Newfies Afloat

[Tempest]

Well....we stayed at Ludham Bridge chilling all day

The walk along the riverbank towards How Hill was abandoned as very muddy, but the dogs still got a good walk.

Most of the day was spent reading, watching (boats..) and cleaning as we had a very relaxing day.

At 3pm we walked to the Dog Pub for some food with Julie going for lamb chops and I went for the fish and chips.

The fish was huge!

Julie enjoyed her meal, but prefers her mash to be a little creamier 

Roxy and Yogi were well behaved in the pub considering they were slightly confused as they normally eat before us!!

Once eaten we went outside for another drink in the really nice covered seating area with dog blankets and a dog water butt, before heading back to Moonlight Shadow around 5pm

I recall moaning about how slap on this forum and someone (sorry, I forgot who!!) advised to lower your mudweight as it disturbs the water flow and reduces the strength of the bow slap.

Well that's what we did and I must say, it is still there but at least 50% less than previous which is a great little tip.

The sun is starting to go down and the skies look stunning

At its peak 8 boats were moored at Ludham Bridge today, and currently there are 5 (including MS) so you get the feeling the season is coming alive with more visitors.

Interestingly we only used shore power once (when moored at Ranworth on Saturday) and the Moonlight Shadow Syndicate will be pleased to hear the batteries have performed perfectly which is the first time I have ever heard any member say that!

Lots of things seem to have improved since we moved to Horning Pleasurecraft who have been first class with everything they have done for us from the mooring, winter maintenance, emergency repairs and planned upgrades

Huge thanks to Clive, George, Victoria and the team.

 

[YnysMon]

Well said Warren. I’ve been hugely impressed with how well Horning Pleasurecraft have looked after us too.

They are stars of the boating world.

[Mouldy]

12 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Well said Warren. I’ve been hugely impressed with how well Horning Pleasurecraft have looked after us too.

They are stars of the boating world.

Flattery probably won’t get us a discount, Helen!  😉😂

[Tempest]

10 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

Flattery probably won’t get us a discount

Worth a try....😂🤣😂

[Mouldy]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

Flattery probably won’t get us a discount, Helen!  😉😂

But that said, I do feel that we are getting a far better service than the previous base for MS.  Personal opinion only, obviously.

[YnysMon]

4 hours ago, Mouldy said:

But that said, I do feel that we are getting a far better service than the previous base for MS.  Personal opinion only, obviously.

I feel the same way Malcolm. Not everything has gone smoothly for us since we moved, as boats tend to get some 'hiccups' now and again (my Grandad used to say 'buy a boat, buy trouble') but HPC have certainly come up trumps for us so far. 

[Mouldy]

11 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

I feel the same way Malcolm. Not everything has gone smoothly for us since we moved, as boats tend to get some 'hiccups' now and again . . . . .

You can say that again!

12 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

 . . . . . . but HPC have certainly come up trumps for us so far. 

Agree absolutely!

[Tempest]

What a wonderful day

The wind was quite strong last night, but the wine I consumed seemed to null the noise!!!

This morning it was windy , overcast and drizzle so we weren't expecting much from the day, although how wrong we were, as the clouds parted, the sun came out, the weather improves and thunder turned up!!!!

We made our way to Ranworth and as can be seen by the photo, the weather was brilliant for this time of year

But what made our day was the arrival of Russell and Susan on Thunder who we had seen many times on YouTube, had conversed via social media, but never met in person.

They are 2 lovely,warm and welcoming people and I suggest if you ever see them around, you give them a wave or better still, do as we did and go over and have a good chat!

We can't wait to catch up with them again in June 

We left Ranworth around 1pm.....as the Malsters is currently closed Monday till Thursday!

The weather stayed fine as we headed back to our home mooring at Horning Pleasurecraft and started to clean her up ready for the next owner.

We then went for a walk through the village, up a pathway which takes you to the park and then back down Mill Loke to the Swan Inn where we had a drink

We later moved onto the New Inn and it was great to see the love given to our dogs, Roxy and Yogi

 

The New Inn is a far better pub now than it was previously, in my opinion, when dogs weren't allowed and it's focus was on adults, rather than families.

It's such a welcming venue now and we certainly highly recommend it.

A brilliant day....

 

 

[Tempest]

Gutted.....

As we are now home...😭

But...we are already planning our next trip in June and as this time, we have booked Bumble Barn for the evening before due to the fantastic hospitality by the owners Paul and Karen, who can't do enough for you.

We spent this morning ensuring MS was in top condition for the next owners, we had booked a refuel and pump out at 11am at Boulter's and although the sun came out the winds did get a little gusty!!! 🌬️

So I expected a challenge going round to Boulter's and back, but to be fair MS handles really well and it was fine

Back to our mooring, remove the throws we put down to protect the carpets and upholstery from the dogs as they were now sat patiently waiting in the back of the car.

MS looks great at the moment and king may it continue.

I especially like the contrasting grey cushions in the saloon which @Mouldy chose!

I didn't realise you were such a style guru.... 🤣😂

We then drive round to the New Inn and had a light lunch before setting off on the long journey home.

Whilst in the New Inn we got speaking to Sean behind the bar and he outlined a new website for the area which starts off with boat sales, but said it would later cover hiring, local businesses and guidance and support for holidaymakers and boater's

I add the link here as it may be of interest to some members

https://norfolk-broads-boats.co.uk 

We left Norfolk around 2pm and walked through our front door at 7pm which wasn't a bad run with one stop.

Looking forward to our next visit

[Mouldy]

3 hours ago, Tempest said:

 

I especially like the contrasting grey cushions in the saloon which @Mouldy chose!

I didn't realise you were such a style guru.... 🤣😂

Some people say I have impeccable taste . . . .  But seriously, I thought some token touches of grey might make up for our choice of upholstery colour!  😉. I think it looks great!

[YnysMon]

2 hours ago, Mouldy said:

Some people say I have impeccable taste . . . .  But seriously, I thought some token touches of grey might make up for our choice of upholstery colour!  😉. I think it looks great!

You also knew that Warren @Tempest has a thing about grey. 

Seriously though, good choice.

p.s. Glad we didn’t go for grey for the sofa! 

 

[Tempest]

1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

Glad we didn’t go for grey for the sofa!

You know how much I love all the blue....😏

[YnysMon]

I have just read this exchange out to son Harry and he suggests grey for the headboards when we reupholster those. Is this grey obsession catching? 

[Tempest]

9 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Is this grey obsession catching? 

You do tend to find the younger generation go for the more modern contrasting colours...

😉

[Mouldy]

9 hours ago, YnysMon said:

I have just read this exchange out to son Harry and he suggests grey for the headboards when we reupholster those. Is this grey obsession catching? 

I sincerely hope not!

[Tempest]

We arrived in Norfolk from our home in Bolton, Lancashire around 2pm on Wednesday 7th June as we did our usual M61 towards Manchester, M62 over the Pennines , A1 down to Newark and across the A17 and A47 to our destination which was Bumble Barn, Anchor St, Tunstead NR12 8HR which would be our home for 2 nights before we board Moonlight Shadow in Horning on Friday 9th June.

We just love Bumble Barn, its great for the dogs and a really wonderful place to stay close to the places we wont be able to get to on MS this week, so we can instead use this as a base as we go by car

The owners of Bumble Barn are also the Landlord of the Cross Keys at Dilham and we made our way there the first evening and I had Bangers and Mash followed by Apple Pie with a lovely serving of vanilla ice cream. Julie went for Lasagne followed by the cheesecake. All was delicious! 

We had an early night on the Wednesday as the travelling had caught up with us, but we firstly had a mighty breakfast served in our room at Bumble Barn before heading off out with the first stop of the day being Oulton Broad to give the Newfies a swim.

The Yacht Station only had 2 hire boats and it appeared very quiet

Roxy and Yogi entered via the slipway and went for a swim on what was a rather chilly breezy day, but we were able to sit on a bench afterwards as they dried off on the grass, watching the world go by

@YnysMon had previously mentioned that she went to Caister on Sea with her dogs so we thought we would call and have a look on the way back, giving our Newfies the opportunity to have a walk on the soft sandy beach with strict instructions to stay out of the water as we didnt want to dry them again!!

They did just that and loved the feeling of the sand between their toes!

We only stayed at Caister for half an hour before we were off again as Julie wanted to have a look around Wroxham Barns and I sat on a bench near to the Norfolk Cider Shop (with free samples!!) with Roxy and Yogi.

I didnt go for a sample as cider really isnt my favourite tipple and I dont really drink it, unless its flavoured with fruit or something to hide that awful taste!! (in my opinion!)

This probably stems from my childhood as my parents used to go out every Friday and Saturday night and they would pick up some films from the local video shop, family size snacks and a bottle of strongbow or woodpecker cider and say watch your films have a drink, eat some snacks and we will see you later!

I was about 10 or 11 at the time and my brother was younger

It didnt do us any harm but no doubt social services would come knocking if it happened now!

After we left Wroxham Barns, we headed back to Bumble Barn to get ready for an evening out at the Ferry House, Surlingham as we had planned to meet Fred and Lisa who are our friends who reside in Little Plumstead just outside Salhouse and we normally have a meal out with them when down.

Since Moonlight Shadow had been moved to Horning we hadnt got to the Ferry House as often as we would have liked as its one of our favourites , so we decided to drive across and it certainly didnt disappoint with Julie going for the Chicken Curry, Fred the Ribeye Steak, Lisa the baguette with chips and I went for the Steak and Ale in a giant Yorkshire pudding with chips and mushy peas

We got back to Bumble Barn around 10pm and settled down for the night

Its now Friday morning and we are getting things ready to go across to Horning, but first the Bumble Barn breakfast, walk the dogs, nip to the supermarket for provisions and Pets at Home for some food for the dogs.

We are back in August and have already booked Bumble Barn for 2 nights at the end of our week, as we just love this place and it is sooooooooo relaxing!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kpnut]

49 minutes ago, Tempest said:

Pets at Home for some food for the dogs.

Where’s pets at home near Tunstead/Wroxham/Horning? Asking ‘cos I sometimes go in the one near b and q in Yarmouth but didn’t know of another one. 

[Tempest]

Just now, kpnut said:

Where’s pets at home near Tunstead/Wroxham/Horning? Asking ‘cos I sometimes go in the one near b and q in Yarmouth but didn’t know of another one. 

We are going to head to the Norwich one 

Pets at Home, 4, Sprowston retail park, Salhouse Rd, Norwich NR7 9AZ

 

[SwanR]

Hope you have a great time afloat. Lovely to read your recommendations. 👍

[kpnut]

Thanks for that Warren, didn’t know about it. 
You’re in for a wonderful week weather-wise. Enjoy yourselves. 

[YnysMon]

Glad to hear that Caister got Newfie approval. Looks like you are going to have a fine time weather wise, though Graham tells me it's going to be cooler on the east coast (which the Newfies will probably appreciate). 

Have a great time!

[Tempest]

Friday 9th June

We started the day with another terrific breakfast at Bumble Barn, before packing, saying our goodbyes and heading off for some much needed provisions.

We first went to Pets at home for some raw food for Roxy and Yogi and then made our way to Tesco for some groceries and other provisions.

What a faff at Tesco!

There were roadworks which were being managed by a guy with a stop / go sign!

Letting 100 vehicle into the car park and only 20 out at a time didn't appear to work!!!!

The car park was gridlocked and took us 30 minutes to get off!

Julie was rather.....perturbed, but I couldn't care less!

We refueled and then headed for Ranworth as we didn't think Moonlight Shadow would be ready yet and it was only around 12 midday

I wasn't surprised to see there was around 8 to 10 spaces available which was not the case last June!

But no doubt Mr Packman will wait until it's full to take a picture to prove his strategy is working!

I just hope the businesses are able to survive in this period of uncertainty.

We had a coffee in the Granary and a slice of Carrot cake before making the journey to Horning Pleasurecraft arriving around 2pm

What a glorious day!

The sun is out, the skies clear and that annoying wind was getting lighter

We packed the boat and headed off with our destination Fleet Dyke

We "bimbled" down the river bure and arrived at Fleet Dyke around 3pm

 

This is our final destination today as it's perfect for the dogs, the roof is down and the wine bottle is open

We are now chilling for the evening in a beautiful location 

Roxy and Yogi are both shattered so are now spread out in the saloon and galley respectively

So it's Newfie Twister for us tonight as we negotiate the dogs to get to the fridge!!

😂🤣

[Broads01]

44 minutes ago, Tempest said:

So it's Newfie Twister for us tonight as we negotiate the dogs to get to the fridge!!

That image makes me smile. Enjoying your write up, you've evidently had a good day.

[Tempest]

4 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

That image makes me smile. Enjoying your write up, you've evidently had a good day.

Yes, it's even more fun when we are naked!

😂🤣😂🤣🤣

[MargeandParge]

Just looking at the pictures the one showing charged glasses we recon yours is on the starboard side of the table. 

If the last comment is correct please cover any mirrors before taking anymore photos 

Kindest Regards and have a lovely holiday Marge and Parge