This morning we ventured across the river into the wilds of Norfolk. Specifically, the Broads, which really start from Beccles where we're staying. It's really just a network of rivers across a flat plain, and in 45 minutes we came to the northern side of the region because, like most things in England, it's not that big.
We started by visiting the ruins of St Benet's Abbey. This was a big complex a thousand years ago... now it's a ruin in a cow pasture with an 18thC windmill built in the old gatehouse.
From there we drove to the village of Potter Heigham and we hired a small boat for 2 hours to motor up and down the River Thurne. It had a painfully loud diesel motor unless you stuck your head above the cabin, and its top speed was about 5mph which was also the speed limit. We puttered through the river with tall reeds on either side - like Dedham a couple of days ago, boats are not a good way to see the landscape. We passed Thurne windmill and avoided some swans that were either inquisitive or threatening, depending on your interpretation.
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| Throttle at full speed |
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| Beware of Swans |
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| Thurne Mill |
When we had returned the boat and our ears had recovered we drove to Wroxham, a village in the middle of the Broads, and walked around. Then circled back to Beccles.
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