Exciting news! Hello the delightful 60ft trad stern narrowboat we have on brokerage with Boatfinder Brokerage Services has just been reduced and is now £54,995. If you are looking for a well loved sail away, then you could not do much better than Hello, its in great condition, and has some really excellent space saving ideas - for more information please contact Boatfinder to arrange a viewing
These blogs are a bit like a bus, you wait ages for one, and then you get two together!
Anyway a quick update about our camping site. Our first year properly functioning as a Certificated Camping and Caravanning Club site, has been a huge success, with everyone pledging to come back and stay again next year, which is great news!
If you are a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club and fancy a few days away whilst the weather is still fine, and the evenings relatively long, then you still have about 8 weeks left until we close for the Winter. So don't hesitate, come and see for yourself just how pretty our camping area is. A warm welcome awaits.
We have listened to feed back, and next year we are going to provide a dedicated dish washing area, in fact, our creative juices have already been working over time, and we are rather looking forward to creating something that we can mobilise quickly should the River Nene flood..... watch this space!
In the picture above are a group of boaters who visited White Mills for their annual BBQ earlier in the Summer- and the feed back we received from them was fantastic. Roll on next May!
We were really thrilled when Sam Holmes agreed to join the boathouse crew as assistant Catering Manager. Not only is Sam a very positive, and happy person but she has a real enthusiasm and passion for baking and cooking , which we know our regulars are already enjoying.
Sam has worked in the catering industry for several years and what she admits to loving the most (apart from working with the team of course) are her new surroundings over looking our gorgeous marina!.
In the few short weeks she has been at the boathouse at White Mills, Sam has already established herself as part of the team. So welcome to Sam who is pictured with Catering Manager Carrie.
We could not have been more sad than when two of our boaters decided that the time had come to sell their absoultely adorable 45 ft boat - Spring of '94.
"It has hardly been used" we wailed, "You can't sell it, we love having you with us, and besides we absolutely adore your boat!"
Some times things happen and decisions have to be made, so we are thrilled (sort of) to have another narrowboat available at the marina. What perhaps excites us most is the challenge of finding just the right person for this gorgeous, well presented, little boat which by the way is in immaculate condition, and would make a perfect sail away.
Here are just a few pictures to tempt you. Also don't forget we still have the very delicious Hello available too. It is certainly a gem of a boat, and again well worth having a look at.
If you are interested, don't forget to give us a call - 01604 812057
With the demand for pre loved narrowboats still very high indeed, we coud not be more delighted to have at long last, another boat up for sale.
The 60ft trad stern boat is in immaculate condition and has been incredibly well looked after by its owner, in fact for those wanting to get cruising this Summer it would make a perfect sailaway.
Now this is the bit you could not make up, named Hello, our new brokerage boat is moored next to (wait for it) ......... NB Dolly - yup you've guessed it #hello dolly!!!!
If you fancy taking a look or would like further details, then please do get in touch, as we think that it will be goodbye to hello very soon.
Call 01604 812057 and ask for Gary or Debbie
We have never entered a competition in our lives, so it has come as an absolutely wonderful surprise this morning to discover that we have been shortlisted in the Midlands Best Rural Tourism Business category of the Rural Business Awards 2018/19!
The final round of judging takes place in a months time and then the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 11th October at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham. So fingers crossed we tick all the boxes (and more) to be winners.
Its all very exciting! I might just have to buy a new dress!!!
We always seem to forget just how handy we are for Silverstone race circuit, it really is not very far at all, just a quick zip up to Junction 15a of the MI, cross over the roundabout and onto the A 43 and you are there. And the great news is, if you are looking for some camping over the Grand Prix weekend (5th - 8th July), then we still have spaces available.
Being a certificated Camping and Caravanning Club site means that we can accommodate five caravans and ten tents.So our camping area will never be over crowded and the other thing is the caravanning pitches all have hook ups too now.
The cost per caravan including hook up is £20.00, without hook up £15.00 and tents start at £12.00.
To reserve your pitch - call 01604 812057
The success of the Crick Boat Show this year, could definitely not be attributed to John and myself, but instead to our three lads Sam, Ben and Joe who between them manned our beautifully proportioned stand in the Waterways World Marquee for the entire three days.
We meanwhile were in position back at base, ready and waiting for visitors to Crick to visit us too, and they did! In fact we were kept very busy indeed showing potential boaters around the marina as well as introducing them to the team in the boathouse.
Actually, I have told a bit of a white lie, we did manage to whizz over to Crick for a couple of hours on the first day. It was lovely to see so many people we knew. From passing visitors who have popped into the marina over night, through to boaters who have boats currently being built and are due to moor with us very soon. It was really lovely.
The only down side of the boat show was that White Mills Marina was mistakenly omitted from the exhibitors list which resulted in some boaters thinking we were not exhibiting at the show - perish the thought.! We absolutely love exhibiting at Crick, and cannot ever imagine not supporting such a fabulous boat show. So whilst it was disappointing, it has not put us off from planning for next year.
Looking ahead in the short term, we are now looking forward to welcoming some of the visitors to our stand at Crick to our next Open Day at White Mills on Sunday 1st July.
The fine weather over the past few weeks, (not taking into account the weather over the past couple of days mind you) has really allowed us to get on and tick a few of those boxes that had increased in numbers over the Winter.
So when local family fencing company, Countrywide Fencing turned up a couple of weeks ago, we were so pleased because it meant that the post and rail fences and gates we had promised our boaters were about to be erected.
And the top team did not waste any time at all, the entire job was done in just over 24 hours with the finished article looking absolutely terrific. The feedback we have had from all our boaters has been very positive indeed, so its a double whammy all round, happy boaters and an additional layer of security - thumbs up!
Well we got there in the end, and it was only the very soggy conditions that caused the delay in installing hook ups in our camping area.
We are thrilled to say that White Mills now boasts a total of eight hook ups, so whether you are in a tent or a caravan/camper you will always be able to have the option of accessing electricity.
It has really surprised us how word has spread that we now have hook ups as the phone has been red hot! Booking ahead is certainly advisable. Hope to see you soon.
By the way the cost of a camper/caravan with hook up is £20 per night. Tents from £12.00 per night.
When we decided to open the marina six days a week, we thought we should kick it off from 1st May, how typical was it therefore, to discover after broadcasting it to all and sundry, that 1st May was a Tuesday - the one day of the week that the marina and the boathouse is closed! So we were one day late officially launching the boathouse's extended hours to six days a week. Not that it seems to have mattered at all, as we have had a steady flow of visitors throughout the past three days.
And to coincide with our new opening hours, we took delivery today of six rather lovely and incredibly sturdy benches which have now been given pride of place on the decking outside the boathouse. Visitors this Summer will be able to enjoy the stunning views over the marina and beyond whilst drinking superb coffee and indulging in some very delicious, freshly prepared refreshments. So remember if you are planning a visit to the River Nene at White Mills lock in Earls Barton, do pop in and see Carrie and the team at the boathouse, but please do not forget that the marina and the boathouse are both closed on a Tuesday.
Lifting the Strong Stream advice today could not have come at a better time, as this Sunday 6th May we have our first Open Day of the year, and it would have been pretty miserable if there was no activity along our beautiful crystal clear river Nene.
Just by lowering the red Strong Stream flag and replacing it with the green one, seems to have injected an abundance of energy all round, with boaters setting off on their Summer travels and short weekend breaks.
Its lovely when people go off because they come back with interesting stories of their adventures. Let us hope we have seen the last of that red flag until much later on in the year and we can crack on and enjoy the river and all that it has to offer. Happy boating folks!
The new general data protection regulations that come into play at the end of this month have meant that we have had to restablish a connection with all the lovely folks we have met over the past three years to see if they still want to be friends and receive our regular newsletter and updates.
Just so you know, for those who want to continue hearing from us, all they now have to do is to opt in again and resubscribe by either filling the form out on our website or emailing us at info@whitemillsmarina.co.uk.
For those who don't want to keep in touch, then it could not be easier, they do not need to do a thing and will be removed from our database automatically.
So please if you do want to continue receiving our newsletter Reflections which contains all the latest news and views it is down to you to make the first move - simply opt in.
Sometimes it really is the simple things that bring the most pleasure and good old Pooh sticks proves that point perfectly.
Three year old James who is a regular visitor to the boathouse and always looks forward to watching the boats, has just discovered Pooh sticks, and thinks it is great fun.
And what is more you don't have to be three years old to play Pooh sticks, it appears that this game really has no age barriers!
Goodness me the Winter really seems to have dragged on and on, mind you so have the closures of our deliciously beautiful River Nene. Last year, I can hardly recall ever raising the red Strong Stream Advice flag - but this year it has been up, down and up again continuously.
It was so exciting when the green flag was raised for a week or so just before Easter; we saw a real flurry of activity with boaters out enjoying the Nene once again. But of course with the snow and subsequent rain fall, all that came to an abrupt halt!
Hey ho, that is rivers for you!
Anyway, there is nothing else for it except to look forward and keep our fingers crossed that the Environment Agency will soon lift the SSA and, normal river flow will resume so we will be able to welcome overnight visitors once again, which brings me on very nicely to the fact that on 1st April we increased our overnight tariff from £10 - £12.00 per night. We still believe it represents excellent value, visitors are able to use the Elsan disposal free of charge, dispose of all their recycling, enjoy free WiFi, fill up with water, access the laundry and use our fabulous new showers and toilets as well as relax in the boathouse cafe. And of course as we approach our third season, everything is looking much more established too.
We were absolutely tickled pink when we heard that the Food Standards Agencies National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme had awarded our very own boathouse five stars in its recent hygiene assessment. To achieve top marks really is testament to Carrie and her team for being fastidious with making sure that the entire kitchen environment is kept spotless and that all the essential requirements especially in terms of record keeping are adhered to. We could not have asked for a better start to the boathouse. Don't forget that as from 2nd May the boathouse will be open six days a week from 10 - 4pm. It will be closed on a Tuesday.
Having a look through a selection of our old photos whilst trying to get them into some sort of order, we came across this bottom one, taken April 2017. It is fascinating to see how in just 12 short months, the marina seems to be filling up without us really noticing how many more boats have moored up. I wonder what it will look like this time next year!
I can't believe it is already the time of year when we start planning our Open Days - but it is and we have!
So if you haven't already been to visit us yet, then please do think about joining us at one of our Open Days - they are usually great fun and provide us with the perfect opportunity for you to meet all the family!
So the dates for our Open days - this side of the Summer are
Sunday 6th May 10 - 4
and Sunday 1st July 10 - 4
We will be planning a couple more after the Summer - so PLEASE do watch this space.
What do you get if you combine a glorious winter's day with the creativity and expertise of a local photographer and drone pro?
Answer: fabulous aerial photographs and superb interior shots of our new boathouse.
And as soon as we posted Charles Ward's images on social media, the telephone immediately began to ring, not only from boaters interested to find out more about White Mills, but also from people wanting to visit our new boathouse and sample Carrie and Co's cooking! The power of decent images really can not be underestimated.
So we are absolutely thrilled to at last have some top quality up-to-date shots we can now use to market our family run venture, which by the way will be celebrating its second birthday on 1st April.
Now where has that time gone?
Anyway, once again very many thanks Charles Ward for such a cracking selection of beautiful photographs. We are thrilled and we hope that you like them too!
Well another box has finally been ticked, and what has probably surprised everyone is that it has happened within two months of the last box being ticked! Yup - you have guessed it, the car park is now complete.
We had always planned that once the boathouse was up and running then our next priority would be to create more cap parking spaces in the car park. And within a week from start to finish, the car park has been transformed and it really does look really rather good. Once again, the top team which consists of John, John, John and Gary were at the helm, which always guarantees a quality job. Well done once again lads!
Well, there is no peace for the wicked so it is now onto the next job so we can get another one of those boxes ticked!
The European Agricultural Fund for rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas
©White Mills Marina Ltd, 2015. Registered Company in England and Wales, No. 9540096
