A Week On Bronze Emblem October 2018

[YnysMon]

Saturday 13^th October

Me, hubby Graham, our eldest son Harry and collie dog Seren on this trip.  When we originally booked we thought it would be just me and Graham, but Harry has managed to book the week off work and is intending sleeping on the sofa-bed.

We left MK just before 8am, and stopped off at our usual Costa’s coffee break at Caxton Gibbet – toasted teacake for me this time as I’ve decided that having a toastie messes up my appetite.  Harry had a wrap of some sort and Graham a Danish and a muffin.  (Now that’s just greedy!)  Once on our way again we had a very good journey.  Lovely weather today too, sunny and a very pleasant 21°C even before 10am.

We got to Wroxham and Hoveton around 10:30.  Graham took Seren for a walk and then joined us in Roy’s for the fresh food shop.  After we’d stashed away the food in the car we went to check the bridge – 7½ ‘, which sounds like plenty for the boat we’ve hired this week – Bronze Emblem, which has 7’1” air-draft with canopy and screens down (well, that’s the ‘official’ figure).  I emailed them a few weeks ago to ask what the air-draft is with canopy up – they kindly measured her for me – 7’9”.

We toyed with the idea of going to the Station Smokehouse for lunch and started off in that direction.  However, none of us were very hungry, so as we were passing Massingham’s butchers we changed our minds and popped in to buy a pie/pasty each and some water, which we ate sitting on one of the benches facing Hoveton St John moorings.  They were very tasty…lovely pastry and good filling, but slightly salty for our taste (probably because we have been trying to cut down on salt). 

By this time, it was getting on for noon, so we thought it would be worth phoning up the yard to see if we might pick up the boat early.  Not only was she ready, but the receptionist said that she’d been trying to contact me earlier to say that we could pick up the boat early.   (Note to self…make sure the boatyard has your latest mobile number!)

We had the usual very friendly welcome at the yard.  The receptionist insisted we bring Seren in so she could make a fuss of her. 

Ian (the guy who had done the handover for our first trip with Ferry Marina in 2016) gave us a quick and very efficient handover, so it wasn’t long before we were on our way.

I took the helm to leave the Marina, and handed over to Harry just after Cockshoot Dyke.  Harry has sailed the Broads on several Hunter’s boats, but he’s never been on a motor cruiser before, so this was a new experience for him. 

Don’t know whether it was the fresh oncoming breeze, but the steering needed a lot of input initially to keep in a (relatively) straight line.

We stopped at St Benet’s for Seren to have a run.  I thought it would be more sheltered inside the old mill, but it was remarkably windy inside it.  The wind was blowing directly into the doorway and then blowing around it. 

When we got on our way again the wind seemed to be strengthening.  Once we passed Thurne Mouth the river became much quieter (boat wise).  I was surprised that there weren't many boats moored at Acle and when we got to Stokesby there was a space on the BA 24hr moorings, and 34p left on one of the electric points.  We were tickled to find we were moored in front of Fair Regent 3, which is the boat we hired last Autumn. 

Finished unpacking and then sat for a while watching telly/reading until almost 6pm before making our way into the Ferry Inn.  Seren got a lovely welcome from the landlady (who also has a collie).  Graham thought Christmas had come early – he was offered a low alcohol Ghostship (also a 0% Bitburger Drive, which he also likes). 

Harry had an IPA (can’t remember which) and I had a full-fat Ghostship.  The meals were enjoyed too – standard pub food, but done well.  I had a lovely Pork and Apple Burger, Graham had Scampi and Chips and Harry had their Fish and Chips. 

We watched the first hour or so of ‘The Fellowship of the Rings’ on ITV when we got back to the boat (how is it that every time Graham and I are on holiday one of the Lord of the Rings films seems to be on ITV2?) but my eyes started to droop and we were set for a dawn start tomorrow, so we settled for an early night shortly after 8pm. 

[SwanR]

Aha ... I will be very keen to read your tale Helen given that we had this boat at the same time last year. Isn't it odd how you can feel very proprietorial about boats you have hired, just like you mentioning seeing Fair Regent 3. :)

You certainly made the most of your first day to get down to Stokesby.

[YnysMon]

Thanks Jean...we booked Bronze Emblem on your recommendation!  She was lovely, very responsive engine (we were told it was replaced last year) and responsive steering and we had a really lovely week on her.  Seren was a bit frustrated though, she couldn't see out as easily as on Fair Regent, but you'll see from some photos much later in the week that she found her own solution!

Helen

[Broads01]

Good start, Helen, I shall enjoy reading. 

[YnysMon]

Sunday 14^th October

I didn’t have a good night’s sleep last night, despite going to bed so early.  Had really bad indigestion, and was up until around midnight, and even after that I kept waking up thinking it was dawning.  It was a very mild night too, and I was far too hot under the warm duvet.

Got up shortly after 6.30am, Graham took Seren out and we got on our way around 7.30, shortly after dawn.  The sunrise was beautiful.  Here's one taken at Stokesby just before we started off,

and another as we were passing Stracey Arms.

 

By the time we got to Yarmouth it was overcast.  I was quite pleased with this, as I had thought from the advance weather forecast that we'd have a lot of rain this morning.  Fairly still on Breydon Water though, like a mill pond really.

Harry took us though Yarmouth.  Not the easiest passage as a boat in front of our convoy was going very slowly and the orange Rico's bathtub behind us was obviously itching to overtake, which he did (on our starboard side) as soon as we passed the yellow post.  Harry had to drop speed again to fall behind him to get under the final bridge.  Of course, once on Breydon we left him and the other boats from our convoy miles behind.  For a little boat, Bronze Emblem packs quite a punch. 

We stopped at Berney Arms for half an hour or so to give Seren some exercise before continuing on our way to Loddon.

The passage through Reedham was a bit special.  As we were approaching the swing bridge started to open, obviously not for us!

Cantley factory was at full blast today.  Quite a sight from a distance, and a lovely beet smell overtook our senses when we later went past.

Before that though, we took a bit of a detour.  Harry enjoyed helming the boat up the Chet...

and did his first stern mooring (actually, his first ever cruiser mooring) at Loddon Staithe.

The only downside to this boat was Seren not being able to see out the front.  Never mind about having a parrot on your shoulder...Graham is setting a new precedent for old sea dogs!

We went to The White Horse for lunch, having had a lovely meal there last year.  It’s a very welcoming pub, especially if you have a dog with you.  Seren was given some biscuits and a bowl of water.  Graham and I both had their Roast Sirloin.  The veg and home-made roasties were lovely, but unfortunately the Yorkshires were a bit overdone…mine tasted positively burnt, so I asked the waitress if they could replace it – which they did, but the replacement wasn’t great either.  Never mind, all restaurants have the occasional hiccup and everything else was lovely – including Harry’s Sea Bass with Lemon Burre Blanc.

After lunch we left Loddon, Harry again enjoying helming down the narrow Chet.  When we joined the Yare it started drizzling and we had a fairly gloomy passage up to Bramerton. 

We moored up at Bramerton (our first mooring there!) in front of Moonlight Shadow, on the electric post furthest upstream.  The only credit was on the larger socket that we can’t normally use with the connection provided with the boat.  However, Graham had bought an adaptor, so we can now use any of the sockets!  We didn't go and introduce ourselves to the crew on Moonlight Shadow - it was a bit too wet for that!

Graham took Seren for a good walk around the common, then we settled down for a game of Monopoly whilst our potatoes baked in the oven.  We had these with venison steaks (from Roys) and heritage purple carrots (also from Roys).  I couldn’t find a peeler on board, so scaping purple carrots turned out a bit messy.  On reflection, I don't think purple carrots are worth the effort, as they didn't taste as sweet as the usual orange ones - at least not to my taste. I always like to try different foods though, and thought that Roy's had some interesting and slightly unusual locally produced veg on offer.

After dinner we watched a DVD - ‘Whisky Galore’ (the recent one with Gregor Fisher and Eddie Izzard) before turning into bed.  The TV signal wasn’t very strong at Bramerton, but at least we were able to watch the weather forecast. 

[SwanR]

Beautiful sunrise. I absolutely loved being at the helm of this boat although I really missed having a bow thruster! I see what you mean about the canine viewing position though!!

[YnysMon]

Hi Jean,

We weren't that fussed about the lack of a bow thruster to be honest, our last couple of hires on Fair Regent also being without that facility, and we feel that's it's made us more confident in mooring without having to rely on them. I was glad that Harry was learning the craft of mooring and getting off moorings without the aid of a bow thruster.  The first couple of motor cruisers that Graham and I hired did have bow thrusters, so when we were faced with a boat that didn't have them we were slightly worried - without reason of course.  

I agree - helming this boat was lovely!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, YnysMon said:

I didn’t have a good night’s sleep last night, despite going to bed so early.  Had really bad indigestion, and was up until around midnight, and even after that I kept waking up thinking it was dawning. 

That'll be the Ghostship Helen, you should have had much much more, you'd have slept like a log 

[YnysMon]

I don’t think so Jay...it was the porkie burger! I have an early memory of my Nain (Nan/Grandma, whatever) telling my Mum not to worry, but enjoy the pork roast she’d served up ‘just enjoy it whilst you can Ena’. 

[YnysMon]

Monday 15^th October

We left Bramerton this morning shortly before 9am.  The wind had dropped again but there was a fine drizzle which continued virtually all day.  Pretty gloomy really.

Seren has figured out a way of seeing what's ahead.

We didn’t see any other boats on the river until we were passing under the Novi Sad bridge.

Moored up in Norwich Yacht Station around 10am. 

We were lucky again and found more than 80p left on one of the posts.  We had coffee with Graham before Harry and I set off for a wander around Norwich, whilst Graham took Seren for a walk.  By the way, Harry pointed out that the same graffiti that graces (um?) the Postwick Viaduct can also be found near to top of the old gas works near the Yacht Station.  I'd never noticed that before...what a mad graffiti'ist!

 

On our way across Bishop's Bridge.

Harry and I went up to the Cathedral from Pull’s Ferry and spent over an hour looking around.  The organ was being tuned, which got a bit wearing after a while!

 

Went to The Goulash House (Hungarian Restaurant on St Stephen’s Road) for lunch.  It was a bit of a trek from the Cathedral, but well worth the effort as the food was good and very reasonably priced.  I had Chicken Bakonyi (chunks of chicken breast and mushrooms in a creamy paprika sauce) with Hungarian dumplings and Harry had their traditional Beef Goulash, also with dumplings (you can have boiled or mashed potatoes instead of dumplings if you wish).  Not bad for £7.99 each including a (non-alcoholic) drink.  They don’t have a licence but don’t mind you taking your own wine if you wish. I recommend!

After lunch we had a wander around the streets of Norwich.  We thought the Royal Arcade was lovely...

and there were some interesting stalls in the Market.  We had wanted to visit the Bridewell Museum (free entry), but found it was shut on Mondays. 

Feeling quite tired, we decided to return to the boat.  Before I changed from my wet things, Graham asked me to help him move the boat on her ropes as he had found that the nearest water hose wouldn’t reach.  I thought there was a water hose nearer the electric points last year…am I imagining that?  We almost lost our spot, as another couple who had moored further down had come along to check out the credit on the posts.  Once we had filled up and returned the boat to her original position near the electric, Graham went off for a shower. 

I made potato and celeriac mash, sausages and kale this evening, after which we watched ‘Autumn Watch’ before turning in for the night.

[YnysMon]

Tuesday 16th October

We were relieved to hear on yesterday’s news that the weather was set to improve, though when we woke this morning it was still cloudy with a fine misty drizzle, same as yesterday.

We left Norwich at dawn and as quietly as we could, Harry doing a commendable job of keeping his revs and speed down to a minimum.  We were aiming to get to Reedham as soon as possible after the turn of the tide. 

We had a detour through Surlingham Broad, but couldn’t see much of the remains of the wherries as the water is quite high.  Shortly before we got there the drizzle had dried up and shortly after we started to see breaks in the cloud.  By the time we got to Cantley the sun was breaking through. 

Seren had started whining, so we decided to stop off at the Hardley Drainage Mill pontoon. 

As we were coming in to moor (Harry’s first side-on mooring, done perfectly) we saw an elderly gentleman putting out a sign to indicate the mill was open for visitors.  What an opportunity!

After Seren had a run along the bank, Graham and Harry had a tour around (and up) the mill.  A very informative tour by the gent who had restored the mill.  I chickened out, being chronically scared of heights, but listened to the beginning of the tour.  He explained the mill must have started to lean whilst being built, because the level of first floor was adjusted to compensate, the second floor adjusted even more and the topmost courses of bricks straightened out so that the cap would be level. 

Whilst they were on their tour I took Seren for another walk before returning to the boat to lower the canopy.  By now the sun was blazing down and it was starting to feel like a summer’s day.  Seren watched some boats pass us and, for once, didn't bark. 

A shout from Graham attracted my attention.  He was at the top of the mill on the wooden walkway just below the cap, and looking quite nervous, as did Harry when he appeared. 

Harry was brave enough to walk around the wooden walkway, and even took a video of his feet as he walked.

 

We got on our way again around 11, an hour later than intended, and enjoyed the sunny trip down to Reedham.  Halfway down the New Cut we passed Malanka (what a beautiful boat!) and were hailed by a ‘bore da’ (Welsh good morning).  I don’t know why I’m always surprised if someone hails us in Welsh, since we usually are flying the ‘Ddraig goch’, so if I was a bit slow in responding I apologise.

By now it was getting pretty hot...though we were a bit surprised at this...

We were aiming for Beccles, but had plenty of time and decided on a detour around Oulton Broad, so that Harry could have a peek at it.  It’s such an interesting place – lovely houses and boats.  There were several sailing boats out on the broad.  As we were making our way back to the dyke we were lucky enough to spot an otter.

The trip up to Beccles was idyllic.  Harry took the helm and I spent most of the journey sat on the front of the boat. 

We got to Beccles around 4pm.  There was plenty of room in the Yacht Station.  The southern rivers seem so much quieter than they were for our March/April break, and they weren’t that busy then.  

First we fed the swans...

Harry and I walked up to Beccles town centre.  Although I have walked up to town from the Yacht Station before, walking there with Harry was far more interesting.  He has an eye for detail, such as rose moulding on plaster panels of a house opposite the Beccles town sign and other interesting architectural/historical features on houses on the way up the hill, such as this...  

We bought sausages from the butcher’s, greens in the greengrocer’s and a few bits and pieces in Tesco’s before returning to the boat. 

Graham was enjoying coffee and cookies when we got back.  Harry and I decided that a spot of wine and some breadsticks was in order and we all sat in the late afternoon sun enjoying our drinks. 

I reminded Harry that he hadn’t yet done any exercise yet this week (he’s supposed to be getting in shape in anticipation of an RAF fitness test – hoping that he will be successful in the interview that he has on the 23^rd i.e. ‘next week’), so he went out for a run and didn’t return until well after 6.30 (in the dark).  Once he’d returned I made dinner – a bit too similar to yesterday’s really (same mash almost, but livened with some mustard, pork chops, mange tout).  After dinner we watched Bake Off – though I struggled to keep my eyes open until the end of the programme.

Hope I haven't gone too mad with posting photos!

[YnysMon]

Wednesday 17th October

Another dawn start, with a beautiful sunrise.  

Yesterday evening we spent some time debating whether to stay another day and night ‘down south’, to allow time to get to Geldeston and stay overnight in WRC, or to return north today.  Obviously, given the early start, we had decided on the latter, aiming for 11:15 slack water at Yarmouth.

The cruise down the Waveney was so beautiful and quiet. 

We only passed 2-3 boats before Somerlayton, and we stopped there for a while so that Seren could have a run around and have a ‘comfort break’ before the passage through Yarmouth.  She ran around like a mad thing.  Ooh look! A flying dog!

By now Harry was doing all our moorings and setting off again, and getting more confident with each one.  The departure from Somerlayton was the first time he’d left a side on mooring, reversing out into the river. 

It had clouded over by the time we got to Breydon Water but it remained dry.  Breydon was fairly quiet.  Harry pumped up the revs and got up speed to about 9mph. 

However, the tide was still flowing out of Breydon.  The tide that day seemed a bit later than forecast in the tide table, so next time we cross from south to north we are thinking it might be better to wait until about ½ hour after slack water, given that we ended up punching against the tide all the way up to Acle.  That wasn’t an issue in Bronze Emblem fortunately – we had plenty of ‘oomph’ in the engine and not having to think about fuel usage was an extra plus (as the cost of fuel for Ferry Marine boats is inclusive in the hire charge).

At Acle we struck lucky as there was plenty of room to moor outside The Bridge Inn, at which we arrived around 1pm.  We had a lovely warm welcome and were given a bowl of water for Seren.  Graham and I had dishes off their ‘specials’ two for £12 menu – Haddock and Chips for Graham and Steak and Kidney Slice with mash and veg for me.  Harry had a steak and trimmings.  We all enjoyed our meals, even more so as the plates weren’t overloaded for our relatively modest appetites. 

When we emerged from The Bridge, we found that it had started to rain.  Harry had another go at reversing off a mooring, this time with the tide flowing in a different direction. 

We had a drizzly run up to Horning, getting there around 4pm, just in time to nab the final space outside the front of Ferry Marina.  It looked a very tight space though, so we side-on moored near the pub and I went to reception to check if they thought we would fit.  The receptionist agreed it was a bit tight and called one of the younger lads to move the boat for us.  Later, he also did a (free) pump-out for us. 

We got chatting to a couple moored next to us in a Herbie Woods boat (I think they said they were from Doncaster).  They had been there since yesterday as their starter motor was playing up.  The Herbert Woods engineer turned up shortly after we’d moored but was unable to fix the problem that day and promised to return with parts first thing the following morning.  Before departing he installed several new batteries, as it wasn’t a boat that could connect to shore power.  I thought that the couple were remarkably cheerful considering – but as the lady said, you can get problems on any boat. 

As it was still light and Roy’s was open until 6pm, we hopped in the car and went off to Wroxham to pick up a few bits and pieces.  Whilst we were there we checked the bridge – only 6½‘, so that ruled out going to Coltishall tomorrow.  We also popped to Weyford Bridge to check the clearance under that – almost 7’, so Dilham looked like a possibility.

We watched ‘Hugo’ on DVD this evening (what a delightful film!) and had a very light supper – just a small portion of pasta with dairy free pesto sauce each, as we were still fairly full after our lunches.

An early night again!

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

Hope I haven't gone too mad with posting photos!

Impossible, the more the merrier!

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

so next time we cross from south to north we are thinking it might be better to wait until about ½ hour after slack water,

Always better to do that, the water continues to run from the Bure for about a half hour after slack. 

Enjoying your write up tremendously by the way.

[YnysMon]

Thursday 18th October

 

Even more photos today!

Although we hadn’t intended to have an early start today, we all woke fairly early again.  I woke extra early, well before dawn and, as we were on shore power, switched on the inverter and plugged in our little ‘dimplex’ radiator.  Last night had been slightly chilly compared to the mild evenings we had earlier in the week.  The only snag about this boat is that there is only one 240v socket – behind the TV, but we had brought an multi socket adaptor cable which was plenty long enough to plug in the radiator and to charge our phones/cameras etc.

It was a beautiful sunrise once again.

Rather than make breakfast on the mooring outside Ferry Marina we decided to cruise gently (i.e. very slowly!) down to Ranworth.  It was another idyllic morning, with mist gently rising from the river and only a few fisher-folk up and about early.

Cruising down Ranworth Dam.

We mud-weighted at Ranworth for our breakfast (bacon and scrambled egg). 

By the time we had eaten breakfast, one or two spaces had become available on the Staithe so we moored up, filled up with water and disposed of our rubbish and were off again.  (Is it my imagination, or did Ranworth used to have bottle recycling facilities in the past?  They don’t have any recycling now anyway.)

Having checked out Weyford Bridge clearance yesterday, we thought we would aim for Dilham today, possibly even moor there overnight. 

The Ant was mostly quiet, though you wouldn't think that from this photo...

It was pretty tight under Weyford Bridge, but perfectly do-able.  Just before the bridge we caught sight of a 'shoe tree'...

Despite having a pleasantly slow cruise up the Ant, we arrived at Dilham fairly early - shortly after noon.  There was 74p on the nearest post, so we plugged in again without having to use our cards. 

Harry has adopted a new helming position...

The upper reaches of the Ant are particularly beautiful, at least I think so.

Harry suggested going to the pub for a drink, but by the time we got there we had decided to stay for lunch.  Apart from another couple of gents enjoying a quiet pint or two, we were the only ones there.  One of the things I like about The Cross Keys menu is that a large proportion of the menu items are available as either small or large portions.  I had a small tapas platter (sliced charcouterie, sundried tomatoes, olives, bread, and oil with balsamic) whilst Graham and a small scampi and chips and Harry the larger version.  All nicely cooked and presented.

When we got back to the Staithe we found a Richardson’s boat had moored behind us.  Nice quiet family, all fishing.  However, the lad was smoking, and we didn’t fancy sitting in the sunshine with the roof down with ciggie smoke wafting our way, so we decided to go and find a wild mooring instead.  I'm sure the people on the two boats on the Staithe were glad to have more room as both had fisherfolk on board (it wasn’t just men fishing).  In any case, it was good to get more cruising in and we really enjoyed the journey back down from Dilham.  Besides, we thought on reflection that it was better to get back under the bridge the same day and not have to worry about river levels tomorrow.  Harry let me take the helm to get back under the bridge (what fun!). 

We found a lovely wild mooring between the Dilham/Stalham fork and Barton Broad.  Bliss!

We let Seren run around on the bank for a while, but a stream of Richardson’s boats were coming up river, heading for home, and she got herself really hyped up running back and fore along the bank, so much that she was started to wear away the grass.  At least she got plenty of exercise!

We explored the path along the bank that led to the next wild mooring and then settled down (and calmed Seren).  

I went to sit on the front of the boat with my log book and swan food.  I fed a couple of cygnets and watched what seemed like half of Richardson’s fleet cruise by on their way back to the yard.

Harry and I cracked open the wine - this one was particularly appropriate...

After dinner (pasta with pesto again) rather than put the telly on we just chilled out and read, enjoying the peace and quiet of the wild mooring.

 

[YnysMon]

Friday 19th October

 

I always feel a little sad on our final full day – though not as sad as final handover morning.  Yet again, we hadn’t intended getting up early this morning, but seem to have got into the habit of early starts.  As dawn broke some more Richardson’s boats went past, returning to handover their boats.  At least we have another day of cruising!  I had intended to make a cooked breakfast before leaving the mooring, but we decided that as the river looked so inviting we would get on our way.  We wanted to do a fair bit of cruising anyway, so that Harry could see the upper reaches of the Bure, as far as Wroxham, that are difficult to get to on sail without an engine (due to the trees). 

Barton Broad was exceptionally beautiful with early morning mist.

The Ant was pretty quiet once the last few Richardson’s stragglers had passed us.  We had a light breakfast underway, eating the last few Danish pastries that I’d bought in Roy’s.  On the journey up to Wroxham we popped into Blackhorse Broad to have a peep at that.  

Seren has finally figured out how she can see ahead in relative comfort.

Wroxham wasn’t too busy – in fact the River Bure was very quiet compared to the last few days.  Obviously a lot of people had Friday handovers.

We didn’t stay in Wroxham, just turned before the bridge and made our way back down river, with a detour around Wroxham Broad. We also went into Salhouse and paid £2 to moor there for up to two hours, taking the opportunity to also fill-up with water, which was included in the fee. 

I set to with making a brunch breakfast (oven baked sausage and tomatoes, fried bacon and scrambled egg, served with some slices from a spelt and honey loaf that we had bought in Roy’s), which we ate in the sunshine. 

After lunch we continued on down the Bure...

and then up the Thurne as far as Womack Dyke, and were delighted to see that the wild mooring near the mouth of the dyke was available.  The same wild mooring that Graham and I had used in April. 

It was around mid-afternoon when we got there, so we had plenty of time to walk up to the village and pick up some parmigiana cheese to go with the risotto I was planning to cook for our dinner (Thrower’s store in Ludham has a good little deli counter, with several local cheeses).  On the way there we visited Hunter’s Yard.  All their boats had been taken into the sheds earlier in the week and the place was a real hive of activity stripping down the boats for their winter overhaul.  We popped in to the reception to see Vikki and buy a 2019 Calendar. 

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent relaxing.  We had another lovely sunset.

Some ducks that we had fed earlier were settling down for the night in some reeds near the boat.

I did two silly things this evening.  Firstly, I made a risotto (a mushroom one).  This is a really super-excellent way of steaming up your boat, as a risotto is cooked gradually in an open pan.  Secondly, I had an accident with the salt shaker.  Because of the steam I was being a bit too vigorous in shaking salt onto the risotto – so much so that the top came off and dumped about two to three tablespoons of salt into the pan. 

The offending salt cellar...

I scooped as much salt off as possible, but the dish still turned out a bit too salty, though it was edible. 

This evening we watched ‘A Little Chaos’ on DVD (Alan Rickman and Kate Winslet) before turning in for the night.

[YnysMon]

Saturday 20th October

 

Another dawn start this morning, as we had to get from Womack to Horning and arrive before 9.  It was good not having to worry about disturbing others when we set off.  One of the advantages of a wild mooring on the final night.

The only snag was that there was a lot of mist on the Thurne

and the Bure was pretty misty initially too, so Harry took it very slowly. 

I think we kept between 4 and 5mph all the way to Horning, and still made it there by about 8.30am.  The distance charts that I'd printed off showing cruising times were certainly generous in their estimates.  When we got to the yard I didn't do the best stern mooring ever, but at least I didn't panic. 

Once we had packed up the car we went off the Ludham.  We left Seren in the car whilst we had a look around the church, waiting for Alfresco Tearooms to open at 10am.  We normally take Seren in with us (it’s a very dog-friendly tearoom), but she was settled quite happily in the car.  We all had their full-English breakfast.

After our breakfast we went to the RAF Radar Museum just outside Horning (on the road to Neatishead).  We really went there for Harry’s sake (with that looming RAF interview in mind), but it was a really interesting place to visit.  They have talks at various times during the day and we caught two of them – one on air control operations and the development of radar technology during WW2 and another about the Cold War. 

By the time we’d finished there it was after 2pm.  We were slightly peckish, and so thought we’d stop off in Wroxham for a snack before making our way home.  Seren had a short walk from the car park behind Hoveton St John moorings

and then we left her in the car in a shady spot.  We found a table in a lovely warm sunny spot outside the Hotel Wroxham.  Harry and I shared a crab sandwich and fries and Graham had a sausage and onion sandwich with fries.  We found it difficult to tear ourselves away from the Broads and sat there with some drinks for most of the afternoon, until it started to get slightly chilly around 4pm.

We had a good journey home, the only slight problem being the sun shining in our eyes as we travelled toward yet another stunning sunset.  Got home around 6.30pm, stopping off at Waitrose to pick up a Chinese meal pack on the way. 

What a lovely week!

 

 

 

 

 

[grendel]

nothing beats cruising early morning with the mist rising off the water.

[misswhiplash76]

wow first let me say im glad you had a fantastic holiday.the boat looks lovelly and im glad harry could join you.the boat was duelly fixed the next day after 2 engineers arrived.and we continued on our way.was lovelly to meet you all.i got a bit of a shock when i started reading your adventure and found we were in it lol

 

[SwanR]

Brilliant write up. Amazing photos. That’s what a Broads holiday is all about!


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[Guest]

Lovely pics and write up Helen as usual. I'm glad you enjoyed your holiday 

59 minutes ago, misswhiplash76 said:

wow first let me say im glad you had a fantastic holiday

You've got to love the name MissWhiplash76 

[Maxwellian]

Cold water for Jay anyone

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Maxwellian said:

Cold water for Jay anyone

 I just found the name for a forum funny is all 

[Broads01]

Thank you Helen for a great write up and photos. You certainly covered some miles, well done. Hardley Mill, wow I had no idea it was open to the public, I'd love to see the views from the top. 

[VetChugger]

What a riveting holiday tale you tell! There are the odd one or two "relaters" that I really look forward to and seek out, yours fall in this category. Thanks very much, especially for the accompanying artwork as well! Excellent job.