Coryton

At least train toilets that deposit their contents onto the track should be a thing of the past soon. Wouldn't be so bad if people remembered/could be bothered not to flush them when in a station.

Yes. A similar thing has been playing out over the last few years in the model railway industry. As well as the practical aspect (why buy at full price when it will come down later?) there's the psychological aspect where people think that the lowest price must be the 'true' price, and therefore the full price must be a rip-off. But air fares generally increase as the plane fills up, with maybe big discounts at the last minute if the plane isn't full. That's different from people booking ahead of time paying full whack and the discounts only being available to those who book late.

Of course sometimes businesses have to resort to short-term thinking because if they don't, there won't be a long term for them at all because there are bills to be paid and they need cash flow no matter how they get it.

But in previous years since the referendum we were still in the EU with business as usual - and in fact given that the pound has dropped relative to the Euro it was actually a good time to visit the UK. This year is different because we were supposed to be out by the Summer, and it was looking quite possible this would be without the benefit of a transition period. So - possibly - this summer could have been awkward for foreign tourists visiting the UK,and as I argued above I don't think it takes much to put someone off a holiday in a particular country. Now of course we are still in the EU at least for the summer, but the extension to October was only agreed in April and anyone booking a summer holiday before then might well have decided the safest bet was to stay away from the UK. I suppose it depends how many people tend to book their summer holiday that early.

Although that's probably not true for overseas visitors. When looking at a holiday abroad I think people are generally somewhat fickle. If there is no strong reason to go to a particular country, why go somewhere with even a small risk of the holiday being spoilt? There's lots of countries to choose from, and you can always go another year. I would expect Brexit uncertainty has caused more than a few people to decide this year isn't the time to have their holiday in the UK.

Yes - and it must all depend whether extra bookings from the UK outweigh lost bookings from abroad.

Out of curiosity I was looking at availability for the boat we've booked this summer (Beam of Light). If this web site is correct, they have two Beam of Lights (Beams of Light?). For most of the summer they seem to have availability on both Saturdays and Mondays...so both boats available? Maybe if we'd left it we could have got a discount. But we were happy to pay that price at the time and I imagine if everyone gets a big discount there won't be any boat yards around for long. I would very happily go back to the Erne system, and may well do so one day. But first - the Broads! I imagine there are advantages and disadvantages of both Erne and the Broads. You can't spend the night mudweighting (or anchored) in Lough Erne.

Not necessarily indeed. There may just be more boats than there are people who want to hire them this year, unless given an incentive by lowering prices - possibly to a point that's unsustainable in the long run.

I suppose it depends if overseas visitors have been put off for the same reason. Are the Broads popular with foreign tourists? Boating in Ireland seems to be popular with the Germans, for some reason.

Ah that's very useful. Thanks. As for the accent...no excusing necessary...I love it...

Yes a rubber mallet is on the list of things that Herbert Woods suggest you take with you. I think somewhere I read that they give you an extra rhond anchor to use as a substitute mallet, which doesn't sound as useful.

I suppose all I could answer that with is why? There's lots of things I haven't tried, and I'm afraid fishing isn't high up the list of ones I'd like to. I think we can both agree that boating is fun though. I would happily do a lot more of that.

I very much enjoyed the DDR museum on a visit last year. It should be a bit less crowded now than it was in August. A rather quirky museum but fascinating, especially the reconstruction of a DDR-era apartment.

That's an interesting point - I suppose it depends whether they want to dedicate the staff time to making sure people aren't abusing it and there really has been a change of hands. In general I find reading comments is much more useful than ratings - as well as those with different expectations, you get people who give a product one star reviews on Amazon because they were sent the wrong thing, or because when they got it they realised it wasn't what they needed. Or indeed someone clicks the wrong button and gives a glowing review with one star.

An interesting question. The most important thing is probably not to be the highest point on the boat....and from what I've seen, for a lot of Broads boats that's just what you are when at the helm...

Although.... Some years ago I needed wire strippers in a hurry. I got one from a pound shop to use until I get get a decent one. Except that it did the job just fine, and I'm still using it nearly 10 years later. I think that's the exception rather than the rule, though.

Well I wouldn't go for the fishing...but I wouldn't particularly want to be watching television either.

I find reviews by Americans can be particularly amusing. Woe betide any restaurant that doesn't have a jug of water on the table within seconds of someone sitting down... I suppose from their point of view we just have very low standards in Europe.

There was a suggestion above that it helps with TV reception if you're not swinging around on the mud weight. This is not something that would concern me.

Somewhere I read a suggestion that "excess" mud should be removed before putting the mud weight on board. It didn't explain how much mud is excess and what is the correct amount of mud to have on a mud weight. (Sorry - I do tend do be a bit pedantic about interpreting instructions...)

Wow. That was quick! Ah yes - I meant to say that we definitely intend on heading South...haven't been put off the thought of crossing Breydon Water (will try not to end up like the Margoletta). Our time in Ireland has given us some practise at having to stay the right side of marker posts. Still having difficulty visualising why springs work the way they do, but if works, it works... Four mooring lines? Luxury! As for mud weights and rhond anchors, it still seems a bit strange you're allowed to do that. In Ireland (on hire boats anyway) bank mooring (indeed getting close to the banks at all) was strictly forbidden and the anchor was only to come out in dire emergency. One lough had some experimental buoys you could tie up to, but definitely not overnight.

If the friendly people on here will indulge me in some more beginner's questions... There are a few things that I haven't been able to figure out from reading this forum and elsewhere on the web. For background, we will be hiring a cruiser on the Broads in August ("Beam of Light", which I believe is an Aquafibre Diamond 43). Our first time on the Broads, but we have a couple of weeks boating experience in Ireland. So... Tides. A new concept to us. Clearly it doesn't work if you tie up tightly at high tide, leaving you dangling from the ropes or pulling bits off the boat as the tide falls. But doesn't that leave the boat floating loose at high tide? OK so you can adjust the ropes as the tide falls...but not so easily overnight. Instructions I can find from the hire boat yards on-line are a bit vague. Mooring ropes. Lots of guides to mooring suggest using springs in some conditions. Hire boats we've had elsewhere have only come with two mooring ropes. Is it likely to be the same here? If we ask nicely do we get more? Actually, is there anything we ought to ask for that you don't get unless you ask? I've seen it suggested that one politely requests a second mud weight so that the boat doesn't swing round when mud weighting. And on mud weighting...spending the night floating in a broad sounds fun, but would people here risk it without a dinghy as an escape route? We could ask for one, but don't want the extra hassle of having to deal with it when mooring. I think that's it for now.

That's my problem... I can buy planed wood from DIY shops - horrible springy stuff wrapped in plastic so you can't tell what shape it's going to be until you've bought it and taken the plastic off. Or...there is a timber yard just down the road that will sell proper wood (and even deliver at a reasonable charge). But it's unplaned. They say they can't get decent planed wood, but they can't or won't plane it themselves. I don't fancy having to get a decent plane and learn how to use it for the minimal amount of woodworking I do.

Perhaps that was the pre-sinking price. In any case the price will presumably be largely for the land - I don't think much of the continual increase in house prices is due to higher construction costs.

When we hired a cruiser in Ireland a few years ago, the captain's manual made it clear that alcohol and being in control of a boat shouldn't mix. On the other hand: There was a form you could fill in to have the boat stocked with supplies before you arrived (very useful!). One page listed groceries. The other one was a long list of various types of alcoholic drink on offer. I suppose the intention was that they were to be drunk once safely moored up for the night, but still...