marshman

Riyadhcrew - nice picture but does suspiciously look like S Walsham though!!! Guess you are right though...!.

It does seem that they are trying to sell the land plus premises,, including the boats, in one lot. - I noticed it is in the local Estate Agents window for £1.5m which given Andy's comments seems a bit rich, unless you are rich and have the cash doing nothing at all. That puts your interest payments at probably an unsustainable level even if you can borrow and thats only the beginning. I also note that Andy's neighbour got nowhere near that and remains unsold as well.. Sadly. like many things. investment comes at a cost, which is likely to remain out of reach of smaller investors.- its not just the boating scene which is impacted but many small businesses.

I have to be honest Viking and say I do not know but it must be by specific permission - it will also probably involve crossing two railway lines and that in itself presents another problem i guess! Whilst i applaud everyone having good ideas, I do fear they are all too little , too late and it is a classic case once again of basic economics compounded by other specific insurmountable problems. Sadly.

Well you can blow that idea Viking as the reason access is so difficult is that there is no road - merely concrete farm tracks over which there is not even foot right of way.. That is from either Halvergate or Wickhampton - some 3 miles or so and unless you are a boat owner, or a twitcher very little else to do! All bright ideas but no people to make them work other than passing boat trade on a relatively isolated and inhospitable stretch of Norfolk marsh! Some may like it and there must be literally thousands of better things and locations on which to spend money. Although to be fair, rose coloured spectacles could help the outlook....!

I suspect that if you knew the long history of the owner you may view it all rather differently - and to be honest the virtual lack of land access also hinders the possibility of selling it for someone to live in. To suggest a shop without land access might be stretching the point when even some shops in the middle of a High Street cannot work!! There is a long standing rule of thumb in the Broadland area that in order to continue with as many licensed premises around as possible, I believe the BA as planning authority have always been very reluctant to accept a change of use. I think the battle at Langley Dyke was pretty protracted and lasted many years and I would not wish to see that trend of licensed premises being effectively sold for housing! I think that is at the root of the Berney Arms issue, and indeed the Beauchamp Arms as well.

Oh thats good then - if the market is oversupplied then house prices will fall! Its an open market and will react to simple supply/ demand criteria.and finally the expectation that house prices will always rise , will finally be seen to be false!

And no workmen!! Just around the bend they even have a 20mph zone - with no cones and no workmen either!! Why cannot those daft restrictions be suspended when nothing is being done although to be fair, even the average Norfolk driver mostly ignores these ridiculous limits Chris I am glad you think the rail situation will alter any time soon. Norwich in 90 is still a fantasy and will not happen until they alter Trowse bridge and thats not even on the distant horizon! How about 2030? Even then it will hardly be high speed! i think you will all be surprised at just how long it will take to build all those new houses - our building industry has not produced enough new houses to cope over the last 20 years - what makes you think it will do so now. I reckon it will take sometime to build them - probably not in the lifetime of most contributors!!

Would have been just as easy to move the boat across the river to the quay instead of all that resource to transfer him!!!! Or is that a bit obvious?? Still the boys love a "shout"!!!

Cannot be the same bitterns Vaughan - Norfolk bitterns seem to be a bit lazier as i don't think i have ever seen one as high as that! Normally they seem to be about a foot or so above the reedbeds and as soon as they see you watching them, down they go! The only time I have ever seen them here for more than a few seconds is if you catch them crossing open water - once saw one fly over Barton, and another time it jumped up out of the reeds on the Waveney and flew up river in front of the boat - not especially attractive up the chuff!!

This time of the year its not that uncommon to hear bitterns booming - the trouble is some people find it hard to "hear " them and at the same time they tend to boom when we are still abed! There is no doubt that there are a few more around these days _ in fact the last couple of years the RSPB have no longer had people out listening. Equally there is a lot of other "noise" around like diesels and certainly whilst going along, you have to be pretty close to hear the boom over the engine! Fleet Dyke and the marshes to the west towards Ranworth is a good spot to hear them and up the Ant valley before How Hill, Buttle Marsh and around Reedham Water, Further up Sharp Street and onto Barton and then the Ant up to Wayford and Sutton Broad are also good areas up north. And almost anywhere above Martham - towards Somerton and on Heigham, Horsey and Hickling too Down South Strumpshaw Fen is also a favoured spot as well as the reed fringes and beds from Somerleyton down to Oulton, An eerily exciting sound as is a sighting - thats a bit harder generally.

Contact adhesive might not work but if you don't want the work of glassing in, try any multi purpose building adhesive like Gripfill etc - they glue caravans together these days you know!!

PW - when Albion is down at Oulton this year, I am sure you can arrange for yourself to quant right around the Broad. Ask nicely and someone will even probably hold your jacket.....!!! I guess most crew prefer the 4 stroke quant these days!!

Point taken Viking but look at it another way. It is essential for the survival of the wherries that they take out charters and i suspect charterers like schedules. Do they want to get back at 5 o'clock or do they want to wait until the tide turns and get home after midnight? I guess you can work that one out!! And equally i guess the volunteers that make up the crew also want a degree of certainty. I have often had to deal with volunteers and believe me, in this day and age you can easily "bust" them and they then disappear!! That will not help those out on the following day. Cannot remember where the thread was but i guess the wherries that do sail the Broads are not the handiest of boats and whilst they can tack, and indeed do, you will not be surprised to learn that the wherrymen of old would often tie up at the nearest pub if wind and tide were against them. Thats a luxury today, you can ill afford. Remember Albion was a Southern Rivers wherry built for bigger rivers and tacking down the Ant on Friday afternoon on the flood might upset a.few! A smaller Northern rivers wherry might cope but I think you should just be grateful to see them around at all, being pushed by tenders or not!!!

And thats twice in the same post i have had to agree with PW !!!! Fender sox - a definite no no for me who has seen the damage they can do on a coloured hull!!!

Well boys you will be pleased to learn that is exactly what Ferry's new Whisper Emblem has fitted - it will make manoeuvering a doddle - or it should!! As for fenders i agree with JM its a retrograde step although i guerss a bit like me most of you have a garage full! What is it that everyones picks up fenders they don't need " just in case" but you hardly ever need one, hence my collection!

You are exactly right Timbo - the two traditional wherries left, Maud and Albion, are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of wherries built. Both are quite large but many smaller ones worked the upper reaches of the northern Rivers especially and if you look back at the lists of old wherries in e.g. Black Sailed Traders, you will see many smaller ones. Some of the smaller ones which used to work the marl pits at Little Switzerland were i believe under 30,' a different kettle of fish to the larger ones. Sadly none exist afloat although you can get an idea of the size by looking at the "modern" Maid of the Mist alongside the tin roofed house at Wayford. I suppose if ever a new wherry were to be built (never!! ) you would look at building a 40'/45' one - that in itself would be a challenge but might be of historical interest in that one of that size would have been able to reach most places. It would also be easier to maintain!!!

I have an idea - instead of starting all over again on Hunsett Mill, lets just resurrect the innumerable pages that were generated at the time!! Save everyone a lot of typing!!! Architecture is a matter of view - quality architecture will last the test of time but suffice it to say there are some who like the new addition.

The Rangers can already check tolls from their computers - not sure what all the speculation is about?? And as Strow says, you only have to keep your eyes open for those who have NOT paid and on any patch thats not going to be too many. They already chase up the yards that do not pay until forced too so its not really much of an issue - typical of a Forum to try and make something out of not a lot!!!! All of you - go outside and do some gardening instead please!!!

Just remembered the Rangers have had the ability to type in a regn no and check toll paid - indeed I think they have had access to this info on the water for at least a couple of years..

Typical Forum response to a BA initiative!! As Strow says, there have been a number of posts to suggest this and the BA taken to task for not moving with the times and now they do......!!! The colour coding seemed to me to be a good idea but I shall no longer have to clean the residue off the hull I suppose. I guess the running ink was the straw that broke the camels back but hey ho, it must just be me getting old!!.

Well there is an excuse - they just don't care too much!!!

Hi Robin - this is Norfolk i am afraid and like motor caravans, most boats are owned and run by those of a certain age!! Whilst you may of course be right, I suspect the timescale may be nearer 20/25 years or even longer rather than the one you mention. There are insufficient electric points for a start and they are very expensive to put in, and in many cases electricity just isnt in sight at these moorings. At the same time, a large proportion if individuals never go near a formal mooring and to be honest I do not suppose they will. However if you are looking for predictions, which you were not, my guess is that new hire boats will first have to fit grey water tanks - there is already one afloat!! Changing habits affect water quality and the environmental lobby would love to stop you having one or more showers a day with the consequent discharge of shower gel!!! Showering in the morning is also a main factor in the engine running saga - come down the Ant in the early morning and the engine running for showers is very evident. Can never quite understand why you cannot have a shower whilst going along - you warm the water quicker in any case!!!

Not intended to - in fact believe it or not I knew nothing about it!!! What amazes me most, is just how much does go on - I try to keep tabs on most things, but always a few bits creep past the edges, so to speak!!

Thanks Pete for putting that on!! Mike is a wherry skipper and a good ol' Norfolk boy!!!

Poppy - how wise you are!!! Wind makes a huge difference in mpg, far more than cruise control. As indeed do road surfaces. To be honest I cannot really detect much difference in mpg using cruise, although I understand what people say but a decent breeze ruins the numbers. On a 3 hr trip recently it was nearly 20% worse heading into it (roughly) to the return later. Same speed, same temperature, similar time etc etc but probably a consistently strong fresh headwind on the outward leg