CSCC Reports 2011: Norfolk Broads Trip - June 2011

The first club trip to the Norfolk Broads took place over the weekend of 11 / 12 June 2011. Chris S, Dan, Ann, Fi and Mark travelled up on the Friday night and we (Pete, Amelia and Hilary joined them on Saturday morning). Fi and Mark had decided to stay in a B&B with long lost relatives near Potter Heigham (well it seemed like it after the 3rd set of holiday photos) while the rest of us camped at the small and friendly Willowcroft campsite nearby at Repps.

Saturday morning we met at Buxton and launched onto the river Bure downstream of the Mill. Amelia got a bit damp getting into the canoe but after a quick clothes change all was well.  The Bure is a small river here with no motorised traffic and had perfectly clear water. We saw loads of fish and best of all a family of Swans, one of the signets was having a lift on its Mums back.  Just below Coltishall there was a weir and portage which made an ideal lunch stop.  From here down to Wroxham the river was still pretty but busy with plenty of motorised traffic.  Wroxham on one side of the river and Hoveton on the other is an unusual place where is seems virtually all the shops are owned by a Mr Roy.

After an evening in the pub at Potter Heigham the next morning we launched onto the River Thurne near the campsite and made our way down river to where it meets the Bure. We then paddled up the River Bure to the ruins of St Benetts Abbey for a lunch stop. The wind was now strong and the river much wider and quite exposed – some of us needed extra help and Mark did some towing. Amelia even tried to help by paddling the canoe using a split paddle but decided splashing Mark was more fun.

The return journey was less of a struggle with the wind behind us and a welcome stop at the teashop in the small village of Thurne kept spirits up. As we arrived back at the launch point it started to drizzle but we were lucky - it had rained all day in London.

Two firsts - a  trip to the Broads and Amelia’s first trip where she participated in all the paddling.

Hils, Peter and Dan's photos can be found here