North Norfolk Broads, September 2012 (2): Wroxham and return

Heather doing all the hard work

as we topped up the water tanks in Salhouse Broad

On Monday morning we woke to a grey, overcast sky that threatened rain over Salhouse Broad. We had a leisurely breakfast, letting most of the other remaining boats depart the staithe before we attempted to moor up to top up our freshwater tanks. We actually managed to reverse in at the second attempt without embarassing ourselves too much, me at the wheel and Heather shouting instructions as we approached the bank. We tied up aft and dropped the forward anchor to keep our position, I unreeled the water hose fom the standpipe and it took just a few minutes to fill the tank. I took a short stroll along the shoreline to take a few pictures whilst Heather relaxed on board with her kindle.

With two nights of our trip behind us we had started to get a good feel for the boat and what it was like to spend time aboard. The driving area has a very comfortable seat for two. The lounge area also proved comfortable, with a relaxing sofa (although the back cushion was missing during our hire) that turned into a small double bed. There were a couple of cupboards and shelves with lips to store belongings in this area.

The galley kitchen has a four hob cooker, grill and oven, a fridge plus three cupbards and a drawer for storage. We managed fine with food preparation - although we mostly stuck to soup, cheese on toast, sandwiches, salads and hot drinks on board, saving the main meal of the day for a hostelry, there is no barrier to fully catering for yourself on board.

The bathroom - effectively a wet room - has two doors, one into the main cabin and one into the rear bedroom. There's a loo, used normally, wash basin and a good shower.

The rear bedroom was perhaps the slight weak point: it seemed slightly short - even at only 5' 10" my feet were against the wall when lying straight, and contributed to a couple of nights of less than ideal sleep. On the last night, Heather volunteered to sleep on the cabin berth although she didn't particularly enjoy a good night's rest then either.

Looking from the driving seat back down the boat

From the bathroom looking forward

The rear bedroom

Our next destination was Wroxham Broad, which was the furthest upstream we intended to go. Beyond that is the busy marina area as you come into Wroxham and then one of the tightest bridges on the Broads, low and arched, with most holiday companies requiring use of the pilot service to take the boat through. There was only a few more kilometres of navigable river the other side of Wroxham Bridge in any case, so we decided to save this for another trip when we were a little more experienced.

After a couple of kilometeres we passed the first entrance to Wroxham Broad but decided to stay on the River Bure and then took the second entrance after another kilometre. One of the largest broads, it is also home to the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club and as such is often busy with sailing boats at peak times. However, it was quiet on this Monday morning and we enjoyed navigating around the entire outside of the broad, dodging the bouys. The wherry Solace was moored up here and we managed to pass reasonably close to get a good look at her lines.

 Yacht Club, Wroxham Broad

The sun and some blue sky was starting to appear through breaks in the grey cloud and it was warm enough on the way back downstream to take a layer off. The wildlife was seeming to appear with the rays of sun and at times it appeared as if the Coots, Great Crested Grebes and Mallards were determined to ram us! We had particularly good views of a Grey Heron as we passed along the bank - but unfortunately a boat doesn't always make a stable platform for good photos! We did better as a group of cackling Greylag Geese kept us company right alongside for a time as we arrived back in Horning.

Greylag Geese alongside the boat

Drake Mallard, with head showing signs of eclipse plumage

With lunch and provisions needed, we moored in a tight spot - with a little help from a fellow boatsman - on one of the public moorings in Horning, on the west side of the river opposite Staithe Willow. We rowed Little Jack across to the staithe and tied up before sauntering down to the The Swan Inn, which was a regular landmark mentioned in Ransome's books. The weather was still a little mixed but we decided to sit outside and had an enjoyable meal on a riverside table. A good pint of Adnams washed this down nicely.

Stomachs full, we explored some of the nearby shops, buying rations for dinner to be cooked aboard. By the time we rowed back to Ruby Gem, the weather had truly taken a turn for the better and it was jumpers off and roof slid back for the rest of the afternoon. We motored slowly downstream, the river quiet, passing through the rest of Horning and past the Bure Marshes. On one bend we found the Wherry Yacht Norada tacking across in front of us which made for a marvellous sight.

Ferry marina, Horning

Wherry Yacht Norada

It was 5pm now and, whilst the weather was gorgeous, we knew we only had a couple more hours of half-decent light. We'd decided to 'wild moor' for our last night, aiming to find a bankside spot on the River Ant where we could moor to a tree and enjoy a completely quiet evening. The boat needed to be back by 9am so this would also mean we had just a short jaunt back to the yard first thing. We enjoyed the last stretch of the Bure, taking turns with the steering and the camera, the marshes looking stunning in the warm light. A Marsh Harrier and Peregrine flew overhead as we approached the turning back onto the River Ant.

Male Marsh Harrier overhead in the fading light

 Not sure this is strictly necessary...

You can't really miss it but the River Ant is this way...

We proceeded north up the Ant, passed through Ludham Bridge with a minimum fuss - it felt wider than it had done on the way down which probably means our steering had improved somewhat! Before long we were passing How Hill again and enjoying beautiful views across the marshes and up to the How Hill house that is now an environmental education centre.

 The windmill, staithe and environmental education centre at How Hill

As we passed the entrance to Crome's Broad, the river became enclosed by woodland again and it started to feel darker. We'd seen a couple of possibilities for a mooring spot but nothing ideal and, with the long expanse of Barton Broad not far away, were starting to wonder if we would find somewhere suitable. Just a couple of hundred metres from the Broad opening, we found a perfect little nook in the bank on the outside of a slight bend. With experience showing at last, we nosed in and swung round perfectly to nestle against the side. I jumped ashore and tied us up to trees fore and aft whilst Heather paid out the anchor rope. There was a little light remaining and I was keen to take the chance to exercise my rowing arms one last time. Leaving Heather aboard to read her Kindle, I rowed downstream to have a look at some of the beautiful waterside houses in the village of Irstead and then turned round and headed back past Ruby Gem out into the western arm of Barton Broad. The light was really fading now but it was extremely peaceful bobbing about in the boat.

Back aboard, we rustled up a simple dinner, played cards and listend to some music with a bottle of wine. The mossies were being a bit pesky - we'd trapped a few inside after closing up and there were a lot outside wanting to get in! We figured that the sliding canopy might actually be a bit of a weak point and allow them access somehow but that could be our imagination...

"Wild mooring" for the night on the River Ant

After a better night's sleep in separate berths, we woke early and had a quick breakfast. It was a beautiful day and it was great to wake with the woodland out of one window and the river out of the other. With more than some reluctance, we hauled anchor and cast off, wending our way slowly back to Stalham staithe. The return procedure was very efficient and the Richardson's team were very friendly. We had another day and night on the north Norfolk coast to look forward too but it would take something special to beat these three relaxing days and I hope it's not too long before we're afloat on the Broads again. Even in wetter or colder weather I think it would be an enjoyable break and actually I quite fancy a cosy winter weekend on a larger craft next time.

North Norfolk Broads, September 2012 (1): Stalham to Salhouse by boat

 On the river Ant: passing the moorings at How Hill

With a long-awaited long weekend in the Lakes beckoning, the wet weather forecast for the north poured cold water on our plans. The Indian summer was continuing down south, however, so lovely Heather suggested something new: a boating break on the Norfolk Broads, a national park since 1988. Knowing I had another September weekend already booked for some Lakeland fell tramping and Jennings sipping, I agreed it was a great idea.

Growing up on the Arthur Ransome books, the Broads hold almost as much appeal as the Lakes for me. I've been exploring Swallows and Amazons territory every year since I was a kid, but this would be my first chance to really get to know the home of the Coot Club and the Big Six - and what better way to do it than from the water. With learning to sail still an unfulfilled ambition, we browsed the motor cruisers available at short notice and settled on 32 footer Ruby Gem, one of the smaller craft available that slept up to four people and seemed suitable for beginners, plus it had a sliding canopy at the front so we could enjoy the sun as we went...

Home for three nights: the Ruby Gem I at Stalham staithe

Arriving at Richardson's Holidays' yard at Stalham staithe, Ruby Gem's home port, we were well looked after and shortly began our 20 minute instruction session. The boat was fairly simple to operate and drive once you got used to the stern swinging out as you turned, and only parking presented any real difficulty. After loading up, we were off to our first port of call at the slow-sounding speed limit of 4mph, but this seems pretty fast when you're suddenly left in charge of your first boat! We'd arrived approaching 5pm, although pick-up starts from 2.30pm, so at this time of year we only had about two hours of light left to find somewhere for the night and were aiming for Ludham as it presented the first possible pub stop.

It was a beautiful evening as we left the boat yard and headed downstream along the River Ant, opening up to 6mph where the limits allowed. There was not much moving traffic but most of the obvious riverside mooring places were already taken. We took turns getting used to the feel of the boat whilst enjoying the sinking warm sun and the riverside scenery. Behind us we towed a small dinghy, swiftly christened Little Jack by Heather, for general mucking-about purposes. After about a half hour, the river opened up into our first broad, Barton Broad, and we dutifully stayed between the posts marking the deeper water and smiled like veterans at the Richardson's rescue boat towing a grounded cruiser out of the shallows. Barton also began to highlight just what wildlife opportunities boating would afford, with Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe and various gulls all within arms reach as we sailed along and, as we re-entered the river at the south end, a Kingfisher flashed across to perch in an overhanging branch just a dozen metres away.

Sunset scenery between Barton & Ludham

Under a glorious sunset, we kept good speed up along the river, passing How Hill's staithe and National Nature Reserve. With dusk quickly approaching, we passed the very full moorings at Ludham, eased under Ludham Bridge and managed to squeeze on the end of a row of boats in the boat yard without sinking ourselves or anyone else. After a quick change, we tried to reach the nearby main road on foot but quickly realised we were trapped inside the yard...and so it was that we found ourselves in the dinghy, me rowing badly against the current in the dark through the boat yard to the bridge, before jumping out and running down the road to The Dog Inn and getting there with a minute to spare to order food! Dinner was good - I can recommend the liver and bacon casserole - and the beer excellent: we discovered the local Wolf Brewery and Heather got a taste for their wheat beer, Straw Dog. At a slower pace, we ambled back to the dinghy and Heather rowed us back to the Ruby Gem in the pitch black, only colliding with one (thankfully unoccupied) boat on the way.

After an admittedly poor night's sleep - the bed in the rear cabin is perhaps not great for anyone over 5ft 10" and a couple used to a super king size - we woke to the sun burning off a thin mist over the busy river. By 10am, after a quick breakfast, we were casting off and heading onwards down the River Ant, glancing at the map of navigable rivers and broads to see where we might head. A flock of 30 Lapwing milled around overhead as we passed Horning Marshes and approached the convergence with the River Bure.

Negotiating traffic on the River Bure

We turned west towards Horning; traffic was building now on a section of river that's not overly wide and we were pleased to have had some driving practice the evening before. There were obviously some other first timers; the boat in front of us was having some problems with straight lines whilst having to deal with a yacht tacking towards us - powered craft give way to sail so there's some judgement required in when to slow and when's a good opportunity to sneak past. The sun was warm and we were happy to pootle along at a slow pace, enjoying the fresh air, scenery and wildlife.

Keen to explore, we swung south into Ranworth Dam with half a mind to moor up and visit the village, but as Malthouse Broad opened up we could see the hard was quite full and, with doubts still about our parking skills, we decided to circuit around and head somewhere a little quieter.
 

NWT's Broads Wildlife Centre at Ranworth Broad

Southern Comfort paddle boat, near Horning

Quiet wasn't the definition for passing through Horning, however. It was Saturday lunchtime now and all the moorings were full, especially alongside the waterside pubs and restaurants. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this stretch: Horning is at the centre of Ransome's Big Six adventures and I was revelling in being on their turf, flicking through the Broads chapters in Christina Hardyment's own tracing of his footsteps in Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint's Trunk as we passed. There are some beautiful holiday homes along the riverfront and we found ourselves taking pictures of some to check out for future visits.

Looking east across Hoveton Little Broad

As we eventually passed the western limits of the village, we turned immediately north and into Hoveton Little Broad. Also known as Black Horse Broad after a pub that used to be nearby, this was a secluded and peaceful spot with a few boats moored up - including one of the eight surviving  traditional Norfolk wherries, Solace - and a sailing boat doing laps.


We found a space in the north-west corner of the broad, stopped, and dropped the front anchor. The breeze was light so the boat wasn't swinging much. After some lunch, eaten in the sun on deck, we decided to take the chance to practice our rowing, and took Little Jack for a spin. Afterwards, Heather relaxed on the boat with her Kindle and the camera whilst I rowed right around the broad (I needed the extra practice!).

Norfolk wherry Solace

Heather rows Little Jack, with Ruby Gem far right

After a couple of hours of relaxation, Sunday was wearing on and a decision on our evening stop was needed. The Bure was quietening now as the weekenders headed home and we motored 3.5km further up the river to moor in Salhouse Broad for about 5pm. There were lots of moored boats, especially at the little staithe on the south side, but little movement. We anchored well away from others in a corner near the wooded eastern shore, locked up and rowed Little Jack to one of a few sheltered coves on the southern shore.

It was a warm and sunny evening and we enjoyed a slow stroll along the south-east shore of the broad and then south for a few hundred metres on a public footpath to the Salhouse Road. From here it was a kilometre or so along the road to the Woodforde Brewery's home pub, the Fur and Feather Inn. I've been a Woodforde's fan since my first birding trip to Norfolk and, with the brewery just next door, the full range of ales was on tap - not ideal when you have even a short distance to walk and row back to your residence! I resorted to halves in order to give the range a good sampling... The food was also good, I tried their famous 3 hour steamed steak and kidney suet pudding and there were four veggie options for Heather to choose from.

Stomachs full and heads light, we wandered back, fell into the boat and into bed for a second night afloat.