Chapter VII: Wroxham to Coltishall

[Picture: Decorative drop capital] The bridge at Wroxham is very narrow and low. The mast, of course, had to be lowered, and the yacht quanted under the road and railway bridges. A wherry passing under raised her mast too soon, and damaged the ornamental vane, which consisted of the inevitable figure of a Welsh girl with a high hat and holding a bunch of leeks.

"There, I must have a new Welsh girl," said the wherryman.

"Why is such an emblem chosen in Norfolk, of all places?" asked Wynne.

"Some thirty years ago there was a wherry named after the famous Jenny Morgan of the song, and she had such a vane. It took the fancy of the wherrymen to such an extent that they all adopted it in the course of time."

The river here is very narrow, and Wynne, who was steering, put the yacht "on the putty" twice, before he could be induced to give up the helm to the man, who professed to know the exact depth of every part of the river. The river makes a very long loop to the south, just above Wroxham. In this loop is Belaugh Broad, said to hold some very large carp, but it is preserved. On the neck of the loop, on a high bank, stands Belaugh Church, a prominent object for some miles, as you follow the river. It is very picturesquely situated, and the view from it is characteristic. Close by the church is a draw-well, with a pent-house over it, well worth sketching. There is a pretty backwater, or old channel of the river, near here, called "Little Switzerland," which is worth rowing up, but unfortunately the owner objects even to artists visiting it, and hence it must be considered as sacred ground.

It came on to blow very hard, as we finished the three-mile loop of river, half a mile from where we entered it, and as the wind was fair, the corners sharp, and the river narrow, we lowered the mainsail, and ran up under the jib alone, to Coltishall, where we at once made a rush for the butcher's, just in time to secure a piece of meat for our dinner to-morrow, which, being Sunday, we intended to spend at Coltishall. The village is superior to most Norfolk villages, and contains some old houses with rounded gables, and a fine church.

[Picture: Dyke Near Coltishall]

The great business of the place is malting, and many men labour as maltsters in winter and boat-builders in summer, so that summer is the time to get a boat built at Coltishall, when either Allen or Collins will build you one at a reasonable rate.

The fishing is very good in this portion of the river, and there are great numbers of jack here, although they run rather small. In the spawning season, the bream head up here in large numbers, and as there is no close season in Norfolk, many anglers follow them up.

The first lock on this river is just above the village, and on the bye-stream stands Horstead mill, a very fine specimen of the Norfolk water-mill. It stands upon arches, and the stream runs under it, the wheels, of course, being undershot. It makes a very effective picture, seen from below, and, in fact, if you row your jolly up the left-hand stream, as you go up, you will see very many lovely bits worth the painter's attention. I have photographed some of them, as I can't sketch, but photographs cannot depict the colour. It is in the soft living light of these Norfolk scenes that their chief beauty lies, but they cannot be depicted without the aid of colour, and only imperfectly then.

The river is navigable for wherries and yachts drawing but little water, right up to Aylsham, some eleven miles further; but there are two more locks before reaching Aylsham.

[Picture: Ludham Bridge]

Coltishall is accessible by rail from Norwich, being the next station to Wroxham, and lodgings are obtainable there. The jack fishing is very good all the way.

[Picture: River Bure--Hautbois]

[Picture: Decorative chapter header]