Goodbye Neptune

We were awake and up early this morning as hand-over starts from about 8am. We'd got the vehicles out of storage last night and had begun off-loading our stuff then. I'm always amazed at how much we take with us on the boat and most of it never sees the light of day! It was a beautiful day again ...

and after the chaps had checked the fuel we'd used and we'd returned the lifejackets then it was time to leave the yard.

It is now a tradition that we have our last breakfast at the Tearooms at Potter Heigham ...

It's dog-friendly and it's just a nice way to end the holiday. After we'd eaten Mike, Phill and I went to Lathams and Jamie took Ozzie for a walk around Herbert Woods' yard. A boat had arrived on a trailer and so he went to investigate while we did our shopping. When we got back Jamie was chatting to one of the new owners and it turned out that they'd found it on the internet and had bought it from Chertsey. A small world - that is where Jamie was born! Anyway it was called Hasty Lady and was a Freeman 32.


We all then got chatting and I mentioned my blog on Crocus and the lady said that her husband used to build wooden boats in Norfolk and she would have a look at my blog. I tried to convince her to set up a blog for Hasty Lady as they needed some work done on her and then planned to take her to the Continent and travel down through the canals. Perfect for blogging! We watched her launched (the boat that is!) and then said our farewells. Although we were going back to Luton to stay with the boys until Monday we didn't want to drive in convoy and so they left before us. We drove through Ludham and made for Wroxham where we got caught at the traffic lights outside Roys ...

One final time over Wroxham bridge ...

and then it was off to Luton.

Thurne Dyke to Stalham

It's our last full day on the water and very soon after breks we leave our moorings ...

and move off down the Thurne and back towards the Ant. We moor just below Ludham Bridge as the boys need some dog food for Ozzie and you can never guarantee a mooring on the far side.

As they go off shopping Ozzie watches them as if they've abandoned him and are never coming back!

The boat owned by the Nancy Oldfield Trust passes us ...

The Trust offers disabled as well as social disadvantaged people the chance to experience the Broads and they do a great job. It's then back on board and with the windscreen lowered we negotiate the bridge ...

which has plenty of room for us today ...

Hamish just checks to see where we are ...

and in no time we're approaching How Hill ...

It's very quet on the river today and a swan comes gliding towards us ...

We're now almost at Irstead and the plan was to moor at the Staithe if there was a space. Once again we're lucky and so we stop for coffee ...

Mike and I go for a look around the church ...

The door is said to be very, very old ...


These steps didn't seem to go anywhere!


It is a church with a thatch and this is how it looks from inside ...

Moving on we reach Barton Broad where a heron is perched on the 4mph sign ...

We turn up towards Gay's Staithe but this time we go further and are aiming for the moorings at Neatishead. We have the river to ourselves ...

It's very narrow here but Jamie manages to moor us at the Staithe ...

Another boat approaches ...

and Mike has a look to see how big the turning area is beyond the moorings as this is the end of navigation ...

After lunch and a lazy hour or two we set off on the last part of our journey ...


About an hour later we were back at Richardsons yard ...

and moored up for our last night at Swan Quay ...

We took the dogs and had a good wander around the boats looking for something different for next year but finally decided that Neptune despite a few things going against her (like the fridge defrosting overnight a couple of times!) was probably the best layout we could get for the price. So if Crocus is not on the water by next Spring (which is highly unlikely) we'll be back here to pick up Broadland Neptune for another week's holiday.

Ranworth to Thurne Dyke

There was quite a bit of activity this morning as boats left their overnight moorings and new ones arrived. One of the first to come in was our old friend Zoe ...

and it didn't take Mike long before he was giving her the once over ...

Ranworth church is just visible from the Staithe ...

After a wander around the shop and the purchase of a few presents we were saying goodbye to Ranworth and making for St Benet's Abbey moorings as a good coffee spot ...

Hamish was immediately asking if we were taking him for a run ...

More photos from the Abbey including Hamish posing again!



After our walk it was back to the boat for coffee and we watched as Zoe passed by under full sail ...

We motored on downriver heading for Acle bridge as the chosen lunch stop for today. I can't take the praise for this photo as Jamie or Phill took it but I just had to include it on my blog ...

There was quite a bit of work going on repairing moorings ...

and then we reached the measured 1/4 mile ...

Jamie was at the helm and we timed ourselves and worked out that we were doing exactly the right speed ie 5mph. Apart from the work on the banks there was also some dredging work. The river was being dredged in one place and then a full barge moved up to where the crane was empyting it out over the land ...



Phill took a turn at the helm ...

We moored at Acle bridge, had lunch and shopped in the little Bridge Stores and then set off once again. We wanted to stop the night at Thurne Dyke and have a meal at the Lion Inn as it's dog-friendly. When we arrived we had plenty of choice and so moored right by the mill ...


It is passed by people walking the Weavers Way ...

and it has quite a history ...

We had a wander up the dyke to the shop and saw these lovely sculptures in a garden ...

In the evening we had a great meal at the Inn and just caught this sunset on our way back to the boat ...