Broads01

Blimey Jay, you do like putting some miles on the clock. Why 6 months away, was it work?

Thanks for the tip. I've done something similar when I've had a crew member on hand to hold a bow rope tightly round a post but I've never thought of doing it solo.

Enjoying your tale Jean. It's amazing how wind affects some boats a lot more than others. Thurne isn't that easy to turn, especially for larger boats. I always try and get the bows well in to the little Dyke to the right before using reverse. Even having done that in September and with a modest 35 foot length, it took a few forward and reverses to turn afterwards. Depending on how far away from the mill your mooring spot is, it can be simpler just to reverse out.

Very handy for checking mooring availability in busy periods.

Thanks for the advice all, very helpful. I've stopped at the Ferry House a few times but never noticed the water hose there. I'm aboard Saturday 9th to Thursday 14th. Helen, our paths are sure to cross somewhere to say hello and Malcom, likewise if our dates overlap.

Good point Neil and I tend to agree. I could understand them not wanting pets if I was hiring a brand new boat but I wanted Silver Mystique which must be around 30 years old.

Next month I'll be hiring Song of Freedom for 5 nights on the south Broads and it'll be my first experience of November hiring. I was originally due to hire at the end of October but I've postponed for family reasons. Daylight hours will be short and I'm looking forward to sampling pub food and drink in the evenings. I'm wondering if there are any issues with the time of year I need to be aware of. Where might be closed? Are water hoses still available? Are high water levels more likely?

I've been dithering for a while about what boat to book for my solo trip next April and finally decided today to go for a boat from Silverline. I was all set to phone them, credit card in hand to check if they'd accept a solo booking with dog but at the last moment noticed their charge for "one small dog" (which he is) is an eye-watering £70 per week. I have no issue with paying a fee for him as I've no doubt there are costs associated with additional cleaning and the £35 Barnes Brinkcraft charge isn't too bad. However, £70 is out of all proportion and Silverline have lost my business because of it.

Thanks for the write up and photos, Peter. Very enjoyable. I'm intrigued to know how you managed to get a very non-standard 8 nights out of Herbert Woods and if they're willing to be flexible about pricing and availability.

I'm impressed how you've managed to hire from HW for 8 nights, very non-standard. Did they do that for the price of a standard week?

In the words of Billy Connolly, if you don't like the weather in Scotland, hang on for 20 minutes 😊

Yep, Herbert Woods have a limited number of boats available in November, so do Freedom.

I'm amazed the Reedham Ferry is shut every Monday and Tuesday. What do they think they are, a hairdressing salon? I think that sends a "we're struggling" message to customers and that tends to out people off. I had a meal there last year and the food was OK but not very memorable. Thanks for your tale and photos Cal, I enjoyed.

Thanks for the write up and photos Malcom, and thanks for the mentions as well. One of your How Hil photos has our boat on it which is handy. It was good to wave to you and in fact I spotted your boat at Potter and at Johnny Crowes staithe also. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future and we can meet properly that time.

Ah. I was wondering if he's part-Lhasa Apso as he reminds me of our dog Rollie.

Great pic. What breed is Sydney?

Enjoy Andy. For my trip last week I ended up on Benmore 2 because I had my Mum with me, but I do fancy one if the Velvets for the future. Bearing in mind the time of year and having hired with Barnes twice this year, I'm happy to say they're doing something right with their batteries. On both boats I could switch the heating on whenever and even the microwave and the voltage always held up without ever needing to start the engine. Very impressive.

Some images from the week.

Cheers for that. Bentley and Rollie look quite alike. Here's Rollie enjoying St Benets.

Saturday 28th September It was an early start and a sunny, if cold cruise back to Wroxham. I remember from my hire in May how frantic the boatyard seemed on changeover day and it was even more so this time. We were beckoned to moor along the river front at which point the staff rapidly turned the boat around, refuelled, pumped out and then moved us away around the back of the holiday flats. The boatyard has limited refuelling points and we were told they were expecting 45 boats back and 30 going back out. The holiday flats mooring meant I couldn't drive the car right to the boat but we managed OK. We used £65 worth of fuel which I thought was pretty reasonable given the mileage we'd covered. Overall we had a fabulous week and we were really pleased. When hiring for a week I tend to go south for part of the time but staying north this time and covering shorter distances was a welcome and relaxing change. The weather was a mixed bag but probably more dry than wet overall. I really liked Benmore 2 overall - I'll do a review in the hire boat section. I'll post some photos, probably later today.

Friday 27th September Our last full day. We made the most of a bright morning as we continued upstream, back through Horning and initially as far as St Benets. This is a particularly good dog exercising spot, especially if you have a dog like Rollie who knows his own mind as to whether he feels like coming back to you when he's off the lead. In spite of Rollie's interest in some fishermen sat the other side of the fence he'd wandered towards, I caught up with him and moved him on under sufferance. With or without dog at St Benets I always enjoy walking across to the Cross on the mound because you get a great vista of the surrounding rivers, including Womack and Thurne in the distance. We returned to the boat and continued back to the Thurne. I like stopping at Womack Island but with availability rare there we were pleasantly surprised to see it empty. Despite sunshine all morning a rain deluge arrived seemingly from nowhere not long after we'd stopped. By the time we set off after some food however the sun was shining again. We chugged up to Womack Staithe and made use of an empty space by the water hose. The water tap there is possibly the slowest anywhere on the Broads but we were away soon enough and retraced our path back to a last night destination. We wanted to eat out and it was a toss up between Horning Ferry of there was space to moor or otherwise continue to Wroxham. I'm an avid follower of "Admiral" Russell Thomson's videos and coincentally he was also hiring from Barnes this week. Having been corresponding with him I knew he'd be at Horning somewhere and I was delighted to see his boat at the Ferry Inn and still a single mooring space remaining. Russell and I had never met face to face, save for waving in passing on Breydon a year ago but this time when I knocked on his window he was pleased to come and shake my hand and chat. Unfortunately our meal in the Ferry was poor. We opted for the carvery but wished we hadn't - it wasn't hot enough and the potatoes were very hard having clearly sat out too long. We complained and at least they dealt with that well and offered us free drinks. After eating we joined Russell for a drink and enjoyed talking all things boating and more besides.

Thursday 26th September continued I approached the bridge slowly, concentrating hard to make our passage as central and perpendicular as I possibly could. I didn't dare throttle up to anything like the pace the pilots use but I was also conscious not to be over tentative and maintain enough momentum to steer effectively. As we approached, I could see we easily had enough clearance. I continued, straight as a die although I do say it myself, with absolutely acres of space. Before we passed through I had visions of being turned down again the following day and making do with a repeat visit to Coltishall so it felt really good to be through. We continued in the sunshine before stopping for the night at Salhouse Spit. It was a peaceful spot, us being one of only three boats on the long length of mooring opposite Hoveton Great Broad.

Thursday 26th September We had a fairly leisurely start to the day given that with low water at the bridge late in the day we wouldn't be able to pass through until afternoon. We set off just before 10 and chugged as far as Belaugh where we stopped at the church staithe. The sign there indicates "pilgrims path to the church" (not sure why it's called that) and we took a walk up the hill to the church and a little beyond. We set off again a short time later and arrived at the Hoveton moorings around lunch time. Clearance at the bridge at that point was only 6 foot 9 so we visited Roy's and relaxed on the boat for a while. By 3pm clearance was 6 foot 10 and this being close to what it had been when we passed through easily the day before I phoned Barnes and requested them to take us through. I was surprised at the response "I'm not sure you'll get through today, water levels have risen" and the confirmatory call back a short time later "can't get you through today, please phone in the morning". I was perplexed and to be honest, somewhat annoyed. The day before at 6 foot 11 we had been taken through very comfortably. Now it was 6 foot 10 and low water wasn't for another 3 hours and yet somehow now the bridge was impassable. I walked up to Barnes to politely communicate my confusion. They wouldn't budge: "If my guys say it won't go through I won't make them take you through." I pressed no further and walked away. Shortly before 5pm, I talked to the bridge pilot as he stepped off a boat he'd just brought through and asked him if water levels were higher today than yesterday. He replied that they were and I told him I was confused why Barnes were refusing. He said "It's 6 foot 11 now and I could take you through at 6 foot 9 but I'm not allowed to". We left the mooring to get water at the old Porter and Haylett yard across the river and whilst we filled up I made a decision - I would take us through myself. I had seen how much room we had to spare at 6 foot 11 yesterday, we had full water tanks and I had enough experience to get us up close to the bridge and abort if at all necessary. I could see exactly where the high point on the boat was and the shape of the screen in front of me and where it would conflict with the arch. Unlike other boatyards, Barnes don't insist you use a pilot service (and I would never go against the official pilot). To be continued....

Wednesday 25th September We rejoined the Bure turning right back towards Wroxham as our destination today wss Coltishall, Wroxham Bridge permitting. The weather was bright as we set off but by the time we reached Horning a heavy rain shower came our way and that proved to be the weather pattern for the day. We made a detour in to Hoveton Little Broad and had the place to ourselves as we mudweighted for a while. We continued to Salhouse to stretch our legs and there it was remarkably quiet also. We had a lovely spot on the extreme upstream end of the moorings, a beautiful lunchtime view. As we approached Wroxham later the bridge marker showed 6 foot 11 and I wasn't certain we'd be able to pass through. Barnes take their own boats through rather than subscribing to the bridge pilot. After water and pump out we were taken through the bridge with plenty of room to spare. The boat manual states 7 foot is needed for this boat but I think it's more like 6 foot 9 in reality. We enjoyed a very quiet cruise to Coltishall and we didn't see another boat at all until we were past Belaugh. At that point the helmsman coming downstream frantically shouted towards me "There's no spaces!" and gestured for me to turn around. I had no intention of doing so, so I just smiled and waved because I knew he was one of the many who believe the last mooring at Coltishall is at The Rising Sun. Well, no it isn't and whilst, sure enough, the moorings at the Common were full (save for a couple of the usual numptys who insist on occupying the centre of a double space) I knew Coltishall Lock would be OK which was our intended mooring all along. This time I had no issues with the rhond anchors. We had a peaceful walk and a peaceful evening.

Tuesday 24th September It felt like autumn had started with drizzle first thing turning to full-on rain by the time we reached Stalham. I last visited the Broads Museum 19 years ago and Mum had never been so it felt like an ideal rainy day option. It's improved a lot since I last visited and there's a lot to see spread across four buildings. We were able to camber inside a model of the living quarters of the wherry Albion, see hire industry memorabilia and see a complete timeline of Broads history. Having finished at the museum we made a visit to Tescos and then returned to our mooring at Richardsons. There were hardly any Richardsons boats on Swan Quay so I'm guessing they were almost fully booked this week. By the time we 'sailed' once more around 2pm the rain had cleared and we headed for Neatishead. The Ant and Barton Broad were very quiet so surely there would be a mooring at Neatishead early afternoon? Not a chance, ten boats in situ, looking like they'd been there for hours. We wanted to eat out and we opted for the Dog at Ludham Bridge. Fortunately there were spaces there arriving around 3-45. We managed to avoid rain all afternoon until after we'd stopped, (although we had a very wet walk back to the boat from the pub in the evening). Before we went out Rollie and I enjoyed a walk along the river bank down as far as the farm moorings below the bridge. We enjoyed the Dog and the gluten free options were really good.