Nucktheking

He loved driving - especially when the 'adults' were having their post-lunch snooze... Seriously, though: the time we had to just watch the world go by and chat about 'stuff' (everything and nothing) was something that I just don't think we would have had anywhere else. For example, we've been trying to (gently) get him to think about what he might do after sixth form, and he has always resisted the conversation. With me driving, and my friend chatting to him, they got to the point of him narrowing down both possible courses and locations. Very precious.

Just to update, and close this. We had the most AMAZING 4 days on the Broads. Weather was gorgeous (if BL**DY cold at night!) and there is no doubt that 'life at 4 mph' is incredibly relaxing. Day 1 (afternoon/evening): Stalham - Horning. Had booked the Swan Inn for 6:45, and slightly worried when we arrived and there were no moorings. We could have doubled up, but weren't sure of the etiquette. We drove round for a bit, and then found a little pontoon downstream by St Benedict's church, where we moored. A brisk walk to the pub and a very decent meal. Day 2: Decided to set off early so as to cross Yarmouth around High tide slack. Arrived around 12:30, and after calling the Yacht Station, went straight through with a good few inches to spare - only slightly terrifying, but we believed the height boards! Onto Berney, where we moored outside the pub, went for a short walk to the "least visited railway station in Great Britain 2020" (you have to see it to believe it!), then on to the Fisherman's Inn at Burgh Castle. Stayed there for much of the afternoon, enjoying a pint or few while we watched our boat drop. Managed to fall down into it, and spent the night. Day 3: Once again, aiming to cross Yarmouth at as near to High Tide as possible. Raining, but we still made the 'loop' South of Burgh to St Olave's and then up to Reedham. Refilled water and wine, then back across Breydon. Wind and tide against, so a bit of a bumpy, wet journey: all alone on Breydon, and approached by a ranger to see what the hell we thought we were doing - once we explained we understood the tides and would call the Yacht Station before going under any bridges, he happily let us go. Now we knew the height gauges were reliable, we waltzed through with no worries. That afternoon, we made it to Ludham, lobbed the anchors out onto a suitable piece of ground and spent our first night 'wild moored'. Beautiful, quiet and calm. Day 4: Set off for Wroxham, via Ranworth, which was our first experience of stern mooring. I think that the 'gently bump into next door boat, climb aboard and then pull yourself into mooring with ropes' is the accepted method for doing this - it worked for us anyway. Ranworth very pretty - church is lovely, and ice cream from the shop is recommended! Onto Wroxham - VERY busy and no chance (time and tide) of going through bridge, so we retraced our steps, and with a 9 am return in mind, headed North. Booked table at Cross Keys in Dilham for 6:00pm, and arrived at 5:30. Very odd mooring amidst the houses, with the 'turning loop'. Had very acceptable couple of pints, pizza, fish and chips and then decided that we wanted to spend our last night somewhere a bit more solitary: so went back down the Ant, rejecting several sites until it was beginning to get a little dusky; then we found two trees which we could reach to sling ropes around, in the middle of nowhere, and that's where we stayed. Day 5: Woke up with frost covering the boat, mist rising from the broad, and almost silence, apart from distant livestock and not-so-distant birds chirruping. A quick 30-minute motor around the corner back to Stalham (including VERY expert revering into small space - no need for 'bump, rope, pull' method) and our brief trip was over. (And we got £17.32 of our fuel deposit back!) Thanks to all of you for such helpful and rapid responses to my questions - I did feel much more prepared and confident as a result of your advice. We will be back!

@JanetAnne@annv Brilliant - so it looks like getting to the South Broads is back ON again. Here's the NEW plan: - On Weds morning, set off from Horning at 9-ish to arrive Yarmouth around High Tide + 1.5hrs (13:00); if necessary wait until tide slackens, then head through and across Breydon. - Weds afternoon: Potter around South for a bit, moor at Fisherman's Inn, Burgh Castle, for the night. - Thurs morning: potter around/stay put, aiming for Yarmouth at High Tide + 1hr, (13:00). Use slack tide to make progress up Bure in afternoon. Does that sound like it will work? N.

Thanks@annv John, Interesting; and to add to this, I've just spoken to the Broads Authority helpline at Yarmouth, who have advised, with the tide times next week, going through around High Water, aiming to cross a couple of hours afterwards: around 2:00-2:30. Now I'm confused again...

Thanks @PaulN I did know that there's not much at Berney Arms, but according to Joe at the Fisherman's (Burgh Castle) the mooring spaces are still there and mostly in decent nick.

When I spoke to Joe at the Fisherman's, he said that the 3/4 outside his pub were available, but the other ones were closed "for repair": but he wasn't sure how long they would remain so...

Thanks to all; you've changed my mind! We will now, I think, follow this route: https://www.norfolkbroadsboathire.biz/suggested-itinerary-from-Stalham-4-nights.asp although we will still make for Horning on the first night. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed not to 'do' Yarmouth and Breydon Water, but I think the tides at the very end, and very beginning, of the day, make it too much of a gamble; any other time and it seems like it would work, so we'll have to come back another time...! The general feeling seems to be that there is enough to see in the North Broads over 4 days. Seems like it could also be worth paying the £20 to go through Potter Heigham bridge - again, any view on that would be helpful. Thanks to so many of you for your rapid, patient, detailed and helpful advice. Keep it coming: especially now the decision is made to stay North of Acle! N.

Thanks @andyg. Good advice. To be honest, we might get to Horning the first night, decide we like the pub(s) so much that we don't move for the next 3 days And you are right - enjoyment and relaxation is the main point in going! Although I am trying to plan everything now (so that the options are there if I need them), if we find that it's too cold to be anywhere but inside, and the engine noise means we don't want to be doing that for 5/6 hours a day, then the whole plan can change - and then we will just potter around the North Broads and not go through Yarmouth at all: but that is very easy to plan in situ. N.

Once - about 35 years ago. And it was on a very slow sailing boat that took the whole width of a Broad to tack. Progress into the wind was EXTREMELY slow....! I did come to Great Yarmouth in a rented motorhome a couple of years ago; does that count...? N.

@Davydine @CambridgeCabby Again, very good advice - and as someone who has done a fair bit of yacht sailing, I do appreciate that gambling with winds, tides or moorings is definitely not to be recommended! Many thanks for all of this. Your comment about Acle and Yarmouth echo what I have been told elsewhere - which is why I've planned, as much as possible, to do these bits 'en route' to the South. I definitely don't want to take any risks, but there is some advice here that seems to suggest that passing between low water and low water slack should be doable - so my plan for crossing at 6:15-6:30 (he says "I would try to keep to within 1 hour before low water and 2 hours after") seems do-able. But please put me right if that is stupid... I have just been in touch with Joe, the manager of the Fisherman's Inn at Burgh Castle. I'm going to call him when I'm approaching Yarmouth and check on the availability of his moorings. Clearly, nothing can be guaranteed, but if he says he's empty, I'll make the crossing. If not, I'll overnight in Yarmouth (and suck up the £13 charge...) I really do appreciate the time you are taking with all this. N.

@Davydine @BrundallNavy Thanks for all this. I guess I wanted to try and see different places, not be just going up and down the same stretches as much as this can be avoided. But your points about the tides at Yarmouth are good ones: I have looked at slack water passage, but wondered whether it's possible to nip through 30 mins before that without too many issues - it would be very helpful to know if this is just not possible... With sunset at 19:50, going through at 6:15-30ish would hopefully still allow enough daylight to cross Braydon and head for Burgh Castle (then back to Berney Castle if that's full). But again, any advice would be brilliant - I am very grateful to you both for your input. N.

Hi John, Thanks for your input. I put the itinerary in the OP; plan is to try and see as much of the Broads as we can, so although not dawn-dusk, possibly 5-6 hrs "moving" per day.Only changes I've made to OP are to head for Horning on Tuesday evening (booked table at Swan Inn) to celebrate re-opening. So, overnights will be: Tuesday - Horning (outside Swan Inn) Wednesday - Burgh Castle/Berney Arms (depending on whether it's Yare or Waveney river for the day; advice on that would be lovely!) Eating/drinking (!) on board - so doesn't matter if it's remote! Thursday - Berney Arms / Burgh Castle. Again, dinner on board. Friday - Anywhere within an hour of Stalham for Sat AM return - again, any advice about pubs/moorings for that evening would be great. Thanks again for your advice. N.

Thanks CC - I've been using that one to plan the days. Again, very helpful to know that it's accurate. N.

OBB, Suggested by a friend of mine and downloaded - but difficult to know how useful it is in Sussex , so good to have it confirmed! Thanks. N.

Marshman, It's the idea that we want to keep going which is driving ('scuse the pun!) the itinerary. Perhaps it might be better to go up the Yare when we leave Breydon, rather than South down the Waveney?