Wisbech-Boston boat trip

by Simon Norton

On Sat 9 Sept the Coastal Cruising Association (49 Kelsey Gardens, Doncaster DN4 7QA) ran a charter cruise from Wisbech to Boston using the "Mystere", a trip boat for up to 25 passengers based at Boston.

This was originally intended as a day return trip but it turned out that this would be impossible because of tidal factors. Instead people from the north were offered a minibus link from Boston to join the boat at Wisbech.

Departure from Wisbech was advertised at 13.00, which was when the minibus arrived, but the tide wasn't ready till about 14.10. Arrival at Boston was advertised at 19.00, but we actually got in at 18.45, in good time for the boat's other trip that evening upriver from Boston leaving at 19.30.

I walked from my Cambridge home to the local bus stop at 09.25. 10 minutes later a bus arrived for Cambridge station, getting in at 09.50. I bought a day return ticket for Sleaford, intending to alight at March and get an Emblings bus at about 10.47 to Wisbech.

This bus arrived on time, but it would have been 5 minutes later had the trip been on any subsequent weekend due to a timetable change. I would also not have seen the Emblings double decker which crossed en route, as the relevant journey was being withdrawn. It appears that Emblings have felt the pinch from Stagecoach's X8 which links March and Wisbech hourly by another route, unfortunately not serving the rail station.

On arrival at Wisbech I had plenty of time to pick up food and local info before joining the boat.

Departure from the marina -- close to the bus station -- was at about 14.10. There is very little in the way of commercial freight activity in Wisbech, the port having been superseded by Sutton Bridge which we were to pass later.Unfortunately the latter's location is such that freight causes significant
environmental problems.

Just before the port we passed the new gas fired power station (whose assmbly caused chaos on the roads in Wisbech) and the former rail/road bridge, now road only. We then passed, at around 15.40, a couple of lighthouses that marked the entrance to the Wash.

Because of sandbanks we were unable to take a straight route to the mouth of the Witham. During this part of the journey there were good views of the Norfolk coast, which was by far the hilliest area ! Also visible was Boston Stump and the MOD firing ranges at Holbeach and Wainfleet marshes.

On reaching the Witham at around 17.30 we saw several walkers on a dead end footpath miles from anywhere. A little later we saw some cars parked. Further up we reached the docks, including the swing bridge carrying the recently reopened rail link. We then had an excellent view of the historic town centre.

The trip ended when the sluice gates opened for us and another boat just below the Mystere's moorings. As these are about 10 minutes walk from the rail station there was plenty of time to get the 19.11 train.

Unfortunately this didn't mean I got home before midnight. A journey between Boston and Cambridge would have been a lot quicker in Massachusetts ! As it was I had a train journey to Grantham (and fortunately it wasn't one of those trains that were full of day trippers) at which point GNER trains were disrupted because of engineering work at Doncaster. Though the retimed 20.56 was late it would have connected with the 21.36 Peterborough to Cambridge train shown in my all line timetable, but I forgot the amendment which deletes this train. I might have got the 21.45 train to Huntingdon (arrive 21.58) and the 22.05 bus from there, but the connection would have been very tight and my ticket invalid. If only Cambs CC who support the bus journey were interested in rail connections after 19.00 ! I had to resort to the 22.04 from Peterborough, which for some reason sits 15 minutes at Ely station (not awaiting any connection) and then arrives at Cambridge 2 minutes after the last bus to the City Centre has gone. In fact the train was a bit early, but so, I suspect, was the bus -- at any rate after waiting a few minutes I took to my feet and arrived exhausted at 00.05 the next day.That day saw me attend a vintage bus running day at Tunbridge Wells -- but that's another story.