Quietly through Whiston, Doddington and Wollaston

Whiston Lock to Nr Wollaston Lock, River Nene, 3.5 miles, 5 locks
Sat 26th to Wed 30th – Moored Close Whiston Lock

It’s quiet, it’s remote and it’s nice

We spent the whole of Easter here at Whiston Lock.  In fact we enjoyed it so much we didn't pull the pins until this morning.  So this week we have spend doing absolutely nothing..

Oh apart from walking.  Just so many different walks here, some across country, and some around the lakes that used to be gravel pits some 30 years ago.  The wild life, of course, is superb.  I was talking to a fisherman the other day on the path that goes round one of them, and he told me that all that was taken out of that particular place went to making the M1..

These lakes are massive, one looks about 4 miles right round it, and after 30 years it has been given back to the countryside in full glory.  This is only one side of the lake, on the far side of the pic, well that is just an island….. beyond that it stretches as far as the eye can see.

However, I can understand the frustration of the local folk around here not wanting another massive, massive gravel pit, the working of which would be perhaps 50–60 years.  They are campaigning – Help us save the Nene Valley

Today we set off late morning with no particular thought of where our next mooring would be, but for sure, we do need to put water on quite soon.  The last water was put on a week ago at Gayton Junction.

Just as Vic had gone to get the lock ready, another boat arrived, NB Sophia with Alan and Julie!  Well timed that was, and Sophia was the only boat we were to see all day.  We shared the next couple of locks with them before they stopped for lunch and we carried on.  The locks are very different to those on the system.  The river ‘runs’ over the top gates.  So when the guillotine front gate is dropped there really is no need to open the paddles at all…. just sit and wait!

We are sharing our back yard tonight with a few cows and their offspring, there are no towpaths as such along here, just open fields.  Mooring along the Nene is anywhere you can get in really!

But it’s on the other side of the river that ‘my backyard today’ pic comes from..