Off the Tideways: After a briefing accompanied by coffee and bacon sandwiches a slow run up the last of the tidal Nene saw us reach our first guillotine gated lock at Dog in a Doublet and a small rise onto the calm Nene. After dropping off my crew at Peterborough and a night enjoying the hospitality of the Peterborough Yacht Club I set off single-handed to cross the Middle Level Navigations to the Great Ouse and then to Ely.

Queueing for Stanground Lock: Once through this 'gateway' to the Middle Level there were only two other locks, one of which was also manned, to reach the complex at Denver, the other end of the Link Route through the maze of rivers, dykes, lodes and drains that form the Middle Level. Near the centre of the link route, I left the boat for a 2 week mooring in March

Salters Lode lock: At the NE end of Well Creek this lock connects to a short length of the tidal Great Ouse to gain access to the river above Denver. The outlet faces downstream, Denver is upstream. The reason for the tyres on the steel piling became obvious on our return trip.

Denver Sluice Complex: A Sluice here was first built in 1651 by Cornelius Vermuyden. The Complex has been extended and renovated often throughout its long history, as without the Denver Sluice Complex, some of England’s most valuable and productive farmland would be lost to sea.

Navigating the Sandbanks: The Tidal River is subject to considerable silting, mainly downstream of the sluices. The initial section out of Salters Lode appears deceptively mundane. Closer to the sluice and lock one becomes aware of the narrow channel actually available.