Advice For April Broads Trip (first Timer) - Take 2!

[Maddybc]

Hi all

I tried posting earlier, I can see it in the forum but it is missing the content, so posting again.

I've never been to Norfolk before but have booked a long weekend on the Broads as I love boats!  Going in April - we'll cope even if it rains the whole time but hoping we have nice weather!  Our boat is quite tall so some limitations as to the bridges we can go under.  We will be starting at Wroxham and will be mostly on the River Bure it seems.  Where should we plan to moor at night?  Are there fees we should be aware of (or can avoid)?  Any recommendations of places to visit or places to stop to eat?  Nearly 3 mos away but I can't wait!

Any other advice for a first timer, that we should take into account when planning?

Thanks

Maddy

[MauriceMynah]

I know this seems like an easy question, but it just isn't. 

If you prefer pub moorings , depending on available light, I'd head to Ranworth for your first night. If you want a quieter non pub spot, Ranworth island. Salhouse is a beauty spot su busy, but a long walk to the pub.

Tell us your likes and dislikes and we may be able to be more helpful. 

[Maddybc]

HI Maurice

Thank you, your reply was already helpful.  I had found Salhouse and noted it as a potential place to stay.  

We are looking for peaceful and scenic views, keen on a slower pace, so would avoid busy places.  3 adults, no kids/pets.  We are interested in finding pubs for lunch or dinner so ideas on where to stop are helpful.  I've heard there aren't many in that area, we are happy to cook on the boat too, so only interested in eating at places people would choose even if there were plenty of options.  

We only have an evening and 2 full days boating so happy to potter around in the Broads, not looking to go as far as Great Yarmouth, had considered boating a little up River Ant but the first bridge is too low for us to feel comfortable.

We aren't sure about mud anchoring.  Hubby prefers being next to land overnight. 

Are there likely to be many people around in April?

Many thanks

Maddy

[Vaughan]

Hello Maddy and welcome to the forum - on your second attempt!

As it is your first trip, I will stick to some boat handling advice and let others tell you about all the pubs!

If you are coming at Easter it will be pretty busy on the rivers - or at least the boatyards hope it will be!  As a hire boat, you will have free access to moor at other hire yards, such as at Horning (where you can walk to the pubs), and Potter Heigham.  There are free overnight moorings provided by the Broads Authority although there is talk at the moment, of a possible charge to moor at Ranworth.

Don't try and do too much the first time - it is a relaxing holiday - and don't go down the Bure beyond Stokesby, so that you won't have to worry about strong tides.  There is a tidal current at Stokesby and Acle all the same, so when mooring, make sure you are coming in against the current.  The rest of the Bure is very placid with no strong current.

There may be strong winds in April; if so, try to moor on the windward bank of the river, by putting the bow in first and then pulling the stern in with a rope once you are ashore.  If you moor on the leeward bank, the wind will push you against it, which is uncomfortable at night and you may not be able to get off again in the morning!

Always make sure you have enough food on board, to that you can always cook your own meal if you can't get into a crowded pub mooring and have to use "plan B".

Above all, take your time, and have fun!

 

[Smoggy]

There's not many hire boats that can't get under ludham bridge so you should be ok for the ant, neatishead is nice with a good pub and you can drop a weight on barton broad if you fancy it.

White horse at upton is good.

What boat have you booked? It will give people an idea of where it can go and how it will turn in the dykes.

 

[Gracie]

 Take it slowly to enjoy the scenery and beauty of the Broads. The wild life is something to behold especially in April.

Most boating folk are friendly and will lend a hand if you need so just ask

Always wear your life jackets when mooring and doing ropes etc

Don't leave the boat yard until you are comfortable, ask as many questions as you like, there are never silly questions but maybe a few silly answers especially on here 

 Take a non stick frying pan and some proper wine glasses, although everything is supplied on your boat the pans always stick and the glasses are too small, I am an expert on wine glasses 

As Vaughan said take your time and have fun, the best advice

Have a great time and welcome to the Forum x

[CambridgeCabby]

My suggestion , avoiding Ludham bridge if you are concerned going under although (as far as I can remember) every boat hired from a Wroxham yard passes under, would be to head for Womack dyke (side on mooring) or the staithe (stern on and £5 overnight) , a short walk to The Kings Arms for an evening meal .

The dyke is far more peaceful at night (once river traffic has ceased)

[Smoggy]

1 hour ago, Gracie said:

and the glasses are too small, I am an expert on wine glasses 

What Gracie means is "take an IV line and dripstand for the wine"

[Maddybc]

Thank you for all the info, it's really helpful!  We will be going the weekend after Easter on the Fair Regal (8ft 8 inch tall) from Norfolk Broads Direct.  Apparently at high tide it wouldn't go under Ludham Bridge.  Having read a description of Ludlum Bridge (on a deep curve with limited visibility), I'm not sure we're keen to go that way anyway!

My hubby has spent a lot of time on narrow boats and is comfortable captaining, but I'm keen on a low stress, chilled time.  So happy to avoid anything that could be complicated.  I love boats so much, I'd happily just mud anchor in one of the quieter Broads and enjoy just being on board with that lovely scenery.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, any other advice will be greatly appreciated.   

Maddy

[CambridgeCabby]

Much of the most scenic areas are to be found upstream of Ludham bridge , as far as passage under it is concerned in April aim for low water at the bridge (if you download the free Aweigh app tide times and other very useful information are on there ) and you should have no problem , Yes the bridge is on a bend in the river but thousands of first time boaters pass the bridge every year with no problem.

if you do venture up the Ant, Gays Staithe is a beautiful quiet mooring and only 15 mins walk to the highly rated White Horse Neatishead , if staying late in the pub take a torch as it is along an unlit country lane ,  

[Smoggy]

My boat needs 8'8" minimum and I've been under ludham with 8'2" showing on the board and still had clearance.

[Gracie]

Maddy, your love of boats shines through your posts so I think when you visit in April you will fall in love with the place and will be booking another boat as soon as you are on dry land.

When you do, choose a style of boat that will go under most of the bridges, stay for longer, there is so much to see and do that you can't in a weekend. If hubby can be persuaded to mud weight on one of the Broads it's one of the most peaceful and stress free things to do in my opinion

As CC said the Ant is beautiful and not to be missed as is Coltishall the other side of Wroxham bridge, that stretch is stunning and when you reach the end several pubs to choose from unless you have an IV line on the boat of course  x

[Tess10]

If you want to mudweight South Walsham broad is lovely.

[annv]

Hi Maddi If you travel down the Bure in direction of Yarmouth DONT go further than Stoksby nice wide river until then there's a pub here also a pub at Acle bridge, there's three pubs in Horning plus two restaurants. Then along the Thurne there is a pub down a dyke at the end, a windmill is on the corner of the dyke, then on to Potter Heigham fish and chip shop  a pub and restaurant, Ranworth Broad has a shop and pub, It might be advisable to miss out Ludham bridge. Womack water has a village with shops and a pub walk up the lane then turn left at main road up to village, this should be enough as you only have two nights and three days. Enjoy. John

[BroadsBuccaneer]

Hi Maddy

I am also going in April (8-15th) from Richardsons in Stalham.

Heading from Wroxham area, Salhouse is nice (chargeable though).  Ranworth is by far is my favourite, but it looks like they are going to introduce charges there (grrrrr).  My profile pic is Ranworth Church - which is a must on a nice day you can climb the tower (about 130 steps and 2x ladders so wear decent footwear for this!) but the view from the top is lovely.  

Horning is nice if you can get along by the Swan, but this gets super busy as its a popular area. South Walsham is also a nice area to moor up overnight (quieter as there isn't much there)

Potter Heigham is a bit like Wroxham/Horning where it can get very busy but if you are lucky you can moor just before the bridge.  I doubt even the boat we are hiring (7ft) will be able to pass under it as I believe they are working on repairing the bridge until April at the earliest.  I would imagine with all the weather we have had lately the bridge will be unpassable which is a shame as Horsey Mere is a lovely place.  You can also walk to the beaches where they have loads of seals. 

If you are not too fussed about Potter I would also recommend Womack Staithe as that's a lovely area with a nice shop...again reasonably quiet but quite busy as its a peaceful area.  

If you can get under Ludham then How Hill is a nice stop (and free mooring!....for how long I wonder :P) 

I'm tempted this year to venture down to Acle/Stokesby but not much further as the tides get pretty strong the closer to Yarmouth you get.  

For things to bring, I agree with Gracie, bring glasses/pans etc as the ones onboard, while useful, are sometimes quite small.  I remember the glasses were tiny...trying to have a nice glass of vino in the evening in a tiny little glass ...hmmm :)

Also warm blankets etc.  The last time we went (April 2015) the days were sunny but the evenings..oh my...they were very cold.  We bring blankets, winter tog duvets (again the boat yard provides bedding but these are just basics).  Maybe some shopping to see you through the 1st night/morning.  I believe .Com deliveries may be able to deliver to you if you say where the mooring is (maybe someone can confirm this?) 

Also don't panic about mooring...a lot of the time if someone sees you are having a few troubles there are always lovely boaters happy to help you moor up.  Take your time and dont get flustered if the wind pushes you about...eventually you will get moored up.  Sadly there are space jumpers who will see you trying to pull into a space then nip in themselves as they have a smaller boat.  Not worth the energy or hassle trying to argue...just try and find another spot.  

[Smoggy]

And if you are not used to tidal water try and moor against the tide if there's much flow, it will all happen slower with better steering. 

More important for southern broads but worth knowing. 

[YnysMon]

5 hours ago, Smoggy said:

White horse at Upton is good

I agree about the White Horse, Upton, we find it one of the best. It's a community owned pub.

However, unless you can moor at the mouth of the dyke, and can send someone to run down the bank to check whether there is room on the staithe (right at the head of the dyke), I wouldn't take the boat up the dyke. Other than the staithe, all the moorings down the side of the dyke are private. The staithe is opposite Eastwood Whelpton boat yard and if a lot of their boats are in the yard it can be difficult to turn, particularly as a lot of their sailing boats have long bow sprits. 

What we've done on a few occasions is moor at Potter Heigham and walk along the southern river bank to Upton. It's only about a 40 minute walk and very pleasant. I know that a lot of people highly rate the Bridge Inn at Acle, but I prefer The White Horse any day. 

For the first evening I would probably head to St Benet's or Fleet Dyke (leading to South Walsham Broad), or possibly Thurne Dyke (another good pub there - The Lion @ Thurne), but then we aren't keen on mooring like sardines between other boats on stern-on moorings (such as Salhouse, Ranworth and Womack Staithe). Shame your husband doesn't fancy mud-weighting, I'm sure he'd be converted if you tried it. You can't beat mud-weighting on South Walsham Broad. Very peaceful!

[Smoggy]

45 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

moor at Potter Heigham and walk along the southern river bank to Upton.

That would be a hell of a route, and a swim.

If you like a good walk you can moor at st.benetts and walk to the dog at ludham bridge.

[Bernard]

If you can moor near the pumping station on the opposite bank to St Benets Abbey there is a footpath that takes you into Upton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wussername]

Well there you go.

Advice from Norfolk. The Broads finest forum.

From me, a norfolk boatman. 

Pitch up. Relax. Look up. The night sky. You might be in a magical place. Devoid of light pollution. Have you ever been in such a place?.

Noise, at night, there is  none. Perhaps  the  screech of the barn owl, the hoot of the brown.

In the morning, geese, a  skein of geese, screeching , demanding., perhaps, just perhaps, the boom of the elusive bittern.

Enjoy.

Old Wussername 

 

[Maddybc]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my post.  You've shared some great tips and insights I'm not sure I would have come across otherwise.  

Not only am I planning this trip, I'm already thinking what I will do on the next one!  Roll on April!

[Vaughan]

50 minutes ago, Wussername said:

Pitch up. Relax. Look up. The night sky. You might be in a magical place. Devoid of light pollution. Have you ever been in such a place?.

 

Actually this is Rockland Broad, in the dawn but I am sure South Walsham would be much as me ol'  mate Wossname describes!

[YnysMon]

7 hours ago, Smoggy said:

That would be a hell of a route, and a swim.

If you like a good walk you can moor at st.benetts and walk to the dog at ludham bridge.

LOL. That’s the trouble with catching up with the forum in between bouts of working, and not really concentrating properly! I meant, of course, mooring at Acle and walking from there to Upton.

Sigh! I’ll probably never live that one down. 

[Gracie]

10 hours ago, YnysMon said:

LOL. That’s the trouble with catching up with the forum in between bouts of working, and not really concentrating properly! I meant, of course, mooring at Acle and walking from there to Upton.

Sigh! I’ll probably never live that one down. 

 I know you like your walks but are you secretly in training for a Swimrun event?   Don't worry yourself, sometimes I don't read things properly, usually on a Friday night x

[YnysMon]

Dawn on South Walsham broad.