By Mrs Joyce Chesney, Stockton on Tees
It was August 1967, we had been married 7 months when we took our first boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads. A College friend of my husband made all the arrangements and our Best Man agreed to make up the four.
We travelled by rail, a fairly long and arduous journey from the North East of England. I remember a stop in Lowestoft before the final leg to our destination, Haddiscoe.
The boat was booked with Johnsons Yacht Station at St Olaves, a lovely wooden cruiser called CUMULUS. We got to know the owner, Barry Johnson and his wife, very well over the years but this was our first meeting, their young son, Robert, ran around the yard in his little Wellingtons. Cumulus was a beautiful boat with ample accommodation for the four of us, I remember it did not have a fridge, instead there was an ice box.
That week was wonderful, the sun shone all the time, I spent most of the week in a bikini, [remember I was young and much slimmer then!] and we explored much of the Broadland area, both north and south rivers.
The first night was spent moored outside Reedham Ferry Inn, still one of our favourite places on the Southern Rivers, in fact we enjoyed a wonderful meal there last September and always receive a warm welcome from David Archer.
The next day, Sunday, we crossed Breydon and joined the Northern rivers. For lunch we stopped at the Stracey Arms [believe it is now called the Pontiac Roadhouse or some such!]. The boat did not have a television or any form of heating, not that we needed it, but I remember listening to the Navy Lark on a transistor radio that lunchtime.
On to Horning where we moored opposite the Swan, just before the bend of the river, [yes, I know, you cant do that today, not sure how we got away with it then]. With a dinghy we were able to get over to the Swan for dinner that night and row back in the dark.
Subsequent nights were spent somewhere in Neatishead Dyke, above Potter Heigham at Hickling, Thurne Dyke and finally Reedham Village. I dont know why, but we did not stay at Ranworth or Womack, but there would be many years to come to enjoy all these places over and over again. As we had a drink in the pub at the top of Thurne Dyke, I overheard a conversation between other boating holidaymakers - one of them said This is our 13th Cruise; never thinking at that time that we would still be boating when we were drawing our pensions!
Much has changed in Broadland in the 42 years we have been boating but the friendships we have made over the years endure. I keep losing count of the number of cruising holidays we have taken, I know it is over 70. We now do 2 fortnights every year and have done since the late 1980s, April/May and September/October.
When we are home we get home - sick for the Broads. Sometimes on lovely mornings here we will say: This is a Womack morning? and imagine we are back there, or , Nice day for a trip up the river.
Completely crazy? There are many like us who are addicted to the peace and tranquillity of the Broads. A very dear friend of ours, who is sadly no longer with us, always said to us, Put your head back, there is more sky in Norfolk . She was right.
Joyce Chesney 2009