Norfolk Broads Discounts and Offers Newsletters

Easter is just 7 weeks away as I write, and the majority of boats available for hire will experience their first forays back out onto the river system for Easter 2025. Cruisers are generally updated, repaired and rejuvenated over the winter, ready for this "mass-market" event. The boats are pristine, the infrastructure will have been renewed, and pubs and restaurants will re-present themselves to entice you in.  There's still time to get afloat and captain your own craft over the Easter period.  Our latest newsletter offers 12 examples of the boats and prices available over Easter. We have 3 and 4 night breaks starting from just £71 based on 6 people sharing Gold Gem, starting from Stalham. Don't let the opportunity to get out into the countryside with your family slip by. It's Spring time - get out there!

Bramerton is our featured village. Situated on the banks of the River Yare, Bramerton has a spacious green to moor to, perhaps as a stop off on your way to the fine city of Norwich, which is less than a 2 hour cruise away. We detail all the free moorings, where to eat, and what to see in our March newsletter.

This weekend marks the start of the new boating season. A small number of cruisers have been returned to the water, just in time for the forthcoming February Half Term weeks, and for those planning a romantic break away over Valentines Day. The selected boats are "winter tolerant" and just waiting to set sail on the rivers again. To see what's available, please see the link in this months newsletter.

We're in the peak booking season now for summer 2025. If you're intending to take the family on the Broads over any of the school holidays, please heed our advice to book sooner rather than later. Certain dates in August for instance, pretty much sold out in 2024. We've seen prices for many boats actually drop for the coming season. Commander from Stalham a top of the range luxury cruiser was £3150 for a week in August 2024. This year it's dropped to £2775 for the same week. Other value boats have also reduced proportionately in price. We've found Broads Orion, a 4-berth cruiser from Stalham at £133 per person for 4 nights commencing 29th July and Concerto another 4-berth cruiser offered for £186 per person for 7 nights commencing 4th August.

South Walsham on the River Bure is the focus of our village highlighter this month. It's a beautiful, tranquil setting with good moorings. Read what there is to see and do locally, together with where to find the free moorings, in our latest newsletter.
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The shortest day of the year has been and gone, Santa's packed his bags for Lapland again, and it's now downhill to strolls by the river, garden barbeques and summer holidays...woohoo! The boating season starts again in less than six weeks time to cater for the more hardy among us, who want to use the Half Term Break to get the family together. Yes, if it's your "thing", there are specially selected boats available to hire from the 8th February. If Easter or Spring Bank are more to your liking, this month's newsletter is for you. I've collated 12 breaks to hopefully start you thinking of a watery getaway, with Easter Friday to Monday weekends starting at £72 per person aboard San Rafael, a five-berth cruiser, and Spring Bank starting at £106 per person for a 4 night midweek break aboard Concerto. Take a look at the newsletter for these and other top picks.

The market town of Beccles is one of the must-see places on the Southern Broads. It's town centre is full of independent shops, bars and restaurants. The surrounding streets are original 19th and 20th century buildings thankfully largely escaping redevelopment. Beccles also boats a Lido open from mid April with three pools heated to 28c in the summer. For more things to do, places to eat and mooring locations, see this month's newsletter.

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Just a quick mail out this month to highlight the Black Friday deals on offer. One boatyard is offering 15% discounts on it's hire charges for selected boats, right across the 2025 season.

For more information, click the screenshot.

Oh dear, it’s that time again! The clocks have been turned back, and it feels like we’re battening down the hatches for a long winter filled with dark skies, chilly temperatures, and a seemingly endless parade of rain or snow! But let’s not dwell on the gloom—remember those sunny days spent drifting on the beautiful Norfolk Broads this summer? The sun kissing your cheeks, cheerful waves from fellow cruisers, and your favorite drink in hand while all your worries floated away! A holiday on the water is the ultimate way to unwind. Our latest newsletter has a fabulous selection of cruisers to inspire your next adventure, perfect for your next holiday on the Broads.And if you book before Christmas, you’ll have the largest range of cruisers to choose from. Plus, a low deposit is all that's needed to reserve your dream boat until 10 weeks before your holiday. So why not chase away those winter blues? Book your 2025 boating holiday now, and you’ll have something exciting to look forward to as the winter days get darker!

The sleepy picturesque village of Irstead on the River Ant, is the dream stopover for many. Step off your boat and stroll around the village, to be transported back to how the Broads must have felt at the turn of the19th century. There's no hustle, no bustle and not even the distant hum of vehicles in the vicinity. St Michael's Church which dates back to the fourteenth century, is well worth a visit. The Barton Broad Boardwalk is about 20 to 25 minutes stroll away, and is a must for nature lovers. The village is our feature destination in this month's newsletter.

Well, the summer has been and gone, (and arguably passed us by). The boating season comes to an end at the close of October, and we won't be able to set sail again until the second week in February 2025. But all is not lost, as there's still time to plan a last hurrah with the family, on the Broads this October Half Term. All the boats are still available to hire and generally, all the pubs and restaurants are still open for the traditionally popular last school holiday before Christmas. So if you don't want to think about the darkness of our British winter just yet, get the family together and cast off on a boating adventure instead.

The Norfolk Broads in autumn are stunning, with the landscape full of warm tones of red, orange, and gold. The quieter waterways and the changing leaves create a serene, picturesque backdrop for your trip. It's also a great time for wildlife enthusiasts. Migratory birds such as geese and ducks can be spotted, and the quieter season means animals are more likely to be visible. You'll find the area far less crowded than in the summer months, which means you can enjoy a more peaceful and relaxing boating experience. Plus, since it's outside the peak season, the cost of boat hire is significantly lower. Below are just a few examples of what you can get for your money.

Burgh Castle at the junction of Breydon Water and the River Waveney, is our featured stop off this month. Burgh Castle makes an ideal stopover if you need to wait for the tides to drop at Great Yarmouth. It has third-century Roman fort, and you can get a closer look at Breydon with a waterside walk which stretches for 2 or 3 miles heading to the coast. We tell you where to moor and what to see and do in this month's newsletter.

October on the Norfolk Broads can be a delightful experience with trees turning golden in the Autumn sun, an abundance of wildlife that's been hiding from the crowds in the summer months, and quieter rivers just waiting to be explored. It's also a much cheaper time to holiday, with prices in the first few weeks of the month around half the cost of high season breaks. So this month's newsletter hones in on what's on offer for the first two weeks of October, with suggested 4 and 7 night breaks for couples and families wanting to make the most of the weather before the chill returns to the air, and we start our winter hibernation again.

Our featured village this month is Cantley, on the southern Broads. If you've navigated the River Yare, it's likely you'll have come across Cantley and remember it's huge sugar factory on the banks of the river. It's not as industrial as it looks though, and makes a good stop off point to catch the train into Norwich. Find out more including where to moor, places to eat and recommendations on what to do and see in the area, in this month's newsletter.

Avoid the Summer School Holidays this month and you could save up to £511 on your next holiday afloat. Yes it's true. There's still good availability for starts in the weeks commencing 6th and 13th July, and the prices are around 30% cheaper than if you holiday when the school holidays begin from the 20th July. For instance, Broadland Galaxy, a six-berth cruiser starting on the 6th July for 7 nights costs £1,294 (plus fuel and damage waiver) compared to £1,805 from the 23rd July. That's a whopping £511 saving. We have other examples of the savings to be made in our latest newsletter. The General Election (yawn) and the final of the Euros are not far away, so why not plan what you're going to do once these distractions are over, and save some money too!

Norwich is a fine city, and is connected by the Rivers Yare and Wensum to the Northern Broads. There's so much to see and do in Norwich, not least visit the Castle Museum, the stunning cathedral, the vibrant market place, indoor modern shopping centres, department stores, cinemas and theatres. There's more information on where to moor, pubs and restaurants in the area and recommendations on what to do and see, in this month's newsletter.

With the cost of living still raging, careful thought is being given to which summer school holiday provides the best all round value in this belt tightening year. But don't discount the value of getting the family together on a Norfolk Broads boating adventure. A boating holiday offers a unique and immersive way to explore the Norfolk Broads. Living on a boat provides a sense of adventure and novelty, especially exciting for children. It's a distinctive experience compared to traditional land-based holidays. Working together to navigate, moor the boat, and plan daily activities, promotes togetherness and helps create lasting memories.

This month's feature spotlight falls on the village of Sutton Staithe, off the River Ant on the Northern Broads. This delightful mooring is popular with boaters due to it's scenic location under the trees bordering the dyke leading off Sutton Broad. It's a 20 to 30 minute walk from Stalham, with its large Tesco supermarket and many other independent stores on the high street. It also makes a great first/last night stop off for those picking up their boat from Stalham. There's more information on where to moor for free, pubs and restaurants in the area and what to do and see, in this month's newsletter.

At last, we're in a month with two public holidays. Are you planning to make the most of them, or will they just pass you by? Spring Bank is the most popular with prospective Broads mariners, and marks the start of the summer season proper with lighter nights and hopefully warmer weather. It's not too late to book your family adventure and our latest newsletter shows a small selection of the type of craft still available, together with the costs involved. At the time of writing, you can get afloat on Salerno, a 4 berth cruiser from Bank Holiday Monday until the following Friday from as little as £39 per person per night. Also, to give an idea of what a four night break might look like, you'll find a suggested itinerary starting from Stalham.

We always feature one Broads location each month, so you can perhaps decide to include a visit to it on your next holiday. This time, we're highlighting the pretty little village of Dilham on the River Ant. It's a delightful location at the end of a winding dyke and if you like to be "far from the madding crowd", you will love it here. It's very much in the countryside where the noise of traffic is replaced by the mooing of the cows. We show you where and how to moor, together with information on where to eat in this month's newsletter.

Having just put the clocks forward, it appears that our long winter is at last at an end. Time to start planning what we're going to do with ourselves throughout the much anticipated summer. Let's talk first about the Spring Bank Holiday break. It marks the start of the the boating season proper. If you're planning to get the family afloat for the break, you need to act now. Already, larger 2 family boats are in short supply, though there's still good availability for two to six berth cruisers. As usual, we've put together some suggestions to show you what's available to you. See our latest news letter for more information.

Brundall is just a ten minute train ride from the fine city of Norwich. That alone makes Brundall worthy of a visit, as it avoids you having to cruise for a couple of hours to get to the city centre. Also, the village has a vibrant centre with many independent shops and restaurants, plus if steam transport is your thing, Strumpshaw Steam Museum is a six minute taxi ride away. See our newsletter for info and on where to moor.