BROXBOURNE TO WALTHAM ABBEY and THE WATER VOLE INCIDENT!!

3rd June, 2014

A strange day.  We left Broxbourne in the rain and arrived in Waltham Abbey, above Waltham Abbey Town lock, near the White Water Rafting Centre.

Susan and Mazey walked most of the 3.5 miles.  All the locks were good and in our favour.  However, Cheshunt lock has a broken lower paddle, towpath side.  CR&T are aware of it and were putting a notice on when we arrived in the lock.

I enjoyed playing 'tag' with Mazey as she ran up and down the towpath and then kept popping her head through the reeds to see where I was.  Susan, once again, had to jog to keep up with us!!

The last lock of the day was shared with a narrowboat named 'Olivia'.

RIVER TALES:

As I was getting ready to stop for the day, Pete pointed out to Susan a baby water vole which was struggling to swim across the river.  To be honest, they were not entirely sure it was a water vole.  It could have been a brown mouse.  It was nearer the towpath side and totally exhausted.  Susan rushed to help.  She could not reach it so ran back to me to get the fishing net and knew that time was running out....  but she could not reach the net as I was not yet moored to the towpath.  So she ran back to where it was and noticed that a large canadian goose and many ducks had pushed it, unintentionally, in their wash nearer to the towpath.  Susan crouched down on her knees and managed to scoop the poor mite into her hand.  Susan said afterwards that it had just given up and was laying on its side - not breathing.

Susan immediately started to pray, gave Reiki healing to it and breathed soft warm air onto its face.  Then she started to rub its tummy, towards its heart - just like midwives do to babies who struggle to breath after being born (Susan says this happens).  It suddenly, started to breath.  Susan put it into the warmth of her pink fleece cardigan and gently rubbed it to stop it shaking.  Then put it near her heart and sat waiting for it to recover.  What could she do with it now?  There was no obvious sign of its family or a nest other than one that could be on the opposite bank, which was too far away.  Also, the chances of it surviving if left on the bank were very low.  Susan decided to call the vet in Waltham Abbey who had looked after Mazey when she had her operation.  They agreed to look after it assuming it would be alive by the time Susan walked the half-mile to the surgery.

Pete and Mazey continued to moor me whilst Susan walked to the surgery in the pouring rain.  Susan told us later that it slept during the walk and when it woke it kept trying to nibble her pink fleece.  It was hungry.  Always a good sign. It's eyes were open when she got to the vet and they promised to look after it and get their wildlife expert to come and take it to another location.  Susan felt emotional as she said 'goodbye' and she admitted that she had envisaged keeping it and putting it in a cage from Pets R Us but knew she was just being silly.........

Later Susan retorted that the 'thanks' she received was poop in her fleece - which is now in the wash.  Susan and Pete agreed that the month of May and June is when offspring are born and prone to the dangers of the river.  In the past week they had rescued two baby coots!!

Cute baby water vole

Tiny rescued water vole

Pete walked back to Cheshunt and took photos of the Bofors Anti-aircraft defence gun platform which was built in the Second World War.  You cannot access it but you can see it from the towpath.  It was built to protect Britain from German invasion.

Later Susan said a sad farewell to her sister, Lorraine and great-nephew, Stanley in MacDonalds.  He loved the story of the water vole and even asked "Is this a made-up story or true?"  Susan showed him the photos on facebook.


Total 3.5 miles and 3 locks