bucket

6' 8" clearance under Wroxham bridge first thing today! It has dropped by a foot since last Friday. Still a bit to go but isn't it amazing what one dryish week can do?

Welcome to the forum. bucket

Wise words CC, we should get a discount, in recognition of all the support we give them!

I note that one of the forum sponsors is the Wayford Bridge hotel. Does any one here know if forum members get a discount on accommodation? Cheers

........plus......really important to remember that the more pots, pans and metalwork you get in your cupboards and drawers, the lower your air draft.......

Thank you NN for an excellent write up as always!......I can't wait to be there myself, less than a fortnight now!

All true Jean, but for me, I like the journey to be as much a part of the day as is the destination. The 2 train line videos you posted the other day reminded me what comfortable and pleasant journeys they are, with glimpses of the rivers along the way.......magical for the seasoned broads botherer! Or you can sit on a bus?..............

Andrew I have been to Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Cromer and Sheringham, all on separate days, on the train(s) from Hoveton/Wroxham.......always a lovely relaxing trip, and a decent choice of eateries when you get back in the evening. All currently dependent on the slim chance of getting under the bridge again any time soon!

Thank you, very relaxing!

We always booked through Hoseasons and almost always with Horizon Craft at Acle Bridge until they were moved up to Stalham. Back then, I used to thumb through a proper Hoseasons brochure, (always a thrill when it dropped through the letterbox) scribble notes at the side of the pictures of some of the more majestic craft, before deciding to book the one I had hired the year before, ......and the year before that. And then I had to ring them up, generally on a Sunday lunchtime, hoping upon hope that no one else wanted my boat on my week.....and what a lovely feeling it was when she said "yes it is available, would you like me to book it for you?". I can't remember ever not feeling valued by the lady on the phone, by the receptionist at Horizon Craft, or by the team outside, led by a gentleman called Buster. They always welcomed us and made a fuss of the children. Perfect customer care, just as described in the leaflet above. My dealings with Hoseasons were always an absolute pleasure!

We eat out as often as possible when on the broads. Breakfast and/lunchtime, a cafe or restaurant will do just fine but in the evening I would always choose pub grub, simply because I want a decent pint (or two) of hand pulled beer to wash it down. Not so many restaurants offer that.

This is such an interesting and important thread. Thank you to the OP and those who shared their experience(s) and personal observations. Like most others, I am no expert! I am however interested in what, if anything, can/might/might not happen next? I can't dispute that it has been raining a lot since last summer and I accept the report on the higher than average tides over the last few months.......I don't have any reason to doubt Grendel's (and others) observations about the 'Bure hump', somewhere near Stokesby?.......and there is no doubt that the new bridge reduces the river (Yare) width by some margin from what it was 3 years ago when construction began. My own not scientific observation is that during our 5 weeks syndicate allocation last year, we had a week in April, May, June, September and October, there was only one day where the river level guage showed adequate air draft to get our boat (we need 7 feet) safely through Wroxham, with reasonable confidence of getting back through a couple of days later. Now, we can't do much about the tides without a tidal barrier can we?..... I read that this has been considered and dismissed previously, and I suspect that one would only be reconsidered, as sea levels continue to rise, if it was needed to prevent flooding of properties, mostly in and around Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.....I don't think me and others getting up to the Rising Sun or not will contribute to decision making too much? It is however important to me! The Bure hump, (assuming as I do that it exists), may well be a contrbuting factor to the prolonged high northern river levels, particularly with the impact of the reported, far higher than average rainfall, on the catchments of the Bure, Ant and Thurne. And let's not forget the constant pumping of water from farmland back into the rivers. But I have read on here that there used to be a ford at Stokesby? So maybe the Bure hump has existed in some form for quite some time. The Bure hump shouldn't influence river levels on the Yare and its tributaries. I don't know for instance whether data exists on the rise and fall with the tides of Breydon Water? I have seen photos of the flooding at Reedham for example and the additional rainfall and higher tides will impact the Southern rivers as well as the north, but am I right in thinking that river levels have returned to 'normal' in Reedham (as an example) in between higher tides? That certainly has not been the case at Wroxham (as an example) for months. I would think that more water empties through Breydon at Great Yarmouth than does down the Bure, (unscientific personal observation) but does it? If the rise and fall at Breydon has changed significantly since the construction of the Herring Bridge started (3 years ago) then this might point to the narrowing of the river width as a factor. If there isn't a discernable difference at Breydon.......maybe not....others who regularly visit the dark side will know more than me about river levels there over the last 3 months and, indeed, the past 3 years. The above, could point to where the current problem, (and me getting under Wroxham bridge any time soon) lies. I think I have read that the river span of the new bridge is greater than that of the Haven Bridge. Is that correct or have I made it up? I know that flow capacity is determind by volume and not just river width.....but at this location, flow is also influenced by river bed height above sea level, because it won't drop any lower than that, so you can only effectively dredge to that level anyway.....and wouldn't an additional river width restriction, restrict the ebb as well as the flood? One thing I do know though is that the new bridge, whether or not it is having an influence on river levels, is not going away, anytime soon. The point I am trying to make is that there are many factors that influence broads' river levels. All of the above (and probably many more) may or may not be a factor...but is anyone looking at everything in the round? I don't know. Sustained flooding of properties on the riverbanks this winter must be heartbreaking for those who live there, but are there enough properties affected to bring about an investigation.....again I don't know. If the Bure hump is growing and can be shown to be a significant contriburary factor to the sustained high northern river levels then the solution seems relatively straight forward.....although I suspect not cheap.....and if the hump was dredged effectively.....could that lead, without significant additional strategic dredging, to reduced, at times unnavigable river depths further upstream? We could well point to previous failings of planning, maintenance and human impact on climate change.....and I am sure many will. But we are where we are. If there is to be a solution, the benefits, going forward, must outweigh the cost. And there lies the problem...the costs could well prove to be far greater than the benefits and the solutions, let's say for a moment that the new bridge is a major issue and has to go.....or removing the hump would devastate the local colony of critically endangered vegan newts, are unaffordable or unpalatable (or both)...... The solution for me regarding getting up to the Rising Sun is far more attractive to the authorities isn't it........I will just have to get a smaller boat.

Very interesting, do you know who the author is?

I am sorry to hear that you are stuck in hospital Andrew, I hope you recover quickly and get back on the Broads as soon as you can. Regarding those annoying flappy things..?..I feel sure they will be around for many years to come. And that is how it should be in my opinion. Yes a bit of a nuisance at times and occasionally somewhat unpredicable......but majestic and serene when handled skillfully.

Thank you for that Hylander. I am sure that we all share your kind wishes for Richard.

Thanks all, I don't know Richard but it must be that one. Do we know why and if there is an expectation that it will be back?.......it seems such a shame.

Confused perfectly thanks........the one in the title?

Although I never contributed to the "other" forum, I did dip in and out every now and then to catch up on news and opinions. While it still seems to exist as an entity, all the posts appear to be from one gentleman? Does anyone on here know what happened?

You may well be correct dom, but there are thousands of sub post masters in the UK who make a living and provide a valuable service to their community. And I would have thought it is a somewhat more attractive proposition than taking on one of the struggling Broadland pubs that have been discussed here recently? Also discussed recently has been the lack of opportunities for young locals which is driving them away from where they were brought up. Just saying.........

Joking aside, and I guess a lot depends on how much the current postpeople are asking for the business element (note that the premises are leased)......this could well be an attractive opportunity for someone?....particularly if the shop comes with accommodation?

I wonder why nobody wants to work for the post office any more............?

Horning Pleasurecraft is our home mooring and I welcome this development warmly. I am certain that it is great news for Clive, George and the whole team. HPC is a lovely base as it is, and I have no doubt that it will be even better when the improvements are completed. Any unavoidable disruption during the works, for those of us who are fortunate enough to be there, is sure to be minimal and managed well by the team. Well done everyone.

What a fine looking young man! Welcome to the forum!

This is absolutely correct LizG!.....education, conservation, equality/diversity, community engagement and "carbon neutral" are all hoops to jump through if you want to succeed with external funding bids, government funding (core or otherwise), and for major commercial development planning applications as well. I have sometimes wondered if this might be the reason behind some of the seemingly odd (to me anyway) BA priorities?.........apols for thread drift.

Don't you think that if they had intended to charge for mooring they would not have included "free" in the application in the first place? Personally, I welcome the ambition shown in the planning submissions for Acle Bridge and Stalham. In difficult times, Richardsons are looking to make the most from their assets. Boats, land, locations and I am sure, their people as well......good luck to them! Cheesey69 started a thread last year, exploring the difference between charter and hire for boats on the Broads. I concluded (rightly or wrongly) that there wasn't much difference except the price! As has been mentioned, there is a large area in the Stalham marina proposals, designated to charter Time will tell but I don't expect to see a huge reduction in the Richardsons fleet. I am sure they will turn round some of the older fleet but will continue to buy or build more of the top end (charter?) boats. And, speaking of ambition, let's not forget Clive Richadson's proposals for Horning Pleasurecraft, coupled with his growing of his excellent hire fleet through building and buying. It is good to see confidence in the future, I hope that the new year, as it unfolds, brings a bit more confidence for all of us, goodness knows we need some!