GeoffandWendy

Thank you Simon, I tried to make it as interesting as possible and selected quite a few photos for each day, although we took lot's more. We have booked Topliner 3 from Barnes Brinkcraft for Sat 26th Sept to Sat 3rd Oct for 1 week. Another bathtub I'm afraid, but being on one level, suits us. We saw one of these boats whilst we were on holiday and they seem a little shorter than the Star Gem boats. The cabin area is not quite as wide, because they have a walkway down each side, accessible from a door each side of the lounge area, to a large patio on the stern, which has a large patio door leading to the rear bedroom. I just hope that the heating is pretty good and thermostatically controlled, as there is a lot of glass on these boats.

As first timers on the Broads, I think we did pretty well. We kept to the speed limits, sometimes less, and always kept to the right. We had a few near misses, due to other boat hirer's cutting corners on the wrong side of the river and on a few occasions we had to take evasive action to avoid any contact. The only time we actually touched another boat, was on our second stern mooring at Ranworth, where the wind blew the front end towards the boat next to us. It only gently touched and I apologised for it. The owner who was on board at the time (yes it was a private boat) said no worries, you did well, under the circumstances. The same owner advised us to drop our mudweight when stern mooring, if a strong wind was blowing across the bows,which would keep the front of the boat from drifting. One of the trickiest places we found was Ludham Bridge, especially when travelling in the direction of How Hill, as you don't get a clear view of the bridge, until you get round the bend, before you can see someone coming through from the opposite direction, so you need to take extra care.

Final Round Up Of Our First Broads Holiday. Well, our holiday afloat has finally come to an end, and we had planed to spend a night in Norwich, before going home. We arrived in Norwich, about 10.30am and called at the Abbey Guest House where we had booked a room. Officially, we could't book in until 2pm, but the landlady said we could leave our car in one of the parking spaces, so we could walk into Norwich, which was only a ten minute walk to the railway station and the river. First we made our way towards the Cathedral, which was only another ten minutes away. We spent almost two hours there, taking in everything. It is a beautiful building and has the second tallest spire in England, Salisbury being the tallest. Norwich Cathedral boasts one of the best examples of a former monastery and still has its cloisters intact, which for most, were destroyed by Henry VIII during the reformation. After seeing this wonderful structure, we made our way into the heart of the city and looked at its many hidden medieval streets and buildings. We entered the centre where the market was and compared the present town hall, to the more striking old town hall, which supposed to have been part of the old gaol as well. I wasn't so impressed with the present town hall, being constructed in red brick and the tall clock tower. It would have been more imposing if it had been built in stone. Further along, was what must be Norwich's most modern building, constructed in glass and steel, which houses the BBC studios and the public library as well as other amenities. We then walk through the beautiful Edwardian shopping arcade, which houses the Colman's Mustard Shop. Having spent all day in Norwich, we decided to make it back to our lodgings, but called in the railway station for a cup of coffee. The station frontage has been recently restored and is a fine example of Victorian railway architecture. After booking in at our hotel, and a hot shower and change, we decided to go back into Norwich for a last slap up evening meal to end our holiday. We had booked a table at the Lord Nelson restaurant, which is part of the Premier Inn, overlooking the river. We had a full three course meal which was beautiful and finished the evening with a few drinks, sat on the terrace, adjoining the river frontage. It was the perfect end to another lovely day. We were up at 7.30 and down for our full English breakfast at 8am. After breakfast, we loaded our overnight bag into the car and decided to visit Ely and spend most of the day there, before heading back home. It is one place I have never visited and although only a small city, has a lot to offer the visitor. Crossing the fen's. you can't mistake the cathedral in the distance, as you get ever closer to this beautiful medieval place. What I was impressed with, was the car parking. All car parks in this city are free. The city centre car park is only short stay and limited to 2 hours, but all the rest, only a short walk away from the centre are free all day. Something that other places should take into consideration, for attracting visitors. Our first port of call was naturally, this lovely cathedral, unique with its central lantern, as well as its equally imposing tower. The cathedral and other monastic buildings, such as the bishops palace dominate this small medieval city. There is so much to see here, a day is not long enough to visit everywhere, so we have vowed to come back here in October, after out next broads holiday, and spend a few night here. We did have a stroll round the market and through some of the streets, stopping for a nice buffet lunch at one of the numerous cafe's. before making our way towards Cromwell's House and the lovely River Ouse. Once we reached the river, we were reminded of our holiday, being amongst boats again, where you can sit by the river and watch boats passing up and down this lovely stretch of river. After another pot of tea, this time in the delightful Peacock Tea Rooms, by the river, again, sat outside in the glorious sunshine, we decided to stroll back through the Jubilee Gardens, a small attractive park, which takes you through to the frontage of the cathedral. It was then time to make our way home, which was just over two hours away. We arrive home at just gone half past six and had had a wonderful holiday on the Broads and visiting some of the nicest places in England. We shall be back within five months for our second boating holiday. Both Wendy and I, hope you have enjoyed reading all about our first Broads holiday, where we have covered many miles, visited so many beautiful and historical places on our holiday. I would like to thank you all for your comments and we wish all of you a happy holiday when it is your turn to visit the Broads. Norwich Ely

You lot that live down there, just keep your fingers crossed the Pesky Mod hasn't brought that Scottish weather with him. Anyway, hope he has a nice holiday, he deserves it. It will give him a break from here for a bit.

So glad everything went well for you, transporting Orca and getting it safely in the water. She really looks nice and the pictures you posted says it all. Nice write up, you are almost as good at it, as me lol. Wendy & I wish you well and hope you have some wonderful times on board your boat. Look forward to many more Orca tales in the future. All the best Alan.

I suppose it comes from my time in the Navy Grace, I have always tended to have things organised. Like doing this blog, by keeping a log of each day's programme. So with everything written down, it was easy to write out each days activity whilst we were on holiday. It doesn't have to end here, because we spent all day Friday in Norwich and most of Saturday in the beautiful city of Ely, before setting of for home. I will continue, covering these if you like, as it was after all, still part of our holiday.

Captains Log: Thursday 23rd April 2015. Today is the last day of our holiday on Star Gem 6, but not the last day of our holiday, as we are spending one night in a hotel in Norwich, so we can spend all day on Friday, exploring this beautiful city. More on this later! Back to being afloat! We woke to another glorious day at 7am and had a fry up breakfast, using up all the sausage, eggs and bacon and one last tin of tomatoes. After breakfast, we had a stroll into the village of Sutton, but there is not a great lot to see except the windmill, which was a bit too far, on the other side of Sutton. We had a quick look at the garden centre, but it mainly specialised on building materials, rather than plants, so there wasn't much to look at. We left Sutton at 0940 and decided to stay in this area for the rest of the day, as we intended to moor up in Richardson's yard for the night, so we could get everything packed away and the car loaded, ready for leaving as soon as we handed the boat over. Our intention for the rest of the day was to have a run up to Dilham, the only place we had not visited and being as it would be late morning when we got there, there would be a chance that no one would be moored at the staithe. We turned the very sharp on the River Ant towards Wayford Bridge and then once under the bridge, continued up the narrow channel towards Dilham. What a lovely run it is up this backwater of the Ant, so peaceful and it was a lovely day. We just took our time and enjoyed watching the wildlife along this stretch and we never saw another boat untill we were approaching the private moorings at Dilham. As we approached the last bend before the private moorings, two hire boats were coming towards us through the narrow channel between the moored boats and the opposite bank. We managed to tuck in between two moored boats, to let them pass and as soon as the way through was clear, we continued very slowly past the moored boats until we reached the terminus at the bridge by Dilham Staithe. We turned the boat round, no problem, as the staithe was empty and we were soon moored up alongside. We didn't plan on stopping for long, just enough time to take some photos and while doing so, I had a chat with one of the local residents, stood on to p of the bridge. He owned one of the bungalows that back onto the river and bought it when he retired about eight years ago. What a lovely spot to live and enjoy your retirement. We had a sandwich and a cup of coffee, then just chilled out for half an hour, before deciding to make our way back through Wayford and turn for Stalham, which we hadn't actually looked at yet. This would be our last run aboard Star Gem 6 for our last full day. Just a nice leisurely cruise which would see us moored up at Swan Quay in Richardson's yard about 1pm. We reached the yard at ten to one, so not bad reckoning. Most of the boats were still out but there were a few in this Quay, that had probably never moved all week and amongst then was Star Gem 2, all the others, were still out. Wendy had already made a start on packing things away, before we reached the yard, so it didn't take long to get everything ready for loading into the car. Once we were safely stern moored up, I went and fetched the car from the long stay car park, where we were told to park it for the week, and parked it behind the boat. Within ten minutes, everything that we wouldn't be needing was all packed in the car. We just had our toiletries and an all night bag left on board, plus tea, coffee, sugar and milk, so we could brew up whilst still on the boat. With the car back on the car park, we decided to give our legs a stretch and take a walk into Stalham. It's a bit further than we thought, but it only took about twenty minutes and we were in Stalham High St. We had a look round some of the charity shops, as is the case now with most towns throughout Britain, but I did find an interesting set of 3 DVD's for £3, called Trawler Wars, narrated by Pete Postlethwaite, made for the Discovery Channel in 2010. We then called at the Grebe Pub, which was decorated out with flags and bunting, cellabrating St Georges Day. They had real ale on sale for £2.50 a pint, forget the name of it now, but it was just as nice as a pint of Wherry. We sat outside and luckily, the sun was shining on this side of the street. We then went into Stalham church and had a look in the small Fire Museum, which although very small, had a large collection ofsome very interesting models of fire engines through the ages. We had an ice cream, bought a small bottle of fresh milk from Tesco's, then had a slow stroll back to the boat. We didn't bother looking at the Museum of the Broads, as we were feeling a bit shattered after our walk. We just chilled out on the boat until it was time to go out again for a meal. We decided to go over to Wroxham in the Car and spend the evening there. We parked the car in Roy's car park and walked across to the Kings Head and had a lovely carvery meal and spent a few hours chatting with another boating couple whi had hired from Barns Brinkcraft. I left the beer alone that evening as I was driving, so stuck to tonis water, lemon and ice, which I find refreshing. We got back to the boat at just after 10.30pm and spent out last night aboard Star Gem. We woke up at 8.am had a quick breakfast of cornflakes, swept out and mopped the floor of the boat and made sure everything was the way we found it and strolled over to the Quay Office at 9am. The boat was filled with diesel and we had used £94 worth of fuel. But we had done quite a lot of travelling all week and never once did we have to run the engine whilst moored, to charge the batteries, as we never had the tv on, or any other appliances, except camera and phone chargers. We took the completed paperwork back to Reception, paid over £6 which we owed them for the bridge pilot at Wroxham, having saved £6 on our fuel. We then made our way to Norwich, which you can read about later. It's not over yet, as we were still on holiday.

Engine water thermostats, are prone to sticking, especially if they are pretty old. It may pay you to replace it with a new one Steve, just to be on the safe side, but keep the old one as a spare.

We don't own our own boat or pay any tolls or mooring fees, but for once or twice a year, whilst hiring a boat for our holidays, as a visitor to this lovely part of England, we don't object to giving a small donation towards Free Moorings, or using the watering facilities. I am aware that tolls etc are coved in the hire of the boat. Even being pensioners like us, doesn't stop us from contributing a few bob towards the upkeep of these moorings, some of which are kept nice by local residents. I know it is voluntary Maurice, to leave a donation and not compulsory. But we just feel that leaving a small donation, is welcomed and appreciated.

We passed a few old wooden boats on our travels at various places, looking rather drab and unused. It is a shame to see these boats in such a sorry state. One in particular was moored on the river Ant, at the boatyard private moorings near Wayford Bridge. It was down to its bare wood, having lost its coat of varnish. Why owners let them get in that sorry state is beyond me. On the other end of the scale, we did see some really nice wooden boats, lovingly cared for, with beautiful teak varnished hulls and superstructures, possibly built during the fifties/early sixties era.

Captains Log: Wednesday 22nd April 2005 We woke at 06.30, well I did, with a thick head from last nights session at the Malsters. I put the kettle on and made a nice strong cup of tea for myself and one a bit weaker for Wendy and took it to her in the bedroom. A couple of paracetamol tablets soon got my head back to normal and as it was such a lovely morning, I put on my sailors hat, rolled up my trousers and grabbed the mop from the roof of the boat, to do a bit of deck swabbing. (I thought deck swabbing was a seaman's job, not a stoker's) It was looking a bit grubby from the gravel on the jetty. First though, I gave the roof a wash down. I think the colour of orange must have some attraction for the birds to poop on, as it was covered with quite a few big white blobs of the stuff, which took a bit of shifting. With the roof done I then cleaned the outside of the windows, finally giving the deck a final wash. No shortage of water for this job, but could have done with a mop bucket, to rinse the mop out properly, but our bucket, didn't have the mop wringer on the top. Within half an hour, Star Gem 6 was looking all ship shape and Bristol fashion again. Stirrings from within the boat, told me that Wendy was up and about. After her use of the bathroom, I popped in there for the usual and a good soak in the shower, before sitting down to breakfast, just a bit of toast and marmalade for me, whilst Wendy had a couple of those wheat'y breakfast bars and some fruit juice. We discussed where we should go today. With the weather not being so good last Sunday, we decided to give Potter Heigham another visit to have a rummage round Lathams. After another quick brew, I filled up our water tank. It was just after 8am and a few boats had already left the staithe. With the engine sweetly ticking over, the Bosun's Mate slipped the stern mooring ropes and with a gentle turn to starboard of the ships wheel and forward gear engaged, we slowly chugged away from Ranworth. The run down to the Bure was a nice slow 3mph and after turning left, I increased the speed to 5mph. Quite a few boats were on the move and the usual waves from passing boats gave us the satisfaction that everyone was enjoying themselves and were in the holiday mood. We had a quick run up Womack Dyke, just for a look, although there was room, we didn't moor there, we will save this for our next visit in September. We arrived at Potter, just after 10am and on our way up there, we saw lots of dead fish floating in the reeds as we went up the Thurne, most of them were Bream but there were also a few large Pike. Something must have got into the water for this to happen. Dredging operations were in progress on the left hand bank around Ludham Marshes. We found a mooring at Potter, just a few spaces down from the Pilots mooring and we saw our fist family of Grey Lag Geese, with five fluffy goslings in tow, they were very small and were probably having their first swimming lessons. We had a quick cup of coffee and a few biscuits, then made our way over the bridge to Lathams. Is there anything in this store, that they don't sell? I lost Wendy twice, while we were in there, as there as it is so big, with many aisles you can wander round. We bought some fresh milk and bread and a few other edible goodies, then had a look round the garden section. We bought a few resin ornaments, a squirrel and a cute little door mouse, for our garden. We were back on board by 11.30 as there isn't much to see in Potter, so decided to have another run down to Horning. Once under way, Wendy took over the helm and seemed a lot more confident now. She even managed to get past a sailie thing without going into a panic (are you reading this Grace) but she did get in a panic passing the turn for Ranworth, when one of those big Mississippi Paddle Boats from Horning turned towards Ranworth. I was in the bathroom when I heard a shout "Geoff quick" I rushed to the front of the boat and saw the captain of the Paddle Boat shaking his fist and sounding his horn. We had just missed it by a few feet. In panic, Wendy had turned the wheel the wrong way and instead of heading to the right of the big boat, to go behind it, was actually aiming towards it, like a Motor Torpedo Boat with torpedoes at the ready. No wonder he was shaking his fist. Mind you it gave the passengers a bit of a thrill if nothing else. This put Wendy off for the rest of the day, so I took over and within twenty minutes, were tied up at the public moorings in Horning. We spent about an hour there and sat outside the Swan watching the boats going by and had a nice cup of Cafe Latte. Had enough ale from last nights performance, so vowed to go on the wagon for a day or two. We had intended to go back to Wroxham, but decided to turn round and head back up the Ant and make it up to Sutton Staithe and spend the night there.. We left Horning at 2.15 and had a nice leisurely cruise along the Ant (our favourite river) and witnessed a boat coming under Ludham Bridge and getting its awning caught. Oh dear! I don't think he sustained much damage, but I bet he wished he had lowered it first. (definitely a first time hirer I think) THe Ant was pretty quiet with only the odd boat coming towards us. We gently cruised past How Hill for about the sixth time and past the beautiful Irstead and on to Barton Broad which was a little bit choppy as a strong side wind was blowing. Keeping right this time we followed the marked out channel towards Stalham. We reached the Branch to Wayford Bridge and then the fork off to Sutton. We arrived at Sutton Staithe at just gone half past four and found a choice of three vacant moorings. We chose the one nearest the Sutton Arms, just in case I got carried away again lol! It is a nice place to moor with a nice little pub and only a short walk to the village, which we said we would look at tomorrow morning. Having moored up, we had a stroll to sample the beer and sat outside with a nice pint of Ghost Ship and Wendy tried a half. A bit different than the Wherry, but just as nice. I only had one honest! We then went back on board and decide to eat on board again. We had a corn beef hash smothered with extra mature grated cheddar cheese, beans and fresh grilled tomatoes . We then sat on the bank side and watched the sunset drop below the trees, listening to the birds singing their last calls for the night before singing the dawn chorus before the sun came into view. We had a last nightcap at the pub.only one and then went back on board for a few more games of Scrabble and then to bed. I actually beat Wendy at one game by the way. It was nice to get into a proper bed, instead of two chairs pushed together, but the state I was in< I could have slept on a washing line. More tomorrow!

We did have a run up to Dilham, just for a short stay, as you can read about later in our blog.

Glad to hear that Iain. Live life to the full while you can. I suffer with a few aches and pains, especially if we do a lot of walking and Wendy is the same. We tend sit for a rest now and then, and not walk too fast. We manage to get round Norwich and see most of the city on the last day of our holiday and must have covered about three or four miles all told. We were glad of a lie down for an hour when we got back to the hotel we had booked for the night. All will be revealed in our Holiday Tale later. Have a nice holiday, just take your time and do what you can, as you say, just being on the Broads is worth a few aches and pains.

Could you imagine that bridge at Potter, even the Wherry's could go under that, without having to demast.

Hope you get everything sorted with "Scoot" for your holiday. My late wife was disabled, lost her left leg below the knee due to diabetes. Although she had a prosthetic leg, she found it difficult walking too far, so she had a small three wheel scooter, but they are not as stable as a four wheel. I kept it after she passed away and still have it in the shed. It might need new batteries, as it hasn't run for four years. I am hanging on to it though, just in case I or Wendy might need it as we get older, but touch wood we are both quite able at the moment.

Another great report, glad Deb is getting the hang of Lady P. Look forward to you next report.

Captains Log: Tuesday 21st April 2015 Up at 7am this morning, had breakfast of Apple juice, cornflakes and crispy bacon on toast sandwiches, washed down with a mug of filter coffee. It was another lovely day so after the usual bathroom duties, we decided to get under way again, back along the Ant and stop at How Hill. We just love the River Ant as it meanders round bends, with some really nice dwellings near Irstead. Everytime we have passed that staithe, it has been full, but there is only room for three boats, so I suppose it's a matter of first come first served. We met several boats once we reached Hunsett Mill and a few crossing Barton Broad. There were a few boats moored at How Hill when we got there, including one of the BA launches, who was just pulling out as we arrived. It was 10am and Toad Hole Cottage didn't open til 10.30, so we had a walk up the path towards How Hill House, noting that the gardens only open during the summer months, but we had a nice walk around the perimeter and back again across the green that sweeps down to the river bank, with some excellent views. The cottage was open by the time we got back and we went inside for a look round. It is very well laid out and although very small, there is lots to see. It's a bit awkward climbing the stairs to the two bedrooms, and I banged my head on the way down, because I forgot to duck, but I probably wasn't the first and I am certain I won't be the last to do so. Wendy bought a few things from the little shop, as mementoes of our visit. The Electric Eel boat was not running, so we went back to our boat for a nice cop of coffee, before setting off again on our travels. Isn't it nice when you can take your accommodation with you, to stop where you fancy for the night and then find somewhere else to spend the next night. One place we had passed since we hired the boat, was South Walsham, so we decided to have a run up Fleet Dyke and see what the Broad was like. Engine started, ropes untied and the all clear to the rear from the Bosuns Mate, we were under way again heading for our favourite meeting place of other boats, Ludham Bridge. We had done it a few times now and we were familiar with what to expect at that double bend by the boatyard. No problems at the bridge, we sailed through. Well obvious we sailed through but saying that, was meant to say we didn't hit anything. Keeping to the right at the Ant mouth, to make a long turn left towards Benets Abbey, we met another Bathtub joining the Ant, coming from Horton, trying to cut the corner (in other words he was close to the bank on his left) when he should have been in mid channel at least, to allow for other boats to be seen, I had to hit reverse and ended up with my stern in the reeds. A few words were said, which I won't repeat here, but what is the matter with some people, they should stick to the rules and keep right, and slow down when approaching a junction. Especially in these Bathtubs, where you can't see over the reeds. Luckily, no damage was caused and we were soon on our way again, passing Benets mid channel, ready to turn right into Fleet Dyke. Another boat was coming out as we turned, but sensibly the skipper of this boat gave us plenty of berth and we acknowledged each other with the usual wave, which everyone seems to do when passing. Mind you there are the occasional boats that you pass, who don't wave at you, so Wendy and I have termed these boaters as, anti socials. It takes all sorts I suppose, but civility costs nothing. The run up Fleet Dyke is very pleasant and as the broad widens out, you are confronted with quite a large area of water, with delightful dwellings on the left and in front of you. We had a nice slow trip round the edge of the broad and then came out again on the far side. There was a small floating dredger boat working with a close coupled barge to empty the mud in and we watched it for a while as we were passing. We decided to go back to Ranworth for the night and if it was full, we could always mudweight for the night instead. It was only just gone 12.30pm, so the chances of getting a mooring looked favourable. We arrived at Ranworth as the clock of the church was striking 1pm and we manage to get a stern on mooring on the side that faces the church. We really love this place and by arriving early, gave us the chance to visit the floating nature reserve centre. Again, no problem mooring and once we were secure, we shut the engine down for a bit more peace and quiet. Before going ashore, we opened a small tin of Glenryck Pilchards in tomato sauce and with some cherry tomato's cucumber, mixed lettuce and coleslaw made a nice salad. A few slices of whole grain bread and butter and a glass of wine. I love Pilchards, but they have to be Glenryck, they are the nicest and I have my own method of de-filleting them, Open each piece of fish lengthways and take out the backbone and innards before serving. After our lunch, we had a quick wash and brush up and strolled across to the Malsters for a drink. Again I had a pint of Wherry and Wendy her usual half of cider. It was such a lovely day sat outside the pub. We then followed the path and along the road, to the entrance of the Nature Reserve boardwalk. It is quite a good walk from the staithe, but it didn't take too long to reach the floating reserve centre. We declined the chance to have a boat trip round Ranworth Broad, as we had done enough boating for one day and needed to stretch our legs. I think we must have come a little too early this year, to see any young grebes and ducks, as most of the birds were egg sitting, although we did see a pair of geese with five goslings at Potter the other day. We even saw a pair of grebes doing the courtship dance, but the time I got my camera out, they had finished the ritual. After an hour or so at the Nature reserve, we went back to the boat for a chill out. I decided to get out one of our folding chairs and sit on the bankside, just watching the world go by. Wendy had a nap on the bed for half an hour, then decide to get our meal ready for eating on board this evening. Spaghetti Bolognaise with fresh minced beef and Dolmio spicy sauce with mushrooms. topped with a sprinkling of Parmisan cheese. Sherry trifle to follow, which we bought in Horning yesterday, dribbled with some Woods rum, to give that alcoholic tang. You can never taste the sherry in shop bought trifles, and being as we didn't have any sherry, a drop of pussers rum made all the difference. After our meal, it was my usual duty to get the washing up done, whilst Wendy had a shower and spent half an hour at the dressing table, putting on her makeup. We decided to go to the pub for a few more bevies. Washing up done, time for me to shower and shave off two days growth of my designer stubble, I like to shave daily, but as we have been stuck on the boat for the last two days, decided to miss shaving yesterday. Now it's not like me these day's. I don't drink as much as I used to when I was younger, but I got rather carried away with the Wherry and ended up having five pints and a couple of tots of Woods before we left the boat. By 10 pm I was feeling a bit light headed, so we decided to go back to the boat. Wendy had to steady me as my legs had suddenly gone a bit rubbery and I was doing a bit of two steps forward, one step backwards, one sideways and so on and as we got closer to the jetty, I could see a great big orange blob in front of me, with other white blobs either side, which I couldn't quite make out what they were. We finally got on the boat with the help of the guy on the next boat. Wendy opened the door and as I was making my way into the lounge area, I sort of fell sideways and manage to grab the pole that supports the boat roof. I spun round several times, still hanging on the pole and ended up on the floor. So you see Grace I did my own bit of pole dancing, if that's what you can call it. Anyway, I manage to get up and sit down on one of the armchairs, whilst Wendy put the kettle on, for a cup of strong black coffee. It was time to get to bed, so I decided to make do with the two arm chairs and foot stool pushed together, whilst Wendy had the bed to her self. I slept like a log all night still in my shirt and trousers and a blanket wrapped round me to keep warm. Never been like that since I was in the Navy and I had rather a thick head the following morning. Shere nexsht inshtalment will post when i am sober! hic hic. Ernie, they call him Ernie, and he drives the fastest Milk Boat in the West!

We have booked a nice B&B hotel in Ilfracoombe for seven nights, but will be visiting all the places along that part of Devon. We love Lynton & Lynmouth and even Coombe Martin is nice. There is a quaint old 16th century pub in a village called Beranarbour that does excellent meals and all the houses in the village have all sorts of dfferent plant pot men hanging by their front doors. So that will be one evening meal taken care of. We aim to spend half a day in Dunster after we check out and have booked two extra nights B&B (Sat, Sun) at a nice country pub near Gladstonbury and Wells, so we can visit those places before going home.

It seems we have both been included in the list of suspects by Grace. I can't really speak for Wendy but I can confirm that since joining this forum, I have definitely become some kind of NUT! What kind of nut, is hard to define! Am I a hazel nut, a walnut, an almond, or a pistachio nut, or maybe a Monkey nut, yes I think that sounds just about right. Wendy does like Cadburys Fruit & Nut chocolate, so I suppose she is a Fruit & Nut case. The fruit aspect of it, softens the nut some what, which is more befitting for a female, whilst us male species don't need the fruit added. Does that make sense? In other words I am assuming that I can be called a complete and utter NUT!

For all those years booking a holiday with Herbert Woods, deserves more than just a cake and flowers, it would have been nice if they had given them a cottage for a week free of charge.

Brilliant holiday read Alan & Tan, so glad you enjoyed yourselves, as did Wendy and I on our first Broads holiday. The beauty of it, is the fact that there are so many places to see and do. Moor up at different places every night and wake up to new surroundings. Just to get away from the hustle of road traffic for a week, yet still being able to cover long distances and see the unfolding countryside, full of wildlife, is something to enjoy. It has certainly whetted our appetite for more and we can't wait to get back in September, although we do have a week in Devon to look forward to as well, but this one on dry land. Thank you for sharing your time on Ranworth Breeze with us.

I totally agree what you say Alan. We spent a day in Norwich on the last day of our holiday, which you can read about later, in our holiday tales blog. Norwich is an ideal city for waterside improvements and as the river is part of the navigable broads system, more safe mooring facilities could be incorporated, to attract more visitors. A water bus service, similar to the red tour bus service, allowing visitors to see the city from the waterside, would be a good idea. There are many cities in the UK that could make there rivers more attractive. As you have said, Manchester has turned it's back on the canals, which for a major city, is a disgrace. I know half of it is hidden with bridges, but I'm sure with some thought and careful planing, it could be made into an attractive asset.

Wendy, Wendy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy, all for the love of you I can't afford a carriage Or any stylish marriage But you'll look sweet Sat on the seat Of this nice little boat for two

Captains Log: Monday 20th April 2015 We were woken by the dawn chorus in this tranquil place. The sun was peeping through the trees as mist was rising from the water. The ideal time to take a few photos. This morning had the makings of a perfect day. After a light breakfast of muesli, scrambled egg on toast and coffee, we took our daily showers. Replenished our water tank from the staithe hose and left a donation in the box. We were away at 8am. Our plan for this morning was to head straight for Horning, where we would have a chance of mooring at the public moorings, so we could have a look at this lovely waterside village. It was a beautiful through the end of Barton Broad and down the River Ant. Other boats were on the move at this time, taking advantage of the lovely sunshine, some were still moored as we passed How Hill, but all had their curtains open, I am glad to say, it was too nice not to be up and about. I couldn't believe it, we actually had a clear run through Ludham Bridge without meeting another boat and didn't see any more until we turned right onto the Bure, where quite a few boats were heading in both directions. This part of the Bure is so breath taking, with all the waterside thatch roofed dwellings, all with their own private moorings. What I call proper drooling properties, if only... we won the lottery! If we did, my luck would be that there would be none for sale. Ah well keep dreaming Geoffrey, our nice little bungalow tucked in the corner of a nice quiet cul-de-sac, suits us perfect. We where about five hundred yards from Horning and with a quick look through the binoculars, I could just see one boat tied up at the moorings. It turned out to be Capatain Dred. As we approached the jetty, the owner of the boat, a guy called Jasper, was ready to take a rope and in no time we were safely moored up. Jasper has just joined the forums and lives aboard Captain Dred. It is a lovely old boat, but needs a bit of work doing to the interior, so Jasper is cutting out new templates, to panel the bulkheads and get it looking ship shape again. It has some nice portholes in the forward cabin, which gives it lots of character, We chatted for quite a while and he said if you want a good all day breakfast, to try the cafe, next to the Swan. We were feeling a bit peckish by now so we decided to try this cafe. Small breakfast, consisting of 1 bacon, 1 sausage, 1 egg, tomatoes and beans, with two slices of toast and tea or coffee £3 each, not bad and it was what I call a good English breakfast. The same cafe, runs a souvenir shop attached, so we bought a few nick knacks, like a fridge magnet and a tea towel for our next door neighbour, for looking after the cat. We called in the local convenience store to get some fresh milk and some fruit yoghurts. We then had a stroll round the village before returning back to the boat. Our next port of call would be Benets Abbey to take some photos, possibly one of the most photographed places on the Broads, but you can't not take any yourself, especially if it's your first visit. There was plenty of room to moor and I decided to turn the boat, so we were facing the way we had come from, for an easy departure. Not thinking about the tide, I turned the boat, came alongside and Wendy secured the starboard side stern rope to the bollard. Before we could get to the bow rope, the bows started drifting to port, with the current of the incoming tide, so we ended up mooring the other way round than we intended. Never mind, at least we were secure alongside the jetty. It is hard to imagine how impressive this monastery must have looked before the dissolution, as it covered quite a big area when it was built. Why the windmill was built adjoining the gatehouse actual spoils the ruins, it's a pity that it wasn't built slightly away from the ruins, but it is pretty unique as ruins go I suppose. The boat moored in front of us was a syndicate boat and the couple on board had brought their pet parrot with them. He was called Billy. we took a photo of him. It was time to move on again and our plan was to head back up the Ant, call at Ludham Bridge for a pump out, as the toilet tank was getting rather full. It must be all the pints of Wherry and good old Norfolk cooking, that's all I can say. We soon arrived at the boatyard and was surprised that it cost £15 for a pump out. I thought it might be cheaper, being it is only a two berth boat. Anyway, come what may, we couldn't leave it full. With the boat smelling a bit sweeter, we continued on our way up the Ant, and decided to have a look at Barton Turf. Whilst we were having our pump out, a boat passed us, heading towards Barton Broad, so we thought by the time we were ready to cast off, he would be quite a way in front of us. I couldn't believe it, within three or four minutes, we had caught up with this boat, chugging along mid channel at no more than 2mph. We had to throttle back from 3mph, as we were getting closer. I believe in going slow to enjoy the scenery, but this guy was going really slow, yes I mean very slow. I had to get out the binoculars, just to make sure he was going forwards and not backwards. Yes he was moving forward, just! Was he trying not to disturb the fish, or was he having a senior moment. A quick sound of the horn, might make him pull over, so I could pass, but no, we just got a wave. Another blast of the horn, indicating to him by hand signals to move over, finally did the trick. It was going to be a bit tricky, as there was a bend, 100 yards ahead, so I moved a bit closer, ready to pass when the time was right. Just before the bend, another bathtub came towards us, but managed to get past us okay. As soon as we cleared the bend, I gave the boat in front another toot to let him know I was going to pass. I pushed the throttle to about 1500 revs, so I could gain enough speed to clear him, before the next bend. Wendy was rear look out and as soon as we were clear, I eased the throttle back to 1200 revs and moved over to the right side of the river again. At least we could make some headway, and it wasn't long before we had left him well behind. We carried on past How Hill, and decided to call there tomorrow, so continued on in to Barton Broad and into Barton Turf, the idea was to have a short stop and replenish with water. The water point was on the jetty just beyond Cox's boatyard, so we moored alongside and filled up. We then took the boat across to the Paddy's Lane Mooring for a quick bite to eat and a cup of tea. We got talking to another couple who had their own boat and lived near Potter Heigham. We mentioned that we planed on going up to Dilham, but was told that it is very narrow and only room for three boats to moor. If it was full, we might have problems turning round, so we decided to moor up at Wayford Bridge, as time was getting on. We left Paddy's Lane at 4 pm to rejoin the Ant behind the island. It was only about an hours run, so their was no rush. We came to the fork for Dilham and Stalham and took the left hand and headed for Wayford. This is a lovely stretch of river and the Hunsett Drainage Mill is one of the nicest we have seen, which comes into view as you round a sharp bend. We went under Wayford Bridge and turned the boat round in the wide basin, then back through the bridge to moor up at the staithe. There was just one more boat moored there and that was a B A barge, as work was going on replacing the timbers at the staithe. We decided to stay on board and have a Sweet & Sour Chicken, which we cooked in the microwave, a nice bottle of Rose wine, we bought in Aldi, and brought with us, only £4.95 and it's lovely. We then chilled out, listening to some classical music on Classic FM and had a few games of Scrabble. Why is it that Wendy beats me every game, she must be cleverer than me. Well that rounds up another day of our holiday, just enjoy the photos. I will post the next Captains Log tomorrow sometime. by for now Gayes Staithe on Monday morning Horning Benets Abbey

The last photo is the one I meant to have referred to regarding not winning the lottery, Not the Bridge Inn at Acle.