285A The most unusual narrowboat cruise I've ever been on (Part 1 of 2)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2022
- I was invited to take part in a trip that very few narrowboats are able to enjoy, along the "Cambridge Backs" - the river Cam running through all the historic university colleges. For most of the year the waterway is forbidden to powered craft but in winter, with permission, you can take a narrowboat. The trip is in two parts, this being the first is the voyage from Ely to Cambridge; part 2 is the trip along the Backs themselves.
See Part 1, the Backs themselves, at • 285B The narrowboat ri...
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Thank you very much for this, David - it was a great day!
It certainly was and thank you indeed for the kind invite!
Oh David. You cannot imagine how wonderful this vlog is. 6 years ago I persuaded my then 28-year old daughter to come with me on a narrowboat for 6 days. We'd never been on a boat but had lived near Birmingham and spent many hours on towpaths. We cruised the exact route you took. Ely down towards Cambridge. All the places on your video brought back such joyful memories. We moored at the EA in Little Thetford, filled up with water at the Five Miles From Anywhere Pub on the way back. We stopped at Baits Bite Lock because there was a rowing regatta in the Cam and I was scared of taking a 57 foot narrowboat in amongst them and casing devastation. Taking that narrowboat without any mishaps is one of the things I am proudest of in my life. I love your vlogs. Many, many thanks.
😀😀
I LOVE to see another cruising video- even if it's not your lovely boat. What a wonderful exploration you've shared. Thank you so much for continuing these sorts of videos, too, even post-boat life. :)
I'm tickled that simply not owning a narrowboat has not ended David's wonderful cruising videos!
David , I have to say that
Cruising the cut is by far my favourite narrowboat channel and to see you have an episode from my usual Sunday walk with my son by Ely river is the icing on the cake!🙂
Listening to David is like listening to a poet reading a beautiful poem. Thank you very much! 🤗
He really is a great story teller isnt he?
As soon as you said, "A Very Blustery Day" I was instantly transported back to The Thousand Acre Woods of my early childhood. Winnie The Pooh 🧸 and Tigger 🐅 too. Good memories and a great cruise 👍🏾.
Lovely film and most nostalgic for me as I spent much time in my formative years cruising that part of the Ouse and Cam. It’s fascinating to see that the locks are now mechanised, back in the day the gates, including the guillotines, had to be wound by hand. Sometimes the winding points for the latter were at ground level but on the older versions there was a ladder to a bridge across the guillotine frame and it was from up there that the winding had to be done. NB, if you take the other fork at Pope’s Corner, towards St Ives, there is a lovely pub, The Three Jolly Butchers, with its own overnight landing stage and a boardwalk through the reeds which leads to the pub itself . . .
It is always a pleasure David to see you on your on going adventures. Very comforting, be safe and enjoy.
Breakfast and a cozy stove, watching the rain through the windows. I'd take a nap after that. I really enjoy vicariously traveling with you and listening to your narrations.
As a Brit who grew up in Buckinghamshire but left England in the 80's it is always a pleasure to watch your videos and enjoy the beautiful countryside..... The rain is just an added treat....
I’d say the narration is the ultimate pleasure
I remember spending a fortnight on the Fenland waters about 40 years ago on an Anglo-Welsh boat out of Earith. Apart from being very flat, it had a certain charm. My strongest memory though is of an afternoon on the Great Ouse where I had to wear sunglasses to steer the boat, as the rain was so fierce and horizontal that I couldn't open my eyes to see where I was going !!
PTSD induced insomnia again so relaxing listening to normality and calmness. Thanks!!!
2:55 the choppiness of the water sounds so good! Rivals the burbling brooks even
I've been a keen follower of yours for several years now David. And this film exemplifies why; it truly is food for the soul. One can feel the lifting of weight and the lowering of blood pressure as the story unfolds. Perhaps being 4,000 miles away piques overly romantic notions of drifting through the English waterways on a sunny-then-rainy-then-sunny-again-day, but you do such an excellent job of documenting and narrating same; it is irresistible. Looking forward to part 2. Thanks for all you do.
You get lunch and we get to wait, lol!
David, never mind the trolls, a two-part video extends my enjoyment! As a resident of the US southwestern desert, I love seeing the rain clouds and hearing the water sounds. A beautifully presented trip! Thanks for continuing to provide these informative videos of an amazing country. - From your eternal fan, Tom
Cheers Tom 😀
Thank you David for braving the weather to bring us great entertainment. Take a cheese sandwich out of petty cash.
Ahh, back on the water with David as our guide, life is good. 😊
Can't wait for part 2
I was having a bit of a rough day, but when I got into bed I saw this video. It really lifted my mood watching it. Thanks for another great video David!
Lovely to see Jo and George!
MOST important to protect the camera lens from anything other than delightful temp's as the glass could contract and cause an explosion - best kept by the stove!
Quite astonishing to consider this is reaching a Worldwide audience; thank you for sharing.
As a kid I lived in Longstanton and fished the cam, often at Bottisham and Baits Bite locks, as well as throughout the town too. It was absolutely Baltic in winter with the winds whipping through and I remember well struggling through the Fens on my bike, loaded with fishing gear into what always seemed to be a headwind. Never put us off though! Used to be great bream and pike fishing in those days, and doubtless still is.
My dad used to partake in group walks from Cambridge to Ely with fellow members of the university; those who had not brought lunch with them would be in difficulty, for the towpath is the wrong side for buying food. On several such occasions he stripped to his underwear, swam across to the Fish and Duck public house, and returned being careful to keep their orders aloft and thus dry as he swam!
You ever featured my mate, Nick Sanders? He holds the world distance record for taking two Narrow Boats from Wales to the Black Sea. Although one of em sunk enroute!😱
When I was a child we had cousins that lived a bit further up the road from my house. They had like a a second house in the basement, with a kitchen, bedrooms, toilet, electricity, the whole works. The heat was from a fire place. Real actual fire just makes you feel warmer and more cozy on a cold New England winter's day.
Thanks, I needed that. Just the thing to watch on a cold winter night. I am moving to Hemingford Abbotts soon, right next to the River Great Ouse, so I have pencilled that trip in for myself.
That was a very British day out, cruising on the river🇬🇧🇬🇧
What beautiful landscapes! 😄👍💚
LOve these back canal cruising videos!
Hi David!
I was in Cambridge, UK (for work) only just a few years back. When the local office folks took us for a walk, we did go over a canal or creek. I know not which one, it was nearly dark by then (at the end of the day, after work of course).
Hi George the dog!
My roommate's dog Sammy used to love ball (he's a bit long in the toot h ow)
When he had the ball, he took the attitude, "no take, only throw", so we always needed to bring along 2 balls to keep the game going.
I do appreciate your cruising videos. I get to enjoy some of the beauty and charm of Narrow boating, with none of the fuss or bother from the comfort of my own couch.
Thank you kindly.
Nice to see Jo and George pop into the video. 😊
I always get a comforting feeling watching your videos!
Anxiously waiting for Part 2!
There actually used to be a pub at the Fish and Duck Marina years ago (that's where it got the name from, it used to just be called Popes Corner Marina). I must have been around 9 or 10 years old when they knocked it down, and I remember it being in quite poor condition for a good few years before that. But I still have many happy memories living and growing up at that marina!
Big ❤️
Amazing & beautiful sharing friend.
Stay safe and healthy 💐💐💐
Thanks David, brings back memories of doing this trip in a smelly hire boat years ago, wide skies, a beautiful river. Took ages to get through those locks but Cambridge and Ely made wonderful destinations.
Good to see you out and about again David. Thanks for taking us with you.
Welcome to Cambridge. I'm moored up on the council mooring by the lock. The crusty river cruiser Kianna
The Fish & Duck used to have a Pub there hence the name, it was an all wooden construction so flooding eventually was the downfall, quite a few years back I used to stick a dingy in at Ely and trundle to the pub for there Sunday lunch, it was a strange pub with a huge collection of books to wile away the afternoon.
I love this video, you went through my village, even though you didn’t show it, you passed my friends boat and my uncles boat. It’s nice when these videos are at home.
Great video. I’ve lived in Ely and Cambridge - so good to see the in-between bit. Part 2 should be exciting. I’ve worked in a college along the Backs and seen the occasional narrowboat.
I used to live a few mins from here. Waterbeach! Now in Canada. Love to England!
The aptly named ( FISH AND DUCK MARINA ) originally had a pub there called ( THE FISH AND DUCK ).
What a lovely surprise that was! After you left the lock, I was keeping an eye open for Perseverance, and there she was! I hope Jo gets time to edit more videos now that Michael is so busy.
Thank you for continuing cruising, even though it's with other people. Maybe you, Jo and George and go out for a day sometime soon - that's a video I'd enjoy watching, regardless of where you go. And, along with everyone else here, I'm looking forward to part two 🙂
I love following along on google map satellite view. Maybe one day I will cross the pond to visit your part of the world. Thank you so much for sharing your travels
That was grand- looking forward to Pt 2. Thank you David.
I am officially homesick. I grew up fishing the Cam. Moved to Ely when I got married and used to take boat trips on the river just as you have filmed. I live a long way from there now (Western Australia) but still consider myself a light blue and forever a son of Cambridgeshire. Thank you for this video.
Cheers
Thank you for this most relaxing video. Beautiful landscapes
Probably your best title to date
Tiptree is famous for its jams and conserves, just on a point of order. The Backs is the stretch of the Cam "at the back" of the colleges and famous for its punting. I look forward to that!
That Tiptree is in Essex though, not Cambridgeshire.
That's Tiptree in Essex, 40 miles to the south-east.
Nice that you filmed from the inside too:)
Very nice. Thanks for posting. Miss your boat, but likely I’m just one of many. Best wishes. Cheerio!
Oh David,
The lengths you go to to keep us entertained, braving that deluge from inside- my cap would be doffed if i were wearing one!😀
Hahaha I know! What a trooper I am 🤣
thanks so much 0nce again always interesting.Rain and all ha ha he he Bless you
What a lovely video, with brilliant humorous running comment. To bad my walk up to Baits lock went wrong in April, would have been a lovely walk.
I love cambridge. did a summer archaeology program for my undergraduate degree in the US. They put me in touch with people at UCL where I ended up doing my master's degree
What an unexpected surprise to see Jo and George!
When David said he was going by Cambridge, I knew they had planned to move there for Michael's studies. Because of that, spotting George trotting along was not a surprise. But a welcome meeting all the same.
I always love the visual quality of your videos, David, as well as the content. Fascinating and am looking forward to Part 2.
What a great cruise! Absolutely beautiful and really cool powered locks.. Thanks David from Missouri USA..
Thank you sir, I have always enjoyed your videos and I'm glad you continue to do so.
Thank you, David, for making this video. I once got to go punting on the Backs of Cambridge. I walked on down and looked at the river that went away from Cambridge, and thought I'd never see where it went. I just did, and in the best way possible.
Looking forward to the next part.
Thank you so much. This video was so beautiful and relaxing. Thanks for making the sacrifice, staying inside and dry to video your day for us!
One of your best titles so far!
Great video! I left UK in 1965, but hope to visit again before I shuffle off this mortal coil. Cambridge Uni is on my bucket list. Greetings from Mornington, Victoria 🇦🇺.
I remember a group of us walking from Cambridge to Ely along the towpath, a very enjoyable day. A couple of miles from Ely we encountered a herd of cows which appeared to include at least one unfriendly-looking bull. We didn't feel like going 18 miles back so we fixed him with a firm gaze and walked through. He didn't chase us.
Back in the 1980s, my boss at Cambridge City Council had a narrow boat, the 'Raleigh'.
Each summer, he would take her down the River Cam, the Great Ouse, and across The Wash to cruise the waterways of England and Wales.
On his return at the end of summer, he would return to Cambridge and the River Cam, facing upstream.
One of his professional roles was as Engineer to the River Cam Conservators and, as such, he was permitted to take 'Raleigh' through Jesus Green Lock and along The Backs, in order to 'wind' (turn) 'Raleigh' in The Millpond; a very restricted space.
I was fortunate to be on board one lunchtime, when this operation was undertaken.
It had been arranged that the Millpond sluices would be opened, and turning 'Raleigh' involved running her at full revs., directly at the sluices.
Just when I was convinced that we would hit the sluice-gates, a deft hand at the helm ensured that the full force of the flow from the sluices hit 'Raleigh' just to one side of her bows, and we spun round, as neatly as you like, on a sixpence! Years of experience at the helm were evident in that moment!
Thanks - that's interesting. Since then the locks on the Middle Level have been lengthened so that narrow boats don't have to go to sea -- though some still do of course.
Thank you for taking me down memory lane! Looking forward to Part 2.
I love these videos I find them very relaxing. Beautiful shots and stunning views. Thanks.
I live in Worcester and I love your videos and everything you do for the community ❤️👍
A very well-made video, almost TV quality.
Hello David. The scenery along that stretch of water looks lovely. Makes me want to get out and explore. I shall be glad when spring arrives. ilona
Excellent, as always. I'm looking forward to seeing Cambridge by narrowboat. Not something I ever expected to see!
Well what can I say David, a heron yay!! Actually really enjoyed this video as I am Cambridge born and bred. Fished as a teenager at Bait’s bite lock, used to have a swing bridge back in the Sixties. Hired a boat from the Fish and Duck to get to Ely. Also fished at Bottisham Lock. Many happy memories brought back! Looking forward to part 2!
Fab. Look forward to park 2. Thank you.
I absolutely love cruising the cut videos! Thank you so much for making these lovely videos still David! I binge watched 3 seasons over the course of 2 weeks on Amazon prime recently and now I’m obsessed with the UK canal and river system narrow boat culture!
More happy memories for me. I've many a happy day in Ely, a lovely town. Really nice to see the wonderful Cambs countryside. Thanks David and Simon.
David, my compliments to you for protecting the camera and still filming.
GREAT to see the new cruising video David!! Anxious for Part 2.
Always look forward to your adventures. 😊✌️
No need to be anxious ....
Jut like old times a wonderful informative video as usual, I miss you’re cruising videos
Always so enjoyable...still enjoying your humor...
Very nice vlog your Captain was certainly brave and must have gotton soaked,, was so nice to see Jo and George..I was just wondering if they might be around somewhere..
Thanks as always..😊
I didn't get soaked. The crew did! They seemed to enjoy themselves, though...
Setting the standard for film and narration, David conquers both.
Very smart of you to remain inside, keeping the camera lens warm and dry. I know you would have preferred to have been on deck, so the viewers appreciate your sacrifice for our viewing pleasure.
I'm very familiar with that stretch of water, spent 2 years training (kayak racing) on it.
The river looked relatively high. It is a dreadfully shallow ditch in summer.
The backs are odd. There is actually a towpath, on the right as you go upstream. It is stone, below the surface. The story says that the colleges didn't want a towpath visible. So it was built below the surface.
The Backs were actually 9-12 inches below normal level - at the end of the video you can see there is practically no water coming over the weir. I suspect the automatic sluices were misbehaving. As part of the crew briefing I show them a photo of a horse wading up the middle of the river, on the stone path, towing a barge to the Mill.
Thank you always enjoys your videos.
Scott
Those blustery winds on the water made me get up and put on a sweater.
Nobody makes as good a narrowboat video as you do David.
Always enjoy your work (or should I say art)? Thank you!
Very much looking forward to seeing your next video.
Very nice! I would love to sit by the fire and watch the rain while cruising, but I wouldn't want to be the guy standing out in it driving the boat.
As someone once said, there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing.
5 miles from anywhere... the 'no hurry' inn is always wonderful
Magical! Hope part two is soon! Thanks.
Lovely trip. Thanks for taking us along.
Lovely, Thanks for sharing mate!
Very interesting video cant wait to see part 2 thank you David.
Really enjoyable as always. Thanks!
Thank you David! Lovely journey!
Thank you David, looking forward to part two.....
Looking forward to part two…. Thanks for sharing!
Ely is lovely......