vanessan

Fur and Feathers is not dog-friendly I am sad to say. You could sit outside but that's taking a chance with the weather.

I believe it is Barnes that advertise stags and hens the most but I reckon HW and Richo's share the load with them. Faircraft (NBD) seem to have the fewest, out of the big yards that is.

Not that unusual, we have them too. Definitely a sharp knife and, if you intend to do much cooking, a potato peeler. When we used to hire we had a 'Broads box' too, it ended up quite a large one and was eventually emptied onto our own boat when we bought it. We actually ended up taking our own kettle as some of the ones on the boats were so badly 'furred' up you ended up chewing on the scale, which was horrid! A good frying pan as well. I'm sure some of the things we have suggested will horrify the OP but these days hopefully things will be much Improved. One thing I don't think has been mentioned is a good chammy leather for condensation. The mornings can be quite chilly and trying to clear wet windows a bit of a pain. Whatever you end up taking, have a super time and go with the flow - quite literally. There is much to enjoy on the Broads and it needs to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. That way you don't miss anything.

I don't think I've read about the Peter Pan costumes anywhere before and were there really 30 lads?? The Times must be short of news as this article is a tad late in the day! I was thinking that this article might encourage even more stag parties onto the Broads but Times readers will surely be a bit more 'up market'!!

How true, particularly when they do it on purpose! A few years back we were going in to moor at Aldeby, trying not to disturb two fishermen who were there. One of them came and offered to take the bow rope that I was waiting with. I said thank you and handed it to him, he grabbed it and pulled as hard as he possibly could ramming the pulpit rail into the quay heading. It was fairly low water so the rail was perfectly positioned for the quay heading. I just managed to push the boat off in time otherwise we would have suffered a severely dented rail. It was clear from his smirk that the manoeuvre was intended. He was no landlubber as our conversation later (I always mantain my 'sweetness and light' ) included chat about his boat. The episode has stayed with me but I am always grateful for a helping hand.

Russell's at South Walsham was 96p a couple of weeks ago and it is an easy place to access. Take note of what others have advised though re filling up a hire boat. And welcome to the forum too.

Is there still a pitch at The Olde Beverley?

That's as long as Wally doesn't get his knickers in a twist when giving out the tide details!

I really didn't realise this clinking was avoidable, I thought all yachts with metal masts did it! (I know I'm showing my ignorance here, calling them metal masts.). I seem to hear the noise wherever I am and there are yachts moored and it is a bit windy. It doesn't annoy me though, all part and parcel of Broads life to me. Even overnight. Now I know why it happens, I can go and suggest the yachtsman 'fraps his halyards'!

A couple of years back we were having breakfast and watching a mother duck with 6 fairly small ducklings paddle around. A heron suddenly swooped down, grabbed one of the youngsters and was gone with it. Mother duck was very distressed and herded the remaining ducklings into the reeds. My breakfast became rather unpalatable after that and, whilst I know and accept that nature has its cruel sides, I haven't felt very kindly towards herons since.

I'm with JM and theQ on this one, definitely no music just the sounds of the Broads. Even if they are accompanied by the putt putt of an engine! Or the crack of a sail

More thinking on bird life. 20 years ago I can remember hearing loads of willow warblers, heard one this year for the first time for ages. Cetti's warblers were unheard of 15/20 years ago but can be heard pretty well everywhere now. Anyone noticed how common pied wagtails are now? So it's not just on the water that things have changed, its on the riverbanks and in the woods too.

We have had ducks on board recently, peering through windows and the sunroof. They are definitely more prevalent on the southern rivers now. I can't agree about geese being in decline. There seems to be more greylag than ever and egyptian geese too. Canada geese seem to congregate on the Yare but I have not seen many on the northern rivers. About 20 years ago a few barnacle geese were around but they seem to have disappeared altogether. Coots and moorhens do seem to be less obvious these days. It wasn't that long ago that black swans were on Salhouse but I haven't seen any for a few years now. There aren't even any ducks or geese in the emoticons!

No one has ever asked me for id when purchasing alcohol!

Thank you both.

I don't disagree with that sentiment, it was just an observation as Maud does take up a fair bit of room! Looking at the mill with Maud moored at the pontoon is a very pleasant sight, especially if there are no other boats moored.

Reading it again, I think it was more of a plug for Herbert Woods than anything else!

Maud is going to be at Hardely Mill for much of the summer apparently. Does rather cut down on the available mooring there!

That's quite a write up for 40 metres of new mooring! When passing last week, there was one boat moored there with 2 end posts ignored in front of it. Only left room for one other decent sized vessel. Still, I do agree it's better than nothing in that area.

Thank you for that Mark, that is a lovely picture of her. I knew there was a preservation society but had no idea she looked so good now.

Hipperson's have long had the reputation of doing the best pump out on the Broads, they are a really good bunch of guys too.

Watching it on ITV4 as I do the ironing! Great shots of those little ships and the old Medway Queen, a boat I had a few trips on from the end of Herne Bay pier when I was a kid.

It's not exactly new. It is run by the Hardley Mill volunteers at weekends and sometimes if they vist during the week for maintenance purposes. I suspect the mill will be open daily during the school holidays however. The ladies make cakes to sell amongst other things and there are usually some ice creams in the freezer. It's all very informal as the upkeep of the mill relies on the volunteer support.

Last month there was a seal going up and down with the tide in the Hardley Mill area, we saw him quite a few times. Quite a large chap he was. Haven't seen him yet this month though

Plenty of pub suggestions then. If I didn't know better, I would think our forum members spent all their time on the Broads imbibing! I would recommend a visit to Hardley Mill to see how it has been restored and how these lovely buildings worked. If you are lucky, the cafe might be open for refreshments/ice creams. There are a lot of different opinions about Norwich itself but I love the City and all it has to offer and thoroughly recommend cruising up there - assuming the boat you have hired will go under the bridges. Beccles is a particularly nice market town, for me it is one of the places that has retained its charm. And certainly get up to Geldeston if you possibly can. The southern rivers have so much to offer and they will be quieter than the northern side. Noticeably so.