Ashore in Daniel's boat in Ranworth Broad
Ashore in Daniel's boat in Ranworth Broad

After a little disturbance, we had breakfast and were shocked at the state of The Lady and so I got Debbie to help me sweep the decks and to clean the whole. Then ashore in Daniel’s boat to the Broads Information Centre and afterwards to the Granary Restaurant for lunch. A visit with Di to the Ranworth Broad conservation centre and then back on The Lady for a trip up the Bure to Wroxham, meeting the Bloom family again before a visit to see the Geo Smith day boats and to bed mulling over our options for a change of boat

Eventually the neighbourhood noise calmed down last night and we got off to sleep, but we awoke early to the sound of some very noisy semi-wild geese on another hot morning. We had breakfast and, shocked by the way in which The Lady had become soiled during the last week two weeks cruising, I got Debbie to help me sweep the decks and then use the dinghy to clean around the hull after which it looked much better.

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Exhausted by the heat and expenditure of energy, I sat in the saloon for a while and then we went ashore in Daniel’s boat and visited the Broads Information Centre to pick up a Blakes boating catalogue and all sorts of information on local activities. Then we went to the Granary Restaurant for lunch, which had a very cool and airy dining room and was very nice for a Sunday lunch. We stayed quite a while and then, whilst the girls played on the nearby climbing frame, Diana and I went around Ranworth Broad Conservation Centre Trail and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once back on The Lady, we set off up the Bure and did not stop until we came to Wroxham, where we filled up with water before meeting the Bloom Family. They invited us to moor and then plied us with refreshments and we stayed a while before negotiating Wroxham Bridge and mooring at the public 24-hour moorings above. I went to Geo Smith and saw the 24-foot day boats which are fitted with diesel engines, pressure hot and cold-water systems, warm air heating, toilet / shower and can sleep two as well as being an ideal day boat for a large party. They are expensive at nearly £30,000 (!!) but make little wash at speed and seem ideal. We were offered a few hours on one during an evening this week and might well take them up on the offer. I fished for a little while to no avail and then we retired at 10.30am, minds full of the boats we have seen and gradually resolving to buy a new one. A very hot day today and more of the same is in prospect.