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Springer’s Retreat On The Rivers


kpnut

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Easy for Water Rail, you could spin her round in one move. Springer’s Retreat is 35ft and fits end to end. I’ve already turned her so I know it’s possible. 
Secluded, lots of birdsong, water lilies, excellent walk onto that Catfield Fen nature reserve, catches morning and evening sun, would be shadier during day I think, midgy, not much view, about sums it up. 

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A 2.5 hour, 5 mile walk to Catfield Dyke, circular back through some different lanes, but not really recommended as quite a lot of road walking, even if mostly quiet lanes both ways. But a lovely permissive path down Catfield Dyke from the moorings. There is a BA 24 hr mooring there, the bit from the shed to the ladder on the photo and maybe down to where I was standing. 

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The path probably goes just over halfway down the dyke (I was hoping maybe to get out to Hickling Broad but it turned before that)

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before turning at a little bench saying ‘enjoy kingfisher corner’ or something similar and making its way back along a shady track to the lane.
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Recommend a visit if you in the car sometime. 

I revisited Catfield Fen on the way back to the boat to see more swallowtail butterflies. I did spot a few but far too fast for my phone camera. I did manage 4 horsefly bites though -grrrh!

Washed the Saharan sand back off the boat and moseyed on ti How Hill as the mooring spot I wanted on the river was taken. We’re going to take a walk down to Ludham Bridge when it cools down a bit, but gif now Finlay is having a snooze on the sofa. 
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you can eaily get to catfield staithe by water (if you can get under Potter heigham bridge) i have done it, but be aware the dyke is quite shallow, when I went down there was a depth gauge that showed the water depth as around 2 foot. and i did experience the prop catching in the mud and walking the boat sideways.

about half way down the dyke from hickling there is a gated off area of water, so that is probably what stopped you getting further along the dyke.

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3 hours ago, grendel said:

you can eaily get to catfield staithe by water

I managed to go under PH bridge in March and went past the entrance to the dyke but didn’t dare go down there. As you say, narrow and shallow. There were plenty of smaller boats at the moorings at the end.

1 hour ago, Troyboy said:

That dog doesn't realise how lucky he is

I’ll tell him! Anything to keep him fit over the summer is good. He’s had two good swims today and I’ve done nearly 9 miles so he’s done at least double, probably 3 times that. He had a good bit of fuss from the lads at Ludham Bridge Boatyard when I called in to say hello on my walk.

Fed and watered now, checked for ticks and de-stickybudded, now asleep again. What a life!

Just keep a map with you and explore. Norfolk is absolutely riddled with footpaths, just like the Sussex of my childhood. Now in Sussex you walk the footpaths from one housing estate to the next!

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I would agree that Catfield staithe is a lovely spot, though there are a number of those up above Potter Heigham bridge.

I am planning to visit the wrong side of the bridge again soon, all being well :default_smile:

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4 hours ago, grendel said:

the problem is that good conditions to get under Potter heigham bridge are bad conditions to get down Catfield Dyke, give it a try next time, though, at 35 foot turning will be tight at the end, but its a lovely spot

That’s a shame. We have been down Catfield Dyke in a day boat and I was thinking that maybe we could take Water Rail down there if we manage to get under ‘the bridge’. Maybe not though. 

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there was about 2 foot when I last went down (in Marthams Janet) and I believe its been dredged since then, so if you get up there its well worth a try, Water rail has quite a shallow draught at least comparable to the Martham boats, the depth gauge is about half way along the dyke on the left as you go in.

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Give it a go Helen, says me who was too scared to do so!

Last day for me on the rivers, home in the morning. So a slow start at How Hill, although I had been roused from my slumber by an engine running from 7am. I expect the occupants didn’t realise how much noise the engine made as it was out the back and it was a long HW boat. To be honest, it didn’t wake me but it did disturb the peace and quiet of a few minutes in bed watching the river. The boat didn’t actually leave till 9.30. 
Being in no hurry whatsoever and determined to enjoy my last journey, I ambled up the Ant for a pump out at Richardsons. And a jolly good job they did too. Highly recommended. 
I had been assured that one of the lads at the yard would get me the fault code for the non-functioning diesel heater. Code said no fuel getting to the heater, which I had sort of suspected without knowing the reason why, as when it was turned in it got as far in the operation as ‘ignites flame’ and then switched itself back off again. It turned out to be a split in the pipe between the pump and the heater, where it had been installed with a right angle turn. Duly fixed with a proper elbow joint put in and away it went, pumping copious amounts of heat into the already hot cabin. I am so very grateful to the yard for helping out and I’m sure the bill will be affordable too as I’ve always found Richardsons to be very fair. I’m not sure whether they take on private work to be honest, but being an ex Richardsons hire boat, there is a wealth of experience to ask. 
Very happy and very hot, as I’d been told to give it a good 20 mins or so, I made a sandwich before setting off for diesel at Sutton Staithe. Again, very helpful and friendly, even if it had gone up another 15p a litre since last there only a week or so ago. Now £1.87.
Back to my mooring for the usual clean up. I had thought I was the next one on the boat again, so wasn’t going to do such a thorough job, but my daughter and husband (that takes some getting used to, they only got married in April) are here next, as of a plan they hatched last night, so a full clean needed. At least then, I should expect the same from them!

So if you see Springers Retreat out and about in early July, with a spaniel that seems to have changed colour, from black and white to liver and white, it’s those two with Finlay’s older brother Charlie. 
My next trip is with my 90 year old mum later in July. 

Home tomorrow to see if Tony has fed himself properly and to catch up on the allotments. 
 

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Lovely!

Thanks for the encouragement about Catfield Dyke. If we can under Potter we’ll certainly try it.

When are you on board in July? We are next on MS from the 15th July. Mind you, we have plans to disappear down south away from what I’m anticipating will be busy rivers up north. 

 

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Brilliant tale, thank you for posting. Its been so interesting. Im always curious about different walks but I have to admit, Desmond and I are quite lazy and dont do long walks.   Also making me seriously think about going to that little staithe off Barton Broad.  If a boat was already there, is there still enough room to turn or would you have to reverse back out? 
 

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10 minutes ago, Lulu said:

If a boat was already there, is there still enough room to turn or would you have to reverse back out? 

I haven’t been there, but from what I recall of Robin’s blog I think there is room to turn. 

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Yes, you could turn with a bit of toing and froing. There's some private moorings there too, which I don't think are ever really used so space enough.

Helen, Im picking mum up from the railway station on eleventh, and she's here a week. I'll be down a couple of days before to check things are ready for her. So we might well see you on your way down south. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, here again. 
Wanting to catch my daughter before she departed after her week on the boat, I set off from home at 4.30am yesterday. It’s been a long time since I was out and about at that time of the morning and I found the roads surprisingly busy. Sutton Bridge was clear apart from some temporary lights, which were green as I went through, AFTER the bridge, so not sure what their purpose is. 
A quick stop in Hoveton to see what was out on the moorings and to get the excitement out of the dog before he meets his brothers d we were at Stalham before Catherine and Roald were up, at 8am. Odd not being able to get onto my own boat on arrival, but I took Finlay for another run at the public moorings down the end of the yard and they were up by the time I got back. It was good to hear the news of their week, they’d spent a good part of it up beyond Wroxham bridge. They say next time they are confident enough to go through on their own. I haven’t reached that stage yet! I’ll pluck up the courage one of these days and save myself some pennies. 
They had a drive back to near Burton on Trent to consider, so after sharing my allotment harvest with them, they departed. When you are picking 4 punnets of raspberries a day, you have to offload it somehow! Even the freezer can’t cope with that. 
I caught up with a few people I hadn’t seen for a while, modified a set of shelves that Tony had made for me and fitted them in their allotted  space in the wardrobe to be used for all the ‘bits and bobs’ you accumulate on a boat, walked round to Simpsons where I’d seen Lulu heading, but by the time I got there they’d gone.

After a shopping trip to stock up for the week, and sorting out an internet problem I’d had all day (by the proverbial turning off and on again a couple of times), I was ready for an early night I couldn’t  even contemplate staying up for the Friday night quiz and it sounds like I missed a lot of fun. 
 

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My sister had been in touch overnight to take me up on the offer of a week on the boat. Mum is already due on Monday, so it’ll be good to have another pair of safe hands, mainly to keep mum in one piece. She’s 90, but thinks she’s still about 20, so doesn’t like to be ‘advised’! We discussed various public transport possibilities for her to leave her car in Stalham and come and find me by bus, getting off at Ludham being a good bet as there is a choice of the main Womack staithe, the dyke and St Benets for mooring, but in the end I decided to have one night out tonight and then go back to Stalham tomorrow to pick her up. 
So a quick return to Tesco to buy a third person’s worth of food for a few days and I set off, with no destination in mind. 

I passed numerous vacant wild moorings down the Ant and thought I’d go as far as How Hill and turn round to see what was still free. I ended up at Jonny Crowe’s staithe as someone was leaving just as I went past. To be honest, I was needing a dozing sort of day, so on arrival, enjoyed the mooring spot to watch the boats go by for a while before deciding to walk down to How Hill for an ice cream. 
it was very quiet on the moorings when I took the photos at 3.30, but I expect the  newly released Richardsons boats will soon be along for their first nights stop. 
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Back now watching the boats again. It’s not too hot here as there’s just enough breeze. 

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