Ouse News - Summer 2014 The Great Ouse Branch Newsletter covering the Great Ouse and tributaries Campaigning for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the Inland Waterways. The Inland Waterways Association ‘Reach Fair - May 2014’ Photo: Carole Alderton The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Great Ouse Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers. Branch Committee p3 Chairmans Corner p4 Gt Ouse - AONB p5 Kings Lynn Pontoons p7 River News p8 Voyage of Discovery p16 Branch News p19 Welches Dam p22 Reach 2014 p24 Contents:
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Ouse News - Summer 2014The Great Ouse Branch Newslettercovering the Great Ouse and tributaries
Campaigning for the conservation,use, maintenance, restoration and
development of the InlandWaterways.
The InlandWaterwaysAssociation
‘Reach Fair - May 2014’Photo: Carole Alderton
The views expressed in thispublication are not
necessarily those of theInland Waterways
Association or of the GreatOuse Branch. They are,however, published asbeing of interest to ourmembers and readers.
It turned out that I was somewhat optimistic when I wrote in the springedition that ‘By the time you read this, the worst of the winter flooding willbe behind us’. However, we got there eventually and dare I say it, thewater levels are now back to normal.
I am pleased to report that we held four successful meetings over the ‘off’season, all of which were reasonably well attended. We are now workingon producing an equally interesting programme for next winter.
The practice of holding a visit to local places of interest prior to the boatingseason has proved to be popular, with 40 Great Ouse and Peterboroughbranch members attending a fact finding tour of Horseway Lock and WelchesDam on the 5thApril - see the full report on page 22. It was nice to learnthat all talk of taking potentially expensive legal action to try and force theEnvironment Agency to restore the navigation has now been replaced by amore practical approach based on ‘How can we achieve the desired resultby involving local organisations and seeking help from the various fundingorganisations?’. This is an approach that we as a branch can fully support.
The resolution of the mooring situation along Ely waterfront seems to begrinding slowly towards a successful conclusion with the Secretary of Statehaving finally approved the enabling byelaw. However, there now has to bea period of consultation before the rules can be enforced.
After much deliberation, the Cam Conservators and the Environment Agencyhave agreed the terms of a new Interchange Agreement allowing EA regis-tered boaters to navigate the Cam. The 10% surcharge levied last year hasnow been reduced to 5%. However, this will be offset by a 4.8% generalincrease in the EA licence fee, leaving boaters with a 0.2% gain. I supposethat this can be regarded as some sort of progress!
Have a great boating season. Keith Alderton
Ouse News Page 5
Great Ouse - Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty Bid
The 17 miles of tranquil river scenery of theGreat Ouse Valley through Huntingdonshirefrom Little Paxton to Earith is loved and ap-preciated by boaters and ramblers, but remains a hidden secret for many.
Now, a small local group has launched a bid to have this area declared partof an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) by English Nature.
There are currently 33 AONBs in the country; the largest being in the Cots-wolds and the smallest comprising the entire Scilly Isles. AONB status canafford an area of special scenic value a measure of protection from intrusivedevelopment under the National Planning Policy Framework. Designationas an AONB can encourage sympathetic land use whilst recognising itsoutstanding amenity and recreational value.
The group believes that the almost unique landscape quality, relative wild-ness, tranquility and natural and cultural heritage of the Great Ouse Valleymake it a prime candidate for protection.
Close to the river in the 69 sq km site there are currently 1300 hectares ofman made lakes and this is expected to rise to over 2000 ha in the nexttwenty years as new wetlands are created. Considering that this would bean area twice the size of the Norfolk Broads, the potential soon becomesclear.
Add the vast flood meadows, the pockets of ancient woodland and tradi-tional osier beds, together with unspoilt views of thatched cottages andancient church spires, the need to protect this area for the future becomesobvious.
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The bid, which is currently undergoing initial assessment by Natural Eng-land, seeks AONB status for the Great Ouse Valley in conjunction with theOuse Washes to the north, already a RAMSAR site of international im-portance. A decision on whether the bid may proceed further is expectedsometime in 2014.
For further information or to express your support contact :[email protected] or visit the group’s new GreatOuseAONBFacebook page. David Mercer
Ouse News Page 7
PontoonsatKing’sLynn
(Photos courtesy of Dave Bouttell)
Installation of the new visitor pontoons in his-toric King’s Lynn was completed in July 2013,adding new sailing opportunities to a townalready brimful of rich maritime history.
The new visitor moorings are situated onSouth Quay adjacent to King’s Lynn. Thequay itself provides a choice of bar, restau-rant and tea room facilities, whilst all the fa-cilities of the town centre are just a few min-utes walk away.
The pontoons are easily accessible to sea-going craft, but can also beaccessed by craft from the inland waterway network.
Boat Safety Scheme points boaters to impor-tant safety issues - highlighted by recent boattragedies.
In the space of a few days, three people on twovessels have died from suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning andthe Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) is pointing boat owners to its advice to helpstay safe. A man living on his narrowboat in Banbury died along with his petdog and two fishermen have been found dead aboard their vessel in Whitbyharbour. In the context of the initial reports that these people may have diedfrom carbon monoxide poisoning, boat skippers and crews are being stronglyencouraged to take stock and ensure that they are properly protected againstthe threat from the extremely toxic gas.
CO is a colourless, odourless gas – often dubbed the ‘Silent Killer’ – andcan kill quickly if inhaled in high concentrations. The early symptoms ofpoisoning are similar to flu or food poisoning, and include headaches, nau-sea and dizziness. Any fuel burning equipment can be a potential source ofCO including stoves, gas appliances and any engine exhaust.
The Boat Safety Scheme warns that CO build-up in boat cabins can occurwith any one, or a mix, of these factors:
· with faulty, badly maintained or misused appliances· exhaust fumes from a boat’s engine or generator· escaped flue gases from solid fuel stoves· blocked ventilation or short supply of air - fuels need the right
amount of oxygen to burn safely
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River News from the Environment Agency -Nathan Arnold
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· Deal with problems immediately· Don’t allow bodged repairs and maintenance· Install a CO alarm certified to as meeting BS EN 50291-2· Test the alarm routinely· Never remove the batteries· Know the signs of CO poisoning and how to react
· If you are in any doubt about what to do, visit the Boat SafetyScheme website, where you’ll find clear and helpful guidelines on
how to make your boat CO safe.’
The BSS has the latest advice for boaters onwww.boatsafetyscheme.org/CO – Don’t let CO ruin your life!
(Authorised to examine all private boats and in addition,residential boats provided they are fitted with a gas
· Install fuel burning appliances properly· Maintain appliances and engines routinely· Use the equipment correctly· Don’t allow engine fumes into the cabin space
Boat Safety Scheme advice on avoiding a carbon monoxide incident is to:
Ouse News Page 10
Ouse News Page 11
Record amount of visitors to our waterways - We have made it easierto purchase a short termvisitor registration by in-creasing the number ofagents that now sell them.Over 1100 short term visi-tor registrations were pur-chased for the RiverNene, Great Ouse, RiverStour, Ancholme andWelland & Glen in 2013/14. This is more than anyother recorded year, dem-
onstrating the increasing popularity of the beautiful waterways we havehere in the Anglian Region.
River News from the Environment Agency cont’d:
The next step in enforcement - Where vessels are not registered, orwhere we need to remove a vessel in an emergency, we have the option ofremoving vessels from our waterways. From March 2014 we startedremoving several non-registered vessels on the Great Ouse and Nene.The photograph shows a sunken vessel being removed from BrandonCreek.
Ouse News Page 12
Brampton Lock repaired following high flows -
Works to repair the guillotine gate at BramptonLock were successfully completed at the endof January by our contractors. The works in-volved removing and refurbishing the gate trodwheels, installing new greasing arrangementsand metal patch repairs to the gate & frame; adetailed dimension survey was also undertakenwhilst on site. The repairs were required sothat the gate can be operated correctly, par-ticularly when we use it for flood discharge.
A full lock inspection was under-taken in October-November 2013.It included work on the mitre doorsand the guillotine gates which re-sulted in the replacement of pintles,cill improvement works, paintingworks and general improvement of
the entire lock. Works to remove tree obstructions around the lock andlanding stages are currently ongo-ing and the footpaths around thelock will be improved by the spring.This continues on from the refur-bished visitor mooring work thatwas completed in the autumn atGodmanchester Lock and thedesilting of the channel downstreamof the lock.
Cill preparation
Lock drain down
Godmanchester Lock improvements continue -
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Relief Channel lock cleared -
A full lock inspection was undertakenin February-March 2014. This in-volved a detailed inspection of the lockoperations and improvements wherenecessary. A large volume of heavy silt/sludge was removed from the lock andthe hydraulic system was checked andreplacements undertaken where nec-essary.
Silt in lock pen
Ouse News Page 14
East Coast Tidal Surge -
In early December 2013, the country faced the largest tidal surge along theeast coast in 60 years. Sea levels at many locations were higher than thoseduring the devastating floods of 1953 – Britain’s worst 20th century naturaldisaster – which claimed more than 300 lives in England.
However, flood risk management schemes, forecasting and warning sincethe 1950s, helped to save lives and protect property. Emergency servicesevacuated 18,000 people from coastal communities and, over the durationof the surge passing down the coast on 6 December, a record-breaking 64severe flood warnings – the highest category and meaning danger to life –were in place. At one point, flood warnings were issued to 43,000 homesand businesses in just an hour.
Around 2,600 properties flooded but 800,000 were protected by 2,800kilometres of defences including the Thames Barrier, which safeguardedthe capital from the highest sea level since the structure was completed 30years ago.
The photograph shows tidal water flowing over Denver lock into the freshwater side (upstream). Photograph courtesy of Mr P Bancroft.
Ouse News Page 15
New signs will be installed at many of our lock sites that will display eithergreen, amber or red boards informing customers on the ground of river con-ditions. We are also introducing an amber flag to the existing system. As partof the changes we will be updating our phone messages, texts and emailsystems to reflect the new phases. Later in the year, we are also planning tointroduce a similar SSA system for the River Cam between Cambridge andPope’s Corner.
Further information about the improved SSA system will be avail-able in the summer edition of GOBA News.
If you would like to receive our Strong Stream Advice message pleasecall 01522 785943 or visit our website for further details.
Strong Stream Advice gets even better - During the Summer we will beimproving our Strong Stream Advice (SSA) system for the River Great Ousebetween Kempston and Earith. We have been liaising with our boatingcustomers for a while now about the way we issue SSA advice when flowsand levels are above normal or locks are being used for flood discharge.Following the feedback given we will be introducing a new ‘caution’ (am-ber) phase, we will also be changing the way we downgrade our messageswhen flows are returning to normal.
Ouse News Page 16
Voyage of DiscoveryMark (son) and Keith (father) took over The Ship Inn at Brandon Creekon 1st September 2012 and have now almost completed their second suc-cessful year as landlords of their own premises. After 6 years working hisway through from university pub barman to managing a 2000 capacity nightclub, Mark took on managing a village pub in Bloxham near Banbury. Ayear later he persuaded his semi-retired father to join him in finding andrunning his own pub.After a 6 month search of suitable premises, the pictures of the idyllic wa-terside Ship Inn at Brandon Creek caught their eye and seemed too goodan opportunity to miss. Following several 230 mile round trips to view,check out the locals and negotiate, they committed themselves to taking onthe leasehold of this ‘Free of Tie’ famous Norfolk pub/restaurant with itshistory dating back to before Cromwell’s time, and also famed for its part inthe Littleport Riots of 22nd May 1816. Amongst others a William Creek islisted as the landlord in 1845, so Mark & Keith have now added theirnames to this long and esteemed history of hosts at The Ship. (try GooglingBrandon Creek Norfolk)In view of their total lack of knowledge of The Fens (they had never beeneast of Northampton!!), its current and potential customers, the local tradi-tions or working environments, they made the decision to open and run TheShip immediately without any major changes – rather than close and rede-velop, until they could assess what worked well and what needed changing/improving. That first year produced a strong list of positives and left themlooking to develop their ideas for the future of the business.The immediate change was in opening from noon 7 days a week straightthrough until close; normally 11pm in the summer but earlier during the win-ter months, dependent upon evening customer demands. (Customers toldus how frustrating it was to turn up for a pint and find the pub closed Mon-days and every afternoon!)Next to change was the menu – from what was a choice of frozen foods topredominantly freshly cooked, locally sourced produce. This can be illus-trated by the reduction of the freezers from 16 down to just 4 in the 12months. Menus change about every 6 weeks to stay fresh and seasonal.
Ouse News Page 17
With Keith being diagnosed as Coeliac (an intolerance of Gluten) they de-cided to ensure as much as possible of the menu would be created by theirchefs using no Gluten containing ingredients. Keith in common with allCoeliacs, was fed up when going out to eat where the only guaranteed‘Gluten free’ options were steak and baked potatoes. This has proved anextremely popular decision, with many Coeliacs from all over East Angliacoming to sample the wide ranging, non Gluten containing menu - espe-cially the battered fish and chips - normally a major No No on GF diets. Infact, on a recent training day at Coeliac UK’s head office with representa-tives of many national chain restaurants, Mark and locally based head chef,Mark Payne, were held up as shining examples of how to manage Glutenfree catering and menus in smaller restaurants.‘Healthy Option’ versions of some standard menu dishes, have been iden-tified recently as highly desirable; people looking for these more healthy/slimming options (no added fats or sugars) are normally only offered saladsor poached salmon and baked/new potatoes and are now a standard menuoption.Within a month of starting, Mark (an enthusiastic musician) had found alocal singer/songwriter, living aboard his boat on the Little Ouse, who startedthe now popular Friday Night Live Music sessions. Various guests nowplay on alternate Fridays at 8pm offering an Open Mic. Session from 9pm. There is often serious competition to secure a slot with 4 or 5 regularlocal entertainers and others, turning up from all over Norfolk and Cam-bridgeshire, for the sessions through till about Midnight. On the other Fri-days, live artists are booked (often as a result their appearances at previ-ous Open Mic. Sessions) for that evening’s performance. So you can nowbe guaranteed ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ at The Ship every weekthroughout the year, with free moorings for customers.The first Wednesday of each month offers further encouragement for localtalented singers, songwriters, poets & storytellers to perform their own worksunder the expert organisation of Stella Hensley & Chris Newman fromCambridge from 8 pm. Stella & Chris also bring together the daytime livemusic programmes for the Beer Festivals with ‘The Barefoot Doctors’their own blues band, headlining the evening session.
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In June 2013 their first 3 day Beer, Boat and Music Festival was launchedwith 20 real ales and ciders offered, along with a lamb roast & BBQ andnearly 24 hours of live music in the marquee and in the bar. Over 1000people and 35 boats turned up, despi te the inclement weather. The 19th
October saw this repeated, but on a smaller scale, with The Ouse WashesMolly Dancers in attendance, performing ‘The Black Sheet’ dance basedon a Cromwellian story of The Ship Inn in the 1650s.Where do they go from here?? – A series of Menu Taster evenings hasstarted. Keep an eye on the website for details. Themed Evening and Chef’sNights, when each chef will show off his/her own specialities, are in theplanning stages as are a Quiz Night series & Storytelling sessions. They areoffering a comfortable relaxed riverside venue for local businesses to holdmeetings, training days and seminars utilising the restaurant space during week-days. They are similarly hoping to encourage local artists, crafts guilds andspecial interest groups and clubs to utilise their space, to meet and exchangeideas – just contact them to discuss your needs and ideas.Other longer term projects are in the process of investigation, or are comingto fruition imminently; developing boater services, such as offering basic foods,fuel, shower and laundry services, along with Wi-Fi, power and providingaccommodation are all well advanced.
Members who have movedto the branch:
Michael & Pamela Hedge,Huntingdon
Winter MeetingsBranch News
Members & Visitors welcome.
are at 8 pm on Thursday eve-nings at the Cole’s RoadCommunity Centre, Milton(North Cambridge) CB24 6BL.
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We welcome the followingnew members to the branch.We hope you will introduceyourselves to us whencoming to an event ormeeting:
Harry Chell, Cambridge
Colin & Patricia Smart,Brandon
Barrie Goddard & Family,Waterbeach,
Mr D Sadler & Family,Bury St Edmunds
Phil Prettyman, Burwell
An illustrated talk by Mike Petty,Cambr idgeshi r e Researcher,Lecturer & Historian on ‘TheHistory of the Rivers Cam andGreat Ouse between Cambridgeand Ely’.
THURSDAY 27TH NOVEMBER 2014
An i l lus t r a ted t a lk by theRiverCanal Rescue.
THURSDAY 23RD OCTOBER 2014
THURSDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 2015
To be advised
THURSDAY 26TH MARCH 2015
Our March meeting will be ourAGM and update from the rivermanagers of the EnvironmentAgency.
Ouse News Page 20
To Milton
A14 West
A14 East
A10 to Cambridge
A10 to Ely
Tesco
Tennis Courts
Entrance
Community Centre
Why not come along to our next meeting on Thursday,23rd October, 2014. We shall be having an illustrated
talk by Mike Petty, Cambridgeshire Researcher, Lecturer &Historian on ‘The History of the Rivers Cam & Great Ouse
between Cambridge and Ely’.
Details of more meetings are on Page 19 and the map above should help youto find the exact location in Milton! (If you have a problem finding us pleasephone Stephen Foote on 07774 613557)
Quiz night on Thursday, 27th February
This proved to be an enjoyable evening - we had five teams andsix rounds, with a possible 64 points. Our winning team (Keith
Alderton, Gail Mead and Enid Hodgson) had 54 points
Ouse News Page 21
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Visit to Welches Dam Lock on Saturday 5th April 2014
The original Welches Dam Lock was built in 1651 when Vermuyden dug theForty Foot Drain, aka Vermuyden’s Drain, from Ramsey to drain watersfrom the Middle Level into the Old Bedford River, thence to sea via the OldBedford Sluice at Salters Lode and the Great Ouse River.
It was last repaired by the National River Authority and was formally reo-pened by Lady Helen De Freitas on 30 March 1991. The lock has effec-tively been closed since the middle of 2006 as it is in a dangerous state.
In the IWA News (Oct 2011) it was reported :-Notorious for being connected by one of the system’s smallest locks(47 ft) to the system’s leakiest cut, this lock has been closed by stealthby the EA for several years by a “temporary” coffer dam, ostensibly toprevent water seepage, but in fact severing passage, of which there is astatutory right enshrined in law. Unfortunately EA denies it has a statu-tory responsibility to fix the lock, and even if they did, it’s too costly forthe limited use in the current circumstances regarding funding.
The issue might eventually be sorted by the provision of the final stageof the proposed Fenlands Link, should this ever reach fruition. But inthe meantime an important principle is at stake, what to do about anavigation authority not acting to carry out its legal responsibilities.It’s a matter that is currently taxing IWA’s Peterborough Branch andIWA’s Navigation Committee. IWA has taken preliminary legal sound-ings citing an option to pursue a court case incurring a possible legalbill of over £100,000.
Thankfully this never happened, so it was decided that members of the Pe-terborough Branch and Great Ouse Branch would have a visit to WelchesDam and Horseway Lock to see the problem first hand.
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On 5th April 2014, a fine but breezy day, we gathered at St Nicolas Church,Manea, at 10:30am. Then, after sharing cars, we travelled in convoy first toHorseway Lock. Here we found two boats had made their way up to thelock and both were able to enter. It was as far as they could go, as above thelock the channel was completely dry. After a look around we then moved inconvoy again. Although Welches Dam lock is only 2.2 miles away we had todrive 6.2 miles by car to get to Welches Dam, where we viewed the closedlock. To the layman both locks looked as though they could be repaired.
We returned to Manea Church Hall, where we had a presentation of theMiddle Levels’ history from Roger Sexton and then another presentation ofthe potential solutions to the various problems with this route from AndrewStorrar. Andrew is a past professor of manufacturing engineering at QueensUniversity, Belfast. He had been involved over the years with WRG and asa consulting engineer on various waterway and dock projects.
A generous buffet and tea/coffee was then provided and further questionsanswered.
The Great Ouse Branch had 15 members attending and, in total, about 40people were present including the National Chairman, Les Etheridge.
We look forward to seeing future developments, and our thanks go to thePeterborough Branch for organising this event and also to their catering per-sonnel for a fine buffet. Peter Webb
Bedford River Festival19th & 20th July, 2014
The Embankment/Russell Park
As well as a Festival Parade, there will beRaft Races, Dragon Boats and many more
attractions.
www.bedfordevents.co.uk
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Not many members gathered at Reach this year; as some members nowhave their boats moored on the canals and others were away, we only hadfour boats in attendance. At various times other members came by car.
The meal on Saturday night was as good as ever at the Dykes End pub.The BBQ on Sunday was held on a lovely sunny day, albeit with a cheekybreeze. After the BBQ, with much sharing of food, we held the traditionalquiz on local and national waterways. The quiz had been set by Keith andCarole who, as they were attending a wedding, left the quiz for me to read.By pure coincidence, it was wonby Jean Webb with 28 points. Itwas a very close event with thelosers (who should remainnameless) only a few points be-hind – but John & Janice weredisappointed they had not beengiven a wooden spoon prize!
Not content with one quiz, fourof us went to the Village Quizthat night and came 4th out of 16teams. As most other teams had6 or 7 members we were veryhappy with the result.
On the Monday morning and afternoon the IWA had a stand at Reach Fair.Dave Anderson kindly brought the tent and sale items which, with the helpof other members, helped boost the image of the IWA. One unfortunateside effect of it being a warm sunny day, was the fact that the ice creamqueue stretched right in front of our tent creating an obstacle for peoplewishing to visit our stand.
We look forward to next year and hope more people will turn up to this funweekend. Peter Webb
The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limitedby guarantee. Registered in England No 612245. Registered as a charityNo 212342. Registered Office: Island House, Moor Rd, Chesham, HP5 1WA.Phone No 01494 783453.
