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Broad-minded in Norfolk

By Tracey Davies

Boating on the Norfolk Broads would not be my first choice for a week’s holiday in the UK but reinvent it as a sailor’s pub crawl of East Anglia and you’ve got me hooked.

Norfolk has been a holiday hotspot for folk of a certain age for many years but suggest it to anyone under 30 and they will look at you as if you have suggested a fortnight on the far side of Uranus. Sadly, much of the regions tourism is based around shabby old resorts offering vintage kiss-me-quick hats and tacky (stick-to-the-carpet) theme pubs, each one a remnant of holidays of years gone by.

The Norfolk Broads are a different barrel of fish altogether. Named for the broad, shallow lakes which lay along the counties five rivers, a boating holiday here offers a completely different view of this often-forgotten outreach of eastern England.

The broads are the result of a peat harvest in the Middle Ages and are now home to a multitude of rare plants and birdlife as well as dozens of small communities that dot the area. With 40 broads stretching over 200 kilometres it seems that this county is more water than land. Tiny streams grow into great lakes, the largest being Hinkling Broad, which is so big that once crossed we thought we’d reached the continent.

Adorable villages with their rose-hued thatched cottages and customary waving residents adorn the riverside from Norwich to Oulton, the most southerly broad in the neighbouring county of Suffolk. Normally holidays which involve crawling from pub to pub are the domain of the 18-30’s crowd, but here on the water it’s pretty much the way to go and to be honest, there isn’t a great deal else to do. There are many quality drinking establishments en route, all as pretty as a picture and each offering good regional ales, decent wine and fine local food. The Swan at Horning is exceptionally good although you will rarely go wrong at any of the traditional country inns.

A typical boating holiday will start at a boathouse such as Brundall or Horning. A quick driving lesson, a sailors salute and you’re on your way. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of driving the boat or in my case, get bored of it and retire to the main deck for a late-afternoon Pimms. The men were left to decide the route and man the helm which is probably why we stopped at our first pub less than 45 minutes after we left the boathouse.

The Broads are not canals despite all the similarities and therefore require something a little more glitzy than the traditional wooden longboats. Shiny white cruisers of all sizes glide the murky waters, helmed by tobacco-tanned men in pastel-coloured polo shirts all with a distant look in their eye as if they are cruising the French Riviera rather than the broads of Norfolk.

We ladies kick back on deck and enjoy the peace and quiet of life on the water, whilst the men check out the other vessels in an obvious manner. It seems that the size of your cruiser is in direct relation to the size of your wallet and (ahem) inside leg measurements, a large cruiser being the equivalent of DB9. Ours is called ‘Silver Serenade’ (which is more Ford Granada than DB9), and is a comfortable four berth with double en-suite and is comparable to the size of a largish motor-home.

Three days into our trip and I am well and truly relaxed. The constant, gentle lap of the water is like a metronome which slows us down to the Norfolk pace. With no rush to do anything at all our biggest decision of each day is which pub to stop at and whether to have the scampi or the lamb shank.

A holiday on the Norfolk Broads is utterly relaxing and a great antidote to city life (although saying that so is a Caribbean cruise). It’s an ideal opportunity to spend some quality time with your partner or family, catch up on some reading and painting the odd watercolour. Throw in a few pints of fine Norfolk ale and the odd ploughman’s and you just might have a very nice time indeed.

Top Tips for your Broads holiday –

Don’t attempt to cover all of the Broads in one week the aim of a holiday like this is to relax. Pick four or five points of interest for the week and bumble along at an easy pace.

Don’t drive your boat at night or inebriated as it is both nigh on impossible and very dangerous. Moor up in daylight, find a pub, grab your dominoes and settle in for the night.

Do get off the boat. Spending all your time on the boat will only encourage those wobbly sea legs. Get off, grab a bike and make the most of this beautiful county.

Do wave at everybody. Where else can you get away with such friendly behaviour than on the waterways?

Fact box

Visit the museum of the Norfolk Broads at Stalham - tel 01692 581681 opening times vary

Strumpshaw RSPB Bird Sanctuary offers an insight to the rare birdlife which make the broads their home

Visit the floating conservation centre on Ranworth Broad to get an idea of the ecology of the broads

We booked through Hoseasons www.hoseasons.co.uk

Blakes boating holidays www.blakes.co.uk

Find good ales and fine food at The Kings Head in Lodden – 01508 520330

And at The Swan in Horning - 01692 630316

Contact Tracey Davies

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