Middle Level boats

The recent article you published (Tolls have boaters' support) does not seem to match the reality that I see regularly, writes John Quinlan.

There are four locks, Stanground, Ashline, Marmont Priory and Salters Lode. Ashline is unmanned. The other three are. Last time I enquired about movements, which was a few years ago, it had just topped 1,000 movements a year.

[Kelvin tells us: This was the number of passages that the MLC told me and the office is only next door. Foxes hire boats account for nearly 400 a year and that are nearly 500 boats based on the Middle level. Lock passages have greatly increase since the EA introduced the day and weekly licences.]

Six boats waiting

It does not seem to be significantly busier now but I'm sure the MLC could give accurate figures. A figure of 4,500 passages a year would mean more than six a day, winter and summer. Only twice have I ever seen six boats waiting for the tide at either Salters Lode or Denver. One or two a day is the more normal number in the summer, far less in the winter.

Why then do the 'local' boaters approve of charging at Stanground and Salters Lode? Simple I think. There are many boaters moored at Denver, few go to the Middle Levels as parts are full of weed, the bridges are low and the rest is pretty boring. There is no boating community anywhere near Salters Lode, March being the nearest concentration of boats.

Plenty on the Nene

Stanground is the same, plenty of boats on the Nene, virtually none on the Middle Levels side of the lock till past Whittlesey. What is really at stake here is the introduction of a licence fee for all Middle Level boats. Now that would be a good reason for the 'local' boaters to agree to charging for lock passage only at Stanground and Salters Lode, so that only visitors would end up paying for the hoped for improvements.