kpnut

I’m sure anyone who is interested and feels strongly about moorings/public access/linked up facilities etc can respond, although the questions to respond to are rather odd! As well as the Broads Local Access Forum playing a part in this strategy (that forum is to do with public access to land, from either land or water), more importantly the paper states that the navigation committee is part of the consultation and strategy delivery. That committee is the one that we as boaters need to make aware of our needs and concerns. I too picked up on item 5.8 Grendel and my thoughts were along exactly the same lines. Also about the bit of encouraging double mooring at appropriate sites. It would be one way for the BA to state they have increased mooring meterage, even though they know that nowadays it is a very unpopular way of mooring and has an incredibly low take-up rate. I don’t think that’s the way to go at all. But I do think every one of us should at least read the paper, as it is chock a block full of all the stuff we discuss on a very regular basis. If we want boating interests to be represented, we ought to be proactive in contributing when offered the chance.

Thanks Mark. Yes it did work. I downloaded it to my email address and it opened there.

Wonderful news. Enjoy every day.

This was posted as a BA notice, but comments are closed so I’ve started it as a new topic. Quote - We are launching a review of the Broads Authority Integrated Access Strategy (IAS), a key document which relates to the Broads Plan. and - As the first step in the review process, we would like to ask for your comments on the attached scoping paper. This scoping paper describes the values, principles and aims of the new strategy. But - the scoping paper doesn’t seem to be attached to the original post. Can it be attached, or is there a link I can click to get to it on the BA website? Many thanks.

Not me! I think I was bottom. Jean I think. Thanks for hosting. The round on the little known Broads was really informative.

Thank you both very much indeed for that info and the photos. I’ve only been once and certainly don’t recall them at all.

I don't think i knew there was a wild mooring halfway along, thanks for mentioning it. I have a map on the boat with every wild mooring I've ever seen or earmarked as a possibility, so when I get back to the boat, I'll have a look as I'll be interested in using that one in September.

This photo was taken at Rockland short dyke in September 2021. Looks mighty similar then as now. Maybe the quay heading was slightly more visible then. We tried walking up to the village, but had to do an almighty detour and then come back through a field that wasn't even where the path went. A digger was moving soil about behind the quay heading at the time. I expect much of the overgrown vegetation now is a result of disturbing the soil then, with all the dormant weed seeds subsequently germinating.

Oh good, I didn't miss those interesting sounding rounds then, after all. I'll be there this evening. Thanks.

That’s come round fast Helen, might not have felt it for you, mind you. As Paul refers to, you will start wondering how you ever had time to work. It’s really odd, but everyone says it.

Nippy chippy at Potter Heigham. Try the huss/rock.

We’ll be up in Scotland next week, Malcolm, doing the levelling groundwork for Richards paving. We’ll be say g exactly the same thing when we get back. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.

Monday 14th August. ‘No particular place to go’ today. We headed back upstream, stopping briefly at Acle Bridge, then up through Ludham Bridge. On the way up the Ant, I got a message from the boat behind, Bollysnigh, skippered by Rob from CircusHead, just to say ‘hello’. I had to do a bit of a quick stop, just as I was about to go under the bridge, as a boat suddenly appeared from ‘round the corner’ on the other side, with its nose coming under the bridge. What with me already being about to go through, the rising tide pulling me towards the bridge, and the wind coming sideways, it took a bit of effort to hold station. Tony hurriedly went out on deck in case I drifted towards any of the boatyard boats. The approaching boat was being VERY cautious, so the episode was somewhat drawn out. After going through the bridge, and conscious that Rob was behind me, I did a quick turn into the tide and moored up as I wanted to take Tony over to meet George at LBBY. Unfortunately, the one thing I couldn’t do with all that going on was to take a photo of Bollysnigh. We went over to the yard for a bit of banter, George being pleased to meet Tony to confirm that he did actually exist😂. Our last stop was at Paddy’s Lane, AGAIN. I haven’t moored here for a couple of years before this trip, but it’s near the top of my favourites now. We put up my new kitchen blinds, a small job soon turning into a larger one with needing to remove the curtain rail, take the pelmet down, and dismantle a light. All those screws to undo at a stretch across the worktop soon got my back muscles going into spasm unfortunately. I managed a walk round the village but knew I was in for a ropy night. I’d left my strong cocodamol in the car, so took paracetamol and retired to bed for a night of agony. I got to sleep by lying flat out on the mattress with two pillows under my back, just as it was getting light. Lying like that, with my head below my body did make me feel rather queasy! Wondering how on earth I was going to get the boat back to Stalham, moored up and cleaned up, I went for a walk to see if things would ease. I just kept telling myself to relax and trying to shake the tension off. It worked well enough to get us back to Stalham and with two cocodamol downed, the hoovering etc done and about 45 mins later, I realised I was fine - well, probably not really, but no pain. I’ve found that once the pain goes, I can relax my muscles, then by the next day they have unknotted again. Anyway, we managed to get home with a very easy run of under 4 hours, and I’ve done a whole day at the allotment today, so no damage done! (till the next time in another couple of months most likely!!!!) Not the boat, but my cut flower bed at the allotment looks colourful. And Tony presented me with this when I got back. He’d been making it while I was cruising about on the boat. IMG_4921.MOV I think he honestly enjoys doing things like that than boating. But he did admit he’d had a good weekend boating. I wonder if it could be attached to the boat?😂

Saturday 12th August. Husband Tony, he who professes to not enjoy the boat, was due to arrive at Ludham mid afternoon after a trip down by train to Norwich. and bus along to Ludham. Before that, I moved the boat from Potter Heigham to Womack staithe and then walked round Horsefen Marsh, following the dyke down to Toad cottage on the junction with the river, along to the pumping station just before the Potter chalets start. Then turned left onto the causeway across the fen. I was going to then walk back to Hunter’s Yard via the loke that filled the landward side of the marsh, but instead I turned right and went up Fritton Lane, crossing the main road onto Fritton Road and following it back into Ludham. Having plenty of time, I then sort of double tracked back along the footpath back to Fritton Lane, reversing my walk down the lane and eventually walking back to Hunter’s Yard along the rather muddy loke. After buying two gooseberry ice creams at the Big Shop to stash in the freezer, it was time to walk up to the bus stop by the church. Tony had quite a heavy rucsac, seeing as he’d volunteered to bring some plumbing tools I’d forgotten to bring in the car. We had a cup of tea, then set off as mooring stern-on isn’t my favourite activity. We ended up at Boundary Farm and had a very calm and peaceful night after the river traffic subsided and a heavy rain shower had been and gone, followed by a rainbow that I forgot to take a photo of. Sunday 13th August. We started the day with a walk along to Thurne, stopping for a coffee at the Ramblers shop. The mill sails were turning but we didn’t go in. Our cruise today was as far as Stracey Arms and then back to the wild mooring upstream of Stokesby. Tony caught up on the effort of the journey down to the boat. I wanted to see if the riverbank path had now been cut, after my last struggle to walk along it in May and my subsequent report to Norfolk Coonty Council. It was like a mown hay field, mown grass everywhere. Someone had completed a massive job! I found a bag of someone’s rubbish that they couldn’t manage to take to a bin for some reason. I did them, and everyone else, a favour by doing their job for them. We had a leisurely afternoon of doing jobs, lots of little ones to tick off my list. Yet another stunning sunset after spotting some of the woodies returning from Beccles.

Thursday 10th August. From the wild mooring to Acle Bridge as I wanted to walk along the river bank up towards Oby. I plugged into the electric to really charge the batteries. It turned out to be a very sociable mooring, with one of my home mooring neighbours just a few boats up. It was nice to have time for a long chat with no diy jobs to pull us away like at ‘home’. And later I had an interesting chat with some yachtsmen, discussing the increasing difficulty of sailing on the upper reaches of the Ant and Bure with so many overhanging trees. Finlay and I ended up walking all the way to Thurne and back and I would highly recommend the walk. You can get to Thurne by just following the riverbank path, it’s mainly good condition. I detoured when I got to South Oby Dyke, up the lane and round the fields, past Bureside campsite and along the footpath next to Thurne church, dropping down to the Ramblers shop, where I bought a sandwich, drink and icecream to eat at the river end of Thurne Dyke, watching the boats go by in the sunshine. We took the riverbank path back to Acle Bridge. It was 6 miles altogether and well worth it. I did realise I’d caught the sun a bit though as the day had been just beautiful, with another fantastic sunset to end it. Friday 11th August. First stop was Boundary Farm moorings to meet Sam and Graham on Luna Aurora, just a short stop as I ‘needed’ to get to get a mooring at Potter Heigham in order to do a bit of food shopping. The moorings were full but a yacht was just leaving so I pulled into their slot. It wasn’t my first choice of location, being right opposite the entrance to Herbert Woods, and I did have some fun/stress later watching the hire boats coming out, and going in the next morning. After the shopping, we had a walk along the track that leads East from behind Lathams. Halfway to Candle Dyke there’s a track to the left and later a junction. To the right leads through a wood towards the weavers way path alongside Hickling Broad. To the left, the lane leads to Potter Heigham church. This is where I went. Potter Heigham church was certainly worth a stop. The font is brick built from the ‘pot’ that gives Potter Heigham its name. The info boards said there were some clay pits just north, on the boundary with Catfield parish. Another board said the organ refurbishment had been paid for by Herbert Woods himself, I think it said 1909. I found an interesting photo showing the area round the old bridge. It said that Lathams was once a ‘Roys of Wroxham’ shop. We then went up the lane, across the field to join the path round to the weavers way. We turned downstream. It’s a shame that there are very few viewpoints of the Broad and Heigham Sound themselves. We carried along down Candle Dyke to the junction with the main river Thurne at Martham and back along to Potter Heigham where Finlay had a well earned swim in the slip next to the chalets before the new bridge. Observations from boats coming out of Herbert Woods yard. 1. - I realise just why HW has put a double row of fenders on the starboard bank under the bridge going into the yard. They were well used! 2. - when coming out of the yard, you need to start turning far sooner than many boats were doing. I suppose when driving a car, turning right out of a side junction, you’d get across the road before turning ie you’d come straight out. With a boat, you end up far too near the boats on the public moorings, needing a lot of to and fro shunting. 3. - coming back into the yard from downriver, again, many boats left it far too late before starting to turn, the outcome being they missed the entrance completely. I expect this had something to do with the rising tide as well. Anyway, all very interesting and only slightly worrying a couple of times. I count myself fortunate. But I’m not sure I’ll moor up right there again in a hurry in the high season!

Lots of catching up to do in retrospect now I’m home. I was running out of data so cut down my online use. I must be less tight and buy a better package if I’m going to spend three weeks on the trot away from home. Monday 7th August. I had to go to Norwich for 9.30am. I felt like a commuter driving in, the only difference being was my garb of shorts and T-shirt. I made the most of being in the city to get a few shopping jobs done. Tuesday 8th August. After faffing about for the morning, I went round to kingfisher quay at Richardson’s for a pump out, excellent job find as usual. Then headed for Paddy’s Lane AGAIN. This time I picked half a bag of what I’ve now decided are cherry plums. A local lady came past and said she’d picked loads last year for making jam, so I feel happy that it’s ok to pick them on common land. 1.2kg of them were converted into the beginnings of flavoured gin, I stewed another load and kept the rest in the fridge for a weekend crumble. Wednesday 9th August. I gave the exterior of the boat a really good clean, having had some unwelcome deposits from the pigeons in the tree above overnight. Then headed for one of my favourite wild moorings, just downstream of the drainage pump with the two dead trees on the Bure. Big long walk over Upton Marsh, remembering to take the binoculars this time. And I managed to get a photo of what I think is a Brown Hawker dragonfly. The sunset was lovely.

You’ll be as fit as a fiddle Mouldy. A proper workout as you say. Impressive job.

No photos I’m afraid but I might try to get some later if anyone else passes me, on the wild mooring above Stokesby. I saw Ruby about an hour or so ago, too late to wave as I’m in the midst of diy, and two others. Hope I haven’t missed too many more. Looking forward to an update of the weekend.

Of course she did Simon!!! My pleasure. I decided I would drive round as Finlay needed a walk and I ‘needed’ some fudge. Good to chat to Katie.

I love that last photo. Well done.

There’s something bizarrely satisfying about chopping up kindling. Maybe the sight of the pile getting bigger. Digging out old shrubs is a back breaking activity. Well done, but be careful with your back, speaks the voice of experience!

That sounds like me yesterday. I thought the wind was meant to drop this afternoon. It’s blowing even more now. I took two goes to get back into my mooring earlier and then gave up before getting right in, pulling her in the last bit on the ropes instead.

Saturday August 5th I think I’m on track again with the days. Mainly ‘cos I did the forum quiz last night and that’s always on a Friday. So I’ve caught up somewhere. I didn’t budge at all as the weather was horrid, just as forecast. I have plenty of indoor jobs to do and Finlay was happy to sleep on the sofa all day while I did some varnishing and fixing a few things. I didn’t sleep so well though, courtesy of not having got any exercise and snoozing over a book during the afternoon. Sunday 6th August. The rain has disappeared and the day has turned out beautiful, if still very windy. I was a bit concerned about coming through Ludham Bridge in the wind as there were lots of boats coming downstream towards me and I was in a line of three going up. I hung back to give myself plenty of room, in case we all had to come to a stop for some reason, but there was no traffic at all to worry about. Not wanting to get back to Stalham till later to give the wind a chance to ease off, I ended up at Paddy’s Lane and we went for another walk to fill my pockets from the fruit tree. Just two boats in here at the moment, and the sun is shining, and the chinking things on the yachts are chinking, all very scenic and peaceful.

Oh bother Simon. I came up the Ant at 10.30ish, and was thinking it’s too early to go back to Stalham and with the wind blowing rather hard in the wrong direction, thought I might struggle to get into my mooring. Thinking Gays staithe would be busy with people finding a sheltered spot, I went on to paddy’s lane. The gooseberry jam will have to stay onboard a while longer. Are you there for the night? If so, I might drive round later with it. If you’re out, I can just leave it in a sensible place.

That was all about eventful. Glad the young lady got repatriated. Not a very cycle friendly route after all by the sound of it. A job for the county footpath officer to look into.