Briggate Bend with a bang!

We were a bit nervous about negotiating the sharp and tight Briggate Bend in Whittlesey, we had been losing power and I said I'd check the weedhatch when we reached Whittlesey moorings. We actually rounded the bend with no problem, but when I blipped into reverse, there was a big bang and we lost all power, just as the heavens opened! The culprit was this umbrella.

Entering the Middle Levels

John and Rita exiting Stanground lock

Wonderful to be able to have barbeques and late night pit fires in October.

Can't be bad, October and John is still in shorts late into the evening.

So much for the horror stories about mooring in Peterborough!

Passing the Leendert R, a.k.a. Charters Bar

Approaching the Grain Barge Chinese restaurant.

Our moorings for the next few nights

We decided to keep it boaty, first we went for a few real ales in Charters bar.

Inside Charters, quaffing real ale and watching the rugby.

Next we went to the Grain Barge for a nice Chinese meal

The view of Peterborough Embankment from the bridge, our boats on the far right of this photo.

Fresh herbs and cracking Environment Agency moorings.

Glenda picks some fresh herbs 'on the fly'.

Entering Ferry Meadows, on the outskirts of Peterborough

What a beautiful mooring, the trip boat can be seen on the left.

We woke up to find hundreds of people doing a park run.

Breakfast on the pontoon.

How to cure a peeping tom!

We moored at Fotheringhay and enjoyed the usual visit to the pretty village and a pint or two in The Falcon.

I decided I wanted a shower, our boat has it's windows muddled up, the galley window is in the bathroom and the bathroom window is in the galley. I looked out of the shower to see a bloke sat, almost touching the window! I think he'd spotted my long hair (and lovely bum! LOL!) I think that when I turned around, he was mentally scarred for life! My tattooed nether regions and hairy chest (all eight hairs!) we are convinced, led to him needing councelling!

A three week cruise to the middle levels.

When our neighbours, John and Rita, on narrowboat Izzyinn II mentioned that they were planning to cruise off for 3 weeks in September, we said we'd try to join them, though we did wonder if we'd be taking a chance on the weather and the possibility of the river going onto fast flow. add to that a recurring problem with our BMC 1800 overheating and spitting it's coolant out. and my, very unpredictable, rock and roll work timetable, would it ever happen?

Typically at the first lock we breasted up, opposite the boats moored at Willy Watts Marina, then another narrowboat appeared. We waved him through and left John & Rita to follow us, with Glenda resetting the lock.

John & Rita following us down the beautiful river Nen(e) on a lovely Autumn day.