photo: deposit
Imagine the mist swirling around your ankles, and the sound of twigs mysteriously cracking behind you… You turn around, but there’s nobody there!
As I write this on Halloween weekend, I am reminded that woods can be scary places sometimes. But if you’re feeling brave you can choose to venture into the depths of some spooky woods as part of your next narrowboat holiday.
Ferry Meadows Park
Just off the River Nene in Peterborough you can use the pontoon moorings provided in the lake, before heading off towards the woods in Ferry Meadows Park.
The woodlands, meadows, lakes, the River Nene and miles of paths and trails make Nene Park a lovely place to walk. Many of the paths are surfaced and suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The Ferry Meadows leaflet shows a choice of walking routes of various lengths and may just save you from becoming lost in the woods! You can also buy a pocket sized, water-resistant OS map in the Visitor Centre, to plan your spooky adventure. You may like to try a virtual guided walk, using a smart phone to scan a series of QR code markers as you go.
But be brave and get off the main paths and into some of the other woodland walks. The Bluebell Wood Boardwalk offers river views, and bluebells in springtime. Sheep Wash Walk in Bluebell Wood was uncovered and restored in 2018. Impressive trees such as the black pine, Douglas fir, larch, box and yew along the avenue are actually around 170 years old. Also in Bluebell Wood, (by the entrance of the Riverside Walk), you will find a 100 metre woven willow tunnel.
To reach this woodland from our hire boat base you will cruise along The River Nene through stunning countryside and charming villages, passing stone cottages and thatched rooves. (On your way to Ferry Meadows Park check out The 3 Best Moorings When Narrowboating on the Nene.) The trip from March to Peterborough is a 12 hour return trip by narrowboat, but you’ll want to allow extra time for exploring.
For example, along the Old River Nene you will cross the Greenwich Meridian, before arriving at Ashline Lock. You may like to moor in Whittlesey, an ancient market town. Then cruising on towards Peterborough you’ll pass through open country, and eventually you will see the cathedral across the flat fields that lead to Stanground Lock.
As you cruise up river from the centre of Peterborough you will see parts of The Nene Park’s meadows, lakes and woods. Although you can lose yourself in the peaceful waterside walks and wonderful woodlands, you are never too far from the convenient shopping and restaurants to be found in Peterborough. If you stop at the visitor moorings beside the park you can explore the city centre, before spending a day exploring the woods in the park.
If the cracking twigs, branches catching in your hair, and creeping woodland mist isn’t spooky enough for you, you can always embark on your own paranormal investigations. Fright Nights Cambridgeshire offer guided ghost hunts at Peterborough Museum, which claims to have eight resident ghosts!
You may also like:
How to Hunt Fenland Ghosts, Even When it isn’t Halloween
7 Chilling Canal Ghost Stories
How to go Ghostbusting With a Narrowboat
5 Halloween Stories That Will Haunt Your Holiday Plans
We think a narrowboat is the stealthiest way to travel if you are planning a paranormal investigation in Cambridgeshire, and our local area is surprisingly haunted!
Want to create haunting holiday memories to die for?
A Foxboats narrowboat holiday offers history, heritage and culture at all times of the year; if you like the idea of exploring the Fenland waterways by boat check availability for next year now.
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