Day 8 - Norwich Area - 15 September 2024

For the last full day in Norwich, we wanted to find out what The Broads really are.  A Broad is a large shallow lake and no-one really knows how the name originated. The girl in the pub suggested that we go to Wrexham so we took her advice. What a beautiful town. We parked next to water and saw a boat tour company. 

Well, it could be some time before we get back so we decided to see if there were any   seats available on the next tour which was to leave in one hour.  Yes, so we grabbed four seats.

Our boat

What a spectacular place.  There is so much wildlife and the area seems so peaceful.  The boat was very comfortable and we were able to get seats on the upper deck which gave us a fantastic view as we coasted along. 

Close to Wrexham, there are many houses. About half are available for rent and the rest are owner occupied.  Nearly all have a mooring for a boat, some of which are covered.

A small house with private mooring

Thatched roofs

Thatched roofs were very popular. They used local reeds which last from 60 to 80 years. That is incredible.  The ridge does need replacing every 40 years though.

Reeds were grown at the Broads to be used on thatching roofs but that has become very expensive, so the reeds are not harvested any longer.   Because the small trees were removed when harvesting the reeds, the area of reeds increased. When harvesting stopped, the trees took over again and now, the place is densely wooded.

Everywhere you look there are water birds.  There are hundreds of swans, gulls, grey herons and others. The Broads are teaming with life 

Look at all those swans

Isn't that great?

The Broads have been used for sailing competitions for more than one hundred years. There is now a sailing club.  There are also beaches in the area as well. It would be a wonderful place to holiday during summer.   

A beach

The ground is very muddy and soft. Everything, including houses are supported on piles up to 30 metres deep.  We were told that in some areas, a person would sink to their waste in mud. No wonder people are really careful and build as lightly as possible.

It was such a good boat ride and we were very lucky to have been able to join it.

We went into the CBD to look at the Castle, Cathedral and the medieval street. We have finally concluded that the signage in the UK could be improved. It took us ages to find a parking place but we did eventually.  We were looking forward to seeing the castle but, when we arrived, we were told that it has been closed for 4.5 years and should re-open sometime next year. There seems to be a trend developing!!

So, off to the cathedral. The building is extraordinary, but, Evensong was being held and a new Deacon was being installed so we did not interrupt the service.  We were able to view the main part of the cathedral but not past the transept.

Spectacular

Norwich cathedral

The cloister

Baptismal font

We walked back to the car via Mill Hill Road, the medieval street which oozes of age and continuous trade. It provides a hint of how life would have been.

Mill Hill Road

Nothing is straight. The buildings lean and somehow it just seems to be the right thing to do. Of course, the merchandise has changed over time. There is now a Teddy Bear shop and a coffee shop. I am sure that they have not been there very long.

Well we then headed back to Aylsham. It was a good day even though we were thwarted at a few turns.