Woodford, Denford and Thrapston..

Ringstead Lock to Thrapston, River Nene, 5 miles 4 locks

Cruising the River Nene is just so laid back, so relaxing and so totally different from the canal system.  I am always really surprised that there are so few people who choice to cruise it.  I might be surprised, but I am delighted it is so quiet, and when a boat is met it’s almost like a huge social occasion, huge hellos and chat to go with it.  I suppose other boaters are surprised to see us too!

So today then..

We didn’t call into Woodford Riverside although they still advertise on the bridge that there is pumpout and water.  I did report last year that the facilities were not available, but still it is advertised… but I had to smile to see a heron on the top of the bridge.  It looks lovely under the bridge there, and there are quite a few boats moored in this very quiet and remote place.  Lots have large TV aerials, so presumably they are resident.. I wouldn’t mind a mooring there…

At a lot of the locks the Environment Agency have put up very informative boards.. I really like them, very user friendly and show where all the facilities are, not that there are a lot of those though along the Nene!..

It’s rubbish really, there are very few places were rubbish can be officially dumped at EA depots.  Here at Thrapston would be an ideal place, there is a gate where a bin could easily be put for boaters rubbish… There is a tap here at least though.

We moored at the visitor moorings just after lunch and went into the town heading for the butchers and Post Office.  Super butchers that is too, and I found the prices very reasonable.  Mr Tesco duly brought us lots of carrier bags full of goodies.. then it was time to relax…

At our very own picnic table before nipping back into the town for fish and chips this evening, yum they were good too!

We decided to ‘raft’ up tonight to Moore2Life.. you can see the two boats moored together.  It was a good job we did, two more narrowboats arrived and moored behind us to completely fill the visitor moorings here, again they also rafted up.. It was nice to meet one of my regular blog readers on the way back to the canal system after a short tour of the eastern waterways.

Just enough light left for a quick wander around this place.. Lucy is staring at me with pleading eyes!!