Earith

The day began and remained very overcast and occasionally damp, but above all very cold! After yesterday's shedding of extra layers, today saw them put back on again!

We set off from Cambridge after collecting a paper, a loaf of bread and posting an envelope! The journey back up the Cam was uneventful although at this time there were no rowers on the water, although one or two seemed to be thinking about it!

At the first lock, Christine decided she needed some exercise so set off along the riverbank footpath and re-joined us as we were emptying the next lock, about three miles away. At this stage, Andrew opted for the walk - his section to Pope's Corner, the junction with the River Ouse to Bedford was rather longer, about six miles and at times the path took him a distance from the river bank but we all arrived at the Junction together!

Shortly after turning towards Bedford we stopped at an EA mooring for lunch - and a much needed warm-up

Downstream from the previous lock and all along this next section, the flood protection banks are quite high - sometimes more than others - so there is rarely much of a view of the immedately surrounding area. We passed a former steam-powered pumping engine, last used in 1941.

Late afternoon we arrived at Hermitage Lock which is manned. We managed to acquire the missing EA map of the River Nene (which failed to materialise in the post before we left home). This lock is right under a road bridge which means that the crew at the front of the boat could talk to the lock keeper whilst that at the stern felt decidedly left out!

The next section is tidal, although there seemed to be little effect at this time of year as we passed the entrance to the Bedford River which we previously saw at its outfall at Denver.

Brownshill Staunch was one of the earliest navigation developments on this river - a staunch was a highly difficult, often dangerous, way of enabling boats to navigate changes in the water level. Today it is a regular lock although with two guillotine gates and a rise of only a couple of feet at the most, it is not quite the same as others.

St Ives Lock is a different shape from all the others we have seen so far. We have not yet discovered a reason - is it to allow more boats to pass - it is unlikely that it is like the diamond locks on the Oxford which have that shape to provide more water down the system.

In the gathering gloom we arrived in St Ives itself - notices told us that tomorrow is a Royalist/Roundhead reconstruction - with the Roundheads blowing up the bridge as they retreat over it!