Lost Rivers And Cuts

[Ray]

Was there ever a navigation from The Bure to The Yare that didn't involve going through Great Yarmouth? It surely would have been popular!

 

 

[Guest Jayfire]

2 hour walk from Acle Bridge Inn gets you to the Reedcutter at Cantley if that's what you mean 

[Ray]

It's a bit like what I mean if you leave out the bit about walking and the bit about 2 hours! 🥃🥃

[Guest Jayfire]

You just need a backpack carrying buddy mate, a backpack that contains a crate of Stella ...the hours fly by 

In all seriousness, sorry mate I dunno about the navigation but I'm sure someone will be able to tell you about it in graphic detail shortly 

[Ray]

I'd just need a me carrying buddy! 

[catcouk]

I've often wondered that but I decided that it is largely leisure boaters who would find it useful. Man-made water courses are crazy expensive and were generally only built to improve trade. It's my understanding that most river trade was heading to or from the sea and I would imagine Wroxham to Norwich was easier by road. 

I decided that this is in the pipe dream category along with a bypass of Potter Heigham bridge! 

[Ray]

We should invent " Fantasy Norfolk Broads " All the things that are physically possible but will never happen due to cost, planning or civil uprising lol

[Guest Jayfire]

4 minutes ago, Ray said:

I'd just need a me carrying buddy! 

Unless you're a super hot sexy blonde, and I'm pretty sure you're not...ooh suddenly I've just pulled my back 

[Ray]

I could self determine as a super hot sexy blonde... if that helps! 

[Guest Jayfire]

1 minute ago, Ray said:

We should invent " Fantasy Norfolk Broads " All the things that are physically possible but will never happen due to cost, planning or civil uprising lol

Being completely honest, I'd been plotting a "run the Broads" event for a while before COVID in order to establish the potential for an Ultra run event, given the popularity of the area, it seemed a good idea although obviously not what you were intending...sorry I'm going off topic and rambling as always aren't I 

[Guest Jayfire]

3 minutes ago, Ray said:

I could self determine as a super hot sexy blonde... if that helps! 

Lemme just say, you're not quite the super hot blonde I'm looking for, as much as I love you of course  

[Ray]

It's OK, that nearly always happens 

[JennyMorgan]

56 minutes ago, Ray said:

Was there ever a navigation from The Bure to The Yare that didn't involve going through Great Yarmouth? It surely would have been popular!

It was seriously considered at one time but if I recollect correctly it was scuppered by the estimated costs involved, as well as the disturbance it would have caused to a minute colony of legless oomigooly birds. It could have been good. 

[Ray]

I guess at some point historically there may have been a natural connection. I do like the idea but accept it's never going to happen.

[Paul]

Peter's quite correct. Whilst there never has been a navigable cut of any kind a connection between the Yare and the Bure  has certainly been considered on a number of occasions, the last being during the 1970s. I understood the two immovable obstructions were the railway on the north bank of the Yare and the local landowners objections. 

The possibility of reopening navigation to Bungay was considered at the same time. 

[FairTmiddlin]

I also believe it would have to be either very tidal or canalised.

Seems that there is a drop between Acle and Cantley. This would also add to the cost if made into a canal.

[Paul]

18 minutes ago, FairTmiddlin said:

I also believe it would have to be either very tidal or canalised.

Seems that there is a drop between Acle and Cantley. This would also add to the cost if made into a canal.

Not sure about Acle but  water level in the Yare immediately downstream of Reedham bridge, between the bridge and junction of the new cut is identical to that in the Bure at Stokesby apparently. 

[grendel]

6 hours ago, Jayfire said:

I'd been plotting a "run the Broads" event for a while before COVID in order to establish the potential for an Ultra run event,

How many pubs were you planning to be on that route, I can see it turning into the first 10 hour marathon race with rest stops at every watering hole.

[ChrisB]

There is about an hours difference in low water at Reedham/St Olaves and Acle so almost certainly you would need a lock, especially during any tidal surge. As to actual heights ACD and if they are ever equal???

[Vaughan]

I can tell you that Blakes and the Commissioners were seriously planning two schemes in the 60s.

The first was a simple "Yarmouth bypass" between Scaregap Farm on the Bure, straight onto Breydon, where the two are only a few hundreds apart.  As others have mentioned, this would be a problem of tide difference and water level, which would need a lock.  There was also the problem of crossing a main road and a railway, which are not mush higher on the marshes than the river itself.

The more elaborate and interesting scheme was to go from Stokesby to Reedham, by extending Tunstall Dyke, which used to be navigable to wherrys, and running a canal across the Halvergate marshes. This also became impractical, because of the separate crossing of two railway lines and two main roads. Locks would not have worked as they would rise at both ends and therefore need to be pumped out and the civil engineering involved in raising the railways to over bridges, was too expensive.

There was great keenness to make more use of the south rivers in those days, to ease the serious congestion up north and this was one of the main reasons for the big Jenners development in Thorpe.

[eddybear]

8 hours ago, Ray said:

We should invent " Fantasy Norfolk Broads " All the things that are physically possible but will never happen due to cost, planning or civil uprising lol

I thought the BA already had Broads National Park fantasy

[JennyMorgan]

9 hours ago, Paul said:

The possibility of reopening navigation to Bungay was considered at the same time. 

The then National Rivers Authority, in the good old days, even went so far as to buying land at Geldeston Locks with future plans to reopen the navigation. Regretfully the BA inherited that land which they subsequently sold, grrrrrrr!

[BroadAmbition]

Regretfully the BA inherited that land which they subsequently sold, grrrrrrr!

That's sinful and should have been criminal. That land that the NRA bought was owned by all of us.

No doubt the then new Ba consulted its customers (Us) before selling it?

Griff

[MaceSwinger]

I can't remember where I heard it, now whether it was a considered plan or just a suggestions, but was there not talk of a cut between Barton Broad and Catfield Dyke at one point?

[marshman]

At an estimated cost of what? Most people think the tolls are too high as it is!!

And as for the cost of buying the land and sorting the road crossings, it was never more than the musings of a few old boys over a pint - or several!!!!!