St Neots, Cambridgeshire

 

Three of us met at St Neots Campsite on Wednesday; Sandra from Oxfordshire, Louise from Essex, and me.

Two Romahomes 

and a VW camper.

On Thursday, all three of us went to lunch at the River Mill, with all three dogs - Alf, Lettie, and Bow.

We had to cross the Weir and Lock at Eaton Socon, and, as we approached the Mill, 

I remembered why the name was so familiar. For a decade before we bought Levant, Eamonn and I hired broad-beams from River Mill. There was a small ( four) fleet that was kept for staff and for a naval organisation ( Royal Navy, I think).

 Everything was much changed. The River Great Ouse seemed narrower because the trees were almost 40 years older. There were new houses and flats and there was a newly created river walk around the original moorings and across the river.

 There was also evidence of a new Hydro Scheme in place. 

As we sat down, we were told there would be a 45 minute wait before we could order. Sandra and Louise decided to order a bottle of red wine and I had a coffee. We chatted away and suddenly it was time to order lunch. We were given menus at 2pm and the food arrived at 2.45. The dogs were kept quiet with treats from both Sandra and Louise. 

I didn't think we'd be out so long and hadn't brought any for Alf. He was impeccably behaved though, and greeted Bow with a manic play session every time they met.

I'd had a fall on the tow path just as we left the campsite, because Alf had pulled me over on uneven ground. He had to remain firmly on lead because there was too much temptation in the undergrowth and water.

After lunch, Sandra and Louise needed coffee. Alf needed a wee, so I took him for a stroll towards the boat-hire bothy. I was so stiff when I stood up. We'd been sitting for over two hours. My knees, shoulder, and temple complained loudly. There was no point in talking to the staff about the wide-beams- none of them were born in the 1980s and early 1990s.

We all agreed we'd had a lovely afternoon. The route to the Mill followed the Pocket Park Run, which is in full swing again.The rain had held off, but Louise told us it was coming in overnight and she decided to pack up and head home, rather than wait until morning when it would be raining hard. She was also anxious to get home to have the rear window of her VW replaced.

  

Lunch had been such a big meal, that I had no appetite for dinner, despite having clocked over 10,000 steps that day. Heeding Louise's weather warning, I packed everything away and lowered the roof, leaving just the electrics and rubbish for Friday morning. 

I then had some tea, took some paracetamol, and fell asleep just as the promised rain started. With the roof down, the van was much warmer than it had been on the first night. 

&

St Neots is a lovely location, one that brought back some warm memories of cruising the river in hired boats and then our own Levant.

Sandra and I set off for home at about 11am today. We discussed meeting up again soon, somewhere between Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. 

I pulled into a public car park just outside the campsites gates to give Alf a short walk and the opportunity to do his business. It was a lovely, sheltered walk through an ancient woodland. 

There were fishing platforms on the riverbank,

and good views across the river towards a boat moored on the bank.