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So Near ... So Far


SwanR

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To our shame we’ve never overnighted at Salhouse. Stayed for a couple of hours and made lunch, topped up with water and walked the dog, but that’s it. I’m not sure that November is the right time to start though.

Sounds like a wonderful mooring. Has anyone wandered into the village?

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7 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Sounds like a wonderful mooring. . . . . . .

It is and it isn’t (imho).  It’s a picturesque broad, but busy, so like Ranworth and Womack, where also stern moored and packed in like sardines, it may not be peaceful depending on who moors to either side.  If you get a mild night in November, it may be worth staying there, especially if autumn is late and there is still some colour in the trees.

7 hours ago, YnysMon said:

 . . . . . . . . . . . . Has anyone wandered into the village?

Yes, but not for years.  There used to be a village shop there, but I think it closed down to be replaced by a coffee shop.  When I get to the top of the path from the broad, the pub calls me more loudly these days!! 😉

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I'd echo what Mouldy says really... We've had a fair few forum meets there and it's generally a lovely spot with a nice (20-30 minute) walk to the Fur & Feather.

The second mooring area (at the bottom of the hill) is usually more pleasant / peaceful but it does depend who is moored next to you.

If you can get on the third one (at the far end down by the play area) then that's probably even more peaceful as there are only a handful of moorings, though I don't think there's any water there.

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We always joke that I often manage to moor at the muddiest points near the water! As we didn’t need to fill up on this occasion we were fine at one end which was lovely. 

I wonder whether the charges put some people off. You even have to pay for one hour now so any kind of stop has a charge. But then that £2 is no different to what some of the yards charge now for water top up. 

I’ve only moored out on the spit once. Really enjoyed it once the river quietens down. 

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I've read that the shop in the village is a combined craft shop and tea rooms. Seems to have very good reviews, so I'm hoping to check it out one day. Has anyone tried out the small van takeaway that has been in Salhouse since last year? Mind you, that's unlikely to be open over winter.

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4 hours ago, oldgregg said:

If you can get on the third one (at the far end down by the play area) then that's probably even more peaceful as there are only a handful of moorings, though I don't think there's any water there.

Echo that, I think that's one of the best Salhouse spots. There's only enough room for 3 boats I think an end spot is great. You hook up types do miss out on a lot (says he, knowing he'll be after hook ups himself next April)!

 

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Thursday 14th October

A bit of a monochrome morning greeted us on Salhouse Broad. I do find it a bit of a drab location when the skies are cloudy, the dark green of the trees reflects in the water and the whole thing looks almost black and white in a photo.

Can't remember now exactly what time we left but we decided on a nice run down towards Wroxham. I do enjoy that stretch of river and the interesting houses and riverbank views on the approach. But with nothing ahead or behind me, and with having passed several boats going in the opposite direction, I decided to swing round just before we got as far as negotiating the stretch by Barnes Brinkcraft. 

It was a lovely cruise until we reached Horning. Someone overtook us as we reached Swan Corner and sure enough dived into the one available space on the public staithe. I could have been tempted to stop there myself but we were beaten to it, and it didn't matter to us. From there right through until we reached the turnoff for Ranworth felt like a long queue of traffic. Having got that far we then had a short discussion as to where we wanted to go before heading back up the Ant as this was our last day. I was ready for a cup of coffee so turned the boat about and headed back to Malthouse Broad. There we passed a very enjoyable 90 minutes or so on the mud weight. Always interesting to watch the comings and goings over lunchtime at the staithe, especially when you have no intention of trying to get moored yourself.

About 1 o'clock we headed off back onto the Bure and then turned up the Ant. A safe and easy passage through Ludham Bridge followed by retracing the steps of our first day. How Hill, Irstead (still full!), Barton Broad and beyond.  This time we diverted along towards Sutton before turning round again to head back to Richardson's yard. I know, only four nights, why would you go back to the yard. We have done that at Ferry, NBD and Swancraft, and always enjoyed it. For me, as the one at the helm, it makes my last evening aboard quite relaxing. I don't have to think about getting up early the next day and jostling with other crews for a nice easy mooring space. And we can load some of our things into the car during the evening.

I was surprised by how many other boats turned up that afternoon. We enjoyed watching them coming in and trying to find space so we kept a little bit of distance between us all. About 5pm we decided to take a walk to the fish and chip shop at the far end of Stalham. It was about a 20 minute walk each way, and there was quite a queue already. Everyone in front of us seemed to be placing very large orders so it took quite a while. But the food was freshly cooked and the best fish and chips I've had in a long while. I would recommend it as well worth the walk.

That was it, a couple of glasses of wine with our tea ... I wasn't going to pack a half bottle to take home!! A quiet evening was followed by a quiet morning. And having arrived at the yard already we were amongst the first to hand the boat back over ... and we were home by 9am! Unpacked by 9.30 and washing machine on. For me that beats a long journey but it did make it feel as if Friday was not part of the holiday, but more an extra day at home. 

 

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Boat Review - Bella Donna from Richardson's

So ... boat review time.

Let me say first of all, as I never want to spoil a holiday for anyone who has already booked a boat that I review, that as long as you aren't a tall person you will probably have a lovely time and enjoy the boat.

A few little niggles but it's a boat, and you'll probably find that with almost any boat you hire, unless you find the one that is absolute perfection for you.

Fit out is good, drawers and cupboard space ok in the bedroom but nowhere much to hang anything. The only rail we found was the bottom half of the broom cupboard and there were no hangers anyway. There are a couple of hooks just inside the rear door which we used for jackets.

The rear view camera is useful with a good picture, nice to be able to see whether anyone’s following you! The bow and stern thrusters worked well. I didn’t find the view to starboard from the helm great but didn’t need to moor on that side.

Good fridge but small oven and grill plus two burner hob. Not much kitchen workspace as they’ve also stood a microwave on the worktop. The table is fixed in the saloon which restricts comfortable seating space when moored up. 

The toilet is a small area. The flush is electric but it’s one of those two button affairs, one to clear it, one to put water in. It was ok for our few days. 

Our main problem was the head height. My hubby is 6’4 and could only stand up straight in one place. All other boats we've hired have been better on this aspect. So I'm not quite sure how they've managed to make this so restrictive given the air draft is 6'9. There did seem to be a slight step up when you came back in through the bow door. Maybe they've done something with the floor that has cost even a slight amount of room.

It is a nice boat for two for a short break. But we wouldn’t take it again because of the headroom. Remember that bit further up about whether you ever find perfection ... yes, Swan Reflection is still my number one. :default_rofl:

Hope the photos below are useful. Any questions feel free to ask.

 

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Thanks for your write up and boat review, Jean. For me, mooring the last night in the boatyard is always an option and I do that some of the time to get the advantages. When at Richardson's, I like the side-on moorings just inside the entrance because you don't feel like you're in a boatyard.

The boat looks really nice from the photos with one exception. As others have said, it's that helm view.

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Thanks Jean, that was lovely. Aren’t the evening skies lovely this time of the year. I was very impressed with the shots of the exterior of the boat. Looks very safe with all those rails.

I especially loved your choice of music. It took me back to one of those Proms in the Park type concerts, but one held in North Wales, just outside Caernarfon. Bryn Terfel (famous opera singer) used to run an annual festival, and the 2003 concert I went to featured Hayley Westenera. It was televised by thecWelsh channel S4C and I’ve found clips of it on YouTube. 

 

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21 hours ago, Broads01 said:

The boat looks really nice from the photos with one exception. As others have said, it's that helm view.

The other thing I forgot to write is that the helm seat is a little further forward than on some boats. So you're not by a window that you can open. Despite having the rear view camera I missed being able to open the window next to me and poke my head out when stern on mooring.

At least it had a windscreen wiper in case of rain while cruising.

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21 hours ago, YnysMon said:

I especially loved your choice of music.

Thank you so much Helen, and for sharing the video of Hayley Westenra. We've seen her in concert three times, such a shame she hasn't been back over here or releasing new music for a very long time. We did laugh at one show, it got to the interval and the people behind us commented "She's no Katherine Jenkins". :default_rofl:

We did laugh. Personally we preferred Hayley.

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Really interesting write up and lovely video Jean.  As you are so close to all the yards perhaps you could have a wander and look at the boats you have in mind before you hire?  My parents hired a boat a few years ago and mum couldn’t see out at all. I did a little tour of the same yard to see if anything else would be more suitable for the following year then the pandemic came along. Sadly they’ve now decided they can no longer go boating  because of increasing mobility issues. 

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1 hour ago, Lulu said:

As you are so close to all the yards perhaps you could have a wander and look at the boats you have in mind before you hire?

That is certainly a very good point. The thing with this one was that it just suddenly became available so we thought ... why not. Thinking now about when to next hire and which boat or yard we might want. Weighing up the pros and cons of returning to Swan Reflection or taking something like Zircon Emblem again for out of season when the inside might be less draughty on that design. But you would be taking more of a chance with getting up the Ant if the river levels are high. Or possibly a return to NBD for one of their similar dual steer cruisers ... or a return to Fair Prince or the updated version Fair Consort. Or possibly a return to the southern rivers ... but we like to go out of season and not sure we would want to be on the Yare in March.

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19 hours ago, SwanR said:

The other thing I forgot to write is that the helm seat is a little further forward than on some boats.

Many years ago we hired Shining Light from HW, the helm on that is further forward and quite honestly it spoiled things for whoever was at the helm. It’s surely much better to be more underneath the sliding canopy so you can take advantage of the open air/sunshine? 
I think it’s good to have these reviews and they must be a help to potential hirers. Funny old week weather wise wasn’t it, seemed all over the place. You certainly made the most of it anyway. 

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38 minutes ago, SwanR said:

not sure we would want to be on the Yare in March.

Why not Jean? I could think of worse places ( like Benidorm maybe!). If it's peace and quiet you want though, I don't think you're limited to March on the south Broads. April and May would be pretty quiet outside school holidays and Bank Holidays.

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4 hours ago, vanessan said:

I think it’s good to have these reviews and they must be a help to potential hirers. Funny old week weather wise wasn’t it, seemed all over the place.

Thanks Vanessan. I'm always mindful that someone looking forward to their trip on the boat might read the review. I often avoid the kind of posts on Facebook where someone will post that they've hired a certain boat and then ask for reviews ... too late once you're committed!

The weather was actually quite good. Only the one day of avoiding the rain. And fortunately it wasn't windy. I was very grateful for that as both our previous two trips had been and it plays havoc with one's mooring! :default_rofl:

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4 hours ago, Broads01 said:

Why not Jean? I could think of worse places ( like Benidorm maybe!). If it's peace and quiet you want though, I don't think you're limited to March on the south Broads. April and May would be pretty quiet outside school holidays and Bank Holidays.

Yes we could consider going slightly later if on the southern Broads. We love March on the northern side because of the availability of moorings almost without having to think about it. Our hesitancy outside of the main season on the south is because of a perception that the Yare is wider and deeper than the Bure and possibly less pleasant in the case of inclement weather. 

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2 hours ago, marshman said:

I just cannot understand why yards do not put proper cookers on boats - does everyone stop at the few pubs? Even good pubs are hard to find so why not cook - but how can you on the rubbish that usually goes with the boat?

I was a little disappointed not to have a better cooker on this one. Not that I ever cook much on a boat. And the microwave didn't even get used this time, not even to heat a tin of soup. So there it sat taking up valuable space.

We headed for moorings where we knew we could get a meal. As it was only four nights that made it a lovely break for me from kitchen duties.

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Jean,

Thanks for the review and holiday tale, my favourite boats when cruising with my Mum are usually Alpha 31 and Alpha 35 bath tubs or similar Aquafibre 28 Opal/Heritage 286's. I have to agree with you regarding the steering position much prefer to be out in the open rather than surrounded by a side window and windscreen, even the old bathtubs Bounty 37 and Horizon 35 from Rickos have opening side windows. 

Another pet hate of mine is size of ovens and hobs on some of the newer and largely more expensive boats such as Broom Captain class. I appreciate many people want to eat out however we love to wild moor or moor in out of the way places as my Mum appreciates peace and quiet and wildlife. 

Its strange how fit outs can vary on the same moulds for example I have to agree that Swan Reflection is the best Alpha 31 I have hired, far superior to Evening light for example

 I hired Pacific Sunshine an Opal 28 this year and have Oasis booked for next year however when I checked Oasis it appeared to have better headroom yet you say you had issues with headroom on the same design. Also you say Reflection is your favourite boat, did you not have headroom issues with that as it's the same mould as Bella Donna or do you think the floor is higher in that boat?

Thanks Neil

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20 minutes ago, Captain said:

Also you say Reflection is your favourite boat, did you not have headroom issues with that as it's the same mould as Bella Donna or do you think the floor is higher in that boat?

Hi Neil, thanks for all your comments.

Swan Reflection is a Shadow 31 fitted out by Swancraft ... no idea if that means it was their own mould and different to any others or the same. We were so fortunate. Apart from one family holiday back in the 90s, SR was the first boat we hired when we came back to the Broads in 2012. Fell in love with both the boat and the place. We've hired other forward steer cruisers, centre cockpits and dual helm cruisers too, all with their own pros and cons. But SR somehow still beats other boats for us. 

This boat seemed to have quite a thick bar down the middle where both sides of the sliding roof fit. I don't know whether that compromised the space as well. I'm only 5'5 but I had to duck to get through the door out to the bow which had a low head height sign over it!! I've never had that on other boats. I don't know whether this photo shows what I mean.

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