Middle Level Navigations

In 1967, then IWA chairman Captain Lionel Munk led an inspection cruise through the Middle Level.  The article below is from Bulletin 84 in July 1968:

For the first time in eight years, an IWA. inspection cruise was made of the Middle Level Navigations last May by a party led by Lionel Munk and including Council Members Pamela Cobb and Hugh McKnight.

Starting from Ely, in one of Messrs. Appleyard Lincoln’s new Elysian cruisers, a trip was first completed via the Old West River and the Great Ouse to Godmanchester.  In recent years, the Great Ouse River Board has made considerable progress in rebuilding locks on the waterway. Although only reopened for traffic at Easter, the new Hermitage Lock had been used by more than 300 boats by the time that Capt. Munk’s party arrived.  We look forward to eventual reinstatement of the Ouse as far as Bedford. It is a superb navigation, and one which is justly popular.

After cruising the Cam to Cambridge, and investigating the River Wissey to Hilgay, the party – by now transferred to two smaller cruisers – locked through Denver Sluice and into Well Creek, one of two means of entering the Middle Level at Salter’s Lode.  Many of the Middle Level routes – the system totals more than 100 miles – were constructed primarily as drainage channels, with navigation regarded as of secondary importance.  Well Creek was formerly a well-used Fen-lighter waterway, connected the now disused Wisbech Canal with the Ouse.  Being more elevated than much of the Middle Level, it provides the pleasure boatman with wonderful wide open views.

1960 Middle Level voyage

The account of the Association’s 1960 Middle Level voyage published in Bulletin 62 said of Well Creek: “The existing statutory navigation from Salter’s Lode via Well Creek through Upwell and Outwell to the junction with New Popham’s Eau. . . is at present in very poor shape indeed, and totally unnavigable.”

Introduction to the Middle Level at Well Creek was in the form of towing both craft by lorry from the towpath, on account of the lack of water for these comparitively deep draught cruisers.

Conditions have certainly changed for the better since then, for, even using two broad beam cruisers drawing at least 2 ft. 9 ins., no inordinate difficulties were experienced. True, the entrance from the Ouse is badly silted for perhaps a mile and this necessitated hauling the boats from the towpath by motor truck. Great help was provided in this connection by Mr. Lou Doubleday and his enthusiastic friends of the Middle Level Watermen’s Club.  Lou operates a boatyard at Outwell, the only one on the entire Middle Level.  He hopes to introduce a hire cruiser fleet there, and nothing else could do so much to deter plans for closing the Creek in connection with road-widening proposals about which we heard some months after the cruise. Such closure would be a tragedy for the waterways and for Fenland in particular.  We are preparing to do all possible to avert this catastrophe.

Continuing through Whittlesey and Ashline Lock, apart from some troubles caused by rotten blanket weed and the need to wait for more than an hour for water levels over the lower cill of Stan-ground Sluice to be raised, a fairly normal passage was made.  Certainly, any boats drawing under 2 ft. would encounter little trouble, especially early in the season.

The return from Peterborough and the Nene was made via Whittlesey to Angle Corner, Flood’s Ferry, Benwick, and Welches Dam, joining the Ouse once more at Salter’s Lode.  Chief tribulation of this portion of the journey was the condition of Horseway Sluice, between the Forty Foot and the Old Bedford River.  More than seven hours was spent in negotiating many tons of dead vegetation clogging the chamber and approaches.  Certainly no boat had been through for many months.

We found the Middle Level Commissioners’ Engineer Mr. Fillenham very helpful in contriving to make the whole passage as easy as possible. It appears that the Commissioners are lacking powers to raise funds necessary for navigational (as opposed to drainage) improvements. They have, in fact, asked the Association to use its influence to find a solution to the difficulty. While in Peterborough, Capt. Munk’s party met Mr. L. Critchley of the East Anglian Waterways Association, who was able to offer much advice and information on his own Association’s work to improve local conditions.

A nine-page illustrated serialised account of the two week cruise appeared in Motor Boat and Yachting for 23rd August and 6th and 20th September. More than anything else, the Middle Level needs boats and more boats. The scenery is very fine in places, indeed the waterways atmosphere is unique in Britain. This is England’s nearest approach to Holland. Any Members who do take their craft to the area will find local assistance and enthusiasm to be phenomenal.