Boston to Lincoln

Saturday 29 March 2008
Boston to Lincoln Day 9
River Witham

Miles 32
Locks 2
Hours 8

Saturday was scheduled for a day trip with old friends, entering the Navigable Drains at Antons Gowt and then back up to Boston via Cowbridge Lock to the Maud Foster, mooring at the end of Hospital Lane.
Having seen the low levels in the Maud Foster the previous evening and heard the storm warnings on the radio we decided on a change of plan and to beat a hasty retreat to the Trent, making a passage to the Midlands whilst it was still possible to do so.


In spite of the awful weather forecast Saturday dawned clear and bright with a great view of the Stump behind us, and an endless reach of water ahead reflecting the bluest of skies.


During the night the water rose by 4 ft announced by an occasional rattle on the mooring rings to remind us of our steady ascent. With sluicing due to restart mid morning we cleared the moorings at 10.00 am minus the windproof clothing which had been essential for the last 8 days.


The long reaches back to the entrance to Kyme Eau were positively pleasant with the spring sun on my back but is was sobering to note that the pointy gates to the various land drains like Timberland Delph and Dogdyke had sealed themselves overnight, locking in any boaters which might have been tempted to use them for an overnight stop.

As we progressed the clouds rolled in from the south - west and the wind strengthened back to gale force, returning the Witham to a procession of whitecaps. This time we were running before the find and kept pace with the swells making the journey much more comfortable.


On out outbound journey we had noticed a sign at Chapel Farm advertising logs for sale. The persistently cold weather had necessitated continuous use of the woodburning stove, and whilst we had a couple of sacks of coal left on the roof, the wood store was down to the last few scraps of kindling. We therefore decided to stop and replenish our supplies. The owner was rather nonplussed by our arrival on foot and we appeared to be the first customers to arrive on the water. When we asked about the price he enthused about the fantastic lifestyle to be had afloat and told us to take as much as we could carry from the woodshed – all free of charge! Jeff and I managed three huge bags between us, which kept us toasty and warm all the way back to the Midlands. Three cheers for Chapel Farm.

As we pressed on towards Lincoln the water level continued to rise, first covering the fishing jetties and then the flood plains to the high banks. By the time we reached Bardney, what had been a 6 foot fall the day before had now been reduced to 2ft 6in! The speed of the changing water levels is sobering. We finally arrived in Lincoln at 5.30 pm and worked through the interminably slow Stamp End Lock in a persistent drizzle carried along by a high wind which threatened to rip the Cratch Cover off its hooks.


In an attempt to get out of the wind we tried to moor in the narrow channel just south of the Glory Hole, but a combination of the wind being funnelled down the concrete canyon and an abundance of teenagers in the adjacent shopping centre prompted a re think. With the light completely gone we motored across Brayford Pool with the aid of our tunnel light and to the startled stares of diners in the floating restaurant.


With the few visitor moorings occupied we tied up on some empty long term moorings alongside the University halls of Residence which broke the force of the wind and provided a sheltered spot for the night.

Kirkstead Bridge to Boston

Friday 28 March 2008
Kirkstead Bridge to Boston Day 8
River Witham

Miles 16
Locks 0
Hours 4

What a contrast to yesterday! The weather is as bad as it was good the day before. A vicious gale had blown in overnight and we woke to 2ft breakers surging past us.


These drains are very exposed and in this quarter the wind funnels between the banks generating impressive swells complete with whitecaps and spindrift! The wind had finally turned, after 6 days in the north it was now blowing a gale from the south west. The mooring had become very exposed and uncomfortable so we moved on without delay, butting into nasty short swells which resulted in sheets of spray from the bows. As WB pushed on through the waves the troughs repeatedly lifted the counter out of the water, allowing the prop to suck in great gulps of air and triggering shuddering bouts of cavitation.


The engine never faltered and pressed us on at 1900 rpm passing each 1km distance marker every 7 mins. In the absence of anything else to look at one starts to anticipate these distance markers which appear out of the murk like lonely sentinels giving assurance that progress is indeed being made towards our destination.
Both my Nicholson guide and the info provided by the Torksey Locky were calibrated in miles so I spent ages working out how many km posts we would pass on our way to Boston, based on a known distance of 32 miles. I guessed at 50 km and the final tally of 51 was close enough to prove the Capt Ahab still has his mental marbles.

There is not a lot to say about these last 16 miles out to the coast, a stretch which would constitute a full days cruising elsewhere but which we covered in less than four windswept hours. The canalised river is almost perfectly straight, wide and deep, never deviating from its course by more than a degree or two and was restored in the 1700’s by the people of Boston to both improve drainage and transport links to Lincoln.

We were planning a exploration up Kyme Eau towards Sleaford but in the event we pressed on and were relieved when the towering Boston Stump emerged from the rain as we rounded the final bend at Antons Gowt – Gateway to the Navigable Drains.


By now it was clear that the primary purpose of this waterway is to drain the surrounding fields, acting as a huge reservoir for the many pumping stations and with the water flushed (sluiced) away on the next ebb tide. Navigation comes a distant second and boaters need to be mindful of their place in the pecking order. As we arrived the weather forecast was for a lot more rain and all the pumping stations were running full tilt, making room for more water in the surrounding land drains. The Witham was also being sluiced at top speed and was about 4ft down, making mooring difficult. These rapid fluctuations in water level made us appreciate the dangers of lingering in the Navigable Drains and the risks of becoming stuck behind low bridges for days or possibly weeks at a time. This was clearly not the time to explore the mysterious drains that surround Boston so we decided to leave them for a future expedition – maybe when the South Forth Foot is open for business in 2009.


It is widely quoted that “Boston dosn’t like narrowboats”. In truth, the moorings are almost entirely geared towards plastic cruisers. When we visited the BW visitor moorings hadn’t opened for the spring and our attempts to moor at Boston Marina were met with a curt “ we don’t do narrowboats”. Its possible to see why the town has a perceived dislike of narrowboats, but having lived here for five years on the 1980’s I think it has more to do with local communication style than actual sentiment. Locals tend to approach conversation in a manner reminiscent of Yorkshiremen – blunt and not given to hyperbola. In truth, the scaffold based finger jetties are far too fragile to resist the enormous sideways pressure of a deep drafted narrowboat when the river is being sluiced at maybe 3 or 4 knots. In the event, a solicitous approach to the lock keeper at Grand Sluice allowed us access to the BW visitor moorings for the night (£5 per night thereafter) on the understanding that we be away by 10.00 am the following day when sluicing was scheduled to restart. For the record the limited lateral moorings are enough for 2 narrowboats, maybe three if desperate, complete with water, power and rubbish disposal and all in a secure locked compound. Watch out for rapidly changing water levels which rose 4ft overnight. Keep your mooring ropes loose and use the rings on posts which let you ride up and down without fuss or danger.

We had a good wander round Boston – a surprisingly pretty market town which is very self sufficient due in part to its distance from major cities. There are two great markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the shadow of St Botolphs Church aka “The Stump”.


We also took the opportunity to hike over to the Maud Foster and view my 1st house in Hospital Lane, which was remarkably unchanged.


There is lots to see here but one point of particular interest can be found beside the Grand Sluice Lock. In the mid 1800’s an iron post was driven into the ground right down to the underlying bedrock. This was set up to monitor land shrinkage and it was surprising to see a good 10 metres exposed, with the shrinkage showing no signs of abating. What with land shrinkage and rising sea levels Boston had better get cracking on the Witham Barrier or there wont be anything here to protect.

Lincoln to Kirkstead Bridge

Thursday 27 March 2008
Lincoln to Kirkstead Bridge Day 7
River Witham

Miles 19
Locks 2
Hours 5

As there was no particular urgency to get to Boston we spent the morning exploring Lincoln. We visited banks, bookstores, outdoor shops and finally the stunning Cathedral. It’s 20 years since I last visited Lincoln and it was my first time inside the Cathedral. It is a truly awe inspiring place, mostly 700 years old. Generations have applied their creativity and resources to the construction of a building to glorify God. It’s a good job the 2008 earthquake didn’t damage it, the stonework must be very fragile in places.


Steep Hill is like a can of Ronseal – it does exactly what it says on the can, but in the case of the street is does take your breath away. As you toil upwards there are a plethora of little shops which provide a good excuse to pause and recover your composure. Jeff was adamant that he didn’t find it steep and insisted on running up and down it just to prove he could.

On our return to Wand’ring Bark we discovered that some light fingered local had helped themselves to the flowers off the roof – the cheek of it. Belle was rather distressed by their absence so we shook the dust of Lincoln off our shoes and, at 1.00pm, we plunged headlong through the Glory Hole.


All very pretty followed by an amazing modern sculpture which hangs over the river. I could only surmise that it represented man reaching up to God – but maybe I was still in the spirit of the Cathedral.


First stop was Stamp Lock with is slow moving (but mechanised) guillotine top gate.
These upper reaches of the canalised Witham have the Cathedral as a backdrop and you can’t help taking a quick peek behind you to see if you can still see it. This can become habit forming and in fact it remains on the horizon all the way to Bardney Lock.


Whilst the river carries the usual flotsam and jetsam of a major town, the channel is deep and wide and good progress is possible.


Immediately beyond Bardney we took a sharp left up the Old River Witham, which remains navigable for about a mile to the road bridge. Progress was slow due to a strong current and limited depth. We made it to the bridge and planned to wind at the entrance to the pumping station 400 yards beyond but ground to a halt in a sea of mud just beyond the bridge. The swift flow made turning difficult but we made it and were quickly swept back to the tail of Bardney lock amidst another shower.


From here on the character of the river changes and assumes the air of a typical fenland drain, with high banks on either side blocking the endless views of flat fields and wide open skies. Judging by the debris on the banks the drain level can rise very high, probably making a level with the reach above the lock. The end of the day settled into a lovely spring evening with a rich sunset and punctuated with occasional aircraft from the RAF base at Conningsby. We had planned to stop at Southrey visitor moorings but they were full of craft laid up for the winter so we pressed on to Kirkstead Bridge and moored on its long floating pontoon which is typical of its type in this area.


We passed a solitary craft during the afternoon but that is getting to be the norm in this neck of the woods.
Jeff stepped up to the culinary plate and delivered a very respectable Spag Bol before another episode of Life on Mars.