Back to the Broads

After a gap of 37 years I made it back to the Norfolk Broads this October. The last time was in 1976 on a Broads cruiser with high school friends before heading off to college. This time, my wife, Helen and my brother, Colin were on board along with one of the originals from high school, Hugh! The Broads are in eastern England and are made up of seven rivers and wide, shallow areas known as "broads". There are no locks, the rivers are tidal and the bridges low. 

By far the best part of the Broads is the multitude of small villages and hamlets that line the river banks. Better still, each one has at least one riverside pub! The surrounding countryside is flat and reclaimed marshland similar to Holland and intensely farmed. The whole area is a National Park though somewhat different to how we classify NPs in the USA, since they have permanent settlements, farming and even industry. The designation is there to "freeze" the area as is and restrict development. The vast majority remains rural and is a very important wildlife preserve.

Over a period of a week we probably motored no more than 60 miles and stayed on the Northern rivers. A similar paced week could be spent south of Great Yarmouth on the Yar and Waveney rivers. We fished, 

visited Medieval churches,

 hiked along footpaths 

and  spent some time drinking beer, Woodforde's Wherry Ale.

Wherries were the 18 wheelers of their day, transporting bulk goods to and from the coastal towns of Gt. Yarmouth and Lowestoft. There is a large interest here in wooden craft and several wherries still sail the rivers

So 37 years later I finally got back and enjoyed myself more than ever, probably because I was sober this time! Helen loved it and wants to return so maybe a couple of years from now we'll get to the South side.