Norfolk Holidays - Some Questions Answered about the Waterways
Some of the best Norfolk holidays include spending time on the water on the Norfolk Broads and canals. While many people have grown up going back each year for a water based holiday some will never have had the opportunity to enjoy the experience. This is why there are lots of questions that need answering before people start looking for boat hire for their holiday.
One of the most popular questions that people come up with is “Do I need a License to pilot a boat?” and this is a very simple no. For the most part you will never need a pilot’s or skipper’s license on the British Waterways. The license that you will need though is one that allows you to take your boat on a certain stretch of river or waterway.
Usually your boat yard or boat hire company will ask you where you intend to go and they will be able to arrange the license for you. If you are only planning on travelling around for a week locally then the chances are you will never have to worry about it because your boat yard will have already licensed your hire boat for the areas you will visit.
Some other questions that people worry are about the fuelling of the boats because they worry about being somewhere that they can’t get the boat from. This will not be an issue because your boat yard will make sure you have enough fuel to last your entire trip and in most cases you will have more than enough on just a full tank. With some companies you pay a fuel deposit and this is returned minus the charge for the fuel you use at the end of your holiday.
A concern of many is where they can moor up to spend the night and this is quite simple because for the most part mooring is free and you can moor practically anywhere. The exception is where you are within fifty metres of something that is a navigation land mark or a lock. As some boats will be travelling later or earlier than you, you must always leave room for others. IF you decide to moor next to a pub or other riverside attraction then you may incur a charge which is usually a nominal amount.
Lastly one of the biggest fears that people have about the waterways is using the locks properly. For this you will receive instruction from your boat hire company before you set off and if you are like most people you will have forgotten what was said within five minutes. This is not a problem. Operating a lock is something that is very basic and all that is required is a little common sense. If you are just going to be on the Broads you will not come across a lock anyway.