kpnut

Last few days, then next week it feels like you’re on annual leave, a week later it hits you! Enjoy every last minute of it Helen. Try not to get so booked up that you have no time to yourself - if you do that, you might as well be at work earning money.

We did too and also at the school my mum taught at. They used to walk over the pyranneas (sorry about the spelling, too early!) every year. Geogrsphy field trips were what I lived for at school. First one we were based at Slimbridge youth hostel and that introduced me to a whole new world of being independent and mobile on my own two legs. Slimbridge was also great as it had the wetland centre and that ignited an interested in ecology that has stayed with me and formed part of my career. So you are completely right to say that council cutbacks in the respect of outdoor centres etc are completely shortsighted. I noticed at Barton Turf that the sailing centre there has a sign on the gate saying owned by Hertfordshire LEA, but I very much doubt it is now. At least the facility still does run courses etc though, and probably open to all rather than just children from one county.

100% agree. Outdoor pursuit/adventure/activities should be on every school curriculum. Unfortunately massive cuts have taken place due to many things -budget constraints, the perceived need for cramming maths and English and the ‘academic’ subjects into the kids to the detriment of their all round education, the paperwork required by staff who lead the trips, the legal responsibility on the staff who can end up being held personally responsible for incidents. I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t have the confidence to own a boat and take her out on my own without all those types of character forming/confidence building and self discipline motivating activity as a youngster and I’m pleased I was able to give back to society by leading expeditions etc when I became a teacher.

As gancanny confirms, they serve tea and cake in the little museum there, I don’t think it’s always open. It’s an informative little info museum too. And they are very friendly.

Hartley Mill - yes, I’ve been there twice before and love that mooring. The ladies do lovely cake there too!!

I’m sure that’s where if was. In my memory bank for a future trip.

Thanks so much Smoggy. No feeding the monsters, unless my crew feels queasy 😂

Thanks Mouldy. You enjoy your trip too. We have a meet up in Beccles planned for the weekend with my crew’s sister and brother-in-law. Hopefully a trip to Geldeston if the river level allows us under the bridge. And we’re going to try the lido on Friday afternoon! Before that I’d like to try out either Pyes Mill or Rockland Staithe, along with a quick stop at either Berney Arms or Polkeys Mill to show Judith the Halvergate marshes. And then we’re going to Carlton marshes for a wander round and I’d like to moor at north cove too if it’s available - realised I can’t say ‘free’ anymore in case people think I’m implying it might cost money!!!🙁 We’ll be heading back on the Tuesday pm tide I think. Need to be back at Stalham on the Wednesday lunchtime. I’ll keep a eye out once back north. I’ll be getting the worst weather week there’s been for a while on the Broads, it always seems to be the same the third week in September, so your arrival might actually herald something better! Planning our trip has reminded me that going south takes more thought - travelling with tides where possible etc. I’ve only been twice before and there’s still an awful lot I want to see, but I don’t want to go through GY on my own, so have to wait till someone has a long enough trip booked with me to make the most of it.

They were just preparing the cones and signage as I travelled westwards at about 8.15pm yesterday evening. One lane was closed, but not for long. I’m off to the boat this morning. I haven’t felt so excited about that for a long while. It’s been a busy few weeks, with an awful lot of miles put on my car, and I’m ready to have nothing in my head apart from boat stuff. I’m meant be going through Great Yarmouth on Wednesday morning tide, and the forecast is for 45mph winds. I haven’t decided yet whether to modify my plans.

I was in your neck of the woods today Grendel. Firstly, yesterday evening I think I spotted the lay-by just at the start of the Thanet Way where you said about the fruit trees, but no sign of fruit. I’ll re-read the original post to check I was in the right location. After a debacle concerning accommodation last night and an alternative hurriedly found, (I arrived to find no key access to the accommodation I’d booked, and an owner unwilling to rectify it, needless to say a complaint has been put in to the booking agency) I spent today in Westgate on Sea with an elderly relative. But before visiting her, I went for an interesting walk round Sandwich. I’d have liked a lot more time there, and plan to visit again on my next family duty visit. Some photos, not sure what they are all of. The gunboat seems to have had an interesting history. If it had been open, I’d have certainly been in there spending my cash! and I took this last one to show the massive drop down from the quay heading. This was 2.5 hours after low tide with the incoming tide being extremely fast. The drop made me feel giddy just looking down at it.

It certainly isn’t all doom and gloom Simon. I hope I wasn’t suggesting it so. I expect the first timers who chat have already ‘fallen’ for the true nature of the Broads. I was completely smitten within about 5 minutes of my first hire from Richardson’s. I certainly hadn’t got as far as the Sutton junction when I had already vowed to come again later that year. And within another hire, vowed I would somehow buy a boat someday. It took another three years but was the best decision I’ve ever made. You either ‘get it’ or you don’t in my opinion. It’s the ones who don’t who need wooing and enticing in for a repeat performance. They go home and tell their friends etc that it wasn’t what they thought and that’s another chunk of custom gone.

I was thinking just the same the other week Helen. It needs us lot who are out and about a lot to keep them used and trampled through early spring. I’ve earmarked a number of spots I’m going to try to moor up at over the winter when you can see what’s there. Once the fresh reed grows up, it just looks like there’s no solid ground. I was walking along from Acle Bridge, upstream towards Oby and the path crosses that large expanse of grass on the river frontage of the house by clippesby mill. There is no reason why there is a solid riverbank there, but that it suddenly disappears into marsh at each end where the grass hasn’t been mown. It’s just that we can’t see the bank.

As I was reading this thread and getting things in my head, I was going to post that the Broads area is scruffy compared with lots of holiday areas. Now, I don’t mind that at all, (although I do think even in the past 6 years the place has gone downhill), but if you’ve spent out £2000 I think you would be. We, who are regular visitors see the place with different eyes to a first time holiday maker. And we realise that some of the scruffiness is just the wild nature of the environment. But some basics like screened off rubbish facilities, well positioned picnic benches with neatly mown grass on some moorings and the like go a long way to a good first impression. Definitely not saying that all moorings need this, but ask why Ranworth and Womack are so popular - they are little central hubs, picturesque (even with the goose poo)! Coltishall is another place with a sort of ‘continental vibe’ to it - nice pub, nicely kept green space, village nearby. In many places I’ve visited on the continent, you get somewhere next to a river/lake etc and it’s inviting. A little parade of shops, selling icecream and drinks, somewhere to sit while the kids entertain themselves with a swing or seesaw. Go to Reedham or Acle Bridge, or Ludham Bridge and it should be the same. But somehow it’s not. I personally don’t need these things, but even the ‘outdoor types’ mentioned above that should be a target group, might have experienced these things abroad and be impressed by the same here. Consider the ‘aire’ at Wroxham, opposite the stern on moorings. In France there are plenty of these riverside/canalside stop off points for motor homes etc, with nice neat pitches, sometimes marked out with low growing hedges. In Wroxham you are in the corner of a rough piece of concrete. To attract holidaymakers the area has to be attractive to them. Tart it up with casinos, nightclubs etc and it becomes alien to many, while attracting many others, but providing nothing doesn’t really attract anyone. Thd real beauty of a broads boating holiday should be adventure, and nature mixed in with that holiday vibe of a few picturesque scenes and a few treats along the way. Lovely photos of sunsets are not the only thing people want on a costly holiday.

What a shame for you and it sounds very painful. Hopefully you'll be back boating before to long. Thanks for your holiday tale - to be continued .........

If only I’d known this 20 years ago, I could have had a change of career! Once my boat exterior is up to scratch, I can keep her looking as fine as Norfolk Lady. She always looks gleaming when you’re out and about Malcolm.

We finally got home from Cumbernauld late last night, one day overdue. All in all, we spent 15 days doing this paving job, (taking into account time lost early on through rain). Usually two of us, sometimes three. So ‘GardenRescue’ or Groundforce’ breeze-in and breeze-out it certainly wasn’t. 😂 I can’t quite believe, after four years of it on my mind, that we found enough of a dry spell to crack on with it in only two stints. We’re very pleased with the final outcome. There is one small outstanding job and that’s to put in a corner kerb, awaiting stock to be delivered. Total cost came in at a tad under £1800 for 34m2 of paving with associated edging, level raising, base layers, hire of whacker plate etc. And we had a few shovelfuls of sharp sand and about a quarter of a bulkbag of building sand left over. As I got to the final paving slab to point up, I promised myself I am never doing a job like this again. I have enjoyed the hard physical work, learnt new things and found working out the logistics etc satisfying, but working together with other family members is really fraught. And at the moment, my hands are exceedingly painful with numbness/pins and needles type RSI from all that pointing work. I hope it subsides over the next few days. At least my back held up, with the help of a few doses of co-codamol to get through a few days. Kent/Sussex over the next few days for mum’s ashes scattering, then a well-earned trip to the boat.

I’ll try and get to one of their gigs next year.

Many thanks for the advice about jointing mixes. My gut told me to use a fine water spray after doing an area, so I’m pleased that’s what you all have recommended. I did cover it this afternoon though as the rain was properly heavy for a while. After all this area and straining the capacity of my brain with all the slopes in different directions, we’ve got to the end apart from one ‘set’ of slabs, and this was the clearance under the gate. Accurate or fluke? The latter I feel is the more honest answer. We did keep double/triple checking, but after nearly losing the will to live, I said “let’s just go with how we think the slope should be, and trim some off the bottom of the gate if necessary”. But no need😄

Bay is an absolute pain to dig out. As you say, it has a very rock solid root. Those other stumps look rather like fig, they too take some shifting. Good luck.

I was about to order Easy Joint but then read the instructions and it said not to use if you haven’t put a full bed of mortar down. We’ve done a halfway house between dot and dab, and full mortar layer, so there are voids in some places. We’ve buttered/sealed every paving edge we can get at as we go, so are using a dry fine sand/cement jointing mix 3:1. It’s taking ages though as the joints are narrow and even though it’s fine, it bridges and then when I knock it down with the trowel it disappears into a void. But I am determined to get each joint tightly packed. Two thirds done now. This is one of my ‘wish I’d done it differently’ things. I’d have hired a cement mixer when I hired the whacker plate (stupidly, we do have one but it’s in Burton on Trent at the moment) and put a full bed of mortar down to use the Easy joint. I’m a dab hand at mortar mixing now, mind you. Always knew how to do it, but practice makes perfect as they say. Bit like making pastry really, gauge the water right and you’re laughing. 10 slabs to go (we were rained off earlier by a downpour, so we hurriedly covered everything up and I did a trip to the tip instead, but it’s stopped now) then a day cutting the edging tomorrow, interspersed with more grouting if it stays dry.

This all reminds me of that heatwave in 2003. We were camping in the Vezere valley. Tony spent two weeks hiding under a tree, only venturing out during the day to go for a shower. On our last day the two kids and I left him under his tree and went caving. It was only then the real intensity of the heat hit me, as I crawled out through a narrow passage. As I got nearer the exit, the heat (41•C) was like a wave coming in. And then we had a long walk down the hill in full caving gear. Hot or what? Thankyou for your holiday tale and the beautiful photos.

My last few days - plodding on with the paving job up in Cumbernauld. Nearly there, on schedule to finish on Tuesday. We’ve learnt a lot along the way. No major mistakes, just a few minor ‘wish we’d done that instead’. Only big mistake was ordering a whole bulk bag of pebbles instead of about 20 small bags. But the local golf club have said they’ll have them. And we are all still talking to each other, just about. The two dogs have been totally marvellous and patient. Tomorrow they can come out and join us as the sand will all be covered up by lunchtime. I definitely need a relax on the boat after this, but have to go to Kent on Thursday, Sussex and back to Kent on Saturday, then BOAT on Sunday for the rest of the month😄

What a pretty place. Please can you tell me what regs are now needed to take the dog to France?

Plenty further south 😂😂😂 Your holiday sounds very relaxing and easygoing. Wonderful.

While working up here in Cumbernauld, I’m trying to make sure the dogs get a good run every day. This evening we went down to the Forth and Clyde canal at Auchinstarry marina. Walking along the towpath past the liveaboard boats, mainly narrow boats, I found one I recognised, a Bounty 37. The owner was onboard doing some painting on the bow so we had a good chat. He’d bought the boat locally so didn’t know it’s history. He said there’s another in the marina so I’ll take a walk round there if I get a moment tomorrow evening. I would have done tonight, but after Charlie chose to go in a very muddy ditch, the two of them had a swim in the canal so were needing to get dried off and home. Two not very good photos and then the phone rang out of battery -again!