The name Ouse is from the Celtic or pre-Celtic *Udso-s,^[2] and probably means simply “water” or slow flowing river.^[3] Thus the name is a pleonasm. The lower reaches of the Great Ouse are also known as “Old West River” and “the Ely Ouse”, but all the river is often referred to simply as the Ouse in informal usage (the word “Great”, which originally meant simply big, or in the case of a river long, is used to distinguish this river from several others called the Ouse).

The old course of the river passes through Hermitage Lock into the Old West River. After joining the Cam near Little Thetford, north of Cambridge, the course passes the cathedral city of Ely and Littleport, to reach the Denver sluice. Below Denver the river is tidal and passes Downham Market to enter The Wash at King’s Lynn.

The Anglo Saxon Chronicle of 912 records a settlement called Oxenford at a pace where local people would drive their cattle across the river. The popular belief has always been that the city takes its name from the words “ox” and “ford” and that the crossing place was here, at was is now Folly Bridge.

By the 11th century, the low lying lands and river were spanned by a causeway made up of a series of stone bridges, which in medieval times was called Grandpont. The bridges were maintained by charity, with hermits collecting alms at a wayside chapel. In the 19th century a railway station was opened near Folly Bridge and the Grandpont estate laid out on land reclaimed from the marshes. The name Grandpont also lives on in the riverside park whose entrance is on the far right-hand-side of the bridge.

The river here is the Isis, the name given to the Oxford stretch of the River Thames. The “Head of the River” pub takes its name from the finish of the college bumping races held during the Eights week in May. Crews of eight oarsmen race in procession trying to catch and bump the boat the boat in front and thus move up to take the title “head of the river”. The first organised race took place between Brasenose and Jesus Colleges in 1815, but other colleges soon joined in over a set course from Iffley Lock finishing here near Folly Bridge.

Salter Boatyards which operates pleasure cruises was established beside Folly Bridge in 1858. It was from here too that Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) set out on a rowing expedition to Godstow with Alice Liddell and her sisters, the daughters of the Dean of Christ Church. He told them stories from which the “Alice” stories were born. *

*From a sign board at Folly Bridge

The day started out with some very persistent and irritating mobile phone calls and texts.  Unfortunately I wasn’t close enough to the canal, once again I had the urge to surgical remove the phone and dispose of it!!  After breakfast I retired to the hotel garden with my camera until the phone calls stopped.

After that we strolled into the walled city to visit the ‘museum of torture’ which came highly recommended by some New Zealanders who had been in the hotel lounge the previous night.  The museum was interesting and horrific in equal measures (a post on the museum is coming soon).

Then we took a leisurely stroll through La Cite across the old bridge to the town of Carcassonne.  When we got there we took in the Neptune Fountain, the cathedral (unfortunately shut due to renovations), the churches and the art museum before making our way back over the old bridge back to the hotel.  What came next, just had to be done…  A game of Carcassonne within view of the city walls.

Dinner was in a delightful restaurant within the city walls that gave the option to have different wines served with each course to compliment the dishes chosen.  For my main course I had sea-bass and vegetables and for my desert I had a chocolate bomb mouse which had chocolate sauce poured over it, at the table.  It melted into taste heaven especially when accompanied with the red Grenache that was served with the desert.

I am not at all sure what that sheep in the foreground is doing?  It is on bended knees with face to the grass…