bubba

We got it from Cinnamon which is on the main street in Stalham.

Once we had unloaded the car we went to Tesco to stock up. We tended to eat on the boat for brekkie and lunch and then eat out at a pub on an evening. On our final evening we got a takeaway curry from somewhere in Stalham (ordered through Just Eat). It was absolutely dreadful - my balti was more like a chicken casserole with no depth of taste or spice.

I appreciate the reason for the high prices in shops. As a Yorkshireman though it was still a bit of a shock. As for the Sparkler, without it, it just tastes flat and many of the beers were from the north including from a small brewery just a mile down the road from where I work near Bradford. I was actually very surprised to see it available.

Well, first day back at work so thought I would update on our weeks break. It was brilliant...in fact so good that we booked for next year on the Wednesday though this time with friends. The weather could have been better and one day it was so bad we had to moor up for the day as our boat had no wipers. But apart from that it was probably the most relaxing holiday that I have had. The girls (11 year old twins) got slightly bored towards the end. In fact we got back to Stalham on the Thursday night and drove down to Great Yarmouth for the day in the car. But other than that they enjoyed it including having a good at driving and doing the mooring. It is expensive down there. The village shops are ridiculously priced as are the pubs with not a single pub using a sparkler on their ale - how do you southern folk drink without it?

Found out this morning that my boss and his wife have done the broads quite a few times so they have given me some good advice - mainly on what pubs to do :) We are aiming to set off between 4-5am so its early to bed. Thanks once again for all the advice. If anyone else is out there this next week, give me a blast on your horn :D

Great. Hopefully thats it now...until Saturday evening when on the boat ;)

No, its all very helpful. Another novice question...if there isnt an 'official' mooring available, can you just stop anywhere (within reason) and tie up to a tree?

I had to Google the term 'bimble'; I assume it is a southern word? :D Thanks for the itinerary but your advice and that of others has convinced me Norwich isnt necessary on our first visit.

Yes, really grateful for the help and advice. Just need to convince the better half that a 4am set off is not necessary though in fairness Richardson's have just called to say the dog life jackets are on a first come, first served basis and the boat may be ready for 1pm. Cant wait now and sadly work is dragging! Another question. What are the fridges like on the boats? My plan is to buy a load of non-fridged items like crisps, biscuits, bread, cereal and then eat out on an evening. Are the fridges decent enough?

Cheap whips? Am I on the correct forum?

I am a bit of a creature of habit and usually like to have a plan but am open to just taking things as they come. What I am most looking forward to is some riverside pubs though the weather next week could be a problem. I have just ordered the dog a life jacket. I have put a request in for one with Richardson's but they cant guarantee they will have one which is fair enough. If they do, I will just return the one I have bought. Me and my wife are really looking forward to it. The 11 year old twins are a bit meh especially as we have banned them using their phones/tablets, etc during the day. It is our first time boating and I doubt it will be our last even though we havent been yet.

Thanks everyone. My main concern about going to Norwich was ensuring I had enough time to get back. I know it sounds daft but I didnt want Friday to creep up on us and then have to spend 8 hours to get back to Stalham. We are planning on spending a day at Great Yarmouth so the young uns can go to the Pleasure Beach, etc. The boat we have hired is the San Marino - the romantic four posted is what swung it :) I am 6ft 5" and not the slimmest so I am wondering whether its me or the wife who will end up on the sofa.

Good morning, me and the family (including dog) are making our first trip to the area for a weeks boating on the Broads and we cant wait. Just a couple of questions though if anyone cal please help? We are travelling from Halifax in West Yorkshire and cant get on the boat until around 4pm. It is with Richardson's - is there a chance it will be earlier than 4pm? My wife wants us to set off at 4am for what, according to Google Maps, is a 4 hour journey. I think she has visions of heading down to Cornwall with miles and miles of crawling traffic. What is the journey like into Norfolk in the summer, especially on a Bank Holiday Weekend? I can just see us getting there for 8am and having to sit around for hours waiting for access to the boat. We are also wondering what itinerary to do. I had been thinking about doing a return trip to Norwich (from Stalham) but is wondering whether that is a bit ambitious for our first trip. What are peoples thoughts? Does anyone have an intinerary that they could share?