Brinks Belmore TC - Day Seven

It did not feel like I was now beginning my seventh morning aboard Belmore TC - the beginning of the week, getting to the moorings at Stracey Arms and then heading down to the southern rivers the following day felt so recent and yet at the same time so much seemed to have happened and been seen so what I wondered might today bring?

It was time to take a trip to Potter Heigham - was the pub open still, how were those chips these days from the chip shop and what bargains could I find in Lathams? 

It was not esepcialyl early neither late when I left the moorings outside the Ferry Inn in Horning but already those who had been moored there the evening before had all departed - it was a Friday, they must have been on a Friday to Friday week break or a Monday to Friday short break and were now back at their respective yards - yet I had 4 more days to enjoy on the water.

Of course reader and likely boater on the Broads, you may leave the likes of Horning knowing you are going to Potter Heigham and enjoy the trip - yet I was worried, worried you see because I was not really seeing much viably Blog footage to capture.  Very little traffic, not much to be seen other than the same leafless trees and light brown tinged reed lined banks and so between Horning and the mouth of the river Ant I have successfully managed to pack into the video 24 minutes of me talking.  God help you all.

But from my point of view the trip was lovely, blue skies, a warm gentle breeze and very little in the way of boat traffic - that was until we reached the river Thurne where some small sailing boats tacked slowly ahead of me.  I've really not ever been nervous of sailing boats, it is often easy to see what they are going to be doing based on the prevailing wind conditions and what they have been doing for the few minutes prior to you catching them up.

In this instance it was actually really nice to see them on the water, it added some colour to the scene and reminded me how beautiful and simply this form of boating is.  I did I confess wonder how it may be to sail just the wind and water providing the soundtrack.  However I would probably feel how I do when cycling, that anyone else not cycling is somehow bad and an enemy trying to run me over or crash into me - diesel powered cruisers therefore would be the same as HGV's on the road - noisy, smelly and god knows where they are going.

It was not too much longer and we came into 'Chalet Town' which actually is very beautiful albeit eccentric .  It really feels like you've arrived at a very special location where there is a waterway acting as their main road, and what you wonder will great you at the end?  Alas that is the problem with Potter Heigham very little is there to keep you - it is very much a stop off and move on place and yet to the new hirer it is mentioned so often in maps and guides one might expect there to be a little more to do.

I moored in Herbert Woods yard used their rubbish bins and then walked over to the boats for sale to have a nose about - some were pretty nice, some pretty bad and frankly how one can expect to get almost £28,000 for a Seamaster 30 complete with two Perkins engines that are increasingly hard to source parts for I know not.  Good luck I say, then again is £60,000 a good price for ex hire boats with their gel coats going chalky hmm I never would make a good broker!

Off to see what was new and anything that had changed - at the time of filming the pub was open still, and then over the bridge to the chip shop, £2.59 for a small portion of chips and a can of coke - they were luke warm, soggy and pretty poor to be honest.  You see they had fired so many chips and yet had so few customers - why not fry small batches, most customers would be more than happy to wait for fresh good tasting food than bland food that has been kept warm for goodness knows how long.  I walked over to the bench by the bridge and watched a few sailing bots head under - then a Marthams boat (I forget now which) lined up and with not much more than 6ft 4" on the gauge went for it.   My god the chap left it literally to the last second to duck down for the bridge - but it was certainly something to witness these boats being taken through like that.

I popped back over the bridge and into Lathams, their food area seems to have grown and there can be some real bargains on drinks.  I had a look at some of their other things and wondered how easy t would be to hoard great handfuls of stuff should you live locally - everything from slippers to hammers and a pot plant could be bought here and yet I thought as I left what a shame this shop had been let to go as it had.  If you look on their website your see photos of how it used to be, proud displays in the windows and now you can tell if it was to be modernised it would cost so much and I wonder how long in its present form it could go on for lets just say it has a well worn feel about the place.

Back out into the sunshine and to the boat - I took my time to unpack things and it was really rather nice sat the wind gently moving the boat, the roped and fenders playing that soft tune of a squeak and a stretch which is so nautical and timeless and can sooth away any stress  - but where I thought should I head to now?

I decided to go back down the Thurne and head for the time being to St. Benet's maybe I would head then up the river Ant under Ludham Bridge and to somewhere peaceful and alone that you get on a wild mooring - as it happened I left and Herbert Woods and found when I arrived at the moorings at St. Benets the moorings in their entirety to be empty.  I could not pass this opportunity up, turned the boat to come in against the current and the boat perfectly drifted to the bank, only to immediately be blown away from it.  Yep while the current was aiding me the wind was against me and so it took some time and bow thrusters to hold Belmore against the bank long enough for me to get off and secure her with the ropes.

All secure I made myself a coffee and had a couple of Mint Clubs (you know the chocolate covered biscuits) lovely - then it was time to do what so far I had not been able, feed some Ducks and Swans - of course no sooner have you begun than the rowdy Seagulls had arrived ready to take anything they could but also what surprised me was a large Crow - swept down and tried to take some bread from the water without touching it with its feet even, it failed but I had never seen such before.  It landed by the grass and I threw some bread to it - it was happy and at least did not have to worry about getting its feet wet!

Not long after I spied River Song coming along  and Simon and Sonia spied me - by now the wind really had got up and as they turned and came back (avoiding the wandering sailing boats) I helped with taking their lines, and like me it was a case of the wind wanting to send them away as the current wanted them to stay.   All safe and secure now it would be silly to g anywhere else and so we begun the late afternoon with a bottle of very agreeable red that I had got earlier in t e week from Roys (I do think Roys have a good selection of wines).

It was later on that we went for a walk with Dylan their beautiful Labrador and on the way back I was spotted by a follower of my You Tube channel - him and his family were aboard Melody from Richardson's and it is always nice to meet people who may have commented in a video in person.  Suffice to say the evening was spent on River Song in  good company making these broadland adventures all the more vibrant for you never know who you might bump into along the way.