With all the excitement of the tidal transit, it was only when we moored up safely on Wells Creek at Salter’s Lode for some well-earned lunch that we realised one crucial difference between Denver Sluice and the Nene guillotine locks.

When recently raised, the Nene guillotine locks drip relatively clean river water all over the boat. When recently raised during a monster high tide, the Denver Sluice drips old pre-decimalization-penny sized splats of wet mud that dry rapidly in the warm sun.

Nae bother… heavy rain showers were forecast late evening, so we assumed it would all wash off.

Moving on, we made an pleasantly unremarkable afternoon trip back through Wells Creek on the Middle Levels to Outwell & Upwell (or is that Upwell & Outwell?), before mooring up at the nice staithe just under St. Peter’s Church at Upwell, where there were nice raised beds with roses, rosemary and a particularly pungent curry plant.

Wednesday night was clearly bell ringing practice night: makes a change from Morris Dancing I suppose, but maybe a bit too close for comfort!

It did rain heavily that night. It didn’t wash off the mud splats.