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Mouldy
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Posts posted by Mouldy
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41 minutes ago, RS2021 said:
Also when looking at tide tables don't mix up GMT and BST. One popular tide table always published sunrise/sunset in GMT and tide times in BST (in the summer)!
If you’re referring to the broads.org table, since it has been extended beyond the end of this year, all times from 2024 are listed in GMT.
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6 hours ago, floydraser said:
And as part of our retirement there is a bucket list with (ready....) Yr Wyddfa on it.
It says Snowdon.
But I'm having second thoughts now as I would like to return from the place alive with all my limbs in place. Is it safe to visit the Blaenau Ffestiniog railway or is there a chance that Alec Guiness will blow up one of the bridges as we cross?
I thought the only problem would be the rain.
The Welsh Highland Railway is better (in my very humble opinion), passing through the lovely Aberglaslyn Pass, through Beddgelert and along the foothills of Yr Wyddfa to Caernarfon. We took my late dad (and mum) for a weekend in Wales for his 80th birthday and went up (and down) Yr Wyddfa on the train one day and on the Welsh Highland railway the next. He was always fascinated by steam and in particular, the Welsh narrow gauge railways and despite the fact the the WHR was still being finished, with the last section still being restored into Porthmadog, found it an interesting journey through wonderful scenery.
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3 hours ago, ExSurveyor said:
Make sure you find the time to be retired. 😁
No ruddy comment. Holiday next week then back to decorate the living room.
Cant wait!
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18 minutes ago, Gracie said:
Oh my goodness me!
Lighten up people, soon be Christmas 
x
Gracie! It’s more than three months to the big yo-ho-ho. Mention the C word now and I’m likely to get stressed! 🤨
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Phone the lads at the Yacht Station the day before you intend to cross. Based on your boat, they’ll give you the best times to pass through Yarmouth. The airdraft of our boat is 8ft 3ins and we are generally advised to pass through within 30 minutes of low water to ensure adequate bridge clearance. It’s worth noting that the river level is rising after low water, so by slack, the bridge clearance will be reducing.
Looking at your dates, they are either side of spring tides, which will impact river levels and obviously no one can predict the weather, which also impacts tides and river levels. Make a plan, but have a plan B, just incase.
This website will give you some indication of clearance at some bridges, including at Yarmouth:
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Love the little notice on the helm, Dan! To whom does that refer!
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46 minutes ago, Smoggy said:
I'm a bit confudled about how a mould could be mistaken for a burnt out boat.
If it’s the one I think it is, it was a mould that had been partially fitted out and used as a liveabord on Hobrough’s Dyke. It hasn’t been on fire, no one was injured and it’s being moved to Bridgecraft for a reason that I’m not aware of.
33 minutes ago, ExSurveyor said:This is one that has been for sale in Brundall, from a distance in poor weather ?
Brundall to the north with a stop over in Reedham.
I can make the theory fit the facts 😁
It’s a mould, rather than a mould tool.
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48 minutes ago, Bikertov said:
eg nicely kept picnic areas, with a few more benches, toilets and rubbish facilities - for both boaters and other visitors. Less charged-for moorings, or at least much lower mooring costs so as not to put people off or leaving them feeling ripped off.
In general, I’d agree with everything you say, but mooring charges are a bit of a moot point. Until the Blessed Authority imposed a charge at Ranworth, no one seemed to complain. Now, don’t get me wrong, as a toll payer, the fact that it happened is still a source of annoyance, but as long as they don’t come up with any bright ideas about sourcing mooring revenues at other BA ‘free’ moorings, I’ll live with it.
I see so many comments about the cost - £5 for the day and £10 overnight, but is it really that much? We go to Costa/Nero/Starbucks and think nothing of shelling out £5 for a skinny vanilla latte with an extra shot or £8 for a cold burger from the Golden Arches, yet £5 to moor is extortion?
Mooring at Salhouse has been expensive for years and the island with no access to anywhere, is the same cost. Ranworth (Goose Poo) Island has been a paid for mooring for as long as I can remember, but no one batted an eyelid at mooring at either of those. Charges have been imposed at Yarmouth, Norwich, Oulton and Beccles Yacht Stations and we’ve quietly accepted all of them too. Ranworth, however, seems to have been the straw that broke the donkeys back (as they say).
As I said before, the biggest issue was and still is, the fact that it was a free mooring, but I’ll live with it if I want to moor there, but only during the day. The only time I moor overnight at Ranworth, is during the winter, when I don’t have to bump fenders with other stern moorers.
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16 hours ago, riverman said:
Facilities or activities? Anything. Something. A Waveney river style centre for the north. Significantly more moorings and advertising for the amazing powerboating at Oulton Broad. A regatta or paddle board race or something, anything in the middle of Wroxham or Beccles. Food festivals. Beer festivals. Boat festivals. And massively more boat access to our fine city.
Hmmm. Given that the WRC has been taken over by Tingdene and public moorings have given largely way to brokerage space, other than a swimming pool and a pub, what else does it offer?
There are already regattas held several times a year and there was the annual paddle board race earlier in the summer. Several pubs hold their own beer festivals. As others have said, there are plenty of options for other things to do around Wroxham/Hoveton and assuming when you refer to ‘our fine city’ you are talking about Norwich, how much more boat access would you like? Is there not already a yacht station?
Perhaps niceties such as picnic benches at some moorings would be good, but I do wonder how long they’d last, given the mentality of a certain section of our population. Rubbish facilities could be better for the tourist, too, but the local council doesn’t think that the tourist pound is worth consideration when allocating their monies.
People go to National Parks for a number of reasons, to climb, to walk, sightsee and generally enjoy their leisure time. There isn’t a theme park half way up Yr Wyddfa, or in the middle of The Lake District, but people still go. Does The Broads need more tourist attractions to maintain its popularity? Personally, I think it’s fine as it is.
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1 hour ago, Microbe said:
We passed a large burned out boat (looked like one of the Richardson Bolero class) moored close to the Ferry Inn at Reedham yesterday afternoon. We did not spot it when heading out Saturday afternoon.
I hope no one was hurt. Does anyone know more?
Was it actually burnt out, or was it a mould with a few windows fitted and some missing?
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7 minutes ago, kpnut said:
Thanks Mouldy. You enjoy your trip too.
We have a meet up in Beccles planned for the weekend with my crew’s sister and brother-in-law. Hopefully a trip to Geldeston if the river level allows us under the bridge. And we’re going to try the lido on Friday afternoon! Before that I’d like to try out either Pyes Mill or Rockland Staithe, along with a quick stop at either Berney Arms or Polkeys Mill to show Judith the Halvergate marshes. And then we’re going to Carlton marshes for a wander round and I’d like to moor at north cove too if it’s available - realised I can’t say ‘free’ anymore in case people think I’m implying it might cost money!!!🙁
We’ll be heading back on the Tuesday pm tide I think. Need to be back at Stalham on the Wednesday lunchtime. I’ll keep a eye out once back north.
I’ll be getting the worst weather week there’s been for a while on the Broads, it always seems to be the same the third week in September, so your arrival might actually herald something better!Planning our trip has reminded me that going south takes more thought - travelling with tides where possible etc. I’ve only been twice before and there’s still an awful lot I want to see, but I don’t want to go through GY on my own, so have to wait till someone has a long enough trip booked with me to make the most of it.
If you’ve not moored there before, Hardley Mill is a cracking overnight stop. After the river traffic, which is fairly light anyway, has died down, it’s peaceful and is ideal for a wonderful sunset. Being a pontoon, there’s no issue with tidal rise and fall either.
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3 minutes ago, kpnut said:
They were just preparing the cones and signage as I travelled westwards at about 8.15pm yesterday evening. One lane was closed, but not for long.
I’m off to the boat this morning. I haven’t felt so excited about that for a long while. It’s been a busy few weeks, with an awful lot of miles put on my car, and I’m ready to have nothing in my head apart from boat stuff. I’m meant be going through Great Yarmouth on Wednesday morning tide, and the forecast is for 45mph winds. I haven’t decided yet whether to modify my plans.South, Kate? Mind the sea monsters! 😉. We’re heading up on Friday afternoon for a week, which will probably ensure that it’s wet and windy for the duration. Sorry! 😬. My plan will be to head north on Saturday morning. We’ll look out for you - our paths may cross somewhere.
Have a good one!
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10 minutes ago, Cal said:
But again. You chose to use the toll roads. We have spent €0 on tolls. We were on holiday. It was nice to see the French countryside and villages.
I think however you choose to butter it up. A holiday in the UK is expensive compared to elsewhere. The cost of eating out, drinking out and shopping if you are going to eat onboard are more than elsewhere in the EU for an equivalent meal.
And let's not forget that your "holiday" choice has to include mooring fees, licence fees, insurance and safety certificates. It certainly isn't as cheap as you would lead people to believe. Mooring fees alone on the Broads are expensive.
I'm not knocking the place. We have loved it in the past. But at present do not see it value for money however you travel there.
We used toll roads, because of the distance we travelled. We went to the Ardeche a couple of times, keeping off the toll roads, but spent on overnight hotel accommodation instead.
I know about the standing charges for keeping a boat. Keeping a motorhome isn’t free, either. Tax, insurance an£ running costs all need to be taken into consideration, and we wouldn’t be allowed to keep one on our drive either, it would need to be stored elsewhere, at cost.
I agree that eating out in the UK is expensive, some places more so than others. Two regular cod and chips to take away in Looe, Cornwall, earlier this year cost £24. However, even with a motorhome, you’ll still take breaks in the UK surely, so will still suffer the costs experienced over here anyway at times.
Im not buttering up the UK as a holiday destination, but it is not as one sided as your original cost comparison would have us believe. My point still stands, if you compare like for like, the cost differential is not as great as you suggest, due to you owning the vehicle in which you took your holiday and to be fair, for a lot of people, investing upwards of £60,000 in a similar motorhome, is way out of reach.
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7 hours ago, riverman said:
I don't think it's that hire boats are too expensive, it's that a broads holiday represents extremely poor value for money by modern standards.
We often discuss this at work, we'll be in Hoveton sitting down having a brew on the barge, looking around and asking, what is there to do here?
Nothing, the answer is nothing. Other than Bewilderwood there has been no major investment into anything that anyone would want to actually go to for years.
'Well you can stop at the pubs' .... right 👍 Let's not beat around the bush, by modern standards, most of them aren't great and they charge absurd prices.
'You can look at the wildlife and all the nature' ... but you could stay in a cottage slightly further away, for a fraction of the price, drive to Neatishead Boardwalk etc and explore on foot.
Why is Hoveton/Wroxham a run down mess and not the Henley of the broads? Or Beccles for that matter? Why aren't there more events that holidaymakers can an engage in? Why is there no where to go? Why is there nothing to do? Why is there no where to moor?
Pre-rona price hike a broads holiday represented reasonable-ish value for money, now it doesn't. Unfortunately, for far too long the hire boats were cheaper than they should have been, so putting prices back down isn't really an option. The only option is investment and a willingness from those in a place of authority to let the broads go forward. From my experience, and as you can see at the moment in the hospitality sector, people are still very willing to spend money, if there getting decent value for it.
What facilities or activities would you suggest for the area? Surely, if you want a theme park, you’d go to Yarmouth. Hoveton may seem a run down mess to you, but what do you expect? Like most towns in the country, online shopping and out of town shopping centres have affected the the area. Our own local town is full of charity shops. Things are hard enough for businesses to survive in these times, never mind tourist influenced ones.
You mention high prices for food, but we’ve eaten in a pub local to us and there doesn't appear to be any difference. Pub staples like a burger, pie or fish and chips seem to be similarly priced at riverside pubs as they do local to me.
As a hirer, there are more places to moor than for owners. A holiday afloat is different to a land based one, so if land based is your preference, just do it and don’t knock The Broads for what it is. I’ve been visiting for more than fifty years and it is quieter than it was back in the sixties and seventies, but boat ownership has increased whilst the size of hire fleets has shrunk.
I don’t need amusements to keep me happy and nor do others, reading a comment from a first time hirer on Facebook. I’d post their comment, but it would be in contravention of our TOS, but to quote:
‘Got back yesterday from a wonderful week on the Norfolk Broads. This was our first ti e and we loved it, it was the most chilled out holiday I’ve had in a long time. 100% will be back to do it again.’
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23 minutes ago, Cal said:
Just tried looking for a 4 berth boat on the Broads for the same dates. Nothing came up under £2k.
And the fact of the matter is (proven by our own figures) that holidaying, eating out and drinking out costs more in the UK than elsewhere.
How do you convince someone to pay more money for a not dissimilar holiday while taking a huge gamble with the weather and paying increased eating and drinking costs?
The Broads have had it good while they have had a captive audience. They now need to pull something out of the hat to keep that audience interested while competing with cheaper foreign travel and an increased cost of living.
My quote was for a two berth motorhome. I have no doubt that a larger, more commodious vehicle would cost more. You can justify your choice any way you like. You’ve had a boat and moved on, but some people, me included, have a preference for a holiday afloat.
Until I retired and reached the age of 65, I’d held an HGV licence from the age of 21. Admittedly, I’d moved into management and hadn’t driven for a living for over 25 years, but I’ve still driven more miles in my lifetime than most folk who haven’t driven for a living, at times driving more than 2000 miles a week. Personally, I find no joy in driving, especially on our pot-holed, congested roads and can think of better ways to spend my leisure time. Again, driving in France is much easier, but if you use the Autoroutes, can be exceptionally expensive. Our last trip to the Gorge du Verdon in 2016 was one such example, when using a toll tag we came home to a bill of over £200.
As for the weather, we went to Argeles sur Mer in 2017 for two weeks and it rained every day. The temper one day was a dizzy 14 degrees c. It doesn’t matter where you go - the weather isn’t guaranteed anywhere.
When hiring a boat that has cost over £200,000 to build, how much is a reasonable cost to hire, maintain and clean it?
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8 minutes ago, Cal said:
A similar van could be hired for £750 a week so add £1500 to the total. You would probably get a discount on that for a longer hire.
It would still cost a lot more to holiday in the UK.
We had a week on the Broads earlier in the year and the total expenditure for that 9 day trip was £1440 doing far less miles with similar pattern of eating and drinking out and without the costs of the tunnel and animal health certificate.
Quote for 17 nights below, obviously bearing in mind that these dates are later in the year and will be lower than for when you started your trip. Add in vets, tunnel, food, eating out, charges for overnight stays etc and it is still not a cheap holiday.
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18 minutes ago, Cal said:
We have just totted up how much our 17 night break to France has cost us.
Including return tunnel tickets, animal health certificate, vets visit in France for the dogs return worming treatment, all fuel, food, drink and van related costs it has come to £1770.
(The two most expensive days were in the UK!)
It would have cost us a damn sight more to have done a similar length trip on the Broads!
The difference is the fact that you’ve made a capital investment in your motorhome. If you’d hired a similar vehicle at say £150 per day, added insurance, cleaning costs, sat nav hire etc, you would have added probably around £3000 to your bill, making the holiday truly comparable.
We spent two weeks on our boat in July. Pump outs x 2, 82 litres of diesel, food and eating out cost around £500. Yes, if we hired a similar boat, it would have cost a lot more, but like you, we’ve made a substantial investment in the vehicle we used for our holiday, even if it is one of the ex Le Boat craft that from a previous comment, you found inadequate.
Jumping on the ‘The Broads are too expensive’ bus is easy, but if you make a comparison, make it like for like.
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44 minutes ago, Ray said:
. . . . . . . . . . . . .I don't believe very much really needs to change to reinvigorate the Broads Holiday market, at the most simple level it needs targeted advertising to people who basically like "outdoor holidays" and not so much to people who want a "lifestyle" experience.
If you enjoy camping a boat is a luxury, if you enjoy a hotel and service a boat is not going to... er... float your boat?
Exactly, Ray. There are surely a certain type of people who would never entertain the idea of a ‘self catering’ holiday, preferring to be waited upon, to have their beds turned back and not have to worry about anything other than enjoying themselves. No matter what you do to The Broads, they will never attract that sort of people. That’s not to mention the lack of kudos at a dinner party or the golf club. Imagine the conversation:
‘Where did you go for your holiday?’
‘We went to Cape Verde’
’We went to the West Indies’
‘We went on a Mediterranean cruise’
’We went on a hire boat on The Norfolk Broads’
Just like buying a Skoda, which is after all these days a rebadged Audi or Volkswagen (oh, yes it is!), is just an unacceptable alternative, there is a certain value in some social circles to a badge, label or holiday destination. The Broads will never compete, no matter how attractive you tried to make them.
56 minutes ago, Ray said:. . . . . . . another related point is wild moorings. I don't want 'facilities' but I love a little cut out in the bank for the ultimate peaceful evening enjoying the wildlife and being away from it all.
So many of these places have been lost . . . . . . . . .
And a good many were lost when the EA re-profiled the river banks a few years ago, for flood defence reasons. In the process, they ripped out a lot of piling and quay heading, where it used to be safe to moor. A few locations have been reclaimed - there are a couple on Fleet Dyke, near the junction of The Bure, where the reeds have been hacked away, but it seems that the modern boater doesn’t have the appetite for creating more.
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9 hours ago, floydraser said:
What about the times you are walking around a tourist type place and people are wondering around holding out their smart phones in front of them, making videos? Whatever the law regarding privacy I abandon mine and wave in front of them. I'm probably famous in parts of Asia.
Absolutely correct. How many photos and videos are there on YouTube showing clear footage of buildings and people all over the world? We must all have been guilty of taking photos of riverside properties on The Broads, without a thought for the privacy of the occupants.
What about users of dashcams? Have they asked my permission to film me?
It seems that some folk only worry about data protection and privacy when they feel like it!
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14 minutes ago, 750XL said:
Speaking of bridges, is there any website that offers accurate Ludham Bridge heights?
We had a 8ft 10" boat booked but chickened out and have done down to a 6ft 5"If the water levels are ok before we go, looking to probably upgrade to original boat
No. Ultimately, this one is supposed to extend to cover all Broads bridges, but since it’s inception, I don’t think any more have need added:
https://broads.bridgeheight.com
At 8ft 10ins, as late into the season as you are going, I think the chances of passing under Ludham Bridge would be low. We struggle sometimes with an airdraft of 8ft 3 ins. If cruising The Ant forms an important part of your holiday, then you would be best sticking with something with an airdraft of less than 8ft.
There is probably some safety margin in their measurement and the boards at Ludham are notoriously inaccurate, but there are plenty of craft available to hire that will negotiate the bridge more easily.
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I would like to pick up on a something from Robin’s post - the lack of shoreside activities. What shoreside activities are we suggesting? Branches of Costa/Starbucks dotted around or more McDonalds? Frankly, I can’t think of anything worse, but that said, I do fit into the long-standing, returning visitor category, who comes for the peace and tranquility of the area, not the throbbing nightlife.
My view is that, as a nation, our tastes have changed. I know people now, who pop over to Prague for a weekend. That sort of thing was unheard of back in the sixties and seventies, when foreign travel was becoming more available and as a result, more popular. Long haul holidays are commonplace these days.
Places like Benidorm are ever popular - all inclusive deals with meals and drinks included give people on a tight budget, an real idea of cost and affordability.
Cruise liners are becoming ever larger. I read about one that’s coming into service soon, to accommodate around 8,000 holiday makers. That may be what some folk want - water slides, casinos, cinemas, onboard shopping malls and all, but does everyone crave the same thing?
Just over twenty years ago, we were invited to accompany my mum and dad on a cruise. Dad paid - it was beyond our reach at the time. It was a small boat, especially by today’s standards, carrying less than 600 passengers. It was a little frayed at the edges, but absolutely good enough. The food was ample and varied, the onboard facilities were adequate, but the atmosphere was great, the service from the crew was superb and the destinations we visited, were wonderful. If we were to go on a cruise in the future, I would be looking for a similar ship, certainly not one of those oversized gin palaces that seem to be advertised so much.
As for Benidorm, do I really want to sit on a beach overlooked by multiple high rise hotels? No, I don’t. And that’s it really. Different things suit different people. I’m sure that the number of visitors who go to The Broads will stabilise. Some young families will go and enjoy it, returning time and time again, whilst others will prefer their flyaway breaks.
There is no doubt that the area has had its heyday, but when the economy settles down and the post pandemic need to go abroad, following a few years when it wasn’t available, has subsided, visitors will return to pre pandemic levels. I don’t remember a time when a boating holiday was ever cheap and for many at the moment, probably even taking a holiday anywhere is out of reach, never mind the weather, despite what the good doctor believes.
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28 minutes ago, PaulN said:
If anyone can tell me how to do this via wifi, I would be grateful. I am with EE and have a Samsung A70, My wifi is with Tesco, who use the o2 network and has an iPhone 14
No idea on a Samsung phone, but on the iPhone, if your wife goes to the ‘General’ app and types WiFi calling into the search, you should see a heading for WiFi Calling. Select ‘allow’ and you should then be able to phone using the WiFi.
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6 hours ago, oldgregg said:
There is (and always was) a minority of users who either don't bother to read the regs or think they are above them.
You do indeed see a lot of footage on YouTube which clearly didn't meet the regulations at the time - There are a lot overflying the centres of both Horning and Wroxham at a time when flying over a built-up area was most definitely not allowed.
It's probably going to get worse as they're far more accessible. You can now buy a half-decent drone for under £500 - A few years ago you had to add £1000 on to that figure. So a decent used one is going to be probably £250 and so pretty much anyone can buy one.
The restrictions on overflying for drones weighing less than 250gms are comparatively relaxed and flying over built up areas is permitted, although they shouldn’t be flown over crowds. There is clearly some interpretation over what constitutes a crowd, but there is much more freedom to fly using a sub 250gm drone. The biggest area for potential contravention of the law would be maintaining visual line of sight, which obviously limits how far away from the drone pilot they can be flown.
As far as cost is concerned, to get a decent quality drone, capable of taking reasonable quality images, you are still looking at £1000 with a controller. Cheaper ones are available, but the quality is poor.
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1 hour ago, PaulN said:
Ok, I accept some have not been free for a long long time. I do probably go back a lot further than most though. I had my first Broads Holiday with my parents in 1956 and many more since (me in the picture with my Dad and younger sister)
However, it does seem that more and more companies and people are jumping on the bandwagon and making Broads Holidays more and more expensive.
I guess as far as moorings are concerned, the cost of maintaining those is increasing too. I agree that some mooring charges are excessive, like the ones imposed at The Swan, Horning, but five pounds a night, as charged at Womack or even the charge levied at The Lion, I don’t find unreasonable. From the pubs point of view, they could either load the price of food to all customers, or just charge a mooring fee to visitors arriving by boat to fund maintenance of moorings.
We can always refer back to what things cost years ago - it was one of my late mum’s favourite things to moan about. She used to pick something up in a shop and say ‘I can remember them costing two bob!’ Times have changed, some things cost more, but some things a lot less. Only twenty years ago a 42” plasma TV would have cost £4000 and I vividly remember standing in a hifi shop in Northampton, staring longingly at one, thinking ‘I wish.’ Now, a 42” flatscreen TV is commonplace and by comparison, far cheaper.
Maybe, from time to time, it would be worth remembering how lucky we are to live in a relatively civilised country, with running water in our houses and so many things some folk could only dream, of available to us. Recent events in Morocco and Libya should serve to remind us that in reality, we really have much to be thankful for.
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It says Snowdon.
Lighten up people, soon be Christmas 
x
Norwich
in Broads Chat
Posted
Fairly certain they’re closed now.