Ouse News - Autumn 2024 Great Ouse Branch
Newsletter covering the Great Ouse and tributaries
Denver silt bank at low tide
See Page 9
Campaigning for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the Inland Waterways.
Contents:
Branch Committee p2
Branch News p3
Chairman’s Corner p4
Sea Toilet p5
Inland Shipping p7
River News from EA p8
Middle Level News p20
Murray River Cruise p22
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Great Ouse Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers.
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Great Ouse Branch Committee:
Chairman:
KeithAlderton
Tel : 01366 727236
Secretary:
John Hodgson
Tel : 01234 344884
Treasurer:
Enid Hodgson
Tel : 01234 344884
Ouse News Editor:
CaroleAlderton
Tel : 01366 727236
Membership Officer: Peter Webb
Tel: 01353 658581
Member: Stephen Foote
Tel: 01763 838936
Member: RobinAdams
Tel: 01223 862026
Do you have a few hours to spare? We need your help! Weareasmall,friendly group and desperately need more committee members to help us organise meetings and events. One committee member has just resigned due to personal circumstances and there is the possibility that two more could retire within the foreseeable future. Please contact the Chairman.
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Branch News
WinterMeetingsareat8.00 pm at the North Lodge Pavilion, North Lodge Park, Milton, CB24 6UD.
THURSDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2024
This will be an illustrated talk by our Chairman, Keith Alderton, entitled ‘The Cut-Off Channel - Conceived in 1642 and Completed in 1964’.
THURSDAY 27 TH FEBRUARY 2025
Liz Davies will be presenting ‘A Journey Through Time’; an illustrated talk about the way the River Great Ouse has affected the development of St Neots.
THURSDAY 27 TH MARCH 2025
This will be our AGM, followed with an update by a River Manager from the Environment Agency
Welcome to our latest member and we hope to
welcome more new members soon.
Robert Chandler, Newmarket
Trevor Hurrell, Sudbury
If anyone is reading this newsletter and would like to become a member, please contact Peter Webb, our Membership Officer, on 01353 658581.
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Chairman’s Corner
Well, it has certainly been a frustrating summer for local boaters, with multiple lock closures and frequent strong stream advice warnings preventing navigation. Some of the engineering problems with gate mechanisms have been resolved, as has the silting at Salters Lode (for now!). However, the relentless rain is still causing havoc in the west of our patch.
Unfortunately, the River Great Ouse has a vast catchment basin and even a little rain spread over such a large area can cause major problems downstream. We are lucky where we live (i.e. between the heads of navigation of the rivers Wissey and Little Ouse) as we have not had the rainfall experienced further west.
On the day that the last strong stream advice warning was given for the Great Ouse we escorted a party from our local history group to see the sluice and aqueduct carrying the River Wissey over the Cut-off Channel near Stoke Ferry. The river level and flow rate appeared to be normal and the sluice that drops excess water into the channel below was firmly closed. It is good to see that Vermuyden’s plan to control the waters of the South Level is still working well 300 years later! Come and hear more about that at my talk on the 28th November.
It has been a very sad summer for us as we have finally said goodbye to Watermist, our much loved narrowboat and second home for 25 years. I’m afraid that Watermist is now over 40 years old and we have incurred some large bills for hull repairs over the past few years. We were also finding that we are not as sprightly as we used to be. Regretfully it is time to move on. However, we can look back on over 50 great years cruising the inland waterways together. It has been a lot of fun! The good news is that we sold the boat for £6K more than we paid for it a quarter of a century ago (sounds good if you ignore inflation!).
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Members will be aware of the national campaign to ensure that our waterways are adequately funded. Although a lot has been said about the canal system managed by the Canal & River Trust, our local waterways controlled by the EnvironmentAgency, Cam Conservators and Middle Level Commissioners must not be forgotten. The truth is that all navigation authorities are struggling with scant financial resources and escalating costs. We all need to put pressure on our local MPs whenever the opportunity arises.
Your branch committee has arranged another comprehensive off-season programme of talks for you and we look forward to meeting you in Milton once again.
Keith Alderton
Sea Toilets
East Cambs District Council has recently passed a motion (no pun intended) calling on the Environment Agency to ban boaters from dumping sewage from their sea toilets into the River Great Ouse.
Previous to coming to the area we had boated on the River Thames for many years, where the same navigation authority insisted that sea-going boats entering the non-tidal section had their sea toilets wired closed and fixed with a lead seal. There have been many occasions since when the EA have defended their local policy on the issue, stating that there are too few boats to cause a health hazard and that anyway, there are still isolated cottages that discharge sewage direct into the river. Sceptics will say that the argument is more to do with cost than water quality There are still pitifully few EA sanitary stations on the river and those that do exist have a poor record of serviceability.
I agree with ECDC that the present situation is very unsatisfactory and that remedial action should be taken. However, before sea toilets can be banned, there needs to be a considerable increase in the facilities available to boaters provided by the EA and supplemented by private boatyards. All of this of course costs money, a commodity that the EA is rather short of at present.
Keith Alderton
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Inland Shipping News
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has held an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the grounding of a ship in the River Nene near Wisbech in June of this year. The 80m long cargo ship, Baltic Arrow, was carrying a load of timber from Riga in Latvia, when it veered off course and ended up stuck firmly across the river
The master had picked up two pilots at Sutton Bridge and was proceeding under supervision whilst the junior officer was being assessed by his senior colleague.
The ship was reducing speed to about six knots as it approached its berth when a pilot noticed that it was slightly off course, applied starboard helm and ‘kicked’the main engine ‘ahead’in an attempt to correct the vessel’s position. The Baltic Arrow’s bow then grounded on the western bank and the flood tide subsequently pushed the stern onto the eastern bank, wedging the vessel across the river The ship was successfully re-floated on the next high tide.
The enquiry found that the pilot had been at the helm for two hours and that ‘It is therefore possible that the requirement to sustain a high level of attention to complete the pilotage safely within the confined channel resulted in a lapse of concentration’.
The report stated that ‘no one recognised the developing situation in time to prevent the grounding’.
I am sure that we have all ‘been there and done that’, albeit with a much shorter vessel in a much narrower channel. However, I have always found that having a glass of whiskymac handy always helps in these circumstances.
Keith Alderton
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River News from the Environment Agency
Introducing: Lee Cobbold
Waterways Operations Team Leader
(Great Ouse & Stour Waterways)
River Great Ouse Update
What a year. I came into post on the 18 March 2024 knowing nothing of what was to come. I left my role in Flood Coast and Risk Management (FCRM) to try and help in Waterways on the Great Ouse and Stour Navigations as the Team Leader
The Team
My team was very new having had a significant staff turnover in the prior year.An immediate addition of a new River Inspector (Paul Lunan) complemented existing inspectors (Andy Hubble and Warrick Hammond) has meant that we had a full team of River Inspectors for the first time in 12 months. Experience and enthusiasm are melding nicely, we are fortunate to have such a hard-working and diligent team. We also welcomed a new lockkeeper at Hermitage Lock – Adam Partridge, he has started his initial training (after starting late August) and is proving to be a great addition to the team – please do say hello if you pass through Hermitage Lock in the coming months. Catherine Penney is just completing her first year as team support administrator and continues to provide fantastic support to the team on the ground.
New River Inspector –Paul Lunan (left)
New Lock Keeper –Adam Partridge
(right)
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Early Season Reflections
The winter period over 2023/24 seemed to last forever and it was sometime in early May that the weather improved enough for Strong Stream Advice for boaters on the Bedford Great Ouse to be consigned to the past. Easter had come and gone (and so had I, being in Florida at Easter), but the legacy of the long, hard and very wet winter is being felt even now.
It was clear from the outset that the boating community had struggled with the weather and its impact on the river and its structures. Early high season was dominated by the closure of the Denver Lock and Salters Lode Lock passage on the Middle Level due to high levels of siltation build-up.Anatural occurrence that happens each year, but was particularly bad this time due to water inputs across the river catchments. Changes to agreements and communication breakdowns meant that the passage was not cleared until early May. Even now in early September the siltation builds again meaning the Middle Level Commissioners had had to announce a restriction on passage of 70ft boats in the first full week of September 2024.
Denver silt clearance in operation
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Our multi-tasking lockkeepers at Denver have worked hard alongside their counterparts on the Middle Level Commissioners (MLC) at Salters Lode to ensure the smoothest transfers between the systems. My thanks go to the Dans at Denver Complex as well as the MLC team at Salters Lode (including Kevin Russell), they have been a pleasure to work with this year, long may that continue. The lockkeepers at Denver do much more than the title suggests and are an integral part of the Flood and Coastal Risk Management team in the area.
Annual insurance inspections identified a category one risk at Brownshill Lock in early May which forced the closure of the lock. The inspection and identification of the issue took time, as did the manufacture of the bespoke part required. Further issues were caused by our need to comply with the Wildlife Act 1981 as nesting birds were identified in both upstream and downstream gates. Eventually this was resolved and some weekend working finally enabled the main river to be fully open for navigation by mid-June.
At the extremities of one of our reaches Brandon Lock had also been a victim of the winter weather. The use of the lock as an additional sluice by our flood risk management team left a huge build-up of silt. The unexpected nature of the deposit meant that funding had not been requested to help remove the silt and unfortunately the lock currently remains closed. Whilst this is not a large restriction on the overall river system it does show the strain of dealing with high water flows and the impact this can have. Discussions are on-going to find funding and the most efficient / value for money method of removing the silt.
Whilst not on our navigation the Conservators of the River Cam (CRC) announced in early May that the island that Jesus and Baits Bite Lock are part of had major structural issues and they were forced to close these locks on safety grounds. This has had an impact on boaters wishing to navigate beyond Bottisham Lock (the extent of EA navigation) towards Cambridge. These locks remain closed and further updates are provided on the CRC website – www.camconservancy.org
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Late season issues
As I write my thoughts for the last six months, we have had further temporary closures at Hemingford Lock (6 days due to safety concerns on the guillotine gate), Brampton Lock (failure of the mechanism on the guillotine gate – closed for a day) and as I finalise the article today Isleham Lock on the Lark (failure of hydraulic hose) which if all goes to plan will be resolved on the same day The Asset Team dealing with these issues are incredibly reactive, working with contractors and other teams to minimise any closures on our waterways. Modern life is 24/7 these days but the structures themselves harken back to a previous period. It can take time to track down parts and, to be honest, manpower on short notice. If we cannot do things safely, we will postpone until everything is in place to successfully repair
The knock-on impact to boaters apart from the obvious restriction in navigation is for theAnglian Pass which was introduced a few years ago.
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The Anglian Pass encompasses access to and from both the CRC and MLC waterways and the river Great Ouse. It was designed to help boaters extend their licences to other waterways without having to pay full annual registration fees and it has to this point been a success. Clearly there has been significant restriction this year on the Cam and early season issues on the Denver / Salters Lode link. The licences help to fund the on-going maintenance of the waterways; we hope the funds provided by theAnglian Pass enable the Conservators to make the repairs needed to re-open the Cam for all boaters. The steering group on theAnglian Pass will be re-assessing the charges for 2025/26 bearing in mind any on-going restrictions.
I inherited several in-channel obstructions on the Great Ouse and over the high season the obstruction numbers have risen. Some of the older obstructions have been dealt with but new ones have found their way into the river. The trees especially on the Bedford Ouse have had a tremendous growing season and when considered with a severely shortened winter programme has led to a restricted navigation channel. I am pleased to say that a recent survey of the channel (Buckden to Priory Marina) identified nearly 70 trees that require attention and contractors have been instructed to carry out work starting towards the end of September 2024. Whilst this is late for the High Season, we are restricted by legislation related to nesting birds and spawning seasons. The deluge of rainfall seen over the last week (21September onwards) has hindered this start with Strong StreamAdvice (SSA) re-appearing like a particularly unappetising cough linctus (horrid, but good for you). We may not have funds for every tree but please do expect to see a significant improvement in this stretch of the river. The programme will continue through the winter months subject to weather and river conditions.
Our workforce team have been hard at work with grass cutting, and general maintenance around our locks and mooring sites. In channel weed removal started in late June and has continued into early September. Our sites regularly receive compliments on appearance, the team work extremely hard and can be seen out in all weathers.
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The Waterways Workforce Team often work alongside our River Inspectors providing additional support. They also help man Hermitage Lock especially in the summer months when other staff are on holiday
Left – Great Barford Lock, right – a clear Burwell Mooring both suitably manicured Enforcement Matters
The River Inspectors were charged at the beginning of my tenure with following the full process with regards to engagement with boaters and enforcement on our Rivers. The River Inspectors work closely with our seasonal staff (Phil van Driessche and Steve Yallop (often found manning Hermitage Lock) who provide back up on enforcement duties as well as the welcome addition of Ian Baxter our Senior Enforcement Officer The fact we have had a full and motivated team (with on-the-job training included) on the full length of our great river has meant that more checks have been made this year so far (and with several months to go) than in any recent year.
The numbers have been great, the outcomes so far have given us a far greater awareness of what is happening on the river, where we have un-registered boats, putting them in our enforcement process to try and maximise the income received.
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Bridge Boatyard
Bridge Road Ely, Cambs
CB7 4DY
email info@bridgeboatyard.com
Website www.bridgeboatyard.com
Telephone 01353 663726
Moorings in marina and on riverside in historic Ely. Close to rail station.
Repairs and servicing
Engineering and glassfibre
workshops
Slipway
Suppliers of diesel, gas and coal
Authorised Nanni dealership
Gas safe engineer
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This sounds mercenary and I can already feel the heckles going up, but the simple matter is that the more funds we have the more work we can do. Unregistered boats, abandoned boats, sunken boats all cost money to chase and remove from what is an already overstretched budget. The good news is that boat removals will continue, and enforcement will improve, I expect those non-payers with nice boats to be upset when their pride and joy is removed.
We sell these boats that are not claimed and use the money to remove more boats. The message is to please pay your registration fee as the majority of water users do. Your fee helps to maintain the rivers you use and reduces the risk of further deterioration of the waterways.
Boat being removed following enforcement procedure
As you are no doubt aware we do have some on-going issues relating to overstayers on our moorings. Some are already in our enforcement process. We continue to pursue/improve our enforcement in this area. Please do expect closer monitoring of 48-hour moorings and increased enforcement action going forward. For clarity our byelaws state that a 48-hour mooring can be stayed on for 48 hours within a three-day period and it must then be vacated for at least 72 hours to enable others to use the mooring.
Other NavigationAuthorities are trialling charging for staying on moorings that the EnvironmentAgency (EA) provide; for me this raises the prospect of being able to improve our mooring offering with the additional funding, please watch this space.
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Communication and Engagement
Reviewing my diary and time-recording it is clear to me that our customers (the boaters and associated businesses) have had several issues. All the issues mentioned previously have had varying degrees of correspondence. Several issues have been made to our Chief Executive and Chairman directly. To me this speaks of the depth of feeling on these issues and in most cases the comments made are reasonable, well put and to the point. We do see these comments at ground level within the organisation and are asked for our input. I hope that the responses provide some degree of comfort that the larger organisation is seeking to address some of the challenges and internal changes are expected over the coming period.
I can confirm that GOBA and Cambridge Marine Industry (CMI) representatives recently met with our Chief Executive to discuss many concerns on the river Great Ouse. I am sure these will be distilled elsewhere and will comment no further than to say the meeting was cordial and common ground was easily identified. It shows that the Environment Agency is willing to listen and engage with Navigation users to find a way forward.
Social media is of course a modern-day phenomenon, providing everybody the opportunity to have their say. Keeping track across all platforms would be a full-time job for several people just for the Navigation teams. So my advice is if you have identified an issue that you want to bring to our attention because it is important please email our inbox waterwaysanglian@environment-agency.gov.uk otherwise we may not see your post and an opportunity is lost. It may not surprise you to know that most of our staff do not look at posts because of the negativity shown, it can be demoralising and does not motivate people to deliver excellent work. For the keyboard warriors I thank you for your consistency of message, but we shall not engage.
In my experienceAnglian Waterways is a well led but very small team (approximately 45 people in total) dealing with a physically huge area (568km of waterways) that includes the river Great Ouse. The team are dedicated to responding as quickly as possible to issues but within the constraints of resource and budget.
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They give up many extra hours of time and exhaust themselves time and again on your behalf, I am proud to know them all.
Waterways Team
Building Day in June 2024 –Chester House
Fees and Expectations
Our customers registration fees do not cover the costs of maintaining the river navigation systems and are heavily subsidised by government funding. This is especially true in relation to capital projects such as lock repairs and silt removal. The consultation exercise carried out nationally certainly stirred a significant response, we all await the results of this. My fear is that if the proposed increase is moderated, inflation and rising repair costs will further reduce our ability to maintain the river at current levels, notwithstanding the commonly held expectation of a significant improvement to a gold standard. We have frequent customer requests for refunds for non-perfect conditions and commenting on a commercial enterprise having to do so. Having recently been a business owner for several years I can categorically state that no commercial enterprise could operate at a loss every year in the way the NavigationAuthorities do. To maintain the status quo registration fees would need to treble and if progress is to be made quadruple at least. This is unfeasible so our Partnerships and Development Team led by NathanArnold continue to identify sources of opportunity and income to help bridge the significant funding gap.
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I understand that Canal and River Trust are having to significantly increase their fees over the next few years to try and maintain their service on canals and waterways, I suspect this is a sign of things to come unless income can be raised elsewhere.
It has been my pleasure and honour to have helped in a small way over the last 6 months, I have spoken to a few of you, emailed many more and met several of you in person. You are very well served by some dedicated individuals outside of the EnvironmentAgency not least over 30 volunteers that help man locks at the weekend to make things a bit easier for you, the boaters.
Volunteers in action at Houghton Lock
The organisations that represent you such as GOBA, IWA, AWA and others interact on your behalf and put many thankless hours in all to try and help improve your river experience. They do a sterling job, and you should be proud of the organisations they represent. Lee Cobbold
Reservoir Development Updates
Anglian Water has proposed 2 new projects to develop large reservoirs which will secure water supply for future customers. One will be in Lincolnshire (Lincs) and the other in the Cambridgeshire Fens working with Cambridge Water
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These new reservoirs will help meet the challenges of a changing climate and a growing population.Alongside meeting these challenges, the projects present significant social, economic and environmental opportunities. This could mean creating space for wildlife, such as wetlands, alongside enabling new recreational and educational activities and natural places for people to explore. It also means creating new jobs and providing opportunities for local businesses and tourism.
The Lincs Reservoir proposed site is going to be located near to Helpringham just south of Sleaford and adjacent to our Black Sluice Navigation. The Fens Reservoir proposed site is between Chatteris and March, near to Doddington and Manea.
The Boston to Peterborough Wetland Corridor (B2PWC) working group continue to consult with internal and external partners ensuring that the project is part of the wider Lincs Reservoir vision benefitting wildlife and local communities. The B2PWC project team also continue to work closely with all project groups and relevant stakeholders to ensure this exciting navigation project is considered in the local plans for each area it passes through. During times of high rainfall, river flows from the Great Ouse catchment would feed the Fens reservoir and high flows in the Lincolnshire rivers would feed the Lincs Reservoir with water.
The water stored at the reservoirs will then be treated and transported so it can be supplied to people’s homes and businesses throughout the year. The EAare heavily involved in discussions withAnglian Water and Cambridge Water to ensure we can influence any improvements to include navigation, if possible and associated infrastructure alongside the development of these huge strategic projects.
Ian Bliss Waterways Partnerships Manager covering
the Anglian Waterways
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Bank Raising and Desilting Works
Background
The Middle Level Commissioners provide flood risk management to protect 8,516 households, 1,643 commercial and industrial properties, over 5,7000 hectares of agricultural land, road links, railways lines, power stations and a prison in Cambridgeshire. The river system consists of over190km of watercourses, most of which are navigable, that need maintaining to continue to function.
What we are doing
We are pleased to announce that our contractor Balfour Beatty will start the first phase of our multi-million-pound project in October This is the most significant work that we have carried out since the construction of the new St Germans Pumping Station in 2010.
The project aims to sustain the level of service provided by the Middle Level System . Work to desilt the Main Drain from Cottons Corner in Three Holes to St Mary’s Bridge close to St Germans Pumping Station will start in October and take approximately 6 months.
We will be carrying out the desilting works from the watercourse using excavators situated on pontoons. To lift the plant and equipment into the watercourse, we will install 3 temporary crane pads at locations along the Main Drain.
The desilted material will be placed on both banks and left to dry The drying process takes approximately 12 months, weather dependent. Once the material is dry, it will be levelled and grass seeded.
Before works start we will be carrying out environmental surveys along the Main Drain and establishing our site compound.
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Programme of Works 2024/2025
September2024
October 2024
November 2024
December 2024
January 2025
February 2025
March 2025
Set up site compound Vegetation clearance and surveys
Install crane pads
Desilt Mortons Bridge to Aquaduct and Cottons Corner to Three Holes Bridge
Desilt Neeps Bridge to Mortons Bridge
Desilt Pingle Bridge to Aquaduct
Desilt Rungays Bridge to Neeps Bridge and Magdalen Bridge to North Hook Bridge
Desilt North Hook Bridge to Rungays Bridge
Desilt Peters Drove Bridge to Magdalen Bridge and Sluice Road to Peters Drove Bridge
Spring 2025 - Drying of the desilted material and Autumn 2026 seeding
Dates are approximate and weather dependant.
Public Access
We want to keep the public safe while we work. To do this we will need to temporarily close sections of the bank where there are public footpaths. Each public footpath will be closed for up to 6 months, depending on how long it takes to restore the footpaths to a safe condition following the works. This is largely weather dependant but we will re-open each footpath as soon as possible once it is safe to do so.
Please observe the footpath closure signs, keep children away from working areas and keep all dogs on a lead.
Jill Hughes Public Liaison Officer
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A Cruise Up and Down the Murray River
When visiting friends inAustralia recently, we arranged together a cruise up and down a bit of the Murray River This vast waterway is the longest in Australia at 2,500 km from source to the Southern Ocean. It drains rain and storm water from New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. Much of the river is navigable and lock-controlled but rarely used for commercial transport these days. It is a pleasure resource for water-skiing, jetskis, speedboats, pleasure cruisers, angling and house-boats.
We hired a house-boat for a week from Mildura, which straddles the Victoria-NSW border The ‘Advantage 1’accommodated 6 adults and 3 kids in comfort and had every convenience you could possibly want; central heating, air conditioning, 3 bathrooms with showers, lounge, a large kitchendiner with fridge, freezer, gas cooker, dishwasher, washing machine and microwave oven; a flybridge with settees, sunloungers, a hot-tub jacuzzi, a gas-fired bar-b-q, beer fridge and an ‘upper console’ for the helmsman. She was powered by two Yamaha 50hp outboard engines with on-board 240v electric via a diesel generator and inverter with automatic battery sensing. Central heating used an Eberspacher hot-air unit . Every bedroom as well as the lounge, flybridge and helm boasted a colour TV set and wi-fi was available throughout the boat.
It follows that ‘Advantage 1’ is pretty big! Built in 2009 she is based on an aluminium catamaran and is considered unsinkable unless all the floats of the catamaran keel puncture at the same time (unlikely). She is 21.5 metres long with an 8 metre beam and 8 metre air draught ; draws 3 metres in the water and weighs in at 30 tonnes loaded. To safely handle a boat of this size requires a crew of at least 3 and preferably 4.
The Murray was flowing slowly on our trip and handling ‘Advantage 1’ was relatively easy – but because of its weight and design was infuriatingly slow to respond. The river itself is not unlike parts of the Thames and the Norfolk Broads – except much, much bigger!
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Facilities are few and far between; formal moorings are non-existent – just find an agreeable-looking spot of bank, go in bow first, tie up to the nearest trees and the jobs a good’un. Locks are necessarily large and all have keepers. The keepers lock through craft travelling downstream every hour on the hour, and upstream traffic on the half-hour. Passages must be booked in advance. An interesting quirk is that the lock- keeper supplies his own ropes for controlling your boat in the lock and you hand them back to him as you leave.
Cruising is slow and gentle; the jet-skis and speedboats avoid you. Have a care if you are a drinker though; the alcohol limit for anyone involved in operating these boats is tiny – and if you are under 18, it’s zero. And the river police do check. Leave the booze until you’re tied up for the night!
Truth is, there’s not much to see ‘on the move’unless you’re keen on wildlife. The Murray teems with fish; hiring a basic tackle kit to use in the evenings or early mornings is a good idea but you have to buy a short-term fishing license as well which isn’t cheap. The bird life is stunning and binoculars are a ‘must’. Otherwise, its lots of water and lots of trees! Plus lots of blue skies, sunshine, bar-b-qs and beer in the evenings!
It was a great experience; I doubt if we shall ever return but the memories will stay with us.
Stephen Foote
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The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No 612245. Registered as a charity No 212342. Registered Office: 16B Chiltern Court, Asheridge Rd, Chesham, HP5 2PX. Phone No 01494 783453.