My Week on Swan Reflection 2

[SwanR]

So having finally joined the forum I thought I would write up my recent week on Swan Reflection 2. It was our third time of hiring this boat but having read all the discussion about Swancraft's position we knew this would be our last trip with them. So ...

 

Day 1 - Friday 19th June

Having done most of the packing the previous evening it didn't take us too long to get up and ready to go. It's amazing how much we manage to take even though it's just the two of us now. But what I love about this kind of holiday is the complete informality - no need to take anything to dress up in, just all my most comfortable clothes.

 

*Note to self* Weather forecast looked decidedly unsettled for the week ahead no matter how many different websites or apps I tried it on so take layers ... and lots of them. Do you do that? Check and check and try one then another hoping that one of them will say it's going to be sunny and warm and then believe that will be the one that gets it  right!

 

TOP TIP - Take holdalls not suitcases. So much easier to store for the week once unpacked. This being our sixth boating holiday in three years we are now more practised at what to take and what not to bother with. Steve likes to fish so he had all his gear to load up and with the car full we set off about 10.30am.

 

Nice easy drive up the A12, A14 and A140 making our usual stop at Goodies Farmshop on the way. Has anyone else discovered this one yet? It's just before Long Stratton when you're travelling north. Nice cafe there for lunch and we always stock up on fresh fruit, bread, salad ... and cream to go with the fresh fruit ... and one of their homemade cakes. It's then only about another half an hour in to Brundall from there.

 

We got to the boatyard about 1.30pm and were greeted by that sight I love so much. Swancraft are so welcoming, the boats are always gleaming, so well cleaned and set up ready for the next hirers. SR2 was good to go so we loaded up all our gear and after a quick refresher of all the controls we asked them to take us down the dyke out onto the main river just because it's easier to let them do that as it always takes me a little while to feel comfortable at the helm again. Steve and I do share the driving but when we come to moor I always steer and he jumps ... oops ... "steps" off with the ropes.

 

Anyway last year we went to Bramerton Common for our first night but we were lucky to get moored as it was about full but some very nice people helped us squeeze in. Not wanting to find the same thing, this year we headed for Langley Dyke. I have to thank Robin for having shown this spot in one of his Captain's Blogs when he was exploring the southern rivers. Otherwise we wouldn't have realised it was there. And it's now one of our favourite moorings.

 

I'm always glad to get the first mooring of the week done. This was well accomplished, if I say so myself, and that was us ready to put the kettle on and open the aforementioned lemon and coconut cake. Start of a new adventure ... lovely.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Hi SwanR

Glad you had a good time on your hols,yes it is sad about the yard.Welcome to the forum.So where else did you go on your travels.

Best wishes Ian

[SwanR]

Day 2 - Saturday 20th June

 

We had decided it would be nice to stop at one or two new places this week so with the weather set fair and a nice bright morning we left Langley Dyke quite early and headed for Oulton Broad. I've watched it on the webcam so many times but we've always carried straight on down the Waveney to Beccles without popping in. We knew there was a chance of rain later so with a determination to make the most of the sunny morning, we headed off. We do prefer to cruise in the morning and then moor up around lunchtime. Steve can then spend a few hours fishing and with such long daylight hours it's easy to be up early even though we're on holiday.

 

The Yare was the calmest I think I have ever seen it. We had timed our journey well to fit in with the tides this time, so getting through Reedham was easy and then Steve took the boat down the New Cut. Have to admit I really don't like that stretch. I find those poles so intimidating in terms of making me feel kind of hemmed in on either side. Now if someone could just build a new river from Loddon to Beccles that would save having to traipse all the way down there every time. I love the Waveney and the Chet, and the Yare between Brundall and Bramerton, but I could do without that bit in the middle!

 

Anyway ... we went down Oulton Dyke which was a little choppy at the time. The moorings at the Dutch Tea Gardens were fairly full still so we carried on towards Oulton Broad. We had already decided that we didn't necessarily want to go across to the yacht station. I love the rivers but I get a bit nervous on the open expanses of water ... I feel as if I don't know where I'm supposed to be! So the sight of a few sailing boats, as expected on a Saturday, was enough for me to say "Ok, that's it, I've been to Oulton Broad now I'm turning round and going back the other way". The pleasure cruiser was on her way out up the dyke to the main river so keeping a fair distance behind, we made our way back to the Waveney. 

 

Having decided it would be nice to spend a couple of days on that stretch we kept our eyes open for the moorings that you reach before you get as far as Beccles. After about 45 minutes North Cove came into sight. There was only one other boat moored there so I went past, turned round so that I was coming into the incoming tide, and made my second good side on mooring. Wonderful. 

 

We had a couple of passing showers, another boat arrived for a brief picnic stop and some fishermen came along to use the platforms to either side for a little competition. But no other boats came in to moor so there was just ourselves and a private boat there for the night.

 

I absolutely loved this mooring. If we find ourselves back on that stretch of river another year it will be one I will definitely be hoping to find free. We even heard some cuckoos from there - don't think I've ever heard them before. Very peaceful, very tranquil and such a lovely view. Hard to beat for complete relaxation.

[SwanR]

Day 3 - Sunday 21st June

 

Given we had decided to spend two nights on the Waveney this was a shorter day with just some cruising time to enjoy the river and the lovely scenery on this stretch. Although we don't use much electricity when we hire in June, given the long daylight hours and the joy of leaving the television switched off, we are always conscious of doing a minimum of around three hours cruising as recommended by the boatyard.

 

So after having breakfast and clearing up we set off. We usually only wash up once a day to minimise water usage which works fine given we don't cook much preferring to have either a salad for tea or eating out on occasion depending where we have moored. We cruised back up to Oulton Broad but didn't venture any further than before, just enjoying a second look at Oulton Dyke and then a leisurely trip right down to Beccles. This was the first time we had made it right down to the yacht station without encountering anyone sailing out of the yacht club. Last year there had been a race of some kind to navigate our way through so it was a pleasure to find that we had the river to ourselves. That is something we do enjoy about the southern rivers at this time of year - you can go for long stretches without passing any other boats.

 

However the wind was to prove challenging for my first stern on mooring of the week. We secured the space on the end which gave us the advantage of keeping a good view to one side no matter how many other boats might turn up during the day. But the wind won the battle over the bow thruster and it was a little challenging to get the boat pulled in and the ropes secured. I always like the moment when I can turn the engine off knowing we have arrived and it's time to put the kettle on and get the rest of that cake out!

 

Steve did a spot of fishing off the front of the boat but he didn't have much luck all week really. The local fishermen we spoke to in one or two places weren't catching much either which was something of a comfort given they know the waters so well and what bait to use. They reckoned perhaps the water was still a bit on the cold side.

 

We walked up into the town to buy a few extra bits and pieces. Then that evening we went back up to have a meal in Prezzo. Food was lovely but the high ceilings make it very echoey and noisy - not something we had noticed when we went there before. So a nice evening walk back to the boat and a lovely sunset. Another day done.

[SwanR]

Day 4 - Monday 22nd June

 

Knowing that the forecast for Monday was rain from late morning onwards, we left Beccles just before 8am and started back up the Waveney. Amazing how quickly time can pass when you're out on the river. Didn't seem that long before we had reached Somerleyton and with it the stretch that feels a little more challenging - choppier waters, a few more boats around, the narrowing at the bridge at the start of the New Cut and then that strange half hour to get back up to Reedham that feels like nowhere else on the Broads really. Steve took the boat again through this stretch and found himself having to hold back behind another hire boat that was going even more slowly than we were and weaving around a little.

 

Anyway, before long we were past the chain ferry and heading for the Chet, another favourite stretch of ours. I know some people thought that the re-profiling and work done down there over the last year or two had changed the river but I like the slightly wider stretches once you're past the pilings and poles that you have to navigate when you first turn in. Keeping to 3mph a lot of the way it was a beautiful leisurely cruise encountering only one boat coming in the other direction all the way down.

 

I have to say at this point that SR2 is a beautiful boat to handle. So responsive and so easy to steer. We had Brinks Sonnet one year out of Wroxham, a very similar boat but we found it much harder to keep on a straight course. Anyway before too long we arrived at Pyes Mill, turned around and came into moor at the furthest end not far from the boatyards. The moorings were already filling up at just before midday so we were glad to get there. And no sooner had we tied the ropes and turned the engine off, than the first of the day's heavy showers came down. Steve did do a spot of fishing but was in and out so much due to the rain that he gave up a little earlier than he usually would.

 

I had remembered to bring a pack of cards along this time and the evening was passed with a bottle of wine and some riotous games of Rummy, Beat Your Neighbour, and even Snap!! Have to say that I don't really miss my computer when I'm away. Yes occasionally I check my phone to see if I can get any kind of signal ... but that was mostly to check the weather for the next day ... and to see if there was any sign of summer arriving as things were still a little on the cool side.

[NorfolkNog]

Hi SwanR

 

Really enjoying your holiday tale, many thanks for sharing with us. We hired SR2 this year too in mid May. It is a superb boat, just such a shame that Swancraft are stopping hiring, we will miss them.

 

Any piccies?

[SwanR]

Thanks Howard. Yes I've put some photos into a slideshow which I'll post once I've finished the write up so keep checking back.

 

We are going to miss Swancraft as well. Such a lovely small boatyard. But we've decided we like this boat so much that we've already booked it for next June on the northern rivers with Richardson's. Couldn't find it on their website yet but were able to find it through Hoseasons.

[Hockham Admiral]

What a lovely read, SwanR! You make it all sound so idyllic and even lazy!  :clap

[SwanR]

Thanks for your kind comments.

 

Ok ... where were we up to ...

 

Day 5 - Tuesday 23rd June

 

Doesn't the week seem to go by so quickly. Four sleeps down, three to go!

 

Having seen quite a few boats go down to Loddon Basin the night before, and knowing that one or two of them had also moored in Pacific's boatyard, we decided against going down there ourselves to top up with water but instead decided we would give Reedham a try. Leaving Pyes Mill still quite early gave us the best chance of getting back up the Chet without much oncoming traffic. I really enjoyed guiding SR2 back up that quiet sedate river but you really feel the change of pace and the extra revs needed to get going once you turn out onto the Yare. But not far from there to get to Reedham and with plenty of room on the quay I turned the boat around to come in against the tide ... and there we were, another good side on mooring right next to one of the water points. Perfect.

 

Once the water was filled up we sat down for a cup of coffee ... and yes, more cake - never too early for cake! Watched one of the lads at Sanderson Marine cleaning up one of the boats presumably ready for some hirers to arrive. Took a few photos as I was trying to make sure I got a few snaps at every mooring. And then we needed to decide where to head for. I do have a tendency to try to plan our route in advance but as so many before me have said, one of the good things about boating is the freedom to decide where you're going to go every day.  Getting away from Reedham, taking account of the tide going one way, and the wind blowing the other, was a little challenging but we reversed out, made use of the bow thrusters and got underway safely.

 

We had visited Rockland Broad once before but not been down to find the staithe. I have to say again that my confidence to do this came partly from seeing Robin's videos which gave us an idea of what to expect and where to turn off the broad down the dyke. On arrival there were two other boats moored so we took a space facing back up the dyke and completed another stern on mooring. Safely tied up, but rather chilly it has to be said, we headed across to the New Inn for lunch. Not many people around, the service was fine, the food was ok but really a tad on the expensive side for what it was. Still it was nice to have a hot meal after all that salad we had been eating but we passed on dessert and headed back to the boat.

 

Now I must be honest here and say that we were a little disappointed with Rockland St Mary. Maybe it was because it was a chilly grey overcast day with barely a soul in sight, but we didn't feel inclined to want to spend the rest of the day or the night there. So we quickly made the decision to set off once more and head back the way we had come with our course set for Langley Dyke. Took us about 45 minutes to get back there after holding behind a hire boat whose actions seemed a little unpredictable. Mind you, we didn't overtake anyone all week ... partly because we couldn't be bothered ... and partly because we were rarely behind anyone else. 

 

Our favourite mooring spot was free ... because there were no other visiting boats down there at that time.

 

Steve soon decided to brave the elements and doggedly sat outside fishing all afternoon in his raincoat. Did I mention that I was still searching for summer? I was sat INSIDE the boat all afternoon in a t-shirt, jumper and fleece ... and that evening we had to resort to putting the heating on. It really was that cold which seems a distant memory now. Some more wine and a few games of cards later we decided on an early night having watched the clouds starting to clear and knowing that there was the promise of some better weather for the next few days.

[ferryman]

Thanks for your kind comments.

 

Ok ... where were we up to ...

 

Day 5 - Tuesday 23rd June

 

Doesn't the week seem to go by so quickly. Four sleeps down, three to go!

 

Having seen quite a few boats go down to Loddon Basin the night before, and knowing that one or two of them had also moored in Pacific's boatyard, we decided against going down there ourselves to top up with water but instead decided we would give Reedham a try. Leaving Pyes Mill still quite early gave us the best chance of getting back up the Chet without much oncoming traffic. I really enjoyed guiding SR2 back up that quiet sedate river but you really feel the change of pace and the extra revs needed to get going once you turn out onto the Yare. But not far from there to get to Reedham and with plenty of room on the quay I turned the boat around to come in against the tide ... and there we were, another good side on mooring right next to one of the water points. Perfect.

 

Once the water was filled up we sat down for a cup of coffee ... and yes, more cake - never too early for cake! Watched one of the lads at Sanderson Marine cleaning up one of the boats presumably ready for some hirers to arrive. Took a few photos as I was trying to make sure I got a few snaps at every mooring. And then we needed to decide where to head for. I do have a tendency to try to plan our route in advance but as so many before me have said, one of the good things about boating is the freedom to decide where you're going to go every day.  Getting away from Reedham, taking account of the tide going one way, and the wind blowing the other, was a little challenging but we reversed out, made use of the bow thrusters and got underway safely.

 

We had visited Rockland Broad once before but not been down to find the staithe. I have to say again that my confidence to do this came partly from seeing Robin's videos which gave us an idea of what to expect and where to turn off the broad down the dyke. On arrival there were two other boats moored so we took a space facing back up the dyke and completed another stern on mooring. Safely tied up, but rather chilly it has to be said, we headed across to the New Inn for lunch. Not many people around, the service was fine, the food was ok but really a tad on the expensive side for what it was. Still it was nice to have a hot meal after all that salad we had been eating but we passed on dessert and headed back to the boat.

 

Now I must be honest here and say that we were a little disappointed with Rockland St Mary. Maybe it was because it was a chilly grey overcast day with barely a soul in sight, but we didn't feel inclined to want to spend the rest of the day or the night there. So we quickly made the decision to set off once more and head back the way we had come with our course set for Langley Dyke. Took us about 45 minutes to get back there after holding behind a hire boat whose actions seemed a little unpredictable. Mind you, we didn't overtake anyone all week ... partly because we couldn't be bothered ... and partly because we were rarely behind anyone else. 

 

Our favourite mooring spot was free ... because there were no other visiting boats down there at that time.

 

Steve soon decided to brave the elements and doggedly sat outside fishing all afternoon in his raincoat. Did I mention that I was still searching for summer? I was sat INSIDE the boat all afternoon in a t-shirt, jumper and fleece ... and that evening we had to resort to putting the heating on. It really was that cold which seems a distant memory now. Some more wine and a few games of cards later we decided on an early night having watched the clouds starting to clear and knowing that there was the promise of some better weather for the next few days.

[ferryman]

 

 

[ferryman]

What a lovely read I felt like I was on the boat so relaxing ,

[deebee29]

Really enjoying the read.

Takes me back to April when we hired from Silverline. We looked at some of Swancrafts boats and commented how well kept they looked, in fact before we booked the Silverline (which I couldn't fault) one of the Swancraft boats was on the shortlist.

Such a shame they are no longer hiring after this season.

Looking forward to the rest of your tale

[BroadScot]

Really enjoying the read.

Takes me back to April when we hired from Silverline. We looked at some of Swancrafts boats and commented how well kept they looked, in fact before we booked the Silverline (which I couldn't fault) one of the Swancraft boats was on the shortlist.

Such a shame they are no longer hiring after this season.

Looking forward to the rest of your tale

At least David they will still be available to hire next year from Richos, albeit not from a Southern Rivers Yard.

 

 

Iain

[SwanR]

Day 6 - Wednesday 24th June ... and the arrival of summer!

 

How our weather can change quite so much in 24 hours is beyond me ... but that's the joy of a British summer. Where we were shivering in a chilly 12 degrees the day before, Wednesday was quite the opposite and reached at least 22 or 23. So what did we do with this glorious day?

 

Well we had it in mind to head for Bramerton Common as we have moored there previously and enjoyed a very fine meal at the Water's Edge. So we set off from Langley Dyke in the direction of Brundall and decided to go through Surlingham Broad on the way. This was somewhere else we hadn't been to before as we had always stuck to the main River Yare enjoying this stretch past the riverside properties. However as this was a trip where we wanted to find some of the places we hadn't seen before, we headed through this very picturesque Broad and were glad we had done so ... as you'll see when we get to the next day.

 

The 45 minutes or so from Brundall to Bramerton is another of our favourite stretches of river. So pretty with all the trees lining the banks, and the tide feels less strong and the river looks so beautiful especially if you time it right with the tides and also get some warm sunshine. There was a flock of geese who had decided to stretch themselves out in a line as if they were crossing the road. No way of avoiding going through them - they scatter this way and that or ride it out on the bow wave, but I am always expecting there will be one that gets caught by the boat. Doesn't happen of course but we did laugh at seeing so many geese in one place.

 

It would have been too soon to moor up for the day so we had always intended to carry on some way towards Norwich then turn round and come back. But on approach to Bramerton we could see that there was a group of workmen there cutting down one of the trees and with some of the mooring taped off. There would have been plenty of room for us but we decided that we didn't want to end up somewhere noisy so as we cruised on down the river while we considered what our options were.

 

We carried on probably until we were somewhere around Freedom Boats' yard by which time we had decided that we would go back as far as Brundall Church Fen and try another new place to moor. It didn't really take that long to retrace our steps and again, I decided to go past the mooring to decide which end we wanted to go for, and then come back and moor against the tide. There was one other private boat with someone fishing from the bank and he was right in the middle hence the need to decide which end we wanted to be. I came back past him so that we were facing down the river and would have no other boats in front of us. A lovely view.

 

Now this was where we had the most trouble getting tied up. The current is stronger along there and no matter which posts we used to tie the ropes, the stern kept drifting out. I suggested that we put a spring line across the back, which we did, and this held us in nicely. Steve then got himself set up and enjoyed a good few hours fishing in the sunshine, while I sat with the roof slid back and watched the boats going by and the birds swooping around.

 

The only downside to this mooring is the swell created by other boats that are flat out at 6mph on this stretch so there is considerable wash that comes your way. But this is somewhere that we would go back to and is quite handy if Bramerton is full and you don't want to be at the moorings opposite the Surlingham Ferry.

 

That evening we were treated to a beautiful sunset ... and we really felt like this was our summer holiday.

[SwanR]

Day 7 - Thursday 25th June

 

So another fine day dawned for our last full day afloat. We still got away quite early - it had become habit to do so and we enjoyed getting the best of each day while the weather was at its finest and the rivers were still asleep with only a few other boats on the move.

 

Given we had decided that we would spend the last night in Swancraft's yard, for ease of packing up and having less to do Friday morning, we didn't want to go too far. So we headed in the direction of Norwich once again. There's something very satisfying about cruising slowly under the Postwick Viaduct while the traffic dashes over the top on its morning commute. Although of course we knew that would be us the very next day on our journey home.

 

We went a little further along the Yare this time to the point where I believe the river into Norwich becomes the Wensum, turning round at the point where the loop through Thorpe Green would rejoin the river. We hadn't long turned round when we saw the police deciding to take their launch for a spin. Unfortunately, and somewhat unnervingly, despite slowing down and giving them every opportunity to go past us, they were apparently in no hurry at all and stuck resolutely behind us all the way back to Bramerton. With most of the overnighters having left the moorings now, we decided to stop for coffee and to enjoy the morning sunshine ... and let the police continue on their merry way.

 

Some while later we formulated our plan for the rest of the day. We took a short cruise back to Brundall where we moored at Coldham Hall ... another first for us and arriving about 11.45am we had the pick of the stern on moorings. Went into the pub where we had the most wonderful freshly cooked mushroom omelettes for lunch. Now that was good food and at a very reasonable price. Feeling fully refreshed we moved around the corner into Surlingham Broad. Having seen how lovely it was the previous day, we had decided to spend the afternoon there on the mudweight and yes ... Steve did have a final few hours fishing from the back of the boat while I enjoyed being able to put the roof back and lie in warm sunshine listening to the peace and quiet of a perfect Norfolk Broads afternoon.

 

About 5.30pm we took our final journey out of the Broad, across the river and back up the dyke to the boatyard. There was one other boat already arrived and a couple of boats moored across at Silverline. Having had a meal at lunchtime we could eat a simple tea before packing most of our belongings back up and loading almost all our bags back into the car. Given they like you to be off the boat by 8.30am on the day you hand the boat back, we just feel it makes a much more relaxed morning with plenty of time to have breakfast and gather your thoughts.

[SwanR]

Final Thoughts ...

 

So that was it. Friday morning came around and having vacated the boat and said our farewells we were soon on our way back up Cucumber Lane and along the A47 ... over the Postwick Viaduct, taking a wistful glance at the river below to see if any boats happened to be around.

 

We had received a nice refund on our fuel deposit, having only spent about £50 for the entire week even though we had done between 3 and 4 1/2 hours cruising every day. 

 

We made our usual stop at Goodies Farmshop on the A140 so that we could get everything we would need for the first day back at home and not have to face Sainsburys until tomorrow.

 

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my holiday tale - we will be back on the northern rivers in October for a short break on Fair Prince 2.

 

In the meantime I have some holiday snaps to share but no idea as yet how to embed a YouTube video here. If anyone could kindly enlighten me I would be very happy to share.

[BroadScot]

Hi SwanR,

 

Many many thanks for a great holiday tales. You certainly made the use of your cruiser on a daily basis.

 

If you have already put your You tube on their site a copy and paste off your browser, I think should be able to do copy n paste on here. If Alan JawsOrca sees this he will be able to help for sure.

 

 

Iain

[BroadScot]

Oops for adding pics, click More Replies Options, bottom right and add off your Pictures Folder.

 

 

Iain

[SwanR]

Thanks Iain, I did try something that didn't work so perhaps I'll just paste the link in here for now until I can figure it out.

 

Wouldn't want my audience to lose interest! Lol!

 

Let's see if this works to give you a link to the video and anyone interested can watch it from YouTube this time.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymhB-NPXhJ8

[BroadScot]

Hi SwanR,

 

Yup it works fine here, thank you.

 

 

Iain

[deebee29]

Thanks again, I really enjoyed your write up.

The slideshow worked fine on youtube. You have some great pictures

Looking forward to your October trip

[ferryman]

Final Thoughts ...

 

So that was it. Friday morning came around and having vacated the boat and said our farewells we were soon on our way back up Cucumber Lane and along the A47 ... over the Postwick Viaduct, taking a wistful glance at the river below to see if any boats happened to be around.

 

We had received a nice refund on our fuel deposit, having only spent about £50 for the entire week even though we had done between 3 and 4 1/2 hours cruising every day. 

 

We made our usual stop at Goodies Farmshop on the A140 so that we could get everything we would need for the first day back at home and not have to face Sainsburys until tomorrow.

 

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my holiday tale - we will be back on the northern rivers in October for a short break on Fair Prince 2.

 

In the meantime I have some holiday snaps to share but no idea as yet how to embed a YouTube video here. If anyone could kindly enlighten me I would be very happy to share.

[ferryman]

Thanks that was a great holiday read one of the best looking forward to your next .

[Gramps]

Thanks for guiding me to this holiday tale and excellent slide show, thoroughly enjoyed both.

Ron