Monaco 1 - 12th To 23rd July 2021

[KevinB]

Wednesday 21st July

Wednesday morning was another lovely sunny one, after breakfast I filled the water tank again , hoses are no longer attached to the taps at the yacht station, they are stored in the office and you take them back when finished. Canopy down and we were underway by 10am heading back north, I didn’t have a plan ( as usual 😂 ) but quite fancied Acle if we could get a space as we always enjoy a meal at the bridge inn. The river was pretty quiet, mostly WRC day boats heading down , we headed up the new cut again , made decent progress with the ebb tide, reached Breydon water at 12.15pm, met a few sailing dinghys with safety boats just past Berney arms, not sure where they had come launched from. We turned past the yellow post at 12.45pm and started pushing the tide, there was quite a few boats coming the other way higher than us, so knew we were ok leaving kayak on the roof 😂  Reaching Yarmouth yacht station I was surprised how busy it was, not seen it as busy in a long time, lots of boats double moored and no free spaces, glad we weren’t stopping there now and had made the right call stopping the previous week. We passed Stracey Arms at 2.20pm, thought about stopping a while to let the kids see the animals but it was quite busy and hardly a space free so we just pushed on to Acle. The bridge inn moorings were full and passing through the bridge I doubted we were going to find a mooring, Pedros basin was empty but didn’t fancy it, the 24h moorings were full till we got to the very end and found a space just big enough, perfect! We were moored up just after 3pm. Louise decided to try booking the bridge inn for tea later…we really should have tried earlier in the day and as expected they were fully booked and only serving outdoors due to staffing issues, pity as we always like it there ..second choice was Pedros, been there before too but I wasn’t overly keen, they were also fully booked. Bit of a problem as we had used up all the food on the boat really as just 1 day left!  We relaxed on the boat a while and watched plenty boats go by, it’s a great spot to boat watch , we saw our boat from 2 years ago pass, Fair Royale 1, I wonder if they have fixed her badly leaking stern gland yet 🤔😂 Later on I checked online and saw there was a takeaway from Martham on just eat which would deliver, so food ordered and picked up by the bridge at 6pm 😂  food was ok ..but not up to Bridge inn standard, never mind hopefully next year!

It was a lovely warm evening , we had a walk around then I launched the kayak again and took Ava for a paddle down past the bridge, we didn’t stay long as the current was quite noticeable and dads arms were getting sore! It was a beautiful evening and sunset, we kept the canopy back till it was dark, a few hang gliders were out flying around which was an usual sight. Still quite a few boats passed in both directions quite late on, I did wonder where they were going to get moored.

Tomorrow was to be out last day… I was already dreading the sad cruise back to the yard 😭

 

 

[SwanR]

Love your photos. What beautiful  colours. 

[KevinB]

6 hours ago, SwanR said:

Love your photos. What beautiful  colours. 

Thanks Jean, I am a bit snap happy 😂

[KevinB]

Thursday 22nd July

The dreaded last day had come..I didn’t have a plan where to head today as long as we were back in Stalham by teatime. We always tend to spend last nights in the yards, having the kids to organise etc, it’s handy to get the suitcases back out the car and pack away most stuff (toys! 😂 ) so it’s not such a rush in the morning. We left Acle after breakfast at 9.45am, canopy down again as it was another nice warm morning and the river was starting to get busier. We passed the Albion under sail near St Benets,  always an impressive sight. We turned down to South Walsham for a look, I’ve not been down there for years , what a lovely spot it is, plenty boats at most of the moorings and mud weighed on the broad, we had a slow cruise around then headed back up, before making the turn back up the Ant, we wanted to stop at Ludham bridge a while if we could get a space. Ludham bridge holds a lot of memories for me as as well as boating holidays on the broads, my family spent a lot of caravanning holidays at Ludham bridge caravan park when I was young , long before it was bought over by the caravan club, it was owned by a real old character Mr King, still remember him directing caravans to their spots on his trusty old bike 😂 Lots of memories of walking along the road in the morning to the Bridge stores and standing on the bridge watching the boats. We managed to get a mooring just up from the bridge and moored up at 11.30am, it was very busy and only a couple of spaces. First stop was the shop for an ice cream , it was pretty hot by then 😂 then a wander up to stand on the bridge and watch the boats go through (think that’s compulsory there!)  We had a walk along to the caravan site for a look around, it’s changed a lot but still holds a lot of memories of happy childhood holidays and family who are no longer with us. We set off again at 1.30pm, I was hoping to get a spot at How Hill but know it’s always busy so wasn’t overly confident, but we were in luck, there was quite a few free spaces so we got moored up there and had lunch and the kids fed a family of swans. We had a walk up to How Hill at 3.30pm, visiting Toad Hall cottage and had another icecream 😂 before walking up to the house and gardens, we had never visited here before , always bypassed it but it’s a lovely place for a walk around. We set off again at 4.30pm knowing our next stop was to be our last . We took a very slow cruise up the Ant, before mud weighting on Barton Broad a while so the kids could have a shower , it’s a beautiful spot and I sat on the stern and took it in and the sadness at going home tomorrow. The last slow cruise back to the yard filled me with dread, it’s always the worst part of the holiday knowing it’s over and you have to hand the boat back. We moored up at Richardsons at 6.15pm, hoping to get a last meal out we walked up to Stalham. We had eaten at the Swan inn before and it was very good and family friendly, unfortunately it was very busy and would be over an hour wait for a table..disappointed we headed to the chip shop instead, it was also a very long wait, we took it back to the boat , it was very good actually, but I was a bit annoyed at myself for not booking the Swan inn earlier in the day. After tea I took the sad walk over to collect the car..that’s when reality hits..you are going home . I took the car over and suitcases out then launched the kayak and took Ava for one last paddle around, saw Broad Ambition come out the wet shed and go over to the quay to load up. We went down the river a bit and around the marina, then it was time to give the kayak a wash down then deflate it and pack in the car, had a lot of use of it and was really glad I took it with us, definitely take it again. We packed up most of our stuff so we were ready in the morning , it was a lovely night again and I sat out and made the most of it and our last night aboard.

Friday 23rd July

We packed the rest of our stuff and loaded the car and were off the boat by 8.50am (miracle!) we had to wait a while to get the diesel dipped and paperwork, I got £2.74 back in unused fuel, that wasn’t going to pay for breakfast 😂  We drove to Wroxham again and headed to the Old Mill Cafe for breakfast , we have been here a few times before and it’s always very good, friendly service and good food. We then headed over to Roy’s toys again..as the kids still had some holiday money left , they soon spent it..then one last walk to stand on the bridge then it was time to head back to the car for the long drive home. We left Wroxham at 11.45 am and parked at the house at 1am…journey was a nightmare, traffic jams , crashes and roadworks, I think all my relaxation of the holiday was wiped out within the first hour in the car! 520 miles and 13 hours driving, I only stopped once, apart from the couple of hours in a traffic jam  😬

Monaco was a lovely boat and it was a great holiday, Broads always is!  I’m currently looking at boats for next year but availability and prices are crazy..never hired the same boat twice but would hire Monaco again but not at next years price..now over £4000 for 11 nights in July, I could not justify paying that unfortunately, still looking at a few boats but as they are booking up quick I will need to make a decision soon

Sorry for all the pics! That’s the last 😂

 

[YnysMon]

What a great holiday tale! Thanks! Hope you find an affordable boat for next year.

We feel so lucky that we bought into a syndicate boat the summer of 2019. Yes, we did ‘lose’ a couple of weeks during the lockdowns, but we have had far more holiday weeks away from home than most people have managed over the last 18 months. I’ve spoken to several work colleagues over the last few weeks who have not not been able to get away this summer on holiday because they couldn’t find anything affordable.

We feel slightly guilty as we have another holiday to look forward to. This time a week booked in September with other family members in a self-catering property. We were originally booked to stay there in May last year, then changed that to May this year, but had to push it back again due to rules about multiple households staying together. I’m sure that a lot of holiday accommodation has been ‘pre-booked’ by others who have had the option of postponing bookings, so that’s probably fuelled the shortage of holiday accommodation too. As for us, we are hoping it will be ‘third time lucky’ and that we’ll actually get there this time. 

[SwanR]

Great writeup and lovely photos. Really enjoyed this.

I'm with you on those prices for next year though. We haven't booked anything yet either and might give the Broads a break ... or book for March if there's anything available that we want. We've got a short break in October so hopefully that will go ahead. It's a boat we haven't had before so interested to see how it works out.

[750XL]

Great read and photos, thanks for sharing.

Agree with the prices for next year, they're eyewatering

[KevinB]

57 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

What a great holiday tale! Thanks! Hope you find an affordable boat for next year.

We feel so lucky that we bought into a syndicate boat the summer of 2019. Yes, we did ‘lose’ a couple of weeks during the lockdowns, but we have had far more holiday weeks away from home than most people have managed over the last 18 months. I’ve spoken to several work colleagues over the last few weeks who have not not been able to get away this summer on holiday because they couldn’t find anything affordable.

We feel slightly guilty as we have another holiday to look forward to. This time a week booked in September with other family members in a self-catering property. We were originally booked to stay there in May last year, then changed that to May this year, but had to push it back again due to rules about multiple households staying together. I’m sure that a lot of holiday accommodation has been ‘pre-booked’ by others who have had the option of postponing bookings, so that’s probably fuelled the shortage of holiday accommodation too. As for us, we are hoping it will be ‘third time lucky’ and that we’ll actually get there this time. 

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it 🙂

Yes your lucky having a syndicate boat , the AF Pearl 38 has always been a favourite of mine, my parents hired Yare Moonlight from Brister craft when I was younger, very nice to handle and great visibility. 
Hope you get your trip away in September , things are finally starting to look a bit more normal now 

[KevinB]

15 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Great writeup and lovely photos. Really enjoyed this.

I'm with you on those prices for next year though. We haven't booked anything yet either and might give the Broads a break ... or book for March if there's anything available that we want. We've got a short break in October so hopefully that will go ahead. It's a boat we haven't had before so interested to see how it works out.

Thanks Jean, glad you enjoyed it, took a bit longer than expected as busy with work just now and been too tired to concentrate in the evenings 😂

Yes prices have taken a huge jump ..Louise is saying the same about trying something different next year but I’m not so keen 😂

Enjoy your break in October , sure it will go ahead ok then 
 

17 minutes ago, 750XL said:

Great read and photos, thanks for sharing.

Agree with the prices for next year, they're eyewatering

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it 👍🏻
I can’t believe the jump in prices ..Monaco is over £1000 more than what I paid this year 😕 it was rolled over from last year right enough but still taken a huge hike