Springer’s Retreat On The Rivers

[kpnut]

What I meant was years/decades of autumn ploughing, after much spreading, loosening seedbeds with consequent runoff during winter rains when the fields lay empty. 
The more recent practices of waiting until spring to plough and sow spring crops leads to less nutrient and soil leaching. 

I’m also ‘pro-farming’, working in the industry.
A lot of blame put on them for doing what they were asked to do after the war to up food production. Those husbandry practices have very much been seen in hindsight to have many detrimental effects in the environment. 

But I must say that there are still those who stubbornly cling on to those practices now because that’s what they’re used to, it’s ‘how the farming year is’. 

[kpnut]

I cast off in the strengthening sunshine off up to the lock, just for the pleasure of the journey, turning when I got there and coming back down again. 
There’s a big dredger on the anchor moorings loop so I squeezed through the gap.
It is another lovely day on the river. 

Belaugh mooring was free and it looked far too enticing to go past, so I stopped in there, and we’ve been for a walk round the village lanes. We walked round the churchyard but didn’t stop in the church itself this time. 

After a sit in the sun reading a book - I’m still reading ‘Water, Mills and Marshes, life and work on the Broads 1920 - 2020’ and reckon it should be compulsory (and very enjoyable) reading for anyone with a boat on the Broads - I decided it was time to move off. But within a couple of minutes had changed my mind as it’s so peaceful here and now I’m just dithering. 

So do I move on to Hoveton as I have shopping to do, and it would boost the batteries and hot water, or stay here in this idyllic spot? Can’t decide!

[Lulu]

Wonderful spot. Spent many hours catching perch there when I lived at RAF Coltishall many moons ago

[NorfolkNog]

There was a boat moored there as we passed each way yesterday so obviously moved on. Very pretty stretch of river. 

[Bikertov]

1 hour ago, kpnut said:

... I decided it was time to move off. But within a couple of minutes had changed my mind as it’s so peaceful here and now I’m just dithering. 

So do I move on to Hoveton as I have shopping to do, and it would boost the batteries and hot water, or stay here in this idyllic spot? Can’t decide!

I say you should dither near Dilham, rather than hiking it to Hoveton.

Your batteries will be fine, and hot water is over-rated on a sunny day anyway !

[kpnut]

I plumped for the best of both worlds. 
Looking at the map, I found an interesting looking route that’d take me up onto the railway path again, heading towards Coltishall. From Belaugh mooring, turn left and head for the main Hoveton/Coltishall road. As you come up to the main road there is a permissive path running behind the hedge opposite in the Hoveton direction. I was very grateful to Trafford Estates for saving me the walk on the road. It joins with the footpath following the field margins up onto the railway. 

Another train photo for Roy.

The driver seemed to having great fun tooting at everything that moved, probably even the birds in the sky!

I seemed to be following some blue signs, turns out there is a Bure Valley circular path that I’d    inadvertently earmarked as my route.

Funny how a lot of my walks end up going where I’ve just come from or where I’m going next. This time Coltishall Common - same location, different boats!

The path back goes behind Anchor moorings and across the water meadows. 

I’m writing this while waiting for Finlay to dry himself off and then we will head off to the metropolis of Wroxham/Hoveton (whichever)

[kpnut]

2 hours ago, Lulu said:

Wonderful spot. Spent many hours catching perch there when I lived at RAF Coltishall many moons ago

Get yourself along there Sam. The scene won’t have changed. 

[kpnut]

2 hours ago, NorfolkNog said:

There was a boat moored there as we passed each way yesterday so obviously moved on. Very pretty stretch of river. 

He’s up at Coltishalll Common now so I was half hoping the mooring would be empty. 
 

[dom]

12 minutes ago, kpnut said:

From Belaugh mooring, turn left and head for the main Hoveton/Coltishall road. As you come up to the main road there is a permissive path running behind the hedge opposite in the Hoveton direction. I was very grateful to Trafford Estates for saving me the walk on the road. It joins with the footpath following the field margins up onto the railway.

I love reading your updates when you're in areas that I know very well like this. As you walk from the Belaugh road down to Hoveton, there are very few houses. I grew up going to school with kids from at least 3 of them (although one in particular has been redeveloped). I've spent countless hours walking up and down that road. What's really interesting is that you often seem to highlight either routes I'd never taken or, as in this case, which have appeared in the time since.

The Bure above Wroxham is very much my spiritual home. I nearly commented the other day when you posted Coltishall Church. My first boss, who I had immense respect for (related to Sir Malcolm Bradbury, who I got to meet once) was laid to rest there. I used to join a mate on his paper round around Belaugh on occasion. We also used to bike down to Coltishall common quite often when I lived in Tunstead. I'm still desperately trying to move back to the area but without much success so far, so it's great to get drip fed images of the area.

[Roy]

Thank you Kate for the photo ! 
just out of interest the train spitfire has just returned from the Romney hythe and dymchurch railway in Kent it was the guest loco for their gala. 
 

I love belagh it feels like a world away from every where. 

[Lulu]

For four or so years I lived nearby, I was never 100% sure how to say Belaugh.  Beelar? 

[Woodie]

New boat? lol

[kpnut]

10 minutes ago, Woodie said:

New boat? lol

Oh yes please, as my extra one though as I couldn’t desert SR, my first love!

Well spotted. 

[kpnut]

43 minutes ago, Lulu said:

For four or so years I lived nearby, I was never 100% sure how to say Belaugh.  Beelar? 

I pronounce it like that Sam. Like Beeler with the emphasis on the Bee. No idea if that’s right. 

[dom]

39 minutes ago, Lulu said:

For four or so years I lived nearby, I was never 100% sure how to say Belaugh.  Beelar? 

In my experience, it's either Bee-luh (where the luh is similar to the way you'd first teach a child to say the letter L) or, Bee-law. The former is the more common Norfolk accent version, the latter the posher variant.

I've heard all sorts of odd variations, including Bee-Lee, which I've no idea how you'd get from the spelling.

[kpnut]

52 minutes ago, Roy said:

Thank you Kate for the photo ! 
just out of interest the train spitfire has just returned from the Romney hythe and dymchurch railway in Kent it was the guest loco for their gala. 
 

I love belagh it feels like a world away from every where. 

Sorry it didn’t show the name, think that was the way the sun was shining. 
Belaugh is certainly a world away. I’m always amazed how hilly it is compared with everywhere else. 

[kpnut]

3 hours ago, dom said:

I'm still desperately trying to move back to the area but without much success so far, so it's great to get drip fed images of the area.

The house at Coltishall station is for sale. Probably way above our respective price ranges!

You might be able to answer why Tunstead Rd, which I came off the railway line onto, turns into White Lion Rd after the triangular junction to St James, on its way down to the common. But I couldn’t find any houses down there with a name or look corresponding to an old pub.
Was there a pub down there? 

Pleased you’re enjoying my wanderings.

[dom]

22 minutes ago, kpnut said:

The house at Coltishall station is for sale. Probably way above our respective price ranges!

You might be able to answer why Tunstead Rd, which I came off the railway line onto, turns into White Lion Rd after the triangular junction to St James, on its way down to the common. But I couldn’t find any houses down there with a name or look corresponding to an old pub.
Was there a pub down there?

The station house is definitely beyond my means. Prices in Coltishall are pretty eye watering in general these days.

After coming off Tunstead Road onto White Lion Road, there's a row of terraced houses on the right. If you look at the upper storey, the one around the middle of the terrace has the name White Lion Cottages and a lion figurine in the wall. They were built on the site of the former White Lion pub, which was demolished at the end of the 19th century.

One of the landlords was a Samuel Press, who I presume was probably an ancestor of C&G Press, who built boats in Belaugh before moving to Wroxham. I suspect the family may well get a mention in Nigel Royall's family story in the "Water mills and marshes" book you're reading. Everything around Broadland always seems to interconnect!

 

[Roy]

1 hour ago, kpnut said:

Sorry it didn’t show the name, think that was the way the sun was shining. 
Belaugh is certainly a world away. I’m always amazed how hilly it is compared with everywhere else. 

That was spitfire you took the photo of today and yesterday was blickling hall both engines were new in 1994 they were the first engines built purposely for the line. 
 

Blickling hall was and may still be the most powerful 15 inch gauge engine in England sorry I’ll stop hi jacking your tread with trains 😁

[Bikertov]

15 hours ago, kpnut said:

Oh yes please, as my extra one though as I couldn’t desert SR, my first love!

Well spotted. 

Yeah Kate, like you need even more space than you already have on SR - she is like a Tardis !

[kpnut]

The conclusion I’ve come to after spending an evening through to the next afternoon at Hoveton viaduct is that Wroxham bridge air draught isn’t changing that much from high to low tide. It seems stuck again on about 6’7”.

After a quick hello to Steve and Cody at the electric St Johns moorings, first job of the day was buying some new tick tweezers at the pet shop, success for the ones I wanted, then seeing if the diy shop had a smoke alarm to replace mine that seems to have given up. No was the answer, as I wanted one that would go in the same screw holes on the ceiling as the existing one. I’ve ordered one from Amazon and my friend will bring it with her on Monday. 
Then an online meeting to attend. The wifi signal was good for that. 
After that, it was getting towards high tide so I took a wander to look at the gauge board. Still about 6’7”. 
So we had another walk, not that there’s anywhere local for a dog walk in Hoveton or Wroxham unless you go up to the Caen meadow area. 

We went under the bridge about 3pm, still showing 6’7”!
Destination perhaps Horning church, perhaps Fleet dyke. 
The river was quite busy but mainly going upstream. I could have got in on Horning staithe at a pinch, or had my pick of the moorings at Cockshoot Broad. If it hadn’t been for a lousy forecast overnight and the morning, I might have stopped there as the boardwalk is now open again according to the May ‘broads briefing’, but other than that, there’s nowhere to go to now the riverbank walk along to the staithe opposite Ferry Marina is in such poor condition. 

On we went, and stopped at Horning church. We had a good wander up to the churchyard and across the field, round the lane back and now, with the canopies down in readiness for the rain, I’m quietly sweltering! 
The river traffic has died right down in the last half hour and there’s not a breath of wind. 

[grendel]

Yes the wind has dropped and the sky is taking on that yellow tinge that precedes a storm.

[kpnut]

Yep Grendel. 
 

Barnes webcam shows the bridge height gauge at 6’9” more or less on low tide, so the water does go up and down, just about! 

[Broads01]

4 hours ago, kpnut said:

The conclusion I’ve come to after spending an evening through to the next afternoon at Hoveton viaduct is that Wroxham bridge air draught isn’t changing that much from high to low tide. It seems stuck again on about 6’7”

I thought there'd always been very little movement but happy to be corrected by someone with more detailed knowledge. 

[dom]

13 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

I thought there'd always been very little movement but happy to be corrected by someone with more detailed knowledge. 

From what I remember, normal tides were pretty minimal, and you only really tended to notice a visible drop with Springs. The height was more like 7' to 7' 3" back then though.