A River Cruise This was intended to be a multi day boating trip down a river, driving the boat and making stop offs as the mood took us. Something many people enjoy every year, but which have been a first for me.
The hire of the boat was duly booked and the event scheduled to take place in late May, when life intervened. Jane, my wife, has been waiting for a hip replacement for several months and was scheduled for mid June, but the date of the surgery was changed and brought forward without any consultation, but at least an apology for the inconvenience this may cause. There was no choice really between missing boat trip or declining the operation slot, so this trip became the third Jane has had to cancel due to the wayward hip. Jane now takes the view that any forward booking of trips is just a fruitless and expensive exercise. Not to be cheated of a boat trip, the adventure daughter arranged for us to take an excursion on a barge at Cambridge run by Camboats www.camboats.co.uk/ and organised by the Cambridge Museum of Technology www.museumoftechnology.com/ which is currently closed for lottery funded upgrading, and its curators are taking the opportunity to get outside.
The journey went into Cambridge and then back out into the countryside with lots of wildlife and expert commentary on the history of the locality from medieval trade fares to the technological phenomenon that is the foundation of the present day local economy. That this history included a fair slice of dealing with municipal rubbish and sewage was bonus for me. Looking forward to a return visit when the work is finished and the museum is reopened.
Bonus Messing About on the River
Took a trip trip to Cornwall in what turned out to be a bonus week of warm weather in October and spent a morning kayaking on the River Fowey courtesy of Encounter Cornwall . David led the trip and clearly has an interest in wildlife as well as kayaking and other things outdoors. They use double kayaks, which really do feel unsinkable, and there is the added attraction of a good tea and cake at the cafe at the end.