More Acle Memories

[Mouldy]

3 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

They dredged the Chet not that long ago…I know because we we’re delayed getting past their works, and you could see all the fresh spoil that had been dumped on the bank along the Hardley Flood bank just 12 months ago. 

 

They dredged the Upper Ant last year (we couldn’t get past the works to get to Wayford Bridge last July) and are doing it again this year.

[Broads01]

Left Great Yarmouth just before 9 and headed for Stokesby initially. We fancied a stop at the pub shop and glad we did. Loads of lovely cakes on offer and gluten-free options I needed as well. We were soon on our way again, next stop Potter Heigham. Dry weather today but unseasonably cold unfortunately. I like the roof at least partly open normally but having it shut seemed a necessity most of the time. Busiest we've seen it all week on the Thurne, we could tell it was a Bank Holiday. Squeezed in on the BA moorings at Potter for a while then back down to Thurne for our last night. Lovely meal at The Lion, my fish and chips was fantastic. 

[Broads01]

Back to the boatyard in good time this morning. We used £133 worth of fuel at 170.9 per litre, so around 78 litres. Considering the mileage we did and the amount we ran the heating it could have been worse. I dropped Keira off at Acle Station as she's staying on in Great Yarmouth for a couple of nights. The journey home wasn't too bad and Suzie dog and I were home around 2-30. More detailed write up to come.

[Broads01]

Saturday 1st April

Acle - Cockshoot Dyke

My first Broads trip of the year and I'd been as excited as ever for this one. It was to be a week aboard Conway Bridge 1 from Bridgecraft, crew being myself, daughter Keira and Suzie the Shih Tzu. I'm normally a good sleeper but the night before a boat trip I'm like a child on Christmas Eve and this time was no exception. I left home in South Wales at 6am and after a straightforward journey with a couple of short stops I arrived at Sainsburys near Thorpe about 11-30. Keira was already in Norfolk having travelled from her home in Lancaster the previous day. Shopping completed I drove to Acle Station to meet Keira and we arrived at Bridgecraft in good time for our pre-arranged takeover time of 2pm. As when I previously hired from Bridgecraft, they had phoned me earlier in the week to ask "What time would you like to take over your boat?" which is excellent service in my view. The boat was ready for us and we were soon unloading the car and receiving a handover from Daniel. The rain had been pouring all day and showed no signs of abating as we set off up river. Our first night destination was Cockshoot Dyke, partly because it was a nice place to head for and partly because it tied in perfectly with our plans for the following day. The rain continued and visibility was a struggle despite us having a wiper which worked reasonably well. We arrived at Cockshoot just before 5 with only one other boat there and took the spot at the near end of the downstream side. Two or three boats arrived after us and it was a peaceful evening.

[Broads01]

Sunday 2nd April

Cockshoot - Ranworth - Gayes - Sutton

Today we had a specific plan which I called "Dad's day" and Keira called "Grandpa's" day. This month marks 10 years since I accompanied my late Dad on a boat for the final time. In April 2013 we were aboard Bright Horizon 1 and the trip coincided with Dad's 70th birthday. I have lovely memories of that day in particular and Dad passed away only five weeks afterwards. My memories are of starting the day at Cockshoot, then cruising to Ranworth and mooring at the staithe where he opened birthday presents in the sunshine. Later we headed up the Ant and stopped at Neatishead for a while before finishing up at Sutton and a meal at the hotel. Today, Keira and I would trace the same route in Dad's memory. Thankfully the weather had improved considerably since the previous day and we set off for Ranworth with the sun shining. We arrived there about 9-40 and squeezed in to a tight spot which had just been vacated on the taxi rank side. Kindly taking our ropes was forumite David (Davydine), moored next to us on Regal Light 2. It was good to meet David and family who were about to set off on a marathon cruise to Brundall. Keira and I took Suzie for a walk to the Conservation Centre which I always think has a lovely setting. On return to the boat we attempted to top up with water but the pressure was so poor we gave up. Later we set off for the Ant which proved unusually quiet and very few boats moored at Ludham and How Hill. We knew Neatishead mooring was closed ( and there is now a sign at the start of the dyke)  but nevertheless I wanted to chug up there and turn around. The moorings looked to be a long way from completion. We moored at Gayes Staithe as the nearest alternative and I met Simon (Cambridge Cabby) and chatted with him for a while. There was time for another dog walk and a relax before we headed for Sutton Staithe. As we approached the top of Barton, I reminded Keira that my Dad always wanted to "do the triangle" and would always ask me "Did you do the triangle?". This meant, at the top of Barton, taking the left fork towards Barton Turf and then turn right by Paddy's Lane before rejoining the Ant. Keira and I laughed at how Dad loved to cruise every possible route, even turning down dykes when he had no intention of mooring there! So, what else could we do at the top of Barton but the triangle.  On arrival at Sutton around 3-45 we thought for a moment we weren't going to find a space, not helped by the much discussed over-stayers, of which there were a few and not just by the electric posts. Fortunately there was a space at the far bottom end by the boatyard. We had a lovely meal at the Hotel, not cheap but beautifully cooked. Dad's/ Grandpa's day had gone very well and we were very glad we'd done it.

[Broads01]

Monday 3rd April

Sutton - Acle - Burgh Castle

Another ambition for this trip was to cruise to Beccles and Geldeston mainly because I hadn't done so since 2019 and Keira not since 2011. Hence today we headed south. Slack water at Great Yarmouth was 4-30pm so we had plenty of time even though we had a journey to get there. The sun was shining and the Ant was very quiet once again. Our first destination was our home boatyard at Acle as I'd noticed we were missing a fender and we were also in need of batteries for the TV remote. Both requests were cheerfully and quickly fulfilled on our arrival. It comes in handy hiring from somewhere like Bridgecraft with a central location because there's always an easy option to return there for things you need but wouldn't warrant a call out. We were also given the option of a free pump out should we have needed it. We wanted to stay at Acle for a bit longer and could have stayed where we were but opted instead to cross the river to the free moorings.  Whilst there Keira mentioned she didn't usually enjoy the long run down to Great Yarmouth and that set me thinking, was going south what we wanted to do? We discussed it and concluded we'd stick to the plan on the basis it was worth it for the opportunity to enjoy the Waveney. We set off around 2-30, still on the outgoing tide. Between Acle and Great Yarmouth I think we saw a total of 2 boats come in the opposite direction and at the Yacht Station I counted only 10. It seems people prefer the second week of the Easter Holidays. Breydon was beautifully calm, sunny and empty as were the Burgh Castle moorings where we stopped for the night. We didn't visit the Fisherman's as I did so a year ago and was a bit underwhelmed. We saw no boats passing until 9am the following morning.

The second picture below shows our throttle-keepy-forward device that worked well to stop the throttle drifting back once it was pushed all the way forward.

[YnysMon]

Love the ‘throttle keepy forward’ device. So Richard Osman came in handy twice, good reading and practical boating aid.

[Broads01]

Tuesday 4th April

Burgh Castle - North Cove - Beccles - Geldeston - Beccles

Today we awoke to a light frost on the decks which shows how cold it was. The boat didn't have electric hook up but we were fortunate that the batteries never let us down and we were able to start and run the heating early morning without needing to start the engine, not that we would have disturbed anybody on thus occasion. We struggled to keep warm during the night though being OK in bed with sufficient clothing and bedding (in my case blanket, duvet, and a few clothing layers) it's just the getting out of bed in the cold I don't like. When I come solo in the autumn I'll have hook up so I'll have to invest in a low wattage portable heater. By mid- morning it felt much warmer as we continued up the Waveney. We negotiated St Olaves and Somerleyton bridges with no issues and continued past Oulton Dyke as far as the North Cove mooring. It's a lovely, peaceful spot although on this occasion another boat joined us there after we'd moored - so really busy! By early afternoon it was warm enough to sit outside on the stern deck for a while which was lovely. We continued to Beccles and made a brief water stop at the Yacht Station because at that point I was planning on the swimming pool mooring for the night. No such luck though because, as I logged on the day, the swimming pool mooring is no more, or even no moor. The sun was so nice it would have been rude not to continue to Geldeston Lock. I love all the river stretches upstream of the low bridges but this one is possibly the best of the lot. We made a brief stop at Geldeston to rake in the view and then returned to Beccles as we wanted to make use if the Waveney Snooker Club. We looked at the possibility of mooring at the BA moorings near the main road bridge. The mooring posts there are awash with colour coding and are reserved partly for sailing boats demasting and partly for boats unable to pass under the bridge (presumably the old bridge) so the unreserved bit is limited to a short section close to the dual carriageway.  We decided it was too close so we headed for the Yacht Station. We really enjoyed the Waveney Snooker Club. This was our first visit there and there's no membership, you just turn up and pay £6 per hour for a table.

[YnysMon]

26 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

When I come solo in the autumn I'll have hook up so I'll have to invest in a low wattage portable heater

An excellent idea for out of season boating.

Glad to hear you got up to Geldeston, even if you didn’t stay. It’s such a lovely stretch of river.

Loving the tale.

[Broads01]

58 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

Glad to hear you got up to Geldeston, even if you didn’t stay. It’s such a lovely stretch of river

Indeed it is, Helen and so quiet it feels like you're on a separate waterway.

[Broads01]

Wednesday 5th April

Beccles - Oulton Broad - Reedham

We set off once again, initial destination Oulton Broad Yacht Station. The Waveney is such a delightful river and easily under-valued. Passing Waveney River Centre once again it confirmed my impression from yesterday that there were no longer visitor moorings there. It was only later via the forum I learned there are now, in fact, visitor moorings on the main river where the dayboats used to be. When we passed I had assumed it was just a short-term service moorings like before. On arrival at OBYS I initially selected a mooring space on the park side of the marina. Mistake! As I reversed, Keira, stood on the stern yelled at me to pull forward - there was a houseboat adjacent which unnecessarily had a mooring line dangling under the surface. I selected a space on the pontoon side instead and moored there with no issues. Suzie enjoyed her walk in the park where there were plenty of other dogs for her to have a doggie conversation with. The space next to us was reserved for Lightning. When they later arrived I was surprised to see vlogger Dave Whitworth and his wife Christine aboard (I was under the impression they were coming the following week). I've enjoyed Dave's videos for a long time and sent him comments but never met him and Christine in person before so it was great to finally do so. It was so nice at Oulton we could have stayed there but nevertheless decided to continue to Reedham. There was plenty of room to moor there and the ranger came along straightaway to set our ropes for us. We walked along to The Ship to book a table for later but on our return ended up disappointed. I checked in at the bar with the same member of staff I'd booked the table with earlier. I was directed to a table and we bought a drink. We were a little early so initially I didn't pay attention to the fact that nobody took our food order and the staff member serving was doing a lot of rushing about. Almost half an hour after the time we'd booked for I asked the staff member if we could order? Confusion then reigned because the staff member serving wrongly thought we hadn't booked at all and the staff member with whom I'd booked said she thought " we were the party of 5" and consequently now directed us to a different table. Unfortunately this table was so cramped being in a corner and squashed in against the table adjacent we didn't fancy it at all and so we paid for our drinks and left. To be fair to the staff member she was very apologetic and did offer us drinks on the house. Had we been offered a more palatable table we would have stayed. We headed for The Nelson instead which was quieter, friendly staff and the meal was good value.

[SwanR]

Enjoying your write up and seeing your photos. You certainly covered some miles. 

[Broads01]

Thursday 6th April

Reedham - Loddon - Reedham Ferry - Great Yarmouth

After four fine days the weather changed to being grey and drizzly which wasn't ideal for our cruise to Loddon. There was reed encroachment in a few places on the lower Chet which I hope isn't allowed to worsen as it's a narrow channel anyway. By the time we arrived at Loddon Staithe a few overnighters had departed and we were able to moor and go for a short walk. We walked over to the Chedgrave side and past the long-neglected ex- hireboats of Broadland Riverine Boatcraft (remember them?). I think those boats haven't moved in 25 years. In much better condition were the four Pacific Cruisers boats on hard standing at Greenway Marine (Pacific don't begin their season until May).

We returned to the boat and set off on our way, next stop Reedham Ferry. There's something about the sound if the ferry operating I like, I don't know what it is. For some reason it always seems to be muddy there and I had to carry Suzie to drier ground.

We planned an overnight stop at Great Yarmouth which was a first for both of us. I've always avoided doing that in the past because almost every mooring place on the Broads is prettier than the Yacht Station but this time we felt it was time to stop there for a change and go and see the seaside. The weather improved in the afternoon and our passage across Breydon was swift on the outgoing tide. I had intended to arrive at Great Yarmouth around low water but we ended up about half an hour early with the Bure ebbing quite fast. On mooring I brought the boat alongside fine but with Keira having stepped off with the stern rope the bows started drifting out and I couldn't get on to the quay above us. Unfortunately, my bursts of bow thruster to bring the bows in were fruitless as the tide out-muscled the thruster and we were soon 90 degrees to the quayside. I ensured Keira, still on the quayside, had let go of the stern rope and as we momentarily drifted sideways downstream I managed to correct the situation with engine power. I made a second attempt to come alongside, by which time the rangers had arrived to assist and we were successful. Next time I attempt to moor at Great Yarmouth I'll definitely seek the rangers' assistance before attempting a mooring. Over 40 years boating on the Broads and I'm still learning. 

We had a pleasant walk to Brittania Pier by which time the sun was out. We enjoyed a drink at the Pier Tavern and I was glad we'd chosen to overnight where we did.

[kpnut]

I know people say I’m being over cautious, but the thought of mooring at Great Yarmouth scares me. Well done you for giving it a go. 

[DAVIDH]

Pleased you decided to overnight at Yarmouth Simon. I think many people overplay the difficulties and so put other people off even trying, which is a shame. I'm always a solo sailor mooring at the Yacht Station. I call them around 10 to 15 mins before I'm due to arrive and find it quite reassuring that the rangers are always looking out for me, ready to get me alongside if necessary. 

[grendel]

this is where I find a midships cleat handy, i reach over and loop it round a bollard, and back to the boat, then assured the boat is going nowhere I will sort out my springs before loosening the midships line. finally when all secure I shut off the engine.

[Broads01]

The former Broadland Riverine yard.

[Broads01]

Friday 7th April

Great Yarmouth - Stokesby - Potter Heigham - Thurne

Today was our final full day. There was a strong incoming tide and I wanted to ensure we unmoored with no dramas. We each looped a rope around a post and then carried the rope aboard before releasing the boat. It worked well and we set off upstream, bound for Stokesby. The pub shop were advertising fresh cakes including gluten-free options for myself and we wanted to give it a try. On arrival we weren't disappointed. I chose two cakes before I realised how big the pieces were by which time it would have been rude to change my mind! After a short stop we set off again, next destination Potter Heigham. It was Good Friday and the river felt a little busier but not by much. Upstream of Acle I completed my first overtake of the week - until then we hadn't even come across any boats cruising in the same direction! We arrived at Potter and squeezed in to a spot on the BA moorings. I think spaces there will be hard to come by come the summer given the loss of the "quiet" moorings lower down. We took a walk over the bridge and had a nose around Herbert Woods. I don't like Lathams and I was glad I didn't need to go in there for anything. Keira feels more positive, however, and likes to go in there for a chuckle at the tat. She wasn't disappointed with her visit having been amused by the Coronation display, including Charles III tea towels. Later we set off for the short cruise to Thurne for our last night where we had a table booked at The Lion. We chose a spot on the corner of the main river by the mill. The moorings more or less filled up after we arrived. I can't remember the last trip I didn't visit The Lion and I'm never disappointed. We really enjoyed our meals - I had fish and chips and Keira had Sea Bass. 

[Broads01]

Saturday 8th April

Thurne - Acle

Why does a week on a boat always go so quickly? We left Thurne at 07-45 and we were soon back at base. I reversed in to the boatyard and Daniel immediately jumped aboard and skillfully moved us to a 12 foot wide gap further along the quay. The staff were friendly and efficient once again and I was pleased with our fuel consumption (78 litres) considering our mileage and the fact we hadn't scrimped with the hearing. I dropped Keira back at Acle Station and made the long drive home.

Conclusion

What a brilliant week, more good weather than not and all plans completed. It was so good to cruise the upper Waveney after a long gap. Conway Bridge 1 was brilliant value for money. The Diamond 35 is a great all rounder, having two spacious ensuite cabins and being a kind of centre cockpit/forward drive hybrid and having benefits of both (central helm with dual sliding roofs and fixed windscreen). The boat would benefit from hook up, a microwave and carpets but then if it had those it would probably cost more. Bridgecraft were superb once again.

Next visit for me is at the end of July when I'll be bringing Mrs Broads01 on Silver Mystique.

[NorfolkNog]

Hi Simon

Enjoyed your holiday tale, many thanks for sharing. We've never actually hired Conway Bridge but it seems very cosy. Looks like you did well for fuel too. We usually manage to get moored in Herbert Woods yard, it can be quite a step down onto the BA moorings especially if the tide is high. Sounds like Bridgecraft were there usual helpful selves, they really are an excellent yard. Bet you're looking forward to your next trip already! 

[NeilB]

1 hour ago, Broads01 said:

The former Broadland Riverine yard.

That's a shame to see.  One of those AF42's used to be Lady Sarah when I worked at Kris Cruisers, took my parents on a day trip on her and managed to get a bath towel wrapped around the prop!!

I think the original plan was to strip and re-fit them but not sure what happened, pretty Bill Maxted is still around.  I'm planning on heading south again at the end of May so may pop in.

[SwanR]

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us Simon. You reminded me of what I’m missing as we haven’t cruised the southern rivers since Swancraft closed in 2015. 

[Davydine]

Thanks for sharing this Simon, sounds like you had a great trip, I t was lovely to meet you all in Ranworth.

The picture of the old Broadland Riverine Boats makes me rather sad, the first Broads holiday that I really remember was on an AF38, specifically Seafarer 3 from Brooms. I have a real soft spot for the seat on the bows. In this picture, I am on the far left…

[oldgregg]

On 12/04/2023 at 21:23, NeilB said:

I think the original plan was to strip and re-fit them but not sure what happened, pretty Bill Maxted is still around.  I'm planning on heading south again at the end of May so may pop in.

Yeah, I believe Bill is still about. I think in reality the task of ripping those out and refitting to the standard he was talking about was probably a bit ambitious for his level of physical fitness and so the boats have sat there for a long time now.