Opposite Springfield Marina (Lee Navigation) – Thursday 14th August

Today we left the lovely clear water above Waltham Town Lock and set off downstream.  The water got dirtier and dirtier and then weedier and weedier.

Ponders End Lock is the first of the double electric locks which is then followed by Picketts Lock which is a small and quite quaint lock. The lock was scheduled to be duplicated but trade fell away in the early 1960’s and the project was cancelled.  On the gate of the lock cottage is a sign that says “Alf Saggs, best man on the Lee”.  Alf was the last lock keeper and still lives in the cottage.  The cottage is a modern one but I found a photo of the original cottage on the internet from 1964.

   

From Picketts Lock you can see the City on the skyline which made me realise that our time on the Lee and Stort Navigations was almost at an end.  We have really enjoyed our trip.  It was a shame that we found the Bishop Stortford moorings so grotty but that was the only place that we didn’t like.  I’m sure that if we had stuck it out then we would have liked the town itself – however in hindsight we did the right thing otherwise we wouldn’t have got under the very low railway bridge for a couple of days.  We loved the rest of it with the two navigations being very different – the Lee quite wide and basically straight and the Stort narrow and twisty.  Would we come back?  Yes one day – it’s just a shame that it’s so far off the beaten track.

At Tottenham Lock I could see a stick thin girl and a chap with a camera under the bridge and she appeared to be having modelling type photos taken.  It was certainly a strange place as the bridge was far from attractive and it was so dark!

Two interesting boats we passed today

After Tottenham the sky darkened and down came the rain.  I suggested to Richard that he pull over until the rain stopped.  He found a railway bridge and decided to stop under it only to find that when he looked up he could see rails and the sky!  He moved on a bit and moored up with the centre line but in the end we decided to stay put as the forecast was for more rain.  We are moored opposite Springfield Marina which has been owned, operated and developed as a revenue marina/boatyard by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority since the late 1960s.

Hopefully we will be OK for the night – but who knows!!

8.73 miles

7 locks