An end to nine months on the Great Ouse

We left our overnight mooring at Hilgay Bridge this morning at 8.15 and headed down stream towards Denver lock and our date with a possible escape from the River great Ouse.  To add to the brisk cold wind of yesterday we also had snow today but Joe was wrapped up in a myriad of layers including a rather fetching balaclava to combat the wintry conditions.   It is in weather like this the stove in back cabin is such a bonus and that was lit early enough to be well and truly up and running before we pulled pins this morning.
With  text messages flying back and forth between Yarwood and MR re the latest news on our escape we arrived and moored up across from the lock to await decisions.

 Yarwood tucked in on EA moorings opposite the  Denver complex

 

 A glimpse of MR through the snow waiting on the lock landing

 

Close to 10.30 we were summoned across to join Matilda Rose in the lock.  The plan was to be locked out on to the tidal Great Ouse and head down stream on the ebbing tide/flood waters to Salters Lode.   Here we were to wait in the lock entrance until Paul (the Lock Keeper at Salters Lode) could get level water between the Middle Level and the tide.  We may have to wait until noon but if level water couldn't be achieved then Dan, Lockie from Denver, would scoot off to Earith in his batmobile and close the sluices that were letting down flood water from the upper Gt. Ouse.  The news that we were getting out whatever had us feeling jubilant!  Don't get me wrong, there is nowt wrong with this part of the world but we had out stayed our welcome after nearly nine months being out here...

 

 Nb Matilda Rose leads us out of the lock on to the tideway - through the recently dredged channel

 As soon as MR is safely away Yarwood follows and exits Denver Lock

 Nanook, aka Joe, at the tiller with the Denver complex safely behind us

 There goes MR with a big enough gap to allow Graham to turn her into the awkward lock channel at Salters Lode without Yarwood shunting her up the rudder.

 

 Safely turned in, us next

 

 And there we are

 

And here we go!!! Out into the Middle Levels

 

Paul did get level water within 10 minutes of us arriving in the lock channel and fortunately it didn't involve closing Earith sluices and flooding half of Cambridgeshire in the process. 

The journey to Upwell was a bit of a shock to system after being on rivers with plenty of water under the boat.  Progress was excruciatingly slow because this channel desperately needs dredging but hey ho, we are out and now moored at Upwell.  Lunch was in the Pub with a celebration round to toast our successful day.  Tomorrow we might just have to do that again and treat ourselves to Sunday Lunch before the Malaysian Grand Prix starts...