Posted by Rob Boden on February 14, 2006 at 20:55:01 from 88.104.202.115 user humyar.
In Reply to: Visiting Norfolk Broads posted by Peter Calamai on February 13, 2006 at 05:56:33:
Peter -
I thought you might have been flooded out with suggestions, but anyway here are some of mine. I used to live in Hoveton/Wroxham, and went to school in Norwich using the railway line as in Coot Club, but my connections are now limited. I'd keep plugging away at the internet: beware though, in my early years of using the Internet I naively typed in Norfolk Broads and got some odd sites in Virginia...
The main villages with AR conections are as named in the books: Horning, Wroxham, Potter Heigham (a bit windswept at that time of the year) on the Northern rivers, and Beccles and Reedham on the Southern. Great Yarmouth is more a town with seaside connections. Norwich is as they say a fine city with Norman Cathedral and castle albeit with a modern shopping mall dug in beside it. Lots to see and do. Maybe base yourself some time in the north - Horning is very pretty, there is the Swan Hotel and B&Bs next to the river, Wroxham/Hoveton is more touristy - and some time at e.g. Beccles. Try emailing the Tourist Information at (hope these links work)
Hoveton TIC or phone 0870 225 4823
There are boat trips from Wroxham (also home of the world's biggest village store, a curiously un-English sort of boast) and Norwich, and self-drive boat hire from there, Potter Heigham, Martham, probably Horning and Beccles. The Heritage boat fleet advertise a skippered sail in one of their boats - £38 for two hours. See:
Hunters Yard . Finally, try the Museum of the Broads site where they have a Coot Club section - Museum of the Broads where they suggest car-based routes.
Loads of riverside eating places - just about every village has either a pub, cafe or restaurant by the river.
Hope this is of some help
Rob