Springwatch on the Last Day

We were woken early again today as we have been each day by the sounds of trains, cockerels, geese and ducks. However this morning I happened to look out as one particular duck was very vocal outside our van. All of a sudden something fell out of the tree behind us and it proceeded to waddle towards the duck! Yes it was a duckling! We watched in pure amazement as eight ducklings threw themselves to the ground from about 20ft in the air!

They all shook themselves down and waddled over to mum, who after gathering two more late-comers, took them off to the river. Who needs Springwatch when you can see it for real from your window!

The day began with a trip to the local hospital as Mike was supposed to be having a blood test while we were away. All he got was – sorry but if you have no form – no blood test. We were sent to a local GP surgery to get a form and there we were told – wrong surgery, you need to go to the one near the campsite! Aaaaahhh!!! That was the final straw! We rang Treliske and left a message for Mike’s doctor telling her that it was impossible to do as requested but if it was absolutely necessary then we’d try again at Canterbury.

So the next decision was what do we want to do on our last day in Broadland. We headed for Neatishead Staithe, stopped for coffee and got the map out.

Mike was desperate to return to Barton Turf ...

so he could have another look at the yacht for sale! We found its name on the transom – Crocus – and he started dreaming about having it transported to Cornwall where he could slowly restore it to its original state! I did say dream!

We then moved on to Stalham and managed to find a spot on the Staithe where we had lunch. After a quick stop at Sutton Staithe ...

we drove to Hickling but all the parking places were for locals or berth holders so we just kept on driving and made our way to Potter Heigham. We’d never been to the village before as we always go to the river so it was nice to find the church which was so pretty.

We then drove to How Hill, parked up and walked down to the river.

It was quite busy on the water and we had a good view back to the house with the RV on the car park.

Toad Hole Cottage is by the river and had plenty of visitors.

From here it was back to the campsite and time to open the wine cellar!

Our last night in Norwich was spent trying to understand an Italian lady. She only had a few English words and we had no Italian so there was a lot of gesticulation and laughter. She was part of a group of friends in three motorhomes who were making their way to Scotland.

Tomorrow morning we will be on the move to Kent so the blog will be back on our Cornwall site. I know, Kent isn’t Cornwall but this blog is strictly for Broadland.

Four Hours on the Water

It was sunny at 6am this morning! A very hot day and we were going to spend most of it on the water. We set off in plenty of time as the boat was booked for 11am at Wroxham and parked up to give Hamish a short walk before checking in at Fineway. We were given life jackets then climbed aboard and were instructed on the workings of the boat. It was now time to leave the yard and make our way to the River Bure.

We headed for the bridge as we planned to go to Coltishall and find the head of navigation. What a lovely stretch of water.

It is many years since we have ventured above Wroxham and we’d forgotten how pretty it is.

We went through Belaugh and saw the Death and Glory which was used for the television film of Coot Club …

There was also this really pretty boathouse and weeping willow …

The boatyard had told us that it took 1¼ hours to reach Coltishall and they were spot on! We went on past the Rising Sun until we reached the dividing of the ways and headed for Coltishall Lock …

It was then time to turn around and return to the free moorings at Coltishall where we stopped for lunch.

We were visited by a swan who fancied our food but wasn’t too keen on Hamish
After lunch we cast off and made our way back down river where I had a chance to try out the steering wheel …

Once back to Wroxham we went under the bridge ...

and as we had a few extra minutes went on down river a short distance to see the Wherry Ardea. Our four hours were up though, so it was back to the boatyard and time to hand her back to the owners. A fabulous time and well worth the £40 it cost.

Once back in the RV we decided to try again at Horning and this time we were lucky. We parked in the car park near The Swan and made a cuppa.

It was still very hot but we sat under the shade of a large tree and watched the river traffic and the families of geese and ducks. We then went for a stroll through the village and called in at Norfolk Broads Yachting Company whose webcam we look at every day when at home. Jenny was brilliant and showed us where all the cameras were which means we can now visualize everything when we look at their site. Walking back along the Staithe …

and it was ice-cream time on our way to the RV. We finished the day with a visit to Tesco and then back on site Hamish sat on guard duty while we cooled down in the shade.

Coot Club / Big Six Country!

Sunshine at last!!!

We had a lazy start today so it was mid-morning before we left camp and set off for Wroxham. As all Coot Club fans know, this is where the story begins with Tom Dudgeon arriving at Wroxham Station …

Didn’t actually get on the station so just a sign to prove we were there!

On our way back we found a waterside walk that we’d never used before ...

and who should come and moor up but a couple with a Freeman who we’d met at Cockshoot Dyke last October …

After a chat we left them enjoying a drink in the sun and went to find Fineway Leisure on Riverside Road as we were hoping to book a day boat for tomorrow. No problem. We’re having an electric boat for four hours so we can go under Wroxham Bridge and up to Coltishall for lunch. Can’t wait! It was then back to the RV and off to Horning where the Dudgeons lived and Tom and his friends began their adventures. Unfortunately the car park was full – well it was Sunday and the sun was shining – so we carried on through the village and parked in the church car park for lunch. Suitably refreshed we took Hamish for a walk down to the Staithe where we found this lovely old sign on a gate …

and once at the river we watched a few boats go sailing by where the Titmouse would have sailed …


Walking back up I got this photo of St Benedict Church ...

It was now time to move on along the road Tom would have ridden on his bike and the nasty George Owdon would have used in the Big Six (I’m still a kid at heart!) and we managed to get a parking spot on the Staithe at Ludham Bridge.

Mike checked out the boats for sale and I had a wander around the shop. After a cuppa and a boat / people watch, we moved on to Potter Heigham – another place that featured in the stories.

We took Hamish for a walk down river and took this photo of the famous bridge …

It was then time to be making tracks back to the campsite but we stopped on the way to give the RV a quick hose down …

I got the blame for finding too many muddy tracks and making it filthy!

Northern Waters

It’s still raining!!

We were due to have visitors today and had to be at Potter Heigham for lunch-time to meet them so we set off quite early and headed for Wroxham taking this photo as we crossed the bridge …

Irstead Staithe was the chosen spot for coffee and we parked by the church …

We then moved on to Barton Turf …

where we had a wander around Cox’s Boatyard …

if only we lived in Norfolk!

It was now time to go to Potter Heigham and meet up with Jamie, Phill and Ozzie who had driven over from Luton for the day. We had a wander around the boats and found Corsair Light 3 which will be home for a week in October and then went to Womack Water to have some lunch by the Staithe.

There is a webcam here which you can just see in the window of the shed …

so we rang Pam and told her to look at her PC and hopefully see us all standing there. Apparently she has printed a picture of us which we will see on our return home. The boys wanted to shop at Lathams so we drove back to Potter Heigham and then decided that the dogs would enjoy a run at their old haunt of St Benet's Abbey.

It’s much easier to arrive by boat! We had to negotiate narrow lanes in the RV but made it to the parking area and the dogs had a great run by the river.

It was very busy on the water with mainly yachts passing us …

After a quick look at the map the decision was made to go to Coltishall for a cuppa and so we parked in the car park by the Rising Sun and sat by the river where a family of swans came by …

and Hamish sat quietly while we had our drink …

We said goodbye to the boys and returned to the campsite.

Southern Waters

We woke to rain this morning but the forecast said it should ease up as the day went on – joke!! We set off for Cantley – somewhere we’d never visited before – and the sugar factory …

We parked up and donned waterproofs ready to walk Hamish and hopefully find the river but the rain got heavier so we returned to the RV to get dry. We then moved on to Reedham where we knew we could park by the river and watch the boats.

It was all very quiet until lunchtime when there was a flurry of activity and a large yacht moored up in front of us …

After lunch we drove round to the ferry – another first for us – and crossed the river …

The road then took us towards St Olaves where we crossed back over the river and looked down to find several narrowboats moored up on New Cut …

Our next port of call was Oulton Broad where we parked in our usual car park by the Nicholas Everitt Park and took Hamish for a walk.

It’s really quite pretty with weeping willows ...

plenty of wildlife ...

and a lovely view of the Broad …

We ended by driving round Lowestoft and back to the road to Norwich crossing Breydon with the tide out …