Diana enjoying our Great Ouse cruise
Diana enjoying our Great Ouse cruise

An uncomfortably warm night in my sleeping bag and a noisy one with youths abusing the playground opposite but Daniel was okay sleeping in the saloon. We set off upstream through Eaton Socon Lock and moored at the Jordan and Addington riverside garden centre and looked at the craft shop in the Mill before quickly cruising upstream to Tempsford and mooring at The Anchor for lunch. On through Willington to walk to the garden centre there for ice creams, passing lots of anglers on the way with Diana helping to work the locks.

Not a very good night. I was too warm in my sleeping bag and then there were youths abusing the playground equipment opposite and I went over to sorted out, but they had gone by then. It was quite cooler this morning after an overnight gale had got up. Daniel was comfortable in the central saloon but complained that he was feeling too cold before we enjoyed breakfast in our boating tradition after which I started up The Lady to set off as we had a way to go. We cruised on up-stream until we came to Eaton Socon lock, which was set in our favour but turned into the moorings there and had a morning drink at the riverside garden centre; the Jordan and Addington.

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This will not be there for very much longer as the site is to be developed for housing. We had a look around but brought little which probably explains the reasons for its decline. We looked in at a craft shop in the mill which sells a nice line in engraving and etches and sketches of the locality. We cruised on upstream until we came to Tempsford where we moored at The Anchor and had lunch at the buffet. The girls had fun on the swings, slide and climbing equipment whilst we were there. Onwards again, through more locks until we came to Willington where we stopped in the wilds and disembarked for the walk through Willington village to the garden centre there. We had ice creams (their refreshment facility was out of action) and spent the rest of the afternoon looking around until they closed, and we had a salad tea back on board The Lady. I took some nice video film today, now that this old boat of hours is living on borrowed time, I feel quite sad. We passed hundreds of anglers today. Of course, Sunday is match day, but the fishing is good this year and attracting back the public. Most fish are small, but we hope that the good spawning weather and conditions will lead to a good head of fish for the future. It has been a year or two since we came this far upstream, and it is all quite a novelty again; so quiet after Norfolk and the navigation narrow. It was windy today and we manage the trip well enough as the rain stayed away. The barometer has risen to ‘fair’ again and we hope the inch or two of rain of yesterday will be all we get for a while. We have settled into our new boat routine quite quickly, but Diana is not too keen on the locks as she is now an active member of the crew again.