Spring Time On Spring Horizon

[catcouk]

7 minutes ago, grendel said:

when you enter bridge broad from the viaduct end, hang a left and go round the corner,, theres a lovely bay there for mudweighting, its one of my favorite spots.

Oh, we found that! With no accurate map, we went down there to find the dead end. I decided the boy probably wasn't up to a three point turn yet... Lol

 

It does look like an amazing place to mud-weight. What is the train noise like there though?

[grendel]

probably no worse than at the BA moorings either side of the viaduct.

[MauriceMynah]

7 hours ago, catcouk said:

 

It does look like an amazing place to mud-weight. What is the train noise like there though?

If memory serves me right it goes sort of...

Huddley darr huddley darr huddley darr.

Hope that helps.   :-)

 

[Smoggy]

7 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

If memory serves me right it goes sort of...

Huddley darr huddley darr huddley darr.

Hope that helps.   :-)

 

Or more like choo choo choo choo woooooo! back in your day...

[catcouk]

I have no signal on Three here and the boats WiFi on EE either has nothing or isn't working. For now, the local pub is obliging but I don't know if I'll be able to post today's diary...

[LizG]

Save it as a word doc and copy and paste tomorrow?

[catcouk]

It was my turn for the lie on today so I didn't see much of today's morning over the river. Mind you, when something woke me up at 5, the indicative sound of rain on the roof told me not to rush. I do love that sound - same as when we're in a tent - the weather might be rubbish outside but the atmosphere inside is great.

By 8.00, I was up and Mrs Catcouk we ready for a lie down (unfortunately, she has found herself with another sore throat). My earlier premonition had been right, there wasn't much to see out the windows (except an NBN sticker - hi Cool Breeze!). We had a lazy start to the day but were at Hoveton and Wroxham station ready for our 10 o'clock train to the coast. I needed to walk straight there but the wife and son went back via Roys for some Pick 'n' Mix!

Although the weather was a bit miserable, it was a good choice to use the train. My son loves trains and had been telling anyone who would listen that we were going on a 'FLIRT' train (the name of the new trains up here and no, I have no idea why they are called FLIRT either). To be fair, I enjoy a train ride too and a heritage railway was our destination for the day.

I know this is a boating forum but I know there are a few fellow train enthusiasts here as well. I never realised just how many train related attractions Wroxham hosts! There is Miniature Worlds, the Bure Valley Railway, the Barton House railway (never open when we're here), Mystleigh Model Railway, and, of course, the actual railway which leads us to...

The new trains up here are amazing! So comfortable and quiet and quite the upgrade! We arrived at Sheringham to catch the 11.00 departure of the North Norfolk Railway (a.k.a. the Poppy Line). Again, I very much know this is a boating forum but the train that awaited us was absolutely beautiful. Everyone we met there was so incredibly friendly and we found not just one but three different model railways. Add that to the impressive sea views and this is one of our favourite steam railways. As a teacher, I was particular interested in going in their replica Anderson Shelter so I could share the experience next time I teach World War Two. I was also very excited to find out that Weybourne was the filming location for Walmington-on-Sea's station! "They don't like it up 'em!" (Dad's Army reference for the uninitiated).

Needless to say, the boy had a whale of a time. The wife soldiered on but was probably more ready for a rest than me by the time we got back to Sheringham just before 2. Here was where I made my first 'Long Covid' misjudgement. .

The high street looked like a beautiful seaside town complete with red, white, and blue bunting. It didn't seem too far to the beach and, that being my wife's favourite place, we strolled along in search of ice cream. Who eats ice cream in the rain, I hear you ask? We've eaten ice cream on Boxing Day in Wales!

By the time we found the seafront, I was knackered! A rest on a wet concrete wall became essential before I could make the walk back to catch our train. Not much of a seaview sadly, thanks to the weather.

Sheringham seems lovely and exactly the sort of place we would have spent a few hours exploring in the past: charity shops, a lifeboat station, a seaside museum, and even a model railway shop! If I can ever regain enough stamina, we both agreed we would have to visit again. Although not on the Broads, I highly recommend Sheringham as a day trip!

With us all in need of a rest somewhere warm and dry, we were very appreciative of the 45 minute train journey back to Wroxham. Mrs Catcouk detoured via Roys for some final provisions before we then left the Hoveton St. John staithe about 4.00. We once again went through Bridge Broad so the boy could have a steer (not quite so good today but he was tired) and then I was left to take us up the Bure (Mrs C doing her best to have a nap in our berth next to the engine whilst the boy had some chill out time on his iPad).

Like much of yesterday, it honestly felt as though we had the river to ourselves. Also, just like yesterday, the sun re-emerged and I was treated to the most glorious evening chug toward Belaugh. Maybe it's just me, but I always feel a little bit like I'm exploring the upper reaches of the Amazon or somewhere when we come up here. This part of the Bure has a beautifully wild feel to it.

We arrived at Coltishall Common just after 5 and moored up very easily (aside from a bow rope being tied slightly too tight) - we appear to have the entire mooring to ourselves tonight. More ducks and geese were fed by the boy and then it was dinner. We almost had it in the well deck (what a change from lunchtime!) but the sun hid behind some clouds just as we were about to eat. We settled for having the forward door open instead.

Today was the first day our son asked for the TV (pretty good for a 5-year-old). We never have the TV on when we're up here. Far too much of a faff and much more fun to play some games or feed some ducks. I don't blame him though - he is exhausted. He also complained that we hadn't spent enough time on the boat so it wasn't all bad...

I'm getting no signal here on Three and the boat's 'WiFi' (based on EE) has either stopped working or can't find signal either. I'm relying on some patchy signal from the pub next door!

A very different day to yesterday but still a lovely family holiday day. The walk to Sheringham beach has certainly done me no favours so the rubbish and washing up will have to wait until morning whilst I lie down for the rest of the evening. I had hoped to have a quick look around the little shop here too but that will have to wait for tomorrow too.

As I type this up, the colours of the evening sky are beautiful. The photo won't do it justice but it was a lovely way to end the day.

[YnysMon]

Sounds like you had a lovely, though exhausting, day. One of the things that I like about having ‘out of season’ allocations on our syndicate boat is the opportunity to explore other parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. I don’t think we’ll ever do that in the spring or summer, as we love our cruising time. 

[SwanR]

Sounds like another good day. Interesting to hear about Sheringham. We haven’t made it up there yet despite moving to Norfolk 2 1/2 years ago. Must put it on the list. 

[kpnut]

12 hours ago, catcouk said:

My earlier premonition had been right, there wasn't much to see out the windows (except an NBN sticker - hi Cool Breeze!).

They have an NBN sticker as a left-over from purchasing their boat to live on a couple of years back. I tried to persuade them to join, maybe one day?

Can you let us know if the rubbish skips are back in the carpark at Coltishall Green please? They weren’t there in early March. 
 

I guessed you were having a day out on a train when you said it was a land based day. Wroxham seems the ideal spot to moor for a day out somewhere else. Especially as if you get back too late for a longer journey, you can still move moorings to the other ones. I know what you mean about cruising up to Belaugh and Coltishall. It seems much more special somehow. 
Have fun today. 

[catcouk]

40 minutes ago, kpnut said:

Can you let us know if the rubbish skips are back in the carpark at Coltishall Green please? They weren’t there in early March. 

I can exclusively reveal for NBN that... (drum roll, insert tension here)

Yes! The rubbish skips are in place on Coltishall Common. I made a deposit there personally less than two hours ago. They are surrounded by a minefield of mud bit they are available.

[webntweb]

On 06/04/2023 at 11:43, catcouk said:

Although the weather was a bit miserable, it was a good choice to use the train. My son loves trains and had been telling anyone who would listen that we were going on a 'FLIRT' train (the name of the new trains up here and no, I have no idea why they are called FLIRT either).

Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train

[Lulu]

Just realised after you left How Hill earlier that we were moored infront of you. Such a shame as we would have come over to see you all. This is the problem with the new livery, you can only make out the name once someone has gone by! 

[catcouk]

Disaster... (Today felt like it needed a subtitle)

The morning I woke up to was nothing less than beautiful. Whilst the pubs had been a bit noisy as patrons left last night, the mooring has been otherwise spot on - I even spotted some bats flying around (not for the first time up here)! Sadly, my wife's sore throat had become unbearable for her in the night and she really wasn't feeling great so I walked over to the little shop to see if I could find anything for her.

But the shop is no longer there! We would have to travel back to good ol' Roys and seek out the pharmacy which is a little over an hour's cruise away (and also doesn't open until 9).
When I returned to the boat, I found that both the wife and boy had been tempted out by the sight of some Egyptian geese and their goslings (rare geese as referred to by my sister-in-law). They were incredibly cute and well worth the delay to our departure (well, I would say that, I don't have the sore throat).
Now, Mrs Catcouk is desperate to see a kingfisher. She went back to bed whilst I took the helm back down to Wroxham, leaving about 7.30. Guess what flew over me with a brilliant flash of blue? Yep - she missed the kingfisher. However, we once again found ourselves with a private river. We didn't see another hire boat until Castle Staithe (Wroxham) and the private boats all looked out of use. And the water! It was so still this morning that it was like a mirror in places. Stunning!

A slightly dodgy stern moor at Hoveton St John Staithe (a slight bump on my first go so I abandoned the attempt and went again - second time perfect) and a quick dash to Roys and we were ready to carry on (plus a pack of the tastiest custard donuts I've ever had). Before I called the bridge pilot, Spring Horizon 1 pulled alongside - coincidentally it was the boat we had passed at Castle Staithe. I chatted with the family onboard and we all agreed that these old bathtubs still give great holidays. They too loved the river above Wroxham and would definitely be returning. We also both took photos of the sister 'ships' side by side particularly because they are different colours (Spring Horizon 2, 3, and 4 are all greyish; 1 is a pale blue)!
The pilot was very cheerful and was able to take us straight through just before 10. The boy was unleashed on the helm as we crossed Wroxham Broad again which brought us back to the ice cream boat by Salhouse Broad at about 1030 - both the boy and a sore throated wife indulged. The chug was largely uneventful as we continued to Malthouse Broad.

I had planned to have lunch on Malthouse Broad and, given the current mooring fee situation there, it felt like a bit of a show of independence as we mudweighted in the broad for free. We'd always planned to mudweight rather than stop but still - it's the principle! Lunch was lovely - for us and the ducks who had the last of our duck food. The sound of just the water lapping against the hull was lovely!

Mrs Catcouk, feeling a bit better, got us under way after lunch and she was looking forward to the challenge of Ludham Bridge (this is called foreshadowing). A couple of mallards hitched a lift on the roof which we found funny - especially my son. The river had been getting gradually busier as we had travelled down the Bure but we actually had to wait for traffic in order to turn up the Ant! Prepare for a minor rant...
As we started up the Ant, we were the third of three boats. I'm sure you all know that this part of the river is quite narrow and bendy. Well, a day boat sized vessel decided that 4mph was too slow and they blasted past. No yard marking that I could see so I have to assume they are locals. A day boat being silly here I would have understood but a local? It gets worse...

Our informal flotilla of three (plus the impatient day boat) had to wait to pass Ludham Bridge. The day boat (who, again, I can only assume are locals) didn't predict why the two boats ahead had stopped like I had and they went for an overtake of boat number 2! Why?!?! The crew on boat 2 shouted and waved as the day boater was clearly looking to over take the lead boat on the blind bend too. If they are locals, surely they must know about possible traffic here?!?! They did eventually pull in between the 1st and 2nd boat, collisions avoided largely thanks to the skills of boat 2's helmswoman.

With all that excitement, the wife decided that maybe today wasn't the best time for her to have a go at Ludham Bridge and quickly handed over to me. As we were holding station just around the bend, I couldn't see what was coming through but I think we waited for about 3 boats. The helmswoman of boat 2 then gave me the thumbs up and our flotilla of four then proceeded through the bridge. The drama was surely over...
As I approached the bridge, I saw a yacht getting a bit close to the portal on the other side. As the sign instructs, I sounded the horn (well, the boy did actually) just to ensure they had seen us. Either they hadn't seen us or didn't care as they continued to come across the channel between us and the boat in front! I put the engine astern under the bridge (not ideal in that narrow channel) but we managed to avoid each other. A bit of careful steering on my part avoided their bowsprit coming through our windows. I was not amused.
So exciting had that been that I hadn't noticed the boat ahead had been required to take similar drastic action to avoid the yacht. They now found themselves head to head with another cruiser and... well, it was just a mess of boats. Easily the most excitement I've had there but it had been totally unnecessary. I once again managed to hold station - far enough from the bridge so the yacht could squeeze desperately through but also giving the boat in front the space they needed.

Someone looked on grinning from their moored up Broadsman. I cheerfully asked how much they had paid for such prime seats for this entertainment!
The plan was to visit a few places I hadn't been to on the Ant before going for Dilham. First stop was Toad Hole Cottage at How Hill - despite the reasonably busy river, the moorings were really quiet. It was good for a little explore and nice and close to the moorings. We even took the short walk up river to the wind pump and saw the 'Electric Eel' out. By 3.30, we were ready to attempt a mooring at Irstead.
Wow! That is a SMALL mooring. Swan Ranger was already on and we had to hang over the dinghy dyke to fit on. The private boat owner on the second part looked alarmed when I headed straight for his bow until I calmly used reverse to bring the boat around for mooring. I don't blame him - us hire boaters are definitely the true peril of the broads (see earlier rant about a privately owned day boat - we all have better days and worse days!). The staithe says it has two moorings there - it is drawn on the quayside. Well, a 35ft boat does not fit into one of the spaces!

We had stopped here to explore the Barton Boardwalk. Clearly too far for me to walk to, I came with a plan. While the wife and boy rode their scooters, I used my electric bike (literally just have to sit on it and the motor does the work). The boardwalk is fantastic and very accessible even having benches to sit down on at regular intervals. Very impressed.

By 4.15, I was doubting the wisdom of heading for Dilham but we were going to try! My son steered us rather competently across Barton Broad through the narrower East navigation and even a little up the rather narrow Ant. I am amazed by how much his boat handling has improved in just a few days. Proud Dad alert!

We chugged past the Stalham turning and I began to explore new territory - I've never been up here! It is wonderful - especially when you are greeted with the chocolate box scene of the mill and cottage. An easy pass under Wayford Bridge and we found ourselves in the truly wild and narrow Dilham dyke. I'm a bit confused by where the Ant actually goes here - the North Walsham Canal goes North and the dyke goes West so where is the river?

My general geographical confusion to one side, this area was a real treat. Again, we hadn't seen another boat since the Stalham turning (ignoring the boatyard at Wayford Bridge) and the whole family were just enjoying the view. And then, in the distance, we saw that flash of blue. We were treated to a kingfisher who we followed down part of Tyler's Cutting. This made up for the various maladies and minor disasters that had befallen us today. Truly wonderful and definitely the highlight of my wife's day.

Dilham seemed wonderful too but I always knew this was a gamble. The staithe has three mooring spaces and I was crestfallen to see it full. It was a very tight turn to get us heading back but this looks like an amazing place to spend the night. I was really gutted and we will have to return. It also meant that we really needed to find a mooring at Wayford Bridge or it would start to get a bit late for my son.

Whilst I was truly disappointed not to get on at Dilham, this does now mark a personal milestone. I have reached the ends of all the navigations on the Broads (discounting the Thurne above the impassable bridge at Potter Heigham). A pleasant achievement but it didn't really make up for the loss of that beautiful mooring (three private boats all tied up, all occupied).

Instead, we have found ourselves at Wayford Bridge. We were the second ones here, arriving just after 6, but there are now four. The other two boats had also tried Dilham but returned (I did shout warnings to both but they either didn't believe me or were keen to see the end of the navigation for themselves).
The evening view from upstream of the bridge was glorious as the sun began to set but here at the moorings... It's a far cry from that idyllic scene in Dilham. The main road on one side and a fairly industrial boatyard is our view out the front. Ah well...

Of course, all of today's problems will pale into insignificance tomorrow as the worst is yet to come. Our return to Stalham and the end of another holiday... Boooo!

[If I can post this, it will be without photos as there is almost no signal here at Wayford Bridge. If I can't post this, it will be a bit late...]

[Posted from just downriver of Wayford Bridge when signal returned - photos to follow]

[catcouk]

18 hours ago, webntweb said:

Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train

I knew there were other train people on here! Thanks!

[catcouk]

16 hours ago, Lulu said:

Just realised after you left How Hill earlier that we were moored infront of you. Such a shame as we would have come over to see you all. This is the problem with the new livery, you can only make out the name once someone has gone by! 

I saw the NBN sticker but didn't recognise the boat name! Hi! We didn't stay long as I wanted to try out the Barton Boardwalk.

[Captain]

Hi catcouk,

I am really enjoying your holiday tale.

With regard to the colour of the Spring Horizon I believe no 1 in the class was the first of 40 odd Horizon craft Acle bathtubs to be built back in 1977 onwards not the first Horizon 35 that was Richardsons Superline cc 1972. It appears to be in a unique livery all the others were grey. I guess they therefore want to retain as long as possible being the first hire boat operated by Richardsons after they had sold the Stalham operation to Rank in 1974. The last Horizon 35 boat built being Bright Horizon 3 in 1985 made up of the remains of a 42 mould after Richardsons had reacquired the Stalham operation and I believe the first boat built at Stalham after the return of the family.

Neil 

[catcouk]

Here are some photos from yesterday...

[HEM]

I like the photo from Australia!

[catcouk]

2 hours ago, HEM said:

I like the photo from Australia!

Yeah, not quite sure what happened there...

[catcouk]

We awoke to yet another superb morning on the Broads. 3 out 4 good weather days so I am not complaining about the one half wet day we had. Although I felt robbed last night by mooring up here at Wayford Bridge, there really wasn't much road noise and the predominant sound here is still bird song. The views from just above the bridge are awesome, especially around sunset and sunrise. Yes, I know there's a road right by but, if you can ignore that, it's beautiful. After treating myself to an early morning peek, it was time to consider how to get off the mooring.

Because I knew there would be several boats needing the Wayford Bridge mooring, I had moored up close to the boat behind. The next boat then moored close to us so they would fit on (four of us on there by the end). The result of this kindness was our boat being inches from the boats either side. Ideally, the boat just needed to move sideways...

I decided to retie the bow line so it would slip off the post and could be tightened up from onboard.  We then released the stern line and watched the stern gently slip out. An onshore wind would have required the engine but she just swung calmly out. The wife kept tightening the bow line so we didn't hit either boat and, once clear, I reversed us off the mooring as she let the bow line loose and pulled it back aboard. I was very chuffed with the team effort and the end result!

The cruise back to Stalham was uneventful. Although, there were quite if few birds of prey which were impressive. Again, we had the river to ourselves until the Stalham Dyke when, suddenly, we were part of a convoy heading to home port.

As we chugged down the last dyke back to Kingfisher Quay, I thought about my son. This was the first boating holiday he would remember and he has loved it (he doesn't remember the trips when he was 2 and a half, 1, or 8 weeks old - probably fair). Whether it was driving, spotting wildlife, spotting boats, using the horn, or his special job when mooring (see below), he has loved our adventure and had no end of questions about the facts and figures of the Broads. I'll finish this post with another quote from him later.

I haven't shared this yet but we have established a clear routine for mooring. Before we get close, I call "mooring stations" and we all get lifejackets on. Mrs Catcouk typically stands on the bow with a line ready to go (or me if she's helming) - obviously she would be on the stern for stern mooring. This year, we had to tell the boy what to do - he would stay in the wheelhouse. Once the bow line is on, I go and secure the stern line whilst my son has the very important job of looking after the wheel (he immediately sits in the helm seat and looks serious - very cute and funny). Once we are secure, the boy was then responsible for cutting the engine - a job he took very seriously! I just wondered if any families ha e operated similarly with young children?

Side note - on one occasion he stopped the engine too soon so we had a fair bit of line heaving to do. If I'd done that at his age, my Dad would have been furious - I found it rather funny. To his credit, and bless him, when he realised that we had still wanted the engine, he did investigate whether he could restart it (I found the throttle, which I'd left in neutral, in a very odd place and he owned up when I asked). He wasn't successful (thankfully)!

Back at the yard, we found we had used 35 litres of diesel (and got £18 back on the fuel deposit). I had also, for the first time, stern moored back at the yard perfectly. Typically, no staff were there to judge. I also found out why the washing up liquid was missing - they haven't had their delivery yet. The yard crew apologised.

Overall, another successful boat "charter" with Richardson's (I noticed they call it charter rather than hire). I was impressed and then amused by Richardson's updating of the yard facilities (now we know where the money has been spent from the sales of old cruisers). The cafe looks lovely, reception looks very modern, and the toilets wouldn't be out of place at a posh Chinese restaurant. It all looks great but the old fabric is still there underneath - I noticed the old wood doors are still there underneath the fancy new veneers (one of the veneers had a patch missing where a coat hook had pulled it off). None of this makes much difference to us but I suspect it will help raise the appeal to new boaters.

We're now heading home via Banhan Zoological Gardens (a way to sneak an extra bit of holiday in). If anyone else travels in using the A11, I'd recommend to any zoo lovers out there. It was really well set up and larger than I had expected. I used my mobility scooter to get round but they also had them to hire.

As promised, I'm ending our story this year with a quote from my son which I think sums up our experience: "Daddy - how long until we can come to the Norfolk Broads again?"

[Mouldy]

[FlyingFortress]

1 hour ago, catcouk said:

Yeah, not quite sure what happened there...

You have the same affliction as me.

My blooming pictures are either upside down or blanked off on one side 😥

Haven't a clue why , probably my fat fingers 😲

[YnysMon]

49 minutes ago, catcouk said:

As promised, I'm ending our story this year with a quote from my son which I think sums up our experience: "Daddy - how long until we can come to the Norfolk Broads again?"

Wonderful. Another Broads addict! Glad you had such a good time. Hope you get to Dilham next time. 

[SwanR]

What a lovely holiday tale. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Thank you for sharing your experiences. 👍