Paladin

The Broads Authority web site contains hydrographical data for the whole of the navigation here . Follow the links on that page to get the detailed data, such as Northern Rivers and Southern Rivers. You should be OK on most of the rivers, some of the broads can get a bit shallow, depending on the prevailing weather conditions. At 8' 4", even Ludham Bridge is do-able at the right state of tide. Some of Richardson's hire craft, kept at Stalham, above the bridge, have an airdraft of 8' 6".

And I thought it was an ancient map you had found The public footpath which goes through the first 't' of Sharp Street starts off by going through the garden of a bungalow. It felt most strange to walk it, as there is no deliniation fence or hedge and I fully expected an irate owner to appear at any moment.

This is the Commons Commissioner's full decision regarding the staithe...from the web site of the Association of Commons Registration Authorities. I know there are members who like to delve into such matters. CROMES STAITHE - CATFIELD - NORTH NORFOLK DISTRICT NO.CL.424.pdf

Strowie, it's interesting to compare your image with what the EA thinks would happen if the sea defences were breached.

Mea culpa. I must admit to being wrong about the status of Johnny Crowe's staithe. I do know that Wood's End staithe was given to Catfield parish in the Inclosure Awards and had extended that to Johnny Crowe's staithe (which had also been mentioned in those awards). I have re-discovered a document that contains the deliberations of the Commons Commissioner, who held a hearing in 1978, when the parish council laid claim to ownership. Everything else I said, regarding the parishioners rights is accurate, but the Commissioner's decision was that, "In the absence of any evidence that any other person could be the owner, I am not satisfied that any person is the owner of the land, and it will therefore remain subject to protection under section 9 of the Act of 1965." This is the Commons Registration Act 1965, section 9 of which says "Where the registration under section 4 of this Act of any land as common land has become final but no person is registered under this Act or the Land Registration Acts 1925 and 1936 as the owner of the land, then, until the land is vested under any provision hereafter made by Parliament, any local authority in whose area the land or part of the land is situated may take such steps for the protection of the land against unlawful interference as could be taken by an owner in possession of the land, and may (without prejudice to any power exercisable apart from this section) institute proceedings for any offence committed in respect of the land." So the parish council looks after, and maintains, the staithe, but is not the owner of it. Many apologies.

Yes, quite right. The photos were taken in 2012, when there was a problem up there.

I've had a query from a member regarding Catfield Dyke and Catfield Staithe (the one off Hickling Broad). A picture is worth 1,000 words, they say, so here are three photos, so I've saved 3,000 words

I think it's just another of Google's errors. The Rhond has been there for centuries. Mentioned in the Inclosure Act of (I think) 1812. A bit before Google's time.

No probs, littlesprite. What the mind doesn't know, the heart can't grieve over. Too honest, that's your trouble

Print away, Gracie. I got the aerial image from Google anyway. Footpaths, public or permissive, are there to be used. The cliché, use it or loose it has never been more apt.

I'll get this photo readable if it kills me!!! Yep...I'm happy with that. Phew!

Trying again to post a visual image of what I was talking about, for those who aren't too comfortable with map references.

deleted 'cos pic not very clear. will try again.

Johnny Crowe's Staithe - 368198 Wood's Ends Staithe - 363215 The Rhond (Catfield end) - 366214 Mud Point - 371203 I use the OS Landranger 134, which has the following marked on it: Fenside, which leads to Wood's End staithe, and Sharp Street, which leads to Johnny Crowe's staithe. If you put 'Catfield' into Google and, once you've zoomed in and located Johnny Crowe's staithe (just a little to the north of the last How Hill mill), go onto satellite view and you can actually see a boat moored there. As you go north from J.C's staithe, you'll see there is a thin width of river bank, with the river to the left and a dyke on the right. Follow this northwards and you'll see the dyke turns sharply right and the 'footpath' follows it inland. This is the beginning of The Rhond (river end). Track The Rhond all the way to Fenside, turn left and that takes you to Wood's End staithe. I hope this makes it a bit clearer. (For some strange reason, Google has labelled The Rhond as the River Ant)

Hi, Samuel, welcome to the forum. I'll certainly have a go at posting the map references, but I'm a bit rusty on that aspect, so it won't be tonight. Edited to add: Tell a lie, I'm not as rusty as I thought I was (I hope). List to follow in a few moments.

I think I'll pop down to Roy's tomorrow and buy up their stock of brollies!!!

You're very welcome, Gracie. Thank you for the compliment. There's so much more to the Broads experience than the bright lights (?) of Wroxham and Gt Yarmouth, and all the pubs in between. It's the out-of-the-way bits that do it for me.

Now I've discovered how to post photos, here are a few more.

It didn't get unstuck easily!

I had to go and look up how to post pictures. Here's one of a boat that ignored the signs.

Mowjo, it is not necessary to ask permission to use the two Catfield staithes. It is something that was agreed by the PC many moons ago. I think it might even date back to the Inclosure Acts of the 19th century, which is when the parish gained the staithes. My comment about ejecting was made in jest. It's hard enough getting folk to move up a bit, let alone removing themselves entirely. littlesprite, on Barton Broad, the channel markers mark the dredged channel. Outside the channel is perfectly safe for most motor cruisers. Sailing boats with deeper draught might find problems in places. On race days, I will often transit the broad, outside the posts, on the eastern side, just to keep out of the way. But avoid the areas marked with the bouys which say 'Shallow Water'. They are there for a purpose! You'll see them around Pleasure island and near the reed bed on the eastern side. To find the 'hidden' staithe, heading downstream, make towards the eastern end of Pleasure Island. Just before reaching the island look to the left and you'll see the entrance to the dyke leading to the staithe. Go into the dyke slowly, keeping to the middle. Incidentally, as you get to the entrance, on the right can be seen what remains of the 'Pauline', a Thames barge that was brought to the Broads in the 1930s and modified to a pleasure cruiser. At the end of the dyke, straight ahead are private moorings (at the end of someone's garden). Wood's End staithe is to the right. I go in to have a look two or three times every season. There's not a great deal of turning space and I have a crew member (the wife) at the stern to watch for tree roots, but I have no problem with my Bounty 30. I would recommend that anyone going in there with a longer boat considers turning on ropes. Again, there are no signs, but the PC permits only 24hr mooring. Anyone overstaying is simply taking the p...

As I am 'of the parish', I keep meaning to ask the PC if I can exercise my right of use by ejecting an interloper :

It's certainly a challenge to do the full circle. If you do decide to have a go, may I suggest you go clockwise, that is, along the river bank, then along The Rhond. If you go the other (easy) way first, you might get to the river-end of The Rhond and find the undergrowth along that part of the river bank back to the staithe impenetrable (without a machete) and have to back-track...and it's a long way back. As a tempter, there's a very nice pub (The Crown) in the middle of Catfield, and, opposite the pub, is the Post Office Stores, where you can get tea/coffee/sandwiches/cakes...eat in or take-away. I probably shouldn't say this (too much publicity?) but there is another permissive staithe owned by the PC at Wood's End (tucked away off Barton Broad). From there, a green lane leads towards Catfield, past the landward end of The Rhond, to a metalled, narrow, quiet lane, which leads to the Church, then to the village, so all the enjoyment of a similar walk can be had, if the river bank is too overgrown (it's about a 30-40 minute stroll). Obviously, from the lane, The Rhond can be accessed at its more used end.

After the snow of last winter, I decided to have winter tyres fitted to my, and my wife's, car for this winter! Bl**dy typical, the temperature has hardly dropped below 7 degrees this year (in Norfolk anyway). Below 7 degrees is when winter tyres are more efficient than summer tyres. I'm almost praying for snow, just to justify the not-inconsiderable expense.

Gracie, Johnny Crowe's staithe is owned and maintained by Catfield Parish Council. It is a 'permissive' mooring, in that parishioners have a right to use it and non-parisioners are given permission to use it, by the PC. There are two walks, one easy, the other not so easy (depending on the time of the year). 1. There is a footpath which goes inland, alongside the dyke. This leads to a green lane, and, eventually, to a metalled lane (Sharp Street), where Sid Clarke, (local artist) has his gallery. Continuing past the gallery takes you to the road which links Ludham and Catfield. Before reaching the Ludham-Catfield road, there is a public footpath on the left, which will, eventually, lead you to Catfield Church. Turn right just before the gallery and the lane takes you to How Hill. Be aware that there is no pavement alongside these rural roads, and precious little in the way of grass verges, in most places.. 2. There is a path alongside the river, heading upstream. This can become very overgrown. The section between the staithe and Mud Point is also used by anglers and is generally OK, although there is usually shrubbery between the path and the river bank. It is possible to continue beyond Mud Point to then venture inland, along a raised earth bund, called The Rhond. This bit, again, belongs to the PC and is a permissive footpath, as above. IF you can get to The Rhond, it is a very pleasant walk. A 3 metre swathe is cut through the vegetation, to facilitate walkers. The remains of the Catfield drainage mill are visible on the other side of a dyke and, at the right time of year, swallowtail butterflies are often seen (the adjacent fen is owned by Butterfly Conservation). From the other end of The Rhond, it is a 30 minute walk into Catfield, along narrow, quiet lanes. My wife and I have done the circular walk from Catfield, along The Rhond, river bank to the staithe, then Sharp Street, the public footpath and back to Catfield. It's not for the faint-hearted, or for anyone wearing flip-flps and shorts, but it is certainly possible to go for shorter strolls from the staithe. I would say the use of a large scale Ordinance Survey map, showing public footpaths, is essential, if wandering too far, though. Edited to add, the staithe is located on the right-hand side, heading upstream from How Hill. It just looks like the entrance to a dyke, with room for one boat. Unofficial mooring posts have been added. It can hardly be classed as a 'wild mooring', being owned and maintained by the PC. 'Undeveloped mooring' might be a better description.