We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time...
We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time...
Member since:20.02.2006
Reviews:9
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I've wanted to have a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads for about as long as I could remember, so when my friend announced that that was where she was planning on having her hen party, iit seemed too good to be true.
Accomodation -------------------- The best way to see the Broads is by boat. Many companies, such as Hoeseasons, have a selection of boats for all sizes of groups to hire out for a long weekend, a week or a fortnight. We were a group of seven girls and we found our 8-berth boat just about the right size. The beds are a bit small, but not too bad - you just have to make sure you don't roll about too much in the night! The berths also had small wardrobes and shelves, which was handy. Our boat had a toilet as well as a seperate bathroom. The bathroom had a shower, which was fine although the hot
water tank was only a 12-gallon one, so if you were washing your hair you had to be quick! Also, as soon as the hot water had run out, you had to wait for 20 minutes or so for the it to heat up again. The kitchen/lounge area was small but comfortably furnighed and well supplied. We had a full-sized oven, which was handy as we'd brought along a load of food for dinners. One thing that never occured to us was the amount of work that goes with a boat. We had to do engine checks (oil, water, filter) every morning and there was quite a bit to do when it came to mooring. All of your electricity comes from a battery and to charge the battery the engine needs to be running. You get told at the beginning of the week that you need to watch out for how much power you use, but we never had a problem.
Our route ------------- We started off in Beccles, a beautiful old market town. We went along the River Waveny to Reedham (beautiful old village with a couple of lovely pubs) and then up the River Yare to Brundel (slightly larger marina and village). On the way back we stopped at Burgh St Peters. This route took us three days, but we could have gone a lot further - we were taking it quite leisurely. We virtually had the whole rivier to ourselves and never had a problem getting moored of an evening. However, we were told that this all changes during the tourist season (June - August) and the place becomes really busy.
Things to do ------------------ The main attraction is the beautiful scenery. The whole point of holidaying on the Broads is that it's relaxing, so if you usually like jetting off to Ibiza, then this is probably not the holiday for you. the pace of life is so much slower and you are literally forced to take things slowly by the speed limits set (between 4 and 6 m.p.h). The night life isn't exactly what you would call lively, but there are some really lovely pubs whose gardens lead right down to the water and the staff were all really friendly. The larger towns have shopping facilities and family attractions, but we didn't visit these.
How to get there ----------------------- The best way is by car as you'll be taking probably more luggage than on a normal holiday (you need to bring towels and basic kitchen supplies - tea, milk, bread etc) and all the boatyards we saw had on-site car parking for clients. If you need to go by train, you will need to start off from one of the larger towns that has a station.
Weather ------------ We went in March and the weather was great. It rained at night sometimes, but we didn't care as we were in the pub (well, it was a hen party!). During the day the weather was lovely. I think the rule is to take outfits for all eventualities - that's the only way to handle the British weather!
Cost ------- The hire of the boat for three nights was just over £500, so this worked out to about £75 each. I looked and boats for 2-4 people are around £350 for the same type of break, so this obviously works out a bit more expensive. All diesel is provided and you have an optional insurance policy that's about £5 which covers you in case you sink the boat.
Summary ------------- This is a great holiday/break if you are looking to escape from everything and relax, but probably not so much if you like something a bit more in-your-face!
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Advantages: Very, very relaxing, fresh air, seeing wildlife, learning to steer a boat Disadvantages: Standard of some boats, weather dependent, could get busy, some may find it a bit boring
Kizzy09 24.08.2009 ·
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Review of Norfolk Broads
Mar 30th, 2006
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