A couple of miles upstream from Ely an ugly brick built pumping station and a pair of mitre floodgates on the east bank of the Great Ouse mark the uninviting entrance to the first of our Cambridgeshire Lodes - the Soham Lode, described in the guides as 'non-navigable.' The gates were open and hanging free so we entered. Once through, it was immediately apparent that it was so narrow it would be impossible to wind anywhere, so we knew we would have to reverse out. The first straight section was shallow but weed-free. But by the time we reached the brick arch Barway Bridge, Earnest started hitting the bottom so we left it behind and continued on the shallower Frogmoore II, which scraped along to the next bridge. We got the bows under, but then hit gravel and large rocks, so we retreated the mile or so backwards.
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