Norfolk Broads - Ludham Bridge

18-21 April 2016

“Long time gone”

It has been far too long since our list trip inTheodora so we were delighted to get away on our first trip of 2016, which took us to The Broads Caravan Club Site at Ludham Bridge.  No great objectives - this was just a few days away to check everything is working correctly (and it isn't despite the earlier habitation check!) and to have a couple of days’ relaxation.

The site is well located just a stone's throw from a general store servicing the boating community, a pub and the River Ant.  A late afternoon stroll on arrival took us a short way along the river, but it is possible to walk to Howe Hill Nature Reserve if you wish.  Not tonight, thanks!

As the site is located next to a road (as it turned out, not too noisy), we selected a pitch towards the back, and being on a corner, we had even more space around us than is the norm.  This was also our first time away on a mid-week break, now that we are retired people.  The weather was fantastic for April, although cold nights followed the sunny days, but we are not complaining.  Relaxing mornings and early lunches set us up nicely for afternoon cycle rides.  The first was to the village of Horning, to the west, mostly along a minor road, where we sampled the local ice cream while watching the boats chug by – it's the River Bure here.  Alternatively there are plenty of coffee shops to choose from. 

Nestling among some holiday cottages down Ferry Road we found a picturesque mill demanding to be photographed.

After heading back past the site we took the next right turn (Hall Common Road) which leads you along a quiet lane and track until you eventually come to the remains of St Benet's monastery.  This was the only monastery which was not dissolved under Henry VIII and still remains under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Norwich.  It is intriguing how, in Georgian times, the gateway of the monastery was used as the supporting wall for a windmill.

On our second afternoon we cycled out to How Hill Nature Reserve, which was rather like a National Trust without the entrance fee or the crowds.  A walk from the car (cycle) park across a field leads you to Toad Hole Cottage, which was once a reed cutter's cottage but now serves as a museum and information point.

The cottage is close to the River Ant and there are three mills to observe nearby, one derelict.

The Nature Reserve itself proved to have a charge and instead we opted to investigate The Secret Garden, which is tucked away behind a wood, and is a very tranquil place, and undoubtedly more colourful later in the year.

On returning to the site, it was time to try out the mobile fish and chip van, which, at the time of writing, calls at the site on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  The food is cooked to order, so be prepared for a short wait, depending on how many other visitors have opted not to cook that evening.

The sun was still shining when we left on Thursday morning, so it was a reluctant departure, but those non-working items need to be fixed!