This summer’s holiday afloat does not have to be expensive. You can take the entire family and even friends on holiday this summer for less than you imagine. Even better news is that you can book your summer break for only £25 per person per night on the Norfolk Broads. If you follow this link to Hoseasons you will find this deal and others right now!

With the weather cold and snowy outside, now is the time to plan this summer’s holiday. If you have a small family why not share the holiday with either friends or other members of your family? You get to know them better, have fun and the whole experience will be cheaper because the overall cost is split between you and your friends.

Lets face it, how many holiday companies out there are allowing you to book a holiday with only £25 down? Very few, if any! So click on the link to hoseasons and find out more. If you need to know more contact them.

Silverline Marine are based in Brundall which is ideally suited for cruising the Norfolk Broads. It is on the River Yare not far from Norwich and within easy cruising to Wroxham, Acle and Hickling. You could also visit the beautiful Surlingham Marsh Nature Reserve or Bramerton Common one of the most popular beauty spots on the entire Norfolk Broads.

If you would like to find out more about this holiday or know more about other offers of 50% off – £100 off etc. then follow this link.

Everyone loves being in, on or near the water in summer.  Messing about with a boat of any size is very enjoyable, whatever your age.  Off the boat, in surrounding countryside, towns and villages, there is plenty on offer to keep all the family occupied.  Historical buildings, art galleries and museums for the old and young, with interactive entertainment nowadays.  Throughout the Norfolk Broads there are loads of opportunities for all the family to do things that they have never done before!

On or off the hire boat, you can be as busy or lazy as you choose.  If it is a relaxing time with your head stuck in a good book, then this is the place to be.  Surrounded by water and wildlife you are able to drift off in your imagination to wherever you want to be, if you choose.  Why not look into booking a boating holiday for your family, this summer? You will be surprised at the price, especially if you are used to package holidays abroad.  Follow this link to find out how much this type of holiday will cost.

If you are also interested in renting accommodation around the Norfolk Broads, then why not check out this source of affordable holiday lets: – “http://www.richardsonsholidayvillages.co.uk”  in beach resorts around Norfolk.

In Wroxham there are several places of interest, starting with The Old Mill which is a friendly, family run business, and is situated in the centre of the Broads village.  It has outside seating, ideal for those people who like to sit and watch the world go by. Then you could move onto the Arts and Crafts shop, to buy some presents for those at home!  Or visit the Anvil Wrought Iron shop to see the wonderful work done by these skilled blacksmiths.

If you are looking to buy a present for someone special, then visit Bradley Hatch Jewellers, near Roys Garden Centre.Having spent sometime in Wroxham you will be keen to set off on your cruise along the River Bure eastwards towards Malthouse Broad. As you motor along the river you will see some superb wildlife, not only the ducks but also rare birds visiting the broads on their way south. Horning is your next main village which is worth stopping and mooring up for the afternoon. The village is very pictureque with thatched buildings to photograph and wonderful pubs to have a drink in. Horning is some 10 miles from Norwich, 17 miles from Great Yarmouth and 3 miles from Wroxham, the main town of the Norfolk Broads. There is an attractive river green and a quay where you can moor free for 24 hours. In and around Horning there are several interesting shops, pubs, hotels and places to eat and one can while away the time watching the activity on the busy river.

As you set off again along the River Bure you will come to a junction in the river. I suggest you stop off at Thurne. The village contains a pub, a gift shop and plenty of public moorings for boats along Thurne Dyke. There are many local paths offering good walks, for example, the long distance footpath “The Weavers Way” passes through the village. There is an attractive church located just outside of the village. The nearby small village of Repps is situated halfway between Thurne and Potter Heigham. It contains riverside bungalows and a lovely church.

If you decide to take the northwards path of the river, you join the River Thurne and can travel up to Potter Heigham, which is one of the major boating centre’s on the Norfolk Broads. There is a famous medieval bridge which gives access to the Upper Thurne, Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere. This bridge needs some skill to pass under and you may enlist some help if the water is high. The banks of the River Thurne at Potter Heigham are lined with waterside bungalows, which can only be accessed by foot or boat. The famous Lathams store is located here, as well as a pub, chip-shop and gift shop and newsagent. The main village itself is located the other side of the road and is mainly residential, but does contain the lovely village church.

Further along the River Thurne you eventually come to Hickling. This is a large and scattered village with wide open spaces, fields and farms, one third is marsh and common land with a large expanse of water covering over 400 acres. The houses are a mixture of old and new, with flint and stone, some thatched and colour washed. Hickling Broad is the largest of all the Norfolk Broads. The village has a fine fourteenth century church, St Mary’s, a building consisting of stone and polished flints, with chancel, nave, and aisles, south porch and parvis, a square embattlement tower housing five bells. Well worth a visit to view and take photos. The village sign is an artist’s impression of the old priory ruins and has four roundels depicting the reed cutter, swallow-tail butterfly, the bittern and a peat digger. The priory was founded in 1185 and its monks were granted a charter by King John to hold a weekly market at Town Street for the sale of their produce. So plenty of history here!

Your cruise will be full of interesting things to see and do, so why not book a boating holiday here.

Martha can moor her canal boat up at Berney Arms and Ken can treat her to a night out in the Berney Arms Inn, the most remote watering hole in the whole of the Norfolk Broads!  It can only be reached by boat, rail or on foot. So Deirdre cannot drive to it. The only thing is there is a great big Windmill, the tallest in Norfolk dominating the area, so you can hardly miss it!

So despite the big windmill, Martha can read her books and Ken can sup his beer, in peace and quiet in remotest Norfolk , well away from coughing screaming Deirdre!

As we make our way towards Beccles we pass various motorboats, yachts, windsurfers and fishermen on the banks, all enjoying this peaceful green landscape. The boat has a steering position in the bow area so you have a clear vision ahead. There are no locks to negotiate as the Broads are a vast network of lakes and rivers, all connected. With so much to see as you motor along there is never a dull moment. Wildlife is all around you, and on your Norfolk Broads holiday you can explore nature reserves and country parks, many with nature trails, bird watching hides, guided trips and special exhibitions. Fishermen have access to some wonderful coarse fishing, and we see lots of people on the banks or in small boats with their rods out.

As we leave Oulton Broad we enter the River Waveney, this then separates into two, so we choose to go left towards Beccles. On our way we pass some lovely sights. The river is narrow as we approach a marina at Burgh St Peter and notice a large leaping pike made of metal! It marks the entrance to the Waveney River Centre. It turns out that the large fish is called Eddie 2. We stop over at the well appointed marina for a short time, which was free! If you need to stay overnight there is a fee.

The Waveney River Centre is set in a grassy green area with trees all around. An Inn called – your’ve guess it – the Waveney Inn is close by and really caters for all the family, with play areas and live entertainment. The town of Burgh St Peter is a reasonable walk away or you can take the bus. But we returned to the boat and set off further up river towards Beccles.

Beccles is an old fashion market town, famous for church and separate tower with houses built over a hundred years ago. There is a good selection of shops, pubs and restaurants throughout the town, all set beside the river. We went to see the town’s museum. A very old building dating back to 1570 it houses a very large number of historic photos of the Broads.

We spend the night here and moor up at the river bank. Next day we retrace our steps back to Topcrafts boatyard at Oulton Broad, again seeing some interesting sights.

If you would like to take a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads why not enquire here.

Why not invest in a remote controlled model  boat. Let everyone have a go when you are tied up for the day or evening.  These model boats can provide hours of fun for all the family.  Although I have spent some lovely times in pubs and restaurants throughout the Broads, I have also been with the kids while they fly their kites across and above the waters of the marshlands.  So bring a couple of kites with you on holiday. 

Inflatable dinghies and canoes are popular items to take with you on holiday.  They allow you to explore areas that might otherwise be inaccessable.  Kids can have hours of fun in these boats.  If your dinghy can have a mast and sail attached this can offer other possibilities on holiday.  So think about these various options.

For rainy days the obvious things like books and board games can be packed, but what about computer games and laptops?  Lots of places will have wireless.  So you can keep in touch by email.  Why not keep a diary of your holiday on your laptop?  Download your photos each day and send them to BEBO or MySpace where your friends can follow your every move back home!

There are so many possibilities and activities to do on holiday on the Broads.  With the place teaming with wildlife why not record all the various species of, say, ducks you spot, as you move around the rivers and broads?  With kids on board, a series of photos of wildlife will no doubt help them with forthcoming projects at school.  Good close ups of ducks and other natural inhabitants will no doubt produce a stunning project!

The variety of the Norfolk Broads in scenery allows you to chose what type of holiday break to have for you and your family or friends.  If you want quiet times there are many places to go – if you want busy activity then thats on offer too.  You decide.  Whatever you choose I hope you enjoy your time on the Broads!

On the Broads there are all sorts of boats. Cruisers, yachts, barges, canoes, dinghies etc. All of these can be hired for weekends, mid-week breaks and longer holidays throughout the year. The largest range of boats for hire is offered by Hoseasons, who have been involved in this business for many years and are experts.

The Broads largely follows the line of the rivers and natural navigations of the area. There are seven navigable rivers, the River Yare and its tributaries the Rivers Bure, Thurne, Ant, Waveney, Chet and Wensum.  All the waterways are subject to tidal influence. The tidal range decreases with distance from the sea, with highly tidal areas such as Breydon Water contrasted with virtually non-tidal reaches such as the River Ant upstream of Barton Broad. So plenty to see and visit while you are on holiday!

As mentioned in a previous post the Broads are accessable from the sea by going through Lowestoft harbour into Lake Lothing and from there to Oulton Broad. This does involve a lock, Mutford lock, because of the different tidal ranges. However, for most holidaymakers access to the sea is not a consideration. Your boat hirer will inform you all about where to go, whether it is busy areas for sightseeing or more relaxed quiet spots away from the crowd.
There is something for everyone on holiday around the Norfolk Broads.