Wednesday 14 September 2016

East Mids Exploration: Day 14

We had a very quiet night in Lincoln; those moorings might be a bit different next week when all the students are back for Freshers' Week. This morning was misty and murky. With very few miles to do we were in no rush to get going, but set off about 9.15 on the return trip along the Fossdyke Navigation. The first landmark outside Lincoln is the Pyewipe Inn, seen here yesterday when it was sunnier.

We stopped half way along the navigation at Saxilby, where there are good visitor moorings. We'd been warned by a boat going the other way about some anglers there; they were on the offside, and took vocal objection to any boats passing too close. We walked into the village and found a decent Co-op. Saxilby has a heritage society, and the more interesting buildings have little plaques on them. We did a circular route round the village to get back to the boat, where we had lunch. Setting off again, there was a man in the water by the railway bridge. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was checking the bridge hadn't been undermined in any way.

Before long the cooling towers of Cottam power station came into view. By now the sun had burned off the mist and it was getting warm again. We moored on the visitor moorings before Torksey, as the tides mean we can't go down the lock until the evening.

We moved to the top of the lock later in the afternoon, then at a bit after 7pm we were called to go into the lock. There was a lovely moon over Torksey Basin.

One of the sets of centre gates at Torksey Lock has been filled with tea pots. There are more all along a wall by the cafe, too.

By 7.30 we were tied on the pontoon below the lock. We'll need to set an alarm for the morning. We are taking the tidal Trent back to Cromwell Lock, and will have to go with the tide -- which means setting off at about 7am. Particularly having read tonight's blog by Sue on No Problem XL, once we'd moored up I checked the weed hatch, and removed a few handfuls of weed from around the prop shaft.

11 miles, 1 lock. (209 miles, 115 locks)

 

3 comments:

Jim said...

I did my fastest ever weed hatch visit clearing the prop going up the Trent from Torksey against the tide!

Bruce in Sanity said...

Good grief, you got as far as Lincoln but didn't go down the Witham? That's the best bit, the run into Boston with the Stump dead ahead is amazing and the villages well worth visiting.

Ah well, no accounting for taste, I suppose ;)

Have a safe trip

All the best

Bruce

Adam said...

Bruce, it's not a question of taste it's a matter of time! When we're retired like you, we'll go back -- and we'll probably have a good reason because we'll be crossing the wash!