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bad panda UK

Travel by plane, train, car, boat or campervan - we try to fit as many adventures into our lives as possible while collecting sunsets.

06/10/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Eight
Location: Paddy's Lane to Richardsons, Stalham

01/10/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Seven
Location: Ludham Bridge to Paddy's Lane via Barton Broad

30/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Six
Location: Salhouse Broad to Ludham Bridge

Actual wedding anniversary day! 10 years!

We did have a meal out planned but the rain, the air draft needed for Ludham Bridge and the actual air draft of the boat meant we decided to go through the bridge while we could.

Once settled at Ludham Bridge we opened our presents, opened the bubbles, watched a couple of pirates sword fight (I promise this was not a hallucination caused by the bubbles) and watched the sunset.

Once it was dark we went back inside to solve a murder mystery.

28/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Five
Location: Womack Staithe to Salhouse Broad via Wroxham

27/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Five
Location: Womack Staithe to Salhouse Broad via Wroxham

On this day we left Womack Staithe and aimed for Wroxham. We had plans to catch the Bure Valley Railway and we made it in time for the 11:15 from Wroxham to Aylsham. It wasn't the warmest of days so we had a very hot chocolate at Aylsham station before heading back to Wroxham. We put Junior on the front of the train to get his photo and I panicked when it looked like the train was setting off with Junior still on board.

Once back in Wroxham we spent a small fortune in the various Roy's of Wroxham stores, especially when we found all the murder mysteries they sell. We dropped them back at the boat and used our finely tuned 'bar hunting skills' to find a bar called The Waters Edge, funnily enough it's on the waters edge! It looks out at Wroxham Bridge and we had an enjoyable hour watching boats aiming for the bridge and trying to decide if they were going to fit through. They all did but there were some very very close calls!

While at the bar we had ordered a takeaway (the bar did serve food but we had already set our hearts on pizza) and I hobbled back to the boat while my husband went to collect it. By this point my mobility was not great so there was no way I would have made it over the bridge and back! I did spot a funny sign over a puddle which said 'no fishing'.

People, panda and pizza safely back on Bella Signora, we set off to Salhouse Broad where we dropped anchor and watched the sunset while eating our pizza. Bliss!

26/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Four
Location: Stokesby to Womack Staithe

25/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Four
Location: Stokesby to Womack Staithe via Acle Bridge

We needed water, Womack Staithe has water.

We went into The Big Shop on the Staithe which sells everything from sausage rolls to fishing tackle. We then wandered into the village and had a drink in The King's Arms, which had an interesting name for their 'OAP' menu. They apparently also do tribute nights, none were on for the night we were there but maybe next time.....

24/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Three
Location: South Walsham Broad to Ferry Inn Pub at Stokesby via Stracey Arms

23/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Two
Location: How Hill to South Walsham Broad via St Benet's Abbey and Malthouse Broad

22/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Three
Location: South Walsham Broad to Ferry Inn Pub at Stokesby via Stracey Arms

After surviving our first night of mud weighting we grabbed a brush/broom (we can't agree on what it's called), a towel and 'set sail' for the Ferry Inn Pub at Stokesby. We unfurled the towel to Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis and I bet you can't tell the difference between the Bella Signora 'sail' and the Royal Clipper sails. It's like we were back in Venice 😁

We did a 'sail by' of the windmill at Stracey Arms and then moored up outside the pub for the evening, but not before one of the boats already moored up came off their boat to try to help with the ropes. In his words when we spoke to him in the pub "I had no idea how the missus was going to sort the ropes out from where she was standing"...... Lassoing skills, that's how. I lassoed the bollard before he got to us so he turned back to his boat. We did thank him for attempting to help us but my husband told him I used to ride horses so I can lasso......I have no idea what he thinks riding horses involves but I don't think I've ever successfully lassoed a horse! Possibly a traffic cone at Mavita but not a horse! 😁

I can definitely recommend the cakes at the pub!

At about 7pm a boat passed us and we commented on how they must be planning to carry on to Great Yarmouth because that's the next place to moor. That wasn't their plan! We think they tried to mud weight on a very very tidal stretch, the boat filled with water, the coastguard had to come out, all were evacuated, one of them plus two rescuers had to be airlifted off. It just shows you how much you have to respect water, it could have been a far worse outcome. Luckily they were all ok, though probably not planning another boat holiday anytime soon!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c864j8438j0o

21/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day Two
Location: How Hill to South Walsham Broad via St Benet's Abbey and Malthouse Broad

We left How Hill and headed for St Benets Abbey, which is the only monastery that wasn't closed by Henry 8th. It's definitely seen better days, it's now a ruin but worth a visit. Then we tried to get a mooring on Malthouse Broad, but it was very busy so we carried on to South Walsham Broad.

Once at South Walsham Broad we had our first go at using the mud weight.....that was 'interesting'. We used an 'anchor watch' app to let us know if we were drifting. I was filming when I was rudely interrupted by the captain banging on the window telling me to bring the mud weight up. It turned out the app thought we had drifted, but it had actually just lost signal. Cue a few stressful minutes of trying to sort it out and cleaning the mud it brought up off the deck, then I carried on with my filming.

Not long after a storm arrived and meant that all of our deck cleaning efforts were wasted because the storm would have taken care of it! I'm destined to spend my life in a storm while mud weighting on the Norfolk Broads. When I was a child, the last time I did the Broads, I remember having a similar experience of mud weighting in a storm and spinning in circles. I remember being really scared!

The sun decided to appear but sadly we couldn't find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. One of us (not me) decided that playing hide and seek with a duck would be fun.... No alcohol involved! He then sent his drone up to film the sunset.

We finished the day by solving a murder.

20/09/2025

Wedding Anniversary Holiday - Day One
Location: Richardsons boat yard, Stalham to How Hill

Boarded Bella Signora 1 at Richardsons boat yard, had our 'Introduction to Boating Lesson' (worth it because it gave us a chance to ask about silly things like the shower tray pump, water gauge and air draft etc). Dumped our instructor back at the yard, spent an hour loading all of our stuff (packed for every eventuality) and set off towards How Hill. We had missed low tide for the day (it was before we'd even got to Richardsons) so we couldn't get under the bridge at Ludham so we spent the night watching and filming the sunset at How Hill.

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