Pottering on the Broads – Report

Safely back from four wonderfully relaxing days on the Norfolk Broads with our very good and very old (as in long standing rather than ancient) friends, Erica and Colin.

We arrived on Monday afternoon to be warned to seek shelter as soon as we took over our cruiser ‘Glittering Light’ from the Herbert Woods boatyard at Potter Heigham. We were advised to stop for the night in a sheltered spot as far out of the (Force 7/8) winds as possible. This we eventually managed to do, but the trouble was everybody else had been given the same advice so it took some time to find a suitable resting place.

Having survived remarkably peacefully the gale force winds on Monday night, Tuesday dawned so still that sailing was out of the question. Thereafter we experienced every type of weather apart from hail and snow – pouring rain, drizzle and seriously warm sunshine when the Factor 50 came into its own.

We had a sail on Barton Broad, but mostly were simply pottering about on the water, stopping occasionally to walk or  explore, and enjoying the flights of geese over the water, herons and kingfishers (but no otters). Everything is wonderfully peaceful and quiet, particularly when any speed over 4MPH is over the top.

We had the odd drink in a pub and enjoyed some excellent food cooked in the fairly restricting galley where we longed for some of the Tom’s and Douglas’s Barn kitchen utensils; we did not even have a wooden spoon, but we coped successfully in a fairly Heath Robinsonish, making-do way.

Some raucous games of Oh Hell! were played, and many reminiscences shared. So nothing too dramatic and the whole a very happy experience for us all.