Along the Nene Way at Woodford

 

Another dry day and pleasantly warm we took the opportunity to walk along the Nene Way at Woodford.  Following the constant wet weather and snow melt over the winter, the paths are very muddy and impassable in some places without a pair of waders!  The Nene Valley is still very wet as the river struggles to discharge its floodwaters.  On the plus side these floodplains are providing a rich environment for waterfowl.

 

 

The River Nene at Woodford spills into its Floodplain

Woodford is a large village near the River Nene which has been inhabited since Saxon times. The Church of St Mary the Virgin with its tall spire is visible for miles around.

 

The Nene Way at Woodford with The Church of St Mary the Virgin in the background

A mummified human heart was found in the church in the 1800s and is believed to be the heart of Sir Walter Trailly, the lord of the Manor who died on Crusade in 1290, although there is no concrete evidence for this.  The Church is also apparently haunted by the ghost of a knight but he hasn't been seen since 1964. Another interesting feature of Woodford is the Three Hills Barrow which may date to the Neolithic or Bronze Age.  We didn't get chance to go the Barrow this time so will have to pop back for another visit.  Apparently if you stand on the vantage point of the old post mill to the north of the village, ten church spires can be seen across Northamptonshire.  I've yet to try this but will have a look next time.

Signs of Spring and a Visit to Stanwick Lakes

 

As the days start to get noticeably longer, the first signs of Spring are starting to appear around the Nene Valley.  Bulbs are starting to pop up, the snowdrops are out and catkins wave merrily on branches.  So there is some respite from the chilly weather at the moment, although we are promised another cold snap next week!

 

 

 

 

We decided it would be a nice day to pay a visit to Stanwick Lakes to let our 3 year old let off a bit of steam as she had been in quarantine for several days due to chicken pox and had a bit too much excess energy!  Arwen had a go in the kids adventure playground, some parts were still under a bit of water, notably the end of the slide which had turned into a log flume!  We then did a bit of bird spotting - this is not very easy with a small child as they sound like a herd of elephants.  So we made do with identifying birds on the board instead.

 

 

After a walk around the lakes and a game of hide and seek

 

 

We made our way back to the visitor centre for a spot of lunch

 

 

 

If you are boating on the River, you can access Stanwick Lakes by footpath from near Upper Ringstead Lock



Busy at the Boatyard

Although we are open all year round, the boating season doesn't really get underway until March.  After the winter we are now getting our hireboats, Sammy & Sumo ready for the new season and there is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes, particularly on the tiling front!  Sammy gets a newly tiled shower cabinet and Sumo has some work done in the galley and new tiles around the hearth

 

Sumo's Stove

 

 

Sumo's Galley

 

Meanwhile we are also getting a boat ready to sell but before we can put her up for sale her engine needs to have some work done on it.  As she has a classic Lister JP2M we need some specialist help.  So the engine needs to be removed and sent off for repair.  This involves towing the boat down to Oundle Marina and then craning out the engine as it weighs a couple of tonnes. 

 

Mark from Nene Marine working on the Lister

We are just waiting for the river to drop so we can fit under Barnwell Road Bridge!