After a cautionary few safety remarks from the skipper, we were soon on our way. The broads were very busy with pleasure boats and small craft . There is always an extraordinary amount of bird life around the broads, many ducks, some swans and the usual over-abundance of pigeons and seagulls.
We passed many thatched-roofed buildings and as our skipper pointed out they were thatched using home grown materials harvested from the local Norfolk reed beds. This thatching material lasts very much longer than the traditional straw that is used elsewhere.
An authentic windmill on the river that has been turned into a holiday home, was a really impressive sight, very well preserved and maintained.
We passed a beautiful church, St Margaret's, with a very large riverside vicarage that could have passed for a large country house.
We then sailed away from the built up part of the waterway into the green of the reed-beds where the actual Norfolk reeds are cut to be used for thatching.
There were acres devoted to a nature reserve with bird hides and many small tributaries with large impressive houses tucked away on the sides of the river as we sailed by.
Finally we arrived at a very large expanse of water where there was another impressive church on the banks of the waterway. The skipper then announced that he would be turning the ship around here and heading back to the berth at Horning. This very tricky manoeuvre was achieved with all the skills of many repeated turns on previous river trips.
We then continued our journey viewing the incredibly beautiful scenery once again as we made our way back to Horning.
We boarded our coach and arrived back at Gunton Hall about an hour later and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.