Lincoln to Woodhall Spa

Its been that long since I did the last blog and put these pics onto the site I am struggling to remember what happened. Still here goes.

We left Lincoln and headed down stream for Washingborough.  As you can see the weather was superb. The actual mooring isdead ahead and only 4km from Lincoln so its hardly long enough to warm up the engine.

Just before arriving at Washingborough the church at Greetwell can be seen on ther opposite bank.  To my mind this must have looked just like thousands of others churchs before the massive rebuilding that took place throughout the country in the 19th century.

The evening view from the bows.  I turned the boat on mooring so facing upstream.  The cathederal stands out on top of the scarp.  Its hard to believe that it is surrounded by houses.

Heading down stream again and another lovely day. The trouble with the canal and river as far as Bardney is the lack of bends and interesting views. Keep an eye out for the sculptures.

Well there are a couple here.  My favourites.  The artist has really captured the look of a cow and its made out of scrap metal some of which you can identify if you get close.

Out of Bardney lock and it all seems quite clear of weed but there are horror stories going about concerning the amount of weed further down stream.

The Lockkeepers house has been sold but is going to be let for holidays if you want a quiet time by a canal.

Very windy.  The wind coming through the bridge almost csught me out.  The boat veered off to the left and and the bridge support got rather close.

Every so often bits of weed turn up.  In the distance is the mooring at Southerey and its from this point the weed gets thicker.

and thicker it gets.

Another piece of sculpture to ponder on.

Woodhall Spa mooring and the thats it for today. 

The weed is coming down stream with the wind. When the wind changes direction the weed piles upin different places.

Off for a wander about Kirkstead and walk into Woodhall Spa to the shop.  Station waiting for the late arrival of a train.

Nice sign on the entrance to the town.  Sadly the Gypsy caravan that was in a front garden the last time I was here has gone.

Walked up to the remains of the Priory nd in the field can be seen the old fish ponds.

Not much left now of the Priory. 

The church is still closed which is a pity. I would love to have a look inside.

There are extensive earthworks in the fields around the remains.  Timeteam would have a field day here.

The little lane leading up to the Priory is a delight and if I had any gin

I would pick a load of sloes that are along the hedge to make a winter warmer :-)

and its back to the canal with the pub on the left for those that have worked up a thirst on the walk.

Slow boat to Southrey

After a trip to Sellwood Gardens in Horncastle I bumbled along the canal enjoying the sunshine. With the impending cat sitting I have made my way to Southrey for the night.

Spotted a Golden Eye duck on the way and shortly afterwards caught sight of that ghost of birds – the Barn Owl – as it patrolled along the towpath. During the day its colour is quite a brilliant white. I wish it had been going in the other direction which would have given me a longer look at it. I might even have got a photo of it.

No seal today. I wonder how it got into the system. Someone said that they come in through the lock at Boston. They must be a bit fearless to do that as I would assume that there would be a boat in the lock at the same time or at least one going out.

I had meant to go to Boston today as they are starting to use the new lock to allow boats into the drains towards Spalding. I hope it is going to be cheaper than the cost of a week in the Ancholme.

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I've seen the Withern Monster

Moving back towards Lincoln today to do a bit of occasional cat sitting while my son is away. Chilly to start with at the turn around at Tattershall but with an extra layer on not a problem.

Chugging away and checking out the wild life I spotted a grey/blue billed duck with what looked like one of those Cossack hats on its head. What was that? I looked in the book but nowhere is there a duck with a large lump like the seen version.

Reached Woodhall for the night and spotted a very large rat swimming across the canal in front of me. It dipped under the water and disappeared. Shortly afterward I saw the Loch Ness monster. There it was humps and all. Then it too disappeared but I did manage to get a picture of it.

Alongside and housework is never completed so did a bit of brushwork and then stood at the sink washing up. Out of the window the monster appeared again and this time was looking straight at me only six foot away. Monster? No. it was a seal catching fish under near the bridge at Woodhall Spa.

It was quite successful in the hunt for fish for it caught at least one while I was watching it.

It wasn’t in the least scared of the boat. Perhaps it has learnt to beg for food in the same manner that the swans will peck on the windows to attract your attention.

Thank goodness for the locks at Bardney and Stamp End otherwise we would be having elephant seals basking on the Brayford instead of swans. Nice thought though.

Ten Day Camel Hike

A bright sunny day so just the job for going into Kirkstead to look for the church. It is only a few hundred yards from the canal according to Nicholsons. Thank goodness they didn’t say a few miles. It turned out to be a ten day camel hike – OK I exaggerate slightly but it is more than mentioned. To get onto the street you have to walk passed the old railway station of Woodhall Junction. The crossing gates are closed and all ready for the train that never comes.


There are no signs for the church. Finally you come to Abbey Lane and I noticed a gypsy caravan in a garden with a couple of gentlemen sat outside enjoying the sun. I asked about the church and was told it was passed the abbey – can’t miss it. Stayed a moment to chat and according to them they are Woodhall Spas answer to the Last of the Summer Wine. A tale they told me was of a friend of theirs who used to have a narrowboat and ended up marrying a 17 year old. He died shortly afterwards but he did a lot of smiling before he went.




Walking down the lane and there are a couple of building with stone that could easily have come from the abbey. There is not a lot of the abbey left these days. There is just the one stump standing 30 foot high in the middle of a field that is totally covered with humps and bumps. Where is Time Team when you need them? But at least you can now see the church.


The church is rather nice from the outside with some slate grave markers and many covered in lichen. Sadly that is all you can see for it is locked as are most churches these days. On the walk to the church one sees all the signs that sping is here. The celandines are out and I well remember clutching a posy of them at the age of 5 as a present for my grandmother in Wales.

It took me 30 minutes to walk back to the canal so I would imagine that it is at least one and half miles away. A nice walk for all that.

Leaving Woodhall for Tattershall and the banks are as high as ever. However the river starts to behave like one with lots of bends to keep one occupied. I looked out for the abbey but didn’t get a sighting of it or anything else. RAF Coningsby isn’t far away as you can hear the aircraft winding up ready to go. I am sure that at one point I could smell the burning fuel.

Around a bend and Tattershall Bridges comes into view. The old bridge is on the other side along with the moorings.

From the mooring the view of the old bridge is vastly superior to the view in the other direction. Chatted to a lady who has friends in Louth and every time she and her husband visits them they stop at the bridge for a cup of tea and enjoy the view. I was encouraged to read my bible more. In that department I am a lost cause.

Shortly after mooring up a couple of barges paired up came along. The Waterways tug Kingfisher was be taken along by a firm from Doncaster. Probably been working in Boston as there has been a tremendous amount going on there to link into the drain system towards Spalding.