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We were trailing the dinghy to the Norfolk Broads from Suffolk heading for Reedham where we had read (in a caravanning guide) that there was a camp-site with a free launching ramp. Knowing almost nothing about the Broads we were hoping to begin our education and that process was under way in the car as I navigated for my wife.
Approaching from the south I had selected as direct a route as possible heading first for Beccles and then northwards up a country lane marked as the B1140. Idly scanning the road map I saw that the lowest land occupied by the river valleys was coloured greenish-blue and as I focussed on this, I suddenly noticed that no road strayed onto that colour. They either stopped abruptly or skirted along the edge of what used to be the land which defined the edge of the river valley. It was uncanny how precisely the roads stuck to the contour, almost as if the river basin was still filled with water instead of farmland. It looked like a lake superimposed on the ground. But more curious still was that there was just one exception; the very road that we were on. It ran from the southern 'shore' to the northern 'shore' across the middle of the 'lake' in virtually a straight line. How strange.
I was checking the route with the road signs when I now saw that instead of signposting Reedham (as it was marked on the map) it was calling it Reedham Ferry. Ferry? Our map showed a continuous road. Surely there was a bridge there now? Perhaps there was a ferry there in days gone by? As these discoveries went on inside the car, we drove closer and closer. I dug out an old Ordnance Survey map which we intended to use whilst sailing, which showed the road to be broken at a place called Reedham Ferry which wasn't actually the village of Reedham. Maybe this map was out of date? What kind of ferry could it be? A rowing boat? Would it take a car and trailer? At what cost? A hundred imponderables began to flood my mind. Perhaps we should go round another way?
I immediately went back to the road map for the quickest diversion to use as Plan B. I hadn't set out to take the car and trailer on a ferry, surely in this day and age we could simply drive around it on our modern roads?
A bit of a bombshell! Why hadn't I noticed this before? To my surprise, I saw that from Norwich to Yarmouth right across the bulge of East Anglia, there is a 20 mile wide void formed by the valley of the River Yare, which roads do not cross. There is only this minor, meandering byway the B1140. We had either to drive a long, long way in either direction or carry on up this little road to discover what happened when it met the River Yare.
The final approach gave us no clue. On a low hill, we rounded a sudden bend in the road, to be faced by the river. The hill was the river bank and the river was above the level of the sur rounding land. It was about 200 metres across and it supported a healthy population of Broads cruisers which chugged to and fro.
An archaic little chain ferry clink-clunked towards us from across the river carrying its maximum load of three cars. A sign gave a long list of charges including :-
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It was a fun experience for all the family (Costing £3.65 in total) to chink-chink our way across the waterway link by link onto the northern shore. The instant we drove off the ferry in front of the inn we had to do a sharp left turn into the Archer's camping site. For the camping dinghy-cruiser this park offers an exceptionally good package. To pitch a tent on a secluded, quiet, well manicured site costs £9 per day. This has all the usual benefits of such sites, toilets, hot water, showers, rubbish collection, washing machine etc. but additionally it offers secure parking for the car and trailer and FREE use of the launching ramp which is right alongside the ferry landing. We launched and recovered our dinghy each day and walked it back into the campsite on its trolley as it was so close and convenient.
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During our stay we met many people who had done as we had done and simply followed a road map until, to their surprise, they had discovered the ferry. To most it was a pleasurable and even an adventurous experience.
Bill
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