Moorings

[1Drab1]

What's the best moorings on the north and south broads

[riyadhcrew]

 from us here in Riyadh. I'd say the most popular moorings on the northern rivers are Horning (all of them), Malthouse Broad and Womak Water. The southern Rivers would be Oulton Broad, Beccles, Waveney River Center, Reedham and Loddon. My opinion only.

[Mark]

Will depend on what you want. If a pub and food and some facilities then Ranworth staithe  in the North (on Malthouse broad as mentioned above) is very popular it has the Maltsers serving excellent food, and  the Staithe  has a shop , tricity hook up and water , and there is also  a  walk way /  nature trail leading to  a closed  to boating  Broad next door.

Horning  also mentioned has several pubs and shops, and also (if on a hire boat) the Ferry marina  where you can moor with any other hire craft if members of  the Hire boat federation. Very useful as like with all the popular  moorings  they tend to get very busy. If you can get under Wroxham  bridge there are lot of moorings and plenty to do in  and around  Wroxham itself    especially if  you are taking children.

In the South all as mentioned  earlier are good and  also easier  to get moored overall as the  South is less busy , you can also add Norwich yacht station if you want   a night out in Norwich or shopping, and one of my own favourites (for its pub)            Surlingham Ferry    (Note :  the ferry long since ceased operation)

if you are looking for somewhere  more quiet then in the North,  Salhouse is very pleasant, you can either  pay to moor and  can then walk to the Fur and feather, excellent food and also  home to Woodfordes brewery , or you can mud weight in the middle of the Broad and have a meal on Board and watch the sun go down.

 

    

       

[ExMemberBobdog]

If you can get under Potter Heigham bridge, then there's probably no better place to stay than Horsey dyke.  Gloriously quiet and peaceful, good shower on site (token from NT shop); 10 minutes walk from a good pub doing a decent range of beers and local ciders, with reasonable food;  20 minutes walk from a not overpopulated sandy beach where you can swim and watch seals ...

[Speleologist]

I have usually tended to avoid most pub moorings on the basis that they fill up early and therefore I would have to stop sailing early. That's why I rarely end up at popular places like Ranworth, Horning, (except for the 3RR) or Womack, although I do sometimes moor at Hunters Yard and go to the Kings Arms from there.To my mind the best moorings are the truly wild ones, of which my favourite tend to be on the upper Thurne or on the Waveney. A bit of bank where I can get the Rhond Anchors in, no overhead trees (less of an issue in a motor boat), quiet and good views. So long as there is beer on board that does nicely. The pictures show the kind of places I mean.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi James,

My favorite places on the Northern Rivers are:-

Womak staithe, South Walsham Broad, Malthouse Broad, Stokesby and if space outside the Hotel Wroxham

Southern Rivers:-

Brammerton Green, Rockland St Mary Staithe, Loddon Staithe, Beccles, Oulton Broad

Regards

Alan

 

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

As a southern moorer,ColdhamHall Surlingham great pub forced and drink

 

[Vaughan]

Good idea for a topic, 1drab1, and welcome to the forum.

I won't repeat what others have suggested as they are all good places. For me, some old memories :

St Benet's Abbey in late September, when you can get up at dawn, in the mist, and pick mushrooms for breakfast on the marshes of St Benet's Level.

Pleasure Island, in the middle of Barton Broad. A chance to hear a bittern boom, in spring.

Thurne Dyke, with a great pub, and a walk up the hill to the church in the morning, where you can see all the way to Beccles on a clear day.

Surlingham Broad, on a mud weight. If you can still get in there....

The Beauchamp Arms at Buckenham Ferry. Right out in the marshes, with huge Norfolk skies.

Up the Wensum in Norwich, through Bishop's Bridge and up to New Mills. Only possible in a small boat.

The Commissioners' Cut, just before Thorpe. A peaceful mooring in the meadows, with a short walk over the railway to the road, and then a short bus ride to the centre of Norwich.

Coltishall, with a very pleasant cruise on the upper Bure from Wroxham, a picnic on the village green, or some very good pubs.

Dare I mention Thorpe village green, where you might meet some fellow "forumites" in the Buck?

[marshman]

Vaughan - who am i to argue with you but I am not so sure I would want to moor up at New Mills!! It all seems like concrete walls and sheet piling up there now! In fact the depth up to New Mills is pretty good, apart from the occasional trolley but it can be a bit weedy in summer. But as you well know hire cruisers are limited to below Bishops Bridge!!!

And Pleasure Island!! Now thats an interesting choice - surrounded as it is by danger markers and buoys to keep you off!! The island is much reduced in size - there was an attempt to try and extend the western end as it was suffering from wind erosion but this failed and the island is now treeless and actually quite small. 

 

[BroadAmbition]

Up the Wensum in Norwich, through Bishop's Bridge and up to New Mills. Only possible in a small boat.

I took 'B.A' up to New mills in 2011.  We got some surprised looks from passers by on the banks / bridges.  we went at a fairly low water state of tide, we got all the way to the pond but couldn't actually get in it as we touched bottom on the entrance to the pond proper. Had we gone there on a higher tide we would have made it into the pond proper.  It was a bit of an adventure as I had never been above Bishops Bridge before.  We didn't stay overnight, just about turned and made our way back to the yacht station.  Must do it again some time

Griff

 

[Vaughan]

Well, I did say that these were my "old" memories!

Shows how quickly things change, over the years.

[petersjoy]

That's one trip i do regularly every time we go into Norwich.

Just because we can.

[vanessan]

One of the places I like to stop is Burgh Castle. Certainly not because of the moorings as they leave an awful lot to be desired. The walk around Burgh Castle (Gariannonum) itself is a favourite of mine. Great views across the marshes towards Berney Arms and many walks, one of which takes in the local church which is worth a look. With the Fisherman's pub (check opening hours) not far from the 24 hour moorings, sustenance is not far away as well! 

[LondonRascal]

Sadly, one of my favourite ‘wild’ moorings has been destroyed – it was a nice little ‘lay-by’ as one came off the river Thurne to Womack Water.

While it remains, the nice grassy bank and quay heading have been removed and the bank‘re-profiled’ by the Environment Agencies team of experts.  Indeed all along this stretch on both sides of the bank there were probably 4 or 5 moorings often occupied in the summer for those wanting a little more peace from the stern on moorings at Womack Water or the Broads Authority 24 hour moorings near Hunters Yard. 

Of course it will be possible to moor here in the coming months and years, but in Spring instead of grass growing a mixture of Reeds and what I will just refer to as weeds will begin to take over and in a year’s time one will need to take a ‘leap of faith’ into them as one does at points along Fleet Dyke.  The more people do this, then the more obvious the mooring will be and so be used not lost.  Indeed part of me wonders the merits of going to such locations and cutting back some of the reeds and sprinkling some grass seed so once popular and well visited moorings remain available. 

I’ve also found how magical mooring on a Broad overnight can be – if you do so on a still night with a full moon I can tell you contrary to popular belief, no ‘Ghostly Monster’ comes to get you, but you are however treated with the most tranquil and special moments as the moon casts its silver light over the still water and a slight mist rises over the water. 

They might take our moorings, but they will never take the beauty of the Broads.

[Matt]

Good to see nobody has mentioned the "place" beyond Beccles bridge at the head of navigation because we all know the first rule about the "place" is we don't talk about the "place".........

[BuffaloBill]

11 minutes ago, Matt said:

Good to see nobody has mentioned the "place" beyond Beccles bridge at the head of navigation because we all know the first rule about the "place" is we don't talk about the "place".........

Well Matt, there isn't one so how can you mention it anyway? 

Total waste of time going that far up only to have to turn around and come back again!

[marshman]

L R - you are absolutely right!! All of Fleet Dyke could so easily be turned back into wild moorings if people so wished.

The profiling has ensured deeper water and now the reeds/weeds have grown uo there is no reason not to force your way in. i agree it requires a "leap of faith" but only one or two before it is opened up. Take your shears/ scythe with you and Bobs your Uncle!!

i know everyone bemoans the loss of these wild moorings but the old ones were only there as a result of doing, at some stage, what L R described. This is a bit controversial, but I really believe that they would open quickly enough if there was a real, not apparent, shortage of moorings. This so called shortage is only at peak peak times and at the moment does not last long enough to open up further possibilities. Whilst people moan a lot, they still prefer the manicured appearance but use a mooring more often and it will soon be manicured enough for us all!!.

Go on lets all try a bit harder to reopen some of these spots so loved, apparently, by so many!!!

[JennyMorgan]

30 minutes ago, Matt said:

Good to see nobody has mentioned the "place" beyond Beccles bridge at the head of navigation because we all know the first rule about the "place" is we don't talk about the "place".........

Why, have they done something wrong? The iconic Broads pub, superb ales, excellent food, great atmosphere, only takes cash because they are so far out in the wilds, no mains electricity so all those boats that need to plug in can't, miles of wonderful riverside and country walks, wonderful scenery, low bridge so we don't get all the  riff raff, dog friendly, no juke box or TV, some excellent live music, good fishing, good company, comfy old hairs, folk in wellies welcome, kids welcome too, over-night sleeping it off in the garden not discouraged, probably the best 'real' pub in Broadland! Funny that, can't remember what it's called, sorry!

[JennyMorgan]

7 minutes ago, marshman said:

L R - you are absolutely right!! All of Fleet Dyke could so easily be turned back into wild moorings if people so wished.

The profiling has ensured deeper water and now the reeds/weeds have grown uo there is no reason not to force your way in. i agree it requires a "leap of faith" but only one or two before it is opened up. Take your shears/ scythe with you and Bobs your Uncle!!

i know everyone bemoans the loss of these wild moorings but the old ones were only there as a result of doing, at some stage, what L R described. This is a bit controversial, but I really believe that they would open quickly enough if there was a real, not apparent, shortage of moorings. This so called shortage is only at peak peak times and at the moment does not last long enough to open up further possibilities. Whilst people moan a lot, they still prefer the manicured appearance but use a mooring more often and it will soon be manicured enough for us all!!.

Go on lets all try a bit harder to reopen some of these spots so loved, apparently, by so many!!!

In days of old it was not unknown for sailing boats, pre motor craft, to use two poles to hold the boat away from the bank and a gang plank for access. No, I'm not that old but I have numerous old post cards showing boats moored that way. 

[BroadScot]

Wellllll I am going to splurt the pub name out! Well I would if I could, but can't so I shant, coz its got a sign saying ...... nope my lips/fingers are sealed!

Iain

[JennyMorgan]

Just dived into my disorganised files & the 1st one that I find of a boat using two poles to hold her off the bank is one with an engine!

[vanessan]

35 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Why, have they done something wrong? The iconic Broads pub, superb ales, excellent food, great atmosphere, only takes cash because they are so far out in the wilds, no mains electricity so all those boats that need to plug in can't, miles of wonderful riverside and country walks, wonderful scenery, low bridge so we don't get all the  riff raff, dog friendly, no juke box or TV, some excellent live music, good fishing, good company, comfy old hairs, folk in wellies welcome, kids welcome too, over-night sleeping it off in the garden not discouraged, probably the best 'real' pub in Broadland! Funny that, can't remember what it's called, sorry!

They would be the moorings/pub that many of the bling boats can't get to then? Shame! It's called.............................umm, something to do with a keyhole isn't it?

[Mowjo]

OK! slap me with a fish if you want, but is Drab asking for the best place to moor up, or dood he mean the best Marinas to moor???,

[JawsOrca]

Locks inn.. 

Oh I really fancy a weekend up there before it gets busy.. have to arrange something soon...

 

[Matt]

3 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

Locks inn.. 

Oh I really fancy a weekend up there before it gets busy.. have to arrange something soon...

 

You will have to go soon as you have said the word...it will be packed now!