Brundall

[Wyndham]

I've been having some thoughts, if my fingers could keep up with my mind there would be more of these.

Is Brundall the capital of the south, there sure are a lot of impressive craft moored there and I've recently spent a fair amount of time there but the place feels like it's just waiting to be either sunk or dragged begrudgingly into the 2000's

Some years back, Mrs W and I viewed a craft from Silverline with the intention of hiring the following year, a fairly decent vessel she was too, but when we left our  talk was about the area. (proper shallow we are mind) Is this where we want to start our holiday? It so reminds me of a visit to the breakers yard with my dad in the 70's. ( I know that last comment will  be lost on a lot of the forum users)

We  have eaten at the pub, good, we have eaten at the bistro, good, but It needs more. Something for the kids, at Alphacrafts site, or the Swancraft site. Maybe Tingdene, but then they don't give a toss as they charge so much and are full.

When you think , Potter, Stalham, Wroxham, the most popular places to hire all have supermarkets.

Stick one in Brundall riverside of the railway, make people feel welcome.

Options are limited I accept, and I also accept nothing will happen, the business have nothing to gain

I'm confused don't shoot me down

[LondonRascal]

As a new 'Brundall' regular I have been impressed with the food in the Yare, and very much so with the food, ambience and cheap prices of the East Hills Bistro. I like how many people, even on cold days like today are in these come day or evening so for that I recon it has things covered but it does need something between the two and you know what the area is crying out for? A way for visiting boats to easily moor and enjoy this little eccentric part of the Broads.

But I also think the Bistro idea could be used elsewhere up on the northern rivers so you have choice - not just another pub - to go to. It of course does feel a bit 'Norfolk' slow, dated and odd but take that away and you loose the charm I just think how it once would have been when the Riverside Estate was home to so many hire yards.

[BroadAmbition]

Much as I like Brundall - And I do very much, probably something to do with the heady days of Brooms in the 60's and 70's when we were regular visitors / hirers,  it will never be the 'Capital of the south' when it has such limited moorings for visiting craft hire and private alike.

Capital of the south? - both Beccles and Oulton have to be contenders

Griff

[Chelsea14Ian]

We have had boats for nearly nine years now,and all but three or four months  have been based at Brundall. At Eastwoods,which is now NBS and now cove.Both of which great moorings. We also get on with other yards and spend lots in wards.For us it' good and handy to be based.The Yare is our local,I am not a great fan of the food it's okay but the same menus since I can remember. That said its still our local.Okay it' not the same as many northen places.There are shops in the village,Okay not close to the water and it would be nice if there were more visitor moorings. 

[vanessan]

Beccles for me, a lovely market town. But you can’t hire boats (other than day boats) there anymore! A great shame as it has so much to offer. Brundall was always a good place to hire from but, as has been said, not a lot to offer near to the river and no decent visitor moorings. In our hiring days we had a number of boats from Brundall so the lack of facilities didn’t really bother us as it was onto the boat and away asap! Anyone remember Willowcraft Boatyard at Brundall? So many Brundall boatyards long gone. 

[SwanR]

Brundall is easier to get to by car than many other places when coming from the south. We always notice how it feels that bit longer to get to Wroxham or Horning to start our holiday than it did when we hired from Brundall. But for visitors, depending on whether you are arriving by boat, or visiting by car, I think anywhere that is going to be popular needs:

Visitor moorings

Car parking

Somewhere to walk by the river

Shops and places to eat

Brundall doesn't really have this so I agree that Beccles or Oulton Broad fit the bill better. Brundall also loses out because there's no bridge so if you're visiting other than by boat, you can't cross the river!!

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Brundall is easier to get to by car than many other places when coming from the south. We always notice how it feels that bit longer to get to Wroxham or Horning to start our holiday than it did when we hired from Brundall. But for visitors, depending on whether you are arriving by boat, or visiting by car, I think anywhere that is going to be popular needs:

Visitor moorings

Car parking

Somewhere to walk by the river

Shops and places to eat

Brundall doesn't really have this so I agree that Beccles or Oulton Broad fit the bill better. Brundall also loses out because there's no bridge so if you're visiting other than by boat, you can't cross the river!!

Maybe things would have changed if the Broom brokerage moorings had been made into visitor moorings?

[Simon]

This is interesting to read as we are bringing our boat to moor permanently at Brooms in one months time.

i think everything that's been said is true, we choose Brundall for ease of getting to by road, southern broads, decent pub and bistro nearby, Wards, good village  albeit a little walk away. we saw the area as a good base from which to visit the other more popular tourist locations.

As Swanr has said, visitor moorings and a shop, walks ect. Is what it needs to liven the area up however as London Rascal has said it might loose some of that sleepy charm.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Part of the problem is  the geography.As far as I can see there is no space to put a shop close to the water.Do the yards want to invest in shops?maybe not they perhaps put there money in there core business. 

[NeilB]

I’m sure there used to be a shop immediately upstream of Brooms, can remember mooring outside early 90’s?  When did that close?

[BroadAmbition]

There was, it was well stocked / presented and well used too.  It was almost compulsory for crews to visit the shop before setting off on the start of their holiday cruise.  There were also visitor moorings right outside the shop too

Griff

[Chelsea14Ian]

If its the one I am thinking of about 4 or five years ago.Brooms have I think got a small shop further back.Must say never used it thou 

[ZimbiIV]

It was called,

Boatique, sold everything you didn't know you needed.

paul

[Guest]

You do obviously realise that brundall is predominantly an industrial area , there are and have yet to be mentioned not one but 2 Coop's in the village and one of the best hardware store in Norfolk who can and will get you anything , sure there aren't any visitors Moorings but is its pretty easy to get to the village from church fen BA moorings .

If you arrive by train there arnt so many places that drop you so close to the boat yards and there's a direct and frequent bus service into Norwich on the high street 

Pubs wise iv used both the ram and the yare both are extremely clicky neither is in my mind a good pub IMO but it sort of redeems itself with an excellent fish n chip shop .

Incidentally brooms do have visitor Mooring's and this is not the fuel and water dock that some think they can tie up and leave their boat for hrs on end !  , hire craft I believe can use the remaining hire yards 

[Guest]

We really like Brundall, nice village with good shops etc and the closest point on the Broads to where we live. Riverside is a unique place, such a concentration of boating and pretty much nothing else, and so quiet and peaceful even in peak season, paradise

 

 

 

[vanessan]

I believe Broom’s visitor moorings are alongside the services dock, I think it is marked as such. 

[TostockTimonier]

18 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

There was, it was well stocked / presented and well used too.  It was almost compulsory for crews to visit the shop before setting off on the start of their holiday cruise.  There were also visitor moorings right outside the shop too

Griff

Back in the mid eighties, didn't  they sell maggots there.

[Vaughan]

Brundall is certainly not the same as it was in the 60s! Sadly it is another example of how the departure of the hire boatyards has taken the infrastructure with it. If you think about it, you can't moor in Wroxham any more either - at least not easily.

The dyke opposite the Norwich entrance to Surlingham Broad was dug out by Blakes, as a free mooring with access to the town via Brundall Gardens station. Along the river front were Bell Boats, Tidecraft and Brooms, all with moorings and to the east of Brooms was a dyke with moorings going up to the Yare Hotel. This is now part of Brooms marina. Further along opposite Coldham Hall was Harvey Eastwood, at the corner of the long dyke where there were many small yards, all offering overnight free moorings. The second dyke, now the Brundall Bay marina, had not been dug out again in those days.

The riverside stores was run by Jim and Peggy Cole, the owners of Tidecraft and parents of Jimmy Cole of the NYA. It was the place where everyone on the Yare went to stock up their boats and in the days when Jenners was running, they did a roaring trade on a Sunday morning!

The Yare Hotel was a rough old pub in those days but at the top of Station Road was the White Horse, which was one of the best in the whole area. It is now a little row of executive houses. There was also the Old Beams Restaurant, which had a renowned menu.

 

[boycee]

The shop was owned by a lady called Penny who was really pleasant. Her brother I believe owns one of Brundall's boat brokerages who amongst other things are agents for Pedro boats. As Griff says the shop was a must stop and sold everything from Chandlerey to clothes,fishing gear groceries and papers. Must admit we miss it and the good service it gave.Just read Vaughan's post and it is Jim Cole, Penny's brother

Boycee

 

 

 

[Vaughan]

2 minutes ago, boycee said:

The shop was owned by a lady called Penny

Penny was Jimmy's wife, daughter in law of Jim and Peggy, who founded the shop in the mid 50s.

[boycee]

Sorry Vaughan my mistake, always thought that he was her brother

Boycee

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, vanessan said:

I believe Broom’s visitor moorings are alongside the services dock, I think it is marked as such. 

They most certainly are , however it depends on how many brooms hire boats are in for access to them .

[Vaughan]

10 minutes ago, boycee said:

Sorry Vaughan my mistake, always thought that he was her brother

 

Actually you've got me thinking now! His wife in the 80s was Wendy, but I don't think she was the first! So it could be that Penny was his sister.

[vanessan]

30 minutes ago, Ricardo said:

They most certainly are , however it depends on how many brooms hire boats are in for access to them .

You certainly have to pick your moment to go into Broom’s. Time it wrong and you’ve no hope!

[webntweb]

1 hour ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

If its the one I am thinking of about 4 or five years ago.Brooms have I think got a small shop further back.Must say never used it thou 

A couple of years longer than that. If you look at Google maps (satellite view) the shop was on the riverfront. After demolishing it they dug out a couple of moorings adjacent to where Google maps shows Pedro boats. The small shop in Brooms boatyard closed last year - it was only open for a couple of years.

Roy