Messing about on the River

Saturday of the bank holiday weekend we went over to St Ives to pick up Toni, our daughter. We had booked a small boat for the day as a surprise to help celebrate her birthday, so armed with a picnic lunch, Strawberry's and cream and a bottle of Champagne to help her celebrate we set off up the Great Ouse from Huntingdon towards Brampton Mill.
Was quite windy on the Ouse, and been used to narrow-boat's we found the small cruiser quite unstable, and the steering rather delicate, I was all over the place, give me a narrow-boat anytime.

Godmanchester Lock, note the stupidly short mooring ropes, only just long
enough to hold the boat.

Leaving the lock.

We headed up to Brampton Mill Lock and then stopped for the birthday picnic.

Brampton Mill.

The wind got up and we had a couple of showers shortly after finishing our picnic so we had to put up the rather amateurish hood on the boat, with the hood up you could not get in or out of the boat.

Ungainly hood.

We headed downstream, with a detour into Godmanchester, there was a lot of dredging with mud piled on the banks here so nowhere to moor, the small quayside was cordoned off so could not get out for an ice cream.

Godmanchester.

We carried on downstream, past Huntingdon and down Houghton Mill Lock to Hemingford Abbots. Was getting a bit cold and windy now and the girls sat inside out of the wind.
We passed narrow-boat Mad Hatter near Houghton lock.

NB Mad Hatter on their way to Bedford.

On the backwater to Hemingford Abbots.

Kayacks near Hemingford Grey.

We carried on to the lock at Hemingford Grey before turning back towards Huntingdon.

Hemingford Grey.

Busy moorings at Hemingford Grey and threatening skies.

Was a reasonable day, weather could have been better, but Toni enjoyed the day.