Thursday, April 24, 2025

Slowing Down

Life on the Broads is slow. The speed limit is between 4 and 5 mph - slower than I go on my bike. As I get more comfortable driving the boat (yes, I am!) we get to watch the scenery slowly change from reeds to reeds and bushes, to reeds and trees. We have plenty of time before we return the boat on Monday, and we've got our house with us, so as long as we're moored up by 5 pm each day (we aren't allowed to drive at night, and places do fill up), we can stop as many or as few places as we like. 

Yesterday we headed up the Ant river to Ludham bridge. We visited the little shop, and spent £1 for four minutes of water through a hose to fill the tank on our boat. We lost a little because I didn't know how it all worked, but we still mostly refilled the tank. We are being VERY careful with water - probably more than needed - but we'll still need a bit more before we're done. 

Next stop - How Hill and Toad Hole Cottage. We could see the hill in the distance, covered with trees! Toad Hole Cottage has been fitted out to display life for the "marshmen" (and families) a couple hundred years ago. It's a very simple cottage near the river, where they used tiles to cool perishables like milk and eels. The marshmen harvested reeds and sedges, and fished. It was a hard life. 

After that, Irsted was full, and Neatshead moorings were stern-in. I'm not rated for stern-in yet, which requires one to back up the boat, and tie up the back end. So we kept on, crossed Barton Broad (a big lake) and found a whole empty stretch at Barton Turf. The nearby town didn't have any shops or gas stations - no services - but the town was nearby and cute, so that worked out. 


This morning we headed to Stalham, the farthest upstream on the Ant that we can go. We splurged to go to the Museum of the Broads, and found it fascinating. So much history about the boats, the people who have lived here, the wildlife (we saw eggs from Swans down to wrens) and more. 

Afterwards, we found a cafe on high street for lunch. We also visited the Church of St. Mary's. I'm gaining more appreciation for churches, since they're such a big part of the history of this area. 


Across Barton Broad again, and back to How Hill. Some fellow boaters helped us tie up, and then we had lovely conversation with them. Such interesting people, and so trans supportive (they brought that up as their biggest concern about the world right now. I certainly agree). Pilaf for dinner, and then a lovely sunset from the boat. 

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