Springer’s Retreat On The Rivers

[kpnut]

1 hour ago, LizG said:

The brown butterfly in your picture is a Gatekeeper

Oh, thank you. I’ve just looked them both up, similar but pleased to learn the differences, those white spots!

I did see you setting off after all and before that when you were readying to go. Now I know your whereabouts, I’ll keep a better eye out next time! Hope you had a good day. There were a lot of yachts out yesterday in general. Must have been good conditions. 

[vanessan]

2 hours ago, LizG said:

The brown butterfly in your picture is a Gatekeeper. In addition to Peacocks there are large numbers of Red Admirals about. Butterfly Conservation did a press release the other day about them! 

We walked along Worlingham Wall last week, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Red Admirals! There certainly does seem to be more butterflies in general this year. 

[kpnut]

I also read somewhere that many more red admirals had overwintered in this country, presumably leading to numbers starting from a higher base this summer to add to the continental ones arriving for our glorious summer weather.

 

[LizG]

7 hours ago, kpnut said:

Oh, thank you. I’ve just looked them both up, similar but pleased to learn the differences, those white spots!

I did see you setting off after all and before that when you were readying to go. Now I know your whereabouts, I’ll keep a better eye out next time! Hope you had a good day. There were a lot of yachts out yesterday in general. Must have been good conditions. 

We had an 'excellent' race!!!! Led the fleet for close on 80% of it to killer corner by the big willow tree where the wind went round in circles ........ended up 5th!!!!!

[kpnut]

Saturday August 5th

I think I’m on track again with the days. Mainly ‘cos I did the forum quiz last night and that’s always on a Friday. So I’ve caught up somewhere. 
I didn’t budge at all as the weather was horrid, just as forecast. I have plenty of indoor jobs to do and Finlay was happy to sleep on the sofa all day while I did some varnishing and fixing a few things. 
I didn’t sleep so well though, courtesy of not having got any exercise and snoozing over a book during the afternoon.

Sunday 6th August.
The rain has disappeared and the day has turned out beautiful, if still very windy. I was a bit concerned about coming through Ludham Bridge in the wind as there were lots of boats coming downstream towards me and I was in a line of three going up. I hung back to give myself plenty of room, in case we all had to come to a stop for some reason, but there was no traffic at all to worry about. 
Not wanting to get back to Stalham till later to give the wind a chance to ease off, I ended up at Paddy’s Lane and we went for another walk to fill my pockets from the fruit tree. 
Just two boats in here at the moment, and the sun is shining, and the chinking things on the yachts are chinking, all very scenic and peaceful. 

[SwanR]

It certainly is a very windy day. I feel like I should go for a walk but I’m struggling to work up any enthusiasm! 🤭

[kpnut]

3 hours ago, SwanR said:

I’m struggling to work up any enthusiasm! 🤭

That sounds like me yesterday. 
 

I thought the wind was meant to drop this afternoon. It’s blowing even more now. I took two goes to get back into my mooring earlier and then gave up before getting right in, pulling her in the last bit on the ropes instead. 

[CambridgeCabby]

Just got back onboard , thank you Katie for the gooseberry jam , I will have some for tea next time afloat , sorry I missed you Bramble needed her walk to the pub .

[kpnut]

2 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

Bramble needed her walk to the pub .

Of course she did Simon!!!

My pleasure. I decided I would drive round as Finlay needed a walk and I ‘needed’ some fudge. Good to chat to Katie. 

[kpnut]

Lots of catching up to do in retrospect now I’m home. I was running out of data so cut down my online use. I must be less tight and buy a better package if I’m going to spend three weeks on the trot away from home. 
 

Monday 7th August. 
I had to go to Norwich for 9.30am. I felt like a commuter driving in, the only difference being was my garb of shorts and T-shirt. 

I made the most of being in the city to get a few shopping jobs done. 

Tuesday 8th August.
After faffing about for the morning, I went round to kingfisher quay at Richardson’s for a pump out, excellent job find as usual. 
Then headed for Paddy’s Lane AGAIN. 
This time I picked half a bag of what I’ve now decided are cherry plums. A local lady came past and said she’d picked loads last year for making jam, so I feel happy that it’s ok to pick them on common land. 
1.2kg of them were converted into the beginnings of flavoured gin, I stewed another load and kept the rest in the fridge for a weekend crumble.

Wednesday 9th August.
I gave the exterior of the boat a really good clean, having had some unwelcome deposits from the pigeons in the tree above overnight. Then headed for one of my favourite wild moorings, just downstream of the drainage pump with the two dead trees on the Bure. 

Big long walk over Upton Marsh, remembering to take the binoculars this time. And I managed to get a photo of what I think is a Brown Hawker dragonfly. 

The sunset was lovely. 

[kpnut]

Thursday 10th August. 
From the wild mooring to Acle Bridge as I wanted to walk along the river bank up towards Oby. 
I plugged into the electric to really charge the batteries. 
It turned out to be a very sociable mooring, with one of my home mooring neighbours just a few boats up. It was nice to have time for a long chat with no diy jobs to pull us away like at ‘home’. And later I had an interesting chat with some yachtsmen, discussing the increasing difficulty of sailing on the upper reaches of the Ant and Bure with so many overhanging trees. 
Finlay and I ended up walking all the way to Thurne and back and I would highly recommend the walk. You can get to Thurne by just following the riverbank path, it’s mainly good condition. I detoured when I got to South Oby Dyke, up the lane and round the fields, past Bureside campsite and along the footpath next to Thurne church, dropping down to the Ramblers shop, where I bought a sandwich, drink and icecream to eat at the river end of Thurne Dyke, watching the boats go by in the sunshine. 
We took the riverbank path back to Acle Bridge. It was 6 miles altogether and well worth it. I did realise I’d caught the sun a bit though as the day had been just beautiful, with another fantastic sunset to end it. 

Friday 11th August.
First stop was Boundary Farm moorings to meet Sam and Graham on Luna Aurora, just a short stop as I ‘needed’ to get to get a mooring at Potter Heigham in order to do a bit of food shopping. 
The moorings were full but a yacht was just leaving so I pulled into their slot. It wasn’t my first choice of location, being right opposite the entrance to Herbert Woods, and I did have some fun/stress later watching the hire boats coming out, and going in the next morning. 
After the shopping, we had a walk along the track that leads East from behind Lathams. Halfway to Candle Dyke there’s a track to the left and later a junction. To the right leads through a wood towards the weavers way path alongside Hickling Broad. To the left, the lane leads to Potter Heigham church. This is where I went. Potter Heigham church was certainly worth a stop. The font is brick built from the ‘pot’ that gives Potter Heigham its name. The info boards said there were some clay pits just north, on the boundary with Catfield parish. 

Another board said the organ refurbishment had been paid for by Herbert Woods himself, I think it said 1909. 
I found an interesting photo showing the area round the old bridge. It said that Lathams was once a ‘Roys of Wroxham’ shop. 

We then went up the lane, across the field to join the path round to the weavers way. We turned downstream. It’s a shame that there are very few viewpoints of the Broad and Heigham Sound themselves. 
We carried along down Candle Dyke to the junction with the main river Thurne at Martham and back along to Potter Heigham where Finlay had a well earned swim in the slip next to the chalets before the new bridge. 

Observations from boats coming out of Herbert Woods yard.
1. - I realise just why HW has put a double row of fenders on the starboard bank under the bridge going into the yard. They were well used!

2. - when coming out of the yard, you need to start turning far sooner than many boats were doing. I suppose when driving a car, turning right out of a side junction, you’d get across the road before turning ie you’d come straight out. With a boat, you end up far too near the boats on the public moorings, needing a lot of to and fro shunting. 
3. - coming back into the yard from downriver, again, many boats left it far too late before starting to turn, the outcome being they missed the entrance completely. I expect this had something to do with the rising tide as well. 
Anyway, all very interesting and only slightly worrying a couple of times. I count myself fortunate. But I’m not sure I’ll moor up right there again in a hurry in the high season!

[CambridgeCabby]

That sunset photo is spectacular 

[kpnut]

Saturday 12th August. 
Husband Tony, he who professes to not enjoy the boat, was due to arrive at Ludham mid afternoon after a trip down by train to Norwich. and bus along to Ludham. Before that, I moved the boat from Potter Heigham to Womack staithe and then walked round Horsefen Marsh, following the dyke down to Toad cottage on the junction with the river, along to the pumping station just before the Potter chalets start. Then turned left onto the causeway across the fen. I was going to then walk back to Hunter’s Yard via the loke that filled the landward side of the marsh, but instead I turned right and went up Fritton Lane, crossing the main road onto Fritton Road and following it back into Ludham. Having plenty of time, I then sort of double tracked back along the footpath back to Fritton Lane, reversing my walk down the lane and eventually walking back to Hunter’s Yard along the rather muddy loke. 
After buying two gooseberry ice creams at the Big Shop to stash in the freezer,  it was time to walk up to the bus stop by the church. Tony had quite a heavy rucsac, seeing as he’d volunteered to bring some plumbing tools I’d forgotten to bring in the car. 
We had a cup of tea, then set off as mooring stern-on isn’t my favourite activity. We ended up at Boundary Farm and had a very calm and peaceful night after the river traffic subsided and a heavy rain shower had been and gone, followed by a rainbow that I forgot to take a photo of. 

Sunday 13th August. 
We started the day with a walk along to Thurne, stopping for a coffee at the Ramblers shop. The mill sails were turning but we didn’t go in.

Our cruise today was as far as Stracey Arms and then back to the wild mooring upstream of Stokesby. Tony caught up on the effort of the journey down to the boat.

 I wanted to see if the riverbank path had now been cut, after my last struggle to walk along it in May and my subsequent report to Norfolk Coonty Council. It was like a mown hay field, mown grass everywhere. Someone had completed a massive job! 

I found a bag of someone’s rubbish that they couldn’t manage to take to a bin for some reason. I did them, and everyone else, a favour by doing their job for them.

We had a leisurely afternoon of doing jobs, lots of little ones to tick off my list. 

Yet another stunning sunset after spotting some of the woodies returning from Beccles. 

[SwanR]

Enjoying your write up Kate, and love seeing your photos. :)

[kpnut]

Monday 14th August. 
‘No particular place to go’ today. 

We headed back upstream, stopping briefly at Acle Bridge, then up through Ludham Bridge. On the way up the Ant, I got a message from the boat behind, Bollysnigh, skippered by Rob from CircusHead, just to say ‘hello’. 
I had to do a bit of a quick stop, just as I was about to go under the bridge, as a boat suddenly appeared from ‘round the corner’ on the other side, with its nose coming under the bridge. What with me already being about to go through, the rising tide pulling me towards the bridge, and the wind coming sideways, it took a bit of effort to hold station. Tony hurriedly went out on deck in case I drifted towards any of the boatyard boats.
The approaching boat was being VERY cautious, so the episode was somewhat drawn out. After going through the bridge, and conscious that Rob was behind me, I did a quick turn into the tide and moored up as I wanted to take Tony over to meet George at LBBY. Unfortunately, the one thing I couldn’t do with all that going on was to take a photo of Bollysnigh. 
 

We went over to the yard for a bit of banter, George being pleased to meet Tony to confirm that he did actually exist😂. 

Our last stop was at Paddy’s Lane, AGAIN. I haven’t moored here for a couple of years before this trip, but it’s near the top of my favourites now. 
We put up my new kitchen blinds, a small job soon turning into a larger one with needing to remove the curtain rail, take the pelmet down, and dismantle a light. All those screws to undo at a stretch across the worktop soon got my back muscles going into spasm unfortunately. I managed a walk round the village but knew I was in for a ropy night. I’d left my strong cocodamol in the car, so took paracetamol and retired to bed for a night of agony. I got to sleep by lying flat out on the mattress with two pillows under my back, just as it was getting light. Lying like that, with my head below my body did make me feel rather queasy!

Wondering how on earth I was going to get the boat back to Stalham, moored up and cleaned up, I went for a walk to see if things would ease. I just kept telling myself to relax and trying to shake the tension off. It worked well enough to get us back to Stalham and with two cocodamol downed, the hoovering etc done and about 45 mins later, I realised I was fine - well, probably not really, but no pain. I’ve found that once the pain goes, I can relax my muscles, then by the next day they have unknotted again.   
Anyway, we managed to get home with a very easy run of under 4 hours, and I’ve done a whole day at the allotment today, so no damage done! (till the next time in another couple of months most likely!!!!)  

Not the boat, but my cut flower bed at the allotment looks colourful. 

And Tony presented me with this when I got back. He’d been making it while I was cruising about on the boat.

 

I think he honestly enjoys doing things like that than boating. But he did admit he’d had a good weekend boating. 

I wonder if it could be attached to the boat?😂
 

[YnysMon]

What a beautiful wind vane Kate! It’s brilliant.

Thanks for a lovely tale. It was good to ‘see’ Tony at last.

Hope we’ll meet up again before too long. We are next on the boat on November, though with me retiring in September I’m hoping that we might sneak in another winter week or two if there are any unused weeks that no one else wants.

[ZimbiIV]

If you are retiring soon, you will not have time for holidays!

paul

[kpnut]

57 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

though with me retiring in September

That’s come round fast Helen, might not have felt it for you, mind you. 
As Paul refers to, you will start wondering how you ever had time to work. It’s really odd, but everyone says it. 

[YnysMon]

Only 4 weeks and 1 day left to work (with a week's holiday in between). I shall try to bear in mind the advice I've been given and not overcommit myself to start with. 

[kpnut]

Monday 18th September.
Back at the boat after what seems an age, but actually is just a month. I have been so busy in that time with the paving of my son’s garden, and travelling virtually the length of the UK (bit of an exaggeration but from north of Glasgow to Sussex and Kent) that I am truly ready for some time on the boat, where life becomes so much more simple. 

Happily, the boat was feeling as fresh as I’d left it and I soon felt I hadn’t been away. 

The plan is for a trip to the south with my most loyal boating friend (and lifelong friend from primary school).
 

Tuesday 19th September.
 

Judith duly arrived on time and we soon got her gear stowed away. Our plan for today was to head for Stokesby, with a view to crossing Breydon on the early morning tide tomorrow. The only spanner in the works with the plan was the increasingly strong wind, with it forecast to reach 45-50mph by afternoon until Wednesday afternoon. I’d rung the staff at GY yacht station in the morning and he gave me good general advice about timings etc. 
Judith and I decided that if Breydon got closed for hire craft we’d re-assess and in the meantime go to Stokesby anyway. 
Breydon duly got closed to hire craft but the weather really didn’t feel too bad.
Finlay got his walk round the paths and lanes of the village, with a stop for us at the pub and an irresistible visit to the chocolate cake shop. We then had a very peaceful night at Stokesby to my surprise, knowing it can get blowy there at the best of times. 
 

[kpnut]

Wednesday 20th September. 
Decision made. The BA notice of the closure of Breydon had disappeared from their website, so we decided to give it a go. We needed to leave at 7am, so after feeding the dog and having a cup of tea and a banana, we togged the dog up in his life jacket and set off. 

The journey down the lower Bure was lovely, I’d say fairly calm and beautifully sunny. It seemed that low tide today wasn’t as low as last time I’d done the journey as there seemed to be more water and fewer mudflats! Maybe neap rather than a spring tide?

On nearing GY we met a few boats coming upstream, but nothing going in our direction. In fact we didn’t see another boat going our way for the whole journey. 
Breydon was much calmer than I’d expected, nothing untoward at all. We moored up at Berney Arms to cook breakfast and go for a walk to the railway station and then down towards Polkey’s Mill. What a beautiful morning. 

But wow, on the return to the boat, we could see it bobbing up and down rather disturbingly on its mooring. We had an interesting time moving off from the quay and a highly amusing trip down towards Reedham, heading straight into the wind. One fender on the starboard side lodged itself on deck and decided to stay there. The fender near me at the helm kept making an appearance by the window, along with a load of spray. 

I realise for some people this is a run of the mill experience, but for a newbie like me, it was exciting!

We found out later that about that time of leaving Berney Arms, Breydon had been closed to hire boats again.

Passing through Reedham.

Passing Hartley mill.

Our destination of Rockland came up soon enough. The reported overgrown vegetation along Short Dyke had been cut and looked very inviting but I wanted to try out the village staithe if there was space. Which there was. My mudweight didn’t seem to want to be of any use at all, perhaps there’s no mud on the bottom? So we were swaying about a bit and I was also surprised at the fall of the tide. In fact, Finlay didn’t get his last outside visit before bed as it would have been difficult getting back on.
Why is there a bigger tidal range on the southern broads than the north? Is it due to the expense of water in Breydon water? 
We had a super walk from Rockland round to Coldham Hall pub. What a lovely setting. The only time I’ve cruised past, a couple of years ago, it looked so busy with yachts that I thought it must be a private club house, only later finding out it is actually a pub. I enquired about mooring, £10 redeemable with food purchased, first come first served, electric available (the price the lady quoted me was extortionate at £10 for electric, but maybe I misunderstood or she was wrong). We found a farm shop on the way back, Yare Valley farm shop, so will look that up on the internet with a view to a visit next time. In fact, I’m think I might have to brave the journey south on my own sometime just to potter round this area for a few days. What with a vineyard visit to fit in from the moorings at Bramerton Common as well, there does seem to be a lot to explore. 

Back at the staithe, we popped into the New Inn to book a table for tea. I’d heard good reviews and also that the pub is closing in October so wanted to get there before that, if that is indeed the case. 
The rain had started during the walk and was only light while we adjusted the mooring lines and I added an extra fender to the stern. By the time we were going for the two minute walk to the pub, it was tipping down so wellies were needed. 
Our table was next to the table of our neighbouring boat that I’d noticed had an NBN flag on the bow. We had an interesting, wide ranging chat to the couple, not only boat neighbours it seemed, but near neighbours in real life, living only 20 miles from me. Andy and Carol were on a hire boat and admitted to not really following the forum over the last few years but they had enjoyed the meet at Salhouse in 2016. I asked if I could mention them in my holiday tale. 
Game stew with mash for both our teas at a very reasonable price. We ate the malteser millionaires shortbread from Stokesby for pudding once back on the boat. One piece did for the two us us and even then, it was so rich we could have got another two portions out of it. 

The end of a very fun day. 

[kpnut]

Thursday 21st September.
 

Wanting to catch the outgoing tide as far as possible, we departed a quiet Rockland at about 8.15. Rockland Broad was full of wildfowl, including lots of coots. 

And here’s the evidence of the vegetation management on Short Dyke. 

My thoughts on passing the Beauchamp Arms were ‘what a waste of a massive potential’. 

Breakfast was cooked at a stop at the Reedcutter moorings at Cantley. Last time I came south I think they must have been full as I hadn’t realised there are some BA 24hr moorings there. There are some wonderful views up on the bank walking back upstream. The whole of the landscape is very green and vibrant at the moment and with the cattle grazing, very ‘Constable-like’. 

The tide had turned when we set off again, but it wasn’t noticeable until, on passing under the Reedham bridge, I had to up the revs somewhat.
We’d had to wait a few minutes for the ferry to cross and I certainly hadn’t noticed the fast tide then. 

We pondered about what the water does when it comes off Breydon, past Berney Arms and meets the New Cut. Does it turn in, in which case it’d push us along the New Cut? We got our answer when we started speeding up noticeably, getting the helping hand of the water behind us. 
But then why does it not do the same at the St Olaves end, turning in, and somehow meeting the water from the Yare with a great big hump in the middle? I suppose it’s because the angle of the two watercourses is more acute at that end. All very confusing. 

Our destination of Somerleyton was soon reached and we moored nearest the bridge end, knowing it’d be noisy with the trains, but also interesting with the bridge opening and closing. 

Finlay had an afternoon on his own while we walked up to visit the gardens of Somerleyton Hall. If you haven’t been, it should be on the agenda. They were super, with the added bonus of a fun half hour getting lost in the maze. There are some stunning trees in the arboretum. And the house itself (closed for visits) is very impressive from the outside. 

The Maze. 

The village itself is an ‘estate village’ with many of the houses owned and rented out by the estate. We met a lady collecting her children from school who told us the primary school is thriving and very popular with families from far and wide. Always nice to hear of a rural school with hopefully a bright future. 

And another day rounded off by a stop-off for a glass of cider, this time at the Duke’s Head. 

[Lulu]

7 hours ago, kpnut said:

We ate the malteser millionaires shortbread from Stokesby for pudding once back on the boat. One piece did for the two us us and even then, it was so rich we could have got another two portions out of it. 

One piece between two and could have got two more portions out of it! …Not on my watch 😂

Loving your adventures. Graham and I really should not be so lazy and go south again. 

[SwanR]

Lovely reading your tale Kate. I love Somerleyton Gardens having been there a couple of times. 

I have no real inclination to want to cross Breydon but we haven’t done the southern rivers for over 8 years now. Just not been any boats based down there that we want to hire. I’m still so glad that our first Broads hire was from Brundall in the Swancraft days. And before I joined much social media. It meant that I didn’t read any stories about the tides and the rivers to put me off. The north is beautiful and probably mostly more sedate. But I hope you get down the Waveney to Beccles as that’s my favourite stretch of river. Although Brundall to Bramerton is very special too. 

[YnysMon]

8 hours ago, SwanR said:

I have no real inclination to want to cross Breydon

You don't know what you're missing Jean. It always feels a bit of a let down if we can't do 'the crossing' on any of our trips.

I have good news about November. Moonlight Shadow has spare days before our next trip, and no one else in the Syndicate wanted them, so we are going to have an extra long stay for our next trip - 17 days!!!!! How good is that!

If the weather allows, we'll hopefully make it down south.