crowcity

This time we actually were on the Witham. Last time we thought we were, but it turned out to be the Welland. This trip could not have been more different. Instead of hail and horror, we had nothing but glorious sunshine; rather than (grade 1) whitewater terror and a ripped hull we had gentle flow and no major catastrophes.

We put in at the bridge on Meadow Lane, just to the south-east of North Hykeham. First order of the day was to crack open a beer. I don’t know whether there are laws about drinking in a canoe, but my grandpa once got done for being drunk and disorderly in charge of a horse (it jumped over a baby in a pram), so I guess anything’s possible.

This first stretch was all meadowy banks, with the occasional fisherman. We’d ask if it was OK to come by, and they were all really friendly, so I guess it’s a myth that fishermen and canoeists are mortal enemies. This bodes really well for increased river access.

A grassy bank presented itself so we put in and had a rest. It was a rest from largely resting to be honest, as we were really just drifting along. Tom had developed a method of paddling with one hand, which had so little effect and made me laugh so much that I had to beg him to just sit and enjoy his beer. Quite cunning, that.

There are so many footballs floating in rivers. We fished one out and chucked it to a kid. Last trip there were 6 or 7 footballs, but this time that was the only one we found. The cathedral came in and out of view as we drifted along, and it was easy to believe we’d been transported back to Medieval times. What would we do if we had? Would we even be able to understand what people were saying? Maybe we could earn a living as scribes. Never mind the arguments about altering the timeline, would we even be able to build a steam engine or something?

Once we reached the residential areas, plenty of people were chilling in their gardens. There were ducklings galore, and this little group of newly hatched cygnets:

It’s great seeing a town or city from the river, largely for the old industrial buildings and feeling of being lost in time. I don’t know if I’d have the guts to live alongside a river, with fears of flooding, but on this day it seemed crazy to live anywhere else. In the photo you can just make out the cathedral in the distance.

Pretty soon we came to hairiest part fo the journey, which we’d actually scouted earlier, having learned a little from the horrors of our last trip. As the Witham feeds into the Lincoln Marina, there are a couple of bridges with barely any headroom. No photos I’m afraid, as I had to concentrate on steering through. We flattened ourselves down in the boat and Tom dragged us along with his hands on the underside of the bridges.

Suddenly we were in the busy marina, and I felt very much like a bug that could get so easily squashed by all the giant paddle steamers or whatever they were chugging around. I wanted to stop for a beer, but Tom was afraid of being recognised, so we shot straight through the marina and half-hitched ourselves to a free barge spot a little further along, and Tom popped into the university for lager and crisps.

A couple of swans came begging for crisps, and after chucking some in the water I tried feeding them from my hand. The female took the crisp gently and seemed to smile at me all doey eyed. The male took half my hand with him. I don’t think they’ve got teeth but there’s some kind of hideously sharp things in their beaks.

We then headed onto the old Roman canal. I personally hate the (ancient) Romans and everything they stand for, but actually this canal wasn’t too bad. Apparently it’s the oldest canal in Britain. Presumably that’s because the ancient Britons were happy to live more in harmony with nature and didn’t feel the need to alter it to their will.

There were a few fast motorboats along here, and we got some nice waves as they went by. All too soon (maybe 4 hours) we arrived at out destination, the Pyewipe Inn. By some weird coincidence, a whole bunch of mates turned up at the same time.

Excellent fun! Bring on the next one!