Zinfandel’s home mooring is at Chesterton, on the River Cam about a mile downstream from the centre of Cambridge.
Cambridge is the head of the navigation for motor boats, and during the summer they aren’t permitted much further upstream than Jesus Lock. There are 48-hour public moorings close to the lock in pleasant surroundings by Jesus Green, a very short walk from the main tourist attractions of the city (in fact you’re better placed there than you would be in most of the main hotels!) and longer-stay moorings slightly further downstream, along the railings by Riverside.
The Cam flows into the Great Ouse just south of Ely, which makes a very attractive destination for a short cruise from Zinfandel’s home mooring. From Ely you can continue if you wish on a voyage downstream into the Fens – see the Great Ouse Boating Association site for information – eventually reaching Denver Sluice where experienced boaters can proceed via a short tidal stretch onto the Middle Level navigation and thence eventually via the River Nene to the Grand Union Canal. Please note: if you are hiring Zinfandel and want to take her through Denver, we will need to have proof of your competence and experience before we permit it!
Instead of heading for Ely, you can turn left where the Cam flows into the Great Ouse. This is the start of a journey upstream towards the head of the navigation at Bedford, taking you through the attractive towns of St Ives and Huntingdon on the way.
At present you have to turn round and come back once you reach Bedford, but in a few years’ time that may not be the case. It is very likely that one day you’ll be able to continue your journey along a new Bedford to Milton Keynes canal, a twenty-mile waterway that would carry you through to the Grand Union Canal.
The best cruising guide for these waterways currently available is the one published by Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson. For the latest news about the state of the navigation, see the Environment Agency’s river information page.