family to chip in, and agree to make some memories together in 2020.
PS. Never miss an article – 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!)
Local Historian and Author Bill Smith tells us about the Upwell and Outwell Tram Projects. Bill has been a member of the Well Creek Trust since the 1970’s when our own founder Charlie Fox was also a member. This is a unique article Bill has written for us and edited by Susan Lowe. It is the first time he has publically mentioned the dontation that enable the project to get started Ted Harper.
The Wisbech to Upwell Tram Projects – Background and history information.
The memento Projects is to celebrate the memory of the Wisbech Upwell Tramway. The Wisbech to Outwell Tramway opened as an experiment in 1883 and was extended to Upwell in 1884. At its peak, six trams a day in each direction provided passenger and, most importantly, freight services for local produce to Wisbech and then via the main railway link to larger towns and cities. Competition from motorised buses ended passenger services in 1927. Freight continued until 1966 when it was cut as part of the “Beeching Axe”. The final tram journey took place May 20, 1966.
Remembering the Tramway is of importance for all living in the area but also for those much further afield – for rail aficionados and enthusiasts, for local history lovers and tourists and also for millions of fans of Thomas the Tank Engine the creation of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry who was vicar of the nearby village of Emneth (1953 -1965). Toby the Tram Engine and his coach, Henrietta and later, Mavis, the Drewry diesel tram (1952) were based on rolling stock used on the Tramway. Very little evidence of the former Tramway remain today which highlighted the necessity for the Wisbech to Upwell tram projects.
The idea for the Wisbech to Upwell Tram Project came from a conversation, back in the early 1980s between William (Bill) Smith and Andrew Ingram (who had at that time written The Wisbech & Upwell Tramway Centenary Album -1983). Andrew remarked to Bill that, “The people of Outwell and Upwell should have kept some reminders of the tramway. It would have elevated those two villages as there is a vast interest in the old railways”. Following that exchange, Bill decided to produce a tram memento for Outwell, the village in which he lives.
Bill first embarked upon producing a tram memento for the former tram yard site at Outwell and was given an old Norfolk County Council, spherical road sign marked “Outwell” that had been buried at Bexwell Airfield in1940 during the Second World War. It would eventually form the centre-piece of the Outwell Memento. Then, aided by his friends John Button and Tony Judd, he started to source discarded tram-related relics and other authentic railway materials contacting many organisations in the process. They spoke to staff at Bressingham Steam Museum who directed them to a railway “graveyard” at Hardingham in Norfolk. Bill was offered two full-size Victorian tram wheels fixed to an axle (these gave birth to the Upwell memento idea) and other parts needed to make an installation for Upwell. These very early tram wheels and axle were designed to run on “bull-head rail” the same type used for the Wisbech to Upwell tramway.
In April 2016 (03/04/2016) on behalf of the people of Outwell and Upwell, Bill submitted a planning application to the Borough Council King’s Lynn & West Norfolk (BCKLWN) for the two mementos to be located in the old tram yards of the two villages. The submission was supported by Outwell & Upwell Parish Councillors, local residents adjacent to each site and also the Middle Level Internal Drainage Board (at Outwell) and the Health Centre Managers (at Upwell). In addition, Michael Walsh (BCKLWN, Property Services) also gave his support.
The Outwell Memento, phase one was unveiled July 2016 (pic A) by two of Outwell’s oldest residents, Norman Wenn and Iris Risebrow – pictured with Bill Smith. A vast selection of historical photographs, from Bill’s collection, was also put on display in St Clement’s Church. The photographs were collected by Bill over the past 40 odd years that has resulted in him producing six local history books.
Welle Film Productions – a local film-making group – captured footage of the event with the intention of adding to it by following the future progress of the Wisbech to Upwell Tram Project.
About the same time, Bill being a Well Creek Trust (WCT) member since 1970 approached them to act as fund-holders for the cash donations that were being pledged for the Project. WCT, which serves to maintain the ‘survival for all time’ of another local amenity once earmarked for closure – the Well Creek – was a natural choice as their constitution allows them to support other amenities.
Later that year the Project suffered a major setback involving ‘people and politics’ and a lengthy series of very unfortunate occurrences that saw the Upwell installation being put on-hold indefinitely and many of the railway materials that had taken so much effort to source were lost. These events caused much anxiety and stress to many local people, particularly Bill and his family, and cast a dark cloud over what to that point had been an enjoyable and rewarding process for all involved.
Fortunately the realisation of the importance for the local area came to the rescue. The Project was put back on track by a committee, primarily of WCT members rallied by Bill, who approached Wisbech Town and Elm and Emneth Parish Councils with the aim of applying for grant funding to produce further mementos for installation not only at Upwell but also along the entire Tramway route.
To beat the expiry date of the original planning permission Ted Harper a newcomer to the area donated five hundred pounds to prompt the start of the Phase Two project. Sadly Ted died soon after the Upwell project had been unveiled but he did get to see our project reach fruition. Ted’s contribution allowed us to begin the building and installation of the Upwell Tram Memorial (Phase Two) to go ahead before the middle of August 2019. Local company, SDM Fabrication of March, offered its services free-of-charge to build and transport the memorial ready for public display. The event took place on Saturday 27th July and Bill Smith awarded the unveiling honour to ninety-year old Mary Williamson whose husband Bill was manager (until 1974) of Coote & Warren Ltd coal merchants who had a branch at the Upwell tram depot. Despite a downpour a good crowd turned out to witness the event and then attended the display of tram photographs and other memorabilia coordinated by Bill, assisted by Upwell WI and St Peter’s Church members. The whole day was again filmed by Welle Film Productions – look out for more details once editing has been completed.
Bill Smith and Mary Williamson who unvieled the MemorialBill Smith at the Upwell memorial Mick Walker and Bill Smith The back of Phase 2 memorial UpwellLeft to right Bill Smith, Tony Judd and a founder Well Cree Trust member Philip DoubledayOutwell MemorialView from The TramwayOutwell memorial very close to Lance Hunter_Rowe Boat Haven
All pictures and text were supplied by William (Bill) Smith .
If you are interested in the Tramway Project Bill is giving a presentation with a unique collection of images at Upwell Village Hall on Friday 29th November Starting at 7.30pm. Address 6 New Road, Upwell, PE14 9AB all proceeds are for the Well Creek Trust and Tram Phase Three Project.
It is possible to visit the Tram Project on a day out by boat from our marina at March.
Hey! Are you new here? Subscribe on the right to receive more secrets of the undiscovered Fenland waterways, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, two to three times a month.)
Could you be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder?
You are not alone! The extended Brexit deadline means that the depressing political debates are still ongoing a General Election is looming, and the nights are drawing in now, the clocks have gone back. These are gloomy times. Has scientific research shown that booking a narrowboat holiday can lighten your mood? Probably not. But it still may be fun to choose your favourite narrowboat and plan your ideal cruise for next year.
The exact cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) isn’t fully understood, but it’s thought to be related to reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter days. While your winter blues may not have the severity of this mental health condition, the NHS suggested lifestyle changes may help anyone suffering with a low mood. It is recommended to get as much natural sunlight as possible, exercise regularly and manage your stress levels.
If you live locally to a canal, a walk along the towpath can provide you with sunlight and exercise, even if that sunlight is struggling through the grey October clouds. Exercise doesn’t have to be intense, or a huge effort; a simple walk in nature may lift your mood. Even if you live in a city the canal towpath can often be a source of serenity, away from the bustle of traffic and shops. You may even find ducks, swans and geese on the canal. Being close to the water and nature may help you to manage your stress levels.
On a narrowboat holiday you may find that you are outside more than you would be on some other kinds of British holiday. Whether you are relaxing on deck, or in charge of the steering, it’s very pleasant to be chatting with a mug of tea in hand as you travel along. A narrowboat holiday also comes with interesting exercise options included, such as, operating the locks, walking between the locks, and pulling ropes and hammering pegs when mooring the boat up. A holiday is obviously a good way of managing stress levels, because a break from your day to day life can be so rejuvenating. However, a narrowboat holiday can be particularly good for relieving stress, as you get to travel slowly through stunning scenery, under our spectacular Fenland skies, away from the noise of modern life. Exercise, spending time in nature, and practising mindfulness are all effective ways of managing stress.
Foxboats are ideally situated on the uncrowded east Anglian waterways, giving you the best opportunity to get away from it all. Whether it’s the tranquillity of Ely Cathedral, the grandeur of Cambridge’s colleges, or the meandering natural beauty of the River Nene, we feel that our local waterways can beat the blues in a way that no other navigations can!
Where else can you visit art galleries, museums and churches and explore England’s history at Oliver Cromwell’s house? Go shopping in Peterborough or visit a traditional Farmer’s Market. Have a traditional cream tea at The Old Barn Tea Rooms in the riverside village of Wadenhoe, or visit the Stained Glass Museum in Ely.
We’re pretty confident that our narrowboat holidays can chase away the blues because of the great feedback we get from our customers. Check out the kind words we’ve received in our customer reviews.
Still sad? Start browsing our holiday boat availability for next year, and plan how to get to your happy place!
For more articles to make you smile, 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!
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 :-
His Dark Materials is a new fantasy adventure TV series set to premiere on BBC One on 3rd November 2019. It’s based on a series of three novels by Philip Pullman.
The first book in the trilogy, Northern Lights, (sometimes known as The Golden Compass) is set in a parallel universe. It describes the quest of a young girl, Lyra Belacqua, who travels from Oxford to the Arctic in search of her kidnapped friend, Roger. She is assisted by a fictional ethnic group called the Gyptians, who live aboard boats and travel the rivers and canals. The name ‘Gyptian’, like ‘Gypsy’, is derived from ‘Egyptian’. Lyra’s Gyptian friends come from “Eastern Anglia”, the counterpart in Lyra’s world, of East Anglia in our world.
When Lyra joins the Gyptians they are travelling, by boat, to a big muster in the Fens. Pullman describes the area as,
“That wide and never fully mapped wilderness of huge skies and endless marshland in Eastern Anglia. The furthest fringe of it mingled indistinguishably with the creeks and tidal inlets of the shallow sea…”
Our hire boat base is in the Fens of East Anglia, and our boating customers enjoy cruising peacefully under our wildly, huge skies, for day trips and longer holidays.
No doubt, Pullman was inspired by stories of the cargo carrying narrowboaters that travelled England in the 18th century, before the emergence of the railways. These families were constantly travelling, so their children did not go to school. These narrowboat people were sometimes regarded with suspicion by people who lived on the land.
The mysterious network of navigations across the Fens lends itself well to a fantasy adventure. Most of the fens were drained a few hundred years ago, creating a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system of drainage channels and man-made rivers called dykes and drains. The Fenland waterways can be accessed from the rest of the UK navigation system by travelling through Northampton on the Grand Union canal. From here a boater can access the River Nene, the Middle Levels, The River Ouse and River Cam, plus many smaller lodes and tributaries. The quaint towns and villages here are steeped in history and tradition, legends and ghost stories. The waterways are uncrowded and unspoiled by modern life, allowing the boater to easily imagine being a fictional gypsy from bygone days, on some kind of romantic quest.
If you’d love to take a break away from the ‘real world’ and experience something quite calming and magical, check our holiday availability here: Search Breaks.
Hey! Are you new here? Subscribe on the right to receive more secrets of the undiscovered Fenland waterways, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)
Are you haunted by dreams of a narrowboat holiday?
Are you brave enough to experience the darker side of Cambridge?
Have you ever been curious about paranormal investigations?
You may like to explore the mysterious Fenlands by narrowboat.
The strange and compelling landscape of the Fens, with their huge skyscapes, reclaimed marshlands and scattered and isolated villages can be very eerie at this time of year. East Anglia is not short of ghost stories, legends of drownings, and tales of disappearances and violence.
If you’ve ever enjoyed reading horror fiction, (M R James set several of his ghost stories in the Fens), or fantasy novels (Philip Pullman based part of Northern Lights in the Fens) why not include some paranormal investigation into next year’s boating holiday? Here are three haunted locations to visit… if you dare.
Peterborough Museum
Travel by boat through the Middle Levels and along the pretty river Nene to explore Peterborough and visit the museum. Fright Nights Cambridgeshire offer guided ghost hunts at Peterborough Museum, which claims to have eight resident ghosts. They include a First World War soldier and a ghostly kitchen maid. Look out for banging doors, ghostly footsteps and voices, unaccountable smells, mysterious lights and orbs around the building. This 19th century mansion was used as a hospital from 1857 until 1928. The guided tours include a mediumship walk around, experiments, séances and discussions about the paranormal.
Check the Fright Nights website for upcoming ghost hunt experiences. You may like to book a ghost hunt to coincide with your 2020 Foxboats holiday.
Oliver Cromwell’s House
Travelling east from our hire boat base you will come to the River Great Ouse and be able to visit Oliver Cromwell’s House, near Ely, which is now a museum. Fright Nights also offer a ghost hunt of this venue, where you may hear ghostly sounds of childrens’ laughter, footsteps which echo along corridors and down the staircases, and jangling keys. The house dates back to the 13th century and Oliver Cromwell and his family lived there for ten years from 1636 to 1647. The house is now a visitor attraction where you can experience what domestic life would have been like in the 17th Century. Book yourself onto a paranormal investigation, or simply turn up by boat to visit the museum during the daytime, for an interesting day out.
Cambridge Ghost Walk
After visiting Ely, you could take your narrowboat down the River Cam to Cambridge. Hear ghostly tales and sinister stories on a walking ghost tour of Cambridge’s most haunted streets and buildings. An official Blue Badge Guide will reveal stories of macabre goings-on, strange hauntings and tragic events from the past. In these dark, cobbled streets you can visit the Cambridge hangman’s house and learn about the final resting place for Oliver Cromwell’s head. Discover haunted pubs, secret graveyards, grisly hangings and ghostly dogs. Private ghost tours are available all year, and public tours are scheduled on certain dates. For more information Visit Cambridge and Beyond.
Further Research
The Cambridgeshire Ghost Research team investigate all types of paranormal phenomena in Cambridgeshire and the surrounding counties. They use EMF meters, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, motion sensors, analogue and digital audio recording equipment, digital and film still cameras and night vision video cameras. They have investigated many sites that are accessible by narrowboat, including Peterborough Museum, Cambridge Museum of Technology, The George Pub in Ramsey and Ramsey Rural Museum.
Why not check our holiday boat availability for next year, and plan your own paranormal investigation of Cambridgeshire and the Fens? 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!
.jpg){kind=link}