Back To The Summer Of 1976?...

[Guest]

I've heard a few people comment, that the weather is very similar now, to the start of the 'long hot summer of 1976'. I remember that summer as being the best ever, but I was only 21 at the time. The girls were beautiful, the beer was cool(ish), music was everywhere and we all had a wonderful time, that just went on and on...

I suppose, if you're younger than 50, it's not going to mean a lot. But for us old f*rts, it was an absolutely magical summer. I guess it did have it's downside, like the drought that came with the unbroken sunshine & high temperatures, but I can't remember the beer running out, so all was good... I seem to remember, unsurprisingly, that water levels around parts of the broads were very low, but it didn't seem to spoil the fun...

Does anyone else have any memories of that wonderful summer?. One of my abiding memories was the "No more than two inches of water in your bath, rule". Didn't bother me, I was only 'eight stone soaking wet' anyway, so no problem...

[NorfolkNog]

Yep, remember it well. We hired Falcon from Easticks at Acle. It was certainly thirsty work in the heat. All Watneys then I seem to remember so the likes of Wood Farm, Sutton Staithe and the Locks were a welcome oasis! 

[Maxwellian]

We went on the Caledonia Canal that year.

[ChrisB]

Judith and I were building our seawych mostly in swimming clothes. My goodness it was a good job we were young and could work fast as the resin was going off in seconds.

[MauriceMynah]

That was the first year my parents owned a boat, so no broads for us, we had 76 on the rivers Lea & Stort. Our boatyard limited water to 10 gallons per boat per week. that was a really fun year. I seem to be a year older than Kingfisher666

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, NorfolkNog said:

I seem to remember so the likes of Wood Farm, Sutton Staithe and the Locks were a welcome oasis! 

The 'Wood Farm Inn' at Wayford Bridge, has good memories that year. We met some lovely girls from Sea Palling there...

[Guest]

I wasn't born then but I am wondering, haven't girls always been beautiful? 

[Bound2Please]

20th April 1976 we brought Hiede out of |Harold Wood hosptal, being told make sure you wrap that little dear up with all this snow. There was in fact approx from memory 8 - 9ins of it the roads all iced over.

By the 1st June we had had to buy a paddling pool for the Wench to sit in holding her to keep her cool. Unbroken sunshine, until October, worked my **** off due to expansion problems at work.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

That was the first year my parents owned a boat, so no broads for us, we had 76 on the rivers Lea & Stort. Our boatyard limited water to 10 gallons per boat per week. that was a really fun year. I seem to be a year older than Kingfisher666

MauriceMynah, we're probably about the same age, I was 21 when the summer began and 22 by the time it finished...

[MauriceMynah]

I'm not going to be a deviant on this thread.

[Regulo]

Why change now? 

[Bound2Please]

2 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I'm not going to be a deviant on this thread.

To much info MM

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Jayfire said:

I wasn't born then but I am wondering, haven't girls always been beautiful? 

They most certainly have, but that year they seemed to be especially beautiful. Bra's seemed to be an unnecessary part of that summer's dress code, which did help form my opinion!...

[FairTmiddlin]

76 the year of Aphids and Ladybirds

The year started quite average buy by June it really was a scorcher

details if anyone is interested are available on a month by month list from Met Office here

https://goo.gl/dUaSXh

I remember it being the year of the big economic downturn. I was made redundant that year, was out of work most of the summer. Boy did we enjoy that but, by September I had to knuckle down and get a job. Good job I was single.

[charlesa]

I can't remember whether we made it to the Broads that summer but what I do remember was having a severe bout of heat stroke and ending up in hospital for several days aged 15. The beauty of this is that I was unable to take most of my O levels and the exam board gave me estimated grades which were almost certainly better than I would have actually achieved myself !!

Result !!

[NorfolkNog]

14 minutes ago, Jayfire said:

haven't girls always been beautiful?

Still are JF, particularly the Sussex ones 

Yes, the Wood Farm was good, very popular and had something for everyone. Shame it went. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, NorfolkNog said:

Still are JF, particularly the Sussex ones 

I wouldn't know about that Mr Nog, but my girl sure is 

[Springsong]

I was working at The Royal Beach Hotel Southsea in 1976. Black jacket striped trousers a nd waistcoat  was the uniform, that was very warm work, on the plus side  good sailing in the Solent and a ready supply of Lark dinghies from the Poly sailing club. That year Courage introduced Kronenbourg  1861. Courage could not brew enough of it , we were selling around 100 gallons of it alone a week. Martini were on strike as were the Italian glass bottle industry.

A useless piece of information a cricket match in Buxton Derbyshire was snowed off on June the 12th, the sun came out afterwards and went back in in October

Nato had an exercise in the North Atlantic and got hit by a huge storm with many ships damaged, they put into Portsmouth and we had thousands of foreign sailors every night on shore leave ; that was the first and thankfully the only time I watched the American MP Shore Patrols in action they were evil.

[Springsong]

I am sorry Howard we did sell Courage Best Bitter and Directors but I have never been a courage fan, and it was too hot to drink English beer, for my taste at least.

[TheQ]

Well the first part of 1976 I was living in Milton Keynes  Training at the Civil Aviation Authority School of Telecomunications Engineering... Which was in Bletchley Park

I also took my driving test the day the summer weather broke in a huge thunderstorm, the emergency stop was interesting with all that water on top of the accumulated oil...

[ranworthbreeze]

We were the Trent and Mersey canal that year, lock gates were padlocked at 6.00pm to conserve water and passage was difficult in places, barge poles were in constant use.

Water, boats and sunshine it gets no better.

Regards

Alan

 

[VetChugger]

I remember this very well indeed! Mainly due to a rather tender and well roasted pair of shoulders. We were out on "Morgans Treasure" from Bucaneer Boats who were ex Pirate Craft at Brundall. My mate was out on Alphacrafts "Mustang".

A lingering memory is being outsde at the "Loaves & Fishes" by the yacht station at Beccles for rather a long time and managing to get through rather a lot of falling down water! Loved it! As was a trend at the time among a few, we had hair way down past our shoulders along with the multi patched Levis and tie dyed  grandad shirts! Yes, we were 60's leftovers.

[deebee29]

I was 16 & remember being burnt to a crisp after falling asleep on Whitley Bay beach after consuming a number of tinnies.

Later in the year when the summer finally broke we were in a rowing boat in the middle of Coniston Water in the Lake District.

The lightening storm was amazing to watch but a bit frightening being in such a small boat surrounded by all that water as the wind got up & the heavens opened and lightning going round the lake touching the mountain tops.

Rowing back was interesting, we had to pull in & let my mate off with his young sister so they could walk back to the camp site. she was terrified and screaming her head off.

Ahh Happy days

[StillCruising]

Mmmmm I remember it well. We had Benmore that year. Judging by the clothes it must have been before the summer really heated up. I also remember filling up my MG with petrol and later in the day an alarmed neighbour knocked on the door to tell me that there was fuel coming out of the filler when it had expanded in the heat. I had to go and pick up the girl friend then drive to the pub just to reduce the level in the tank, a right hardship !

[Guest]

I was only a toddler, but do remember the yellow lawn and a sandstone wall near our house covered in ladybirds