That's Denver, Norfolk, not Colorado! This was our first visit here and we were suitably impressed. Denver has a very tranquil air about it, despite being one of the largest sluice and drainage complexes in Europe. We thoroughly recommend a visit, whether you own a boat or not.

Continuing our unbroken record of not visiting drainage museums, we managed to turn up at the Prickwillow drainage museum on one of its closed days. We took this picture through the window. The engine is a Vickers Petter two-stroke diesel engine. The flywheel weighs in at five tons. This is the only preserved example of this engine type.

Makes a good Spoonerism! This is at the junction of the Old West, Ely Ouse and River Cam. There are quite a few live-aboard vessels moored here.

The Fish and Duck bridge. Not sure why fishes and ducks would need a bridge. It is a bit of a landmark, due to its arched shape.

A gaggle of geese hitching a ride on a raft of floating weed on the River Lark.

We'd love to get our hands on this place and convert it to a home. This is Frog Hall on the Old West River. There'd be plenty of room to moor Cassie! Think this must be an old pumping station.

Herons abound on the River Great Ouse, often standing sentinel on the river bank, looking for all the world like a cardboard cutout before suddenly taking flight. They seem almost prehistoric. This was taken near the Twenty Pence Marina, a stretch of the Old West section of the river rich in wildlife.

We were very glad to see this mooring - not that we could see much when we moored up the night before, because it was dark! We'd had trouble finding a mooring on the Wissey and as it was getting dark, we decided to head for the Great Ouse and more familiar territory as we knew there was an EA mooring at Hilgay. Think Cassie was still sleeping it off!

You do have to worry about a captain with such bad eyesight!

Entering Hermitage Lock from the Old West. This is the only manned lock on the river, other than Denver, so it's all done for you. Plus you get to have a nice chat with the lock keeper while the lock fills.

Until we got Cassie I don't think either of us had really seen a kingfisher. Now we often see them when we're out on the river. However, taking a photograph of one is another matter. We got a lot of blurry blue jobbies before we managed this! Our quest continues...

We were really impressed with Denver. This was our first visit and it was really peaceful. I think over the following days it got much busier, judging by the number of narrow boats we passed on our way back upstream from the IWA Festival.

I've heard of back seat drivers, but cabin roof driver is a new one on me! Most photos that Simon takes of me are most unflattering... 'natural' he calls them... but I don't mind this one!

You certainly get the feeling of being in the wide open spaces on parts of the Gt Ouse. This stretch is on the approach to Denver.

Cassie's spotlight was more ornamental than useful, as we found out when we were unable to find a mooring on the River Wissey one evening.

Cassie entering Hemingford Lock on her way back to the boatyard on a September evening. Not often we get a shot of her, lights a-blazing.

Not sure if Cassie was just being playful, or if she thought it might rain! She was moored under the bridge near Stretham Old Engine. This was another of our abortive attempts to visit one of the pumping museums on the Fens. Closed again!

Marina and Lorna enjoying the serenity of a late September afternoon on the Gt Ouse

The pumping engine museum might have been closed, but Prickwillow was well worth a visit, nonetheless.

Now there's a sight you don't often see... what appears to be a MkI with a very large mast!