Crocus Hiccup and Rain

I got a message from Jamie this morning that I needed to pop in and see Crocus as Nick had found some bad wood.  I had planned to go to Wroxham today as there was a Boat and Leisure Auction but the weather was horrendous and so my plans were altered.  I shot down to Thurne and agreed to spend some extra money as in the long run I was making a saving!  To do the work now when she’s all in pieces would be much cheaper than doing it later when she’s all put back together.  Several things had been done since my last visit …

This is the template for the new windows …

The weather didn’t improve and so I spent the afternoon in the van.  As it brightened up we got a lovely rainbow …

When I took Hamish for his evening walk I noticed that Crown Gem 4 was moored at the bridge …

South Walsham to Stalham

We set off this morning in fine weather passing a mum and babes and a heron …

but it wasn’t long before the black clouds appeared …

We turned up the River Ant and after lowering the roof on the move, we shot Ludham bridge …

After a short coffee stop we continued up-river passing How Hill and while I was at the helm Phill kept the windscreen clear for me until we reached Irstead Staithe …

We had some company at the mooring …

and a beautiful traditional cruiser, which had been converted to electric, motored past …

Phill wanted to buy another painted stone so we went to the stall for him to choose one …

Smile - you’re on a camera …

After a lovely fry-up lunch we set off again in dry weather but it wasn’t long before the heavens opened and this time it was Jamie who got dressed in full wet weather gear to keep the windscreen clear …

The river splits and we took the route that would take us back to the yard at Stalham …

Taking Hamish for a walk around the yard I spotted our old boats Crown Gem 4 and Capri moored up …

As it was our final evening on board we had a last game of Rummikub, popped over to Tesco to shop and to fill the motorhome with fuel ready for the return journey.

Leaving Norfolk

We woke to another lovely morning and by 8am we had emptied the boat of all our stuff.

We just had to return the lifejackets and wait for the chap to come and check how much fuel we'd used - we got a refund of £62 from the £100 deposit everyone has to pay! I went off for a wander around the boatyard as Jamie had texted me the names of a few boats he was interested in hiring next year. I could only find one of them and it looked quite nice but the galley was very small. I'm sure we'll find something though and I think we'll be back in May.

After saying our goodbyes to a few friends we'd made from the Norfolk Broads Forum we headed off to Potter Heigham for breakfast. Since holidaying with the boys it has become a regular thing to end the week with breakfast at the cafe by the bridge. I bought a lovely little book about the history of the Thurne bungalows ...

Apparently the first bungalow was built about 1892 and by the early 1900's there were several houseboats and bungalows along the riverside and all used for family holidays on the Broads. After breks we took a last walk up to the 'railway bridge' and could see that America was still moored. We'll never know if they managed to get her through for the hire booking tomorrow.

So it was back to the RV and the start of the trek to Hampshire, passing over Wroxham bridge for the last time ...

Potter Heigham to Stalham

What a beautiful morning!

The bridge looks fantastic and the sun is just coming up from behind the boatsheds ...


This is the hire yacht America and apparently she is stuck above the bridge. The Pilot who took us through on Tuesday told us it was most embarrassing as they'd got her upstream but couldn't get her back! She's due out on hire on Saturday so they'll be calling in lots of people to sit on her and weigh her down in the hopes that she'll pass under on the next low tide.

The first boat came through and it was oh so close!

The yacht that came through with us is also returning today ...

Hamish is patiently waiting for our turn ...

and then we're through and moored waiting to fill up with water ...

Once filled we said goodbye to Potter Heigham ...

and made our way back down the River Thurne passing chalets of all shapes and sizes ...


We passed a cute little narrow boat called James ...

and then caught up with the yacht we've been seeing quite regularly ...

At least the river wasn't filled with racing yachts today as we passed Thurne Dyke ...

A lovely little dyke with a windmill ...

and a swan flying ahead of us ...

The cows were by the river as we approached St Benet's Abbey ...

We moored here for coffee ...

and who should come along but a chap who'd been on holiday in Portreath during the summer and had stayed in the holiday let right behind us! He's a volunteer for the Broads Authority and we had a good old chinwag about Cornwall and Norfolk. It was such a lovely day that there were several yachts on the water ...



We left the mooring with everything lowered on the boat ready for Ludham Bridge and in no time at all were motoring up the River Ant past all the work that's going on ...


Then the bridge was ahead of us ...

and we were under it and away ...

As it was lovely weather there was no rush to get the windscreen back up so we kept moving until we reached How Hill where we moored for lunch. Hamish was settled ...

and the windmill was looking as good as ever ...

After a sandwich we took Hamish for a walk up to How Hill house and gardens which were looking particularly good today ...


We're just over there on the river ...

Unfortunately Toad Hole Cottage was closed today so we just walked out onto the riverside ...

and made our way back to the boat ...

We moved on upriver ...

into Irstead ...

and then onto Barton Broad ...

We took the route to Barton Turf where Crocus came from ...

and then headed back out to the main river ...

I was watching the undergrowth at the side of the river because on our trip down I'd seen two kingfishers. Suddenly one appeared and I took this photo. He's in the square. Can you see him?

Sadly we were now back at Richardsons yard ...

and found a mooring on Kingfisher Quay ...

Mike got the RV out of store and we began to sort out and pack our stuff. We treated ourselves to a meal at The Swan in Stalham as it was dog-friendly and so now we have one more night onboard and then we're off to Hampshire tomorrow.