Tilting at Windmills

A life of ease

A life of ease

Well, if I’d just called it ‘a lot of boats on the Norfolk Broads’ you wouldn’t have read it, would you?  Admit it!  At least I’m giving you something else to look out for.

This is our mooring- a nice place to start

This is our mooring- a nice place to start

And this is our boat

And this is our boat

It’s moored at Stalham, on the River Ant, in Richardson’s marina.  A peaceful setting, away from the hurley-burley of Wroxham.  We glide gently across Barton Broad, and Jarek points out the shallow water where, almost daily in peak season, boats run aground.  When we pause to admire the scenery, a swan raps smartly on the hull.  I’m not sure if this signifies ‘get a move on’ or ‘where’s the bread?’  Short on bread, we move on!

The naughty swans

A naughty swan

Looking ahead I glimpse some houses

Looking ahead I glimpse some houses

And am delighted to find that one has a thatched roof

And am delighted to find that one has a thatched roof

What a location!

What a location!

And the neighbour's none too shabby, either! (and there's a bench for Jude)

The neighbour’s none too shabby, either! (and there’s a bench for Jude)

But here's our first excitement- a windmill!

But here’s our first excitement- a windmill!

There are a seemingly endless supply of them, strewn across the Broads.  Many have been restored and stand there, gracefully pointing the way with their sails.

Here's another, wonderfully elegant example

Here’s another, wonderfully elegant example

It's quite a long way up!

It’s quite a long way up!

We fill our sail with a puff of wind
And wave at passersby
Grazyna concentrates on the way ahead
This crew member likes to keep his ears warm

We sail on a little way and then execute a fine turn to seek out a mooring place.  Time for hungry sailors to eat, and then stretch their legs.  We are moored alongside How Hill House, and a treat is in store.  Tiny Toad Hole Cottage was an eel-catcher’s home.

Welcome to How Hill, Staithe

Welcome to How Hill, Staithe

Click on any photo to see the gallery

A peek inside the eel catcher’s cottage
With an old, old fireplace
And plenty of provisions in the pantry
You can still keep an eye on the boat
Before you climb into bed

How Hill Trust provides an environmental study centre for the Broads.  The preservation of the incredibly beautiful house is no small part of this, but there are landscaped gardens too and a sweeping lawn for picnics, rolling down to the river.  There’s even a restored grain mill, if you’re looking for somewhere to stay.

The detail around the windows is exquisite

Smell the roses and admire the detail around the windows

The house is beautiful
With wonderfully ornate chimneys (and Mariusz)
A house on a hill
And how about this for a view? (can you spot the windmill?)

How about this for a view! (can you spot the windmill?)

And look at the wisteria!

And look at the wisteria!

It’s simply magnificent
And don’t forget the grain mill!

We’d better get back on board.  Too much playing ‘lady of the manor’ isn’t good for me!  And there’s a coffee stop to make, with homemade Polish rhubarb cake.

In such a serene location
There are some beautiful boats
And windmills, of course!

We putter along the waterways, using the sail sometimes, or the small motor.  The water lilies drifting at the water’s edge and the dazzling yellow ‘water buttercups’ captivate me, but I’m unable to take a decent shot.  I’ll just have to go back another day!  Maybe you’ll come with me?

126 comments

  1. Rhubarb cake – oh yes please! Recipe?
    We considered moving to Norfolk, nice and flat, even considered a house in Stalham. The Broads are lovely and you must have been smiling all week surrounded by boats and water. In your element 😉

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  2. Rhubarb cake and sailing? Sounds heavenly to me – and you were so lucky with the weather. Thanks for taking us … As soon as the Euro strengthens a bit (I did not give up hope yet) we will have to travel all the great parts of England you take us to. All I know of the UK is the south, a bit of Wales and Scotland. So, Mr Draghi, it’s about time!

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    1. I did feel a very lucky lady, Tobias 🙂 The Broads have their own beauty but I would find all that flatness hard to live with on a regular basis. I like a few ‘bumps’ on the horizon 🙂

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    1. This is only the very top corner, Elaine. There are miles of the wetlands. I guess it could be soporific after a while. Good excuse for coffee and cake. 🙂

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  4. LOVE your title. I read this post half-cocked (me tilting on one foot, not sipping the brandy!) to give full measure to Tilting at Windmills. Such a serene ride downstream desite a naughty swan. You are a superb tour guide💖

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      1. Good idea, flotilla it is! I have several family members in Sweden with boats so we could borrow those I’m sure! Maybe the fishing boat though would be too deep for the Norfolk Broads. Thank you so much for the comment on my name. It is Swedish as am I, arriving in the UK when I was six-years-old. It means little Anna.

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    2. I realised at once when I read your About page. 🙂 I have another very good Swedish friend- Viveka Gustavsen, who blogs at My guilty pleasures. Do you know her? If not, you should say hi. 🙂

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  7. Um, yes please! Take me along on the next cruise. What a lovely little ride down the Broads. Looks like something out of a very old picture book except for the modern boats.

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  9. Hi Jo,
    Thanks foir taking me there with you. Well, I’m envious, I must admit, that I could only see the pictures and not have the actual experience. The Norfolk Broads are certainly on my bucket list still. As much as I liked my two trips on English canals, I’d also want to experience this quite different area.
    Have a great time,
    Pit

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  10. thanks for taking me to this lovely boat ride, the scenery, the windmills, the houses and yes the wisteria in its glory. love everything in this post, Jo. and please don’t leave without me on our return 🙂 i’ll be there in a heartbeat. 🙂

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  12. You have just me back to a year in the 70’s when I went there and the beauty looks as it has not changed, such a beautiful place, and as everyone says rhubarb and custard.. Mmmmm what more…

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  15. Lovely way to spend sometime Jo ! I’d quite forgotten about all the windmills along the Broads … hmm you best count me in for that trip Lol
    Tiny Toad hall caught my eye … love the little patchwork quilt … gosh it’s sometime since I picked up a needle , Laura Ashley fabric bundles and cut out paper squares 😉
    Super pics Jo .. you do get about … and that’s a GOOD thing … for us too !

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      1. … enjoying a Full English chez nous 😀 … ah I’m trying to get my head round layers and all things Photoshop … also thinking of a foxglove painting … but only thinking 😉

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    2. I keep popping back to see how those distractions are going, Jill. Good progress, I hope? I was on a bus for much of yesterday with limited Wifi access. 🙂

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  19. Good morning, Jo!
    You set the tone from the beginning with the choice of header. Hilarious comment, and of course effective as we get interested!
    And I enjoyed the sailing trip, the views, the swan, the houses, even the windmills (as I have many to watch here). It was a sunny day and the photos shine on the screen.
    Loved it! Yes, I’ll join you one day!

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