Billy Bluelight rides again

BILLY Bluelight was a Norfolk eccentric who – in the absence of a welfare state – lived on his wits and his charm. He’s one of the Wherryman’s Way most iconic characters, famous for racing the steam pleasure boats along the River Yare from Bramerton to Norwich – hoping for spare change from the passengers on board. His equally famous rhyme – which has to be delivered in a Victorian Norfolk accent - runs as follows:

“My name is Billy Bluelight, my age is 45. I hope to get to Carrow Bridge before the boat arrive.”

Incidentally, it works a lot better if you say “Carra” for Carrow. I mention him here because he’s just been reincarnated outside Rosy Lee’s teashop in Loddon as part of this weekend’s Scarecrow Festival in the town. Rosy Lee’s is run by Caroline Dwen, who “commissioned” it from one of her regular customers. You’ll see the rhyme has been updated in the shop’s honour.

Billy Bluelight gets a good mention in my book including this charming memory from one of the dozens of people who wrote into the EDP after his death in 1949.  This man’s family houseboat was moored every year at Bramerton:

“At half past eleven or so every morning, the tinkle of a harp would intrude upon the cooing of the wood pigeons, heralding the approach of the Yarmouth Belle or the Waterfly with her big freight of Yarmouth trippers bound for Norwich.

“Simultaneously, a strange figure would take up a stance just past the houseboat. Clad in shorts and a singlet, and hung with a prodigious array of medals, his expansive smile seemed to be exactly duplicated at a higher level by the peak of a gaily-striped cricket cap.”

He would deliver his rhyme and then sprint off.

“At the Woods End he would be no more than level, but once out of sight he was able to gain a bit on the short cut across the Whitlingham Sewerage Farm, to reappear neck and neck by the old limekiln at Crown Point.

Once more Billy would disappear from view, and while the boat passed very slowly through bends and narrow waters unsuited to her, Billy had to make the detour over Trowse Bridge; but by the time Carrow Bridge was reached (the old bridge by Carrow Works) there would be Billy, ready to receive the well-earned plaudits of the trippers and the coppers thrown onto the path by the Boom Tower.

Year after year the performance was repeated, but Billy’s age remained 45! This may have been for the sake of the rhyme, but there was enough of the Peter Pan in him to have justified it on other grounds. Peace to his memory.”

 

If you can’t make Loddon this weekend, a more permanent statue can be found outside the Woods End pub. Peace to his memory indeed.

Cardigans and sandwiches or magical waterland?

I’M READING “Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo” by Michael McCarthy. It explores the mystery and the history of bird migration in a very readable way ..even to birding novices like myself.  I’m not even half way through it yet, but the reason I mention it here is because on page 69 you get this description of the Norfolk Broads:

“Throughout most of my life I had thought of the Norfolk Broads as a joke. Try as I may, I cannot recall any other landscape whose mention triggered mirth, but this complex of shallow lakes and winding rivers behind the coast always seemed to me irresistibly comic, probably because its principal purpose appeared to be the fostering of a peculiarly English summer ritual; the boating holiday. Not the sort of vacation afloat which nowadays takes place off somewhere like southern Turkey, with bronzed bodies, chilled rose and a keel sweeping through the sea; this was an altogether more cautious affair of cardigans and ham sandwiches in a craft called a cabin cruiser – a damp version of a caravan – which chugged from broad to broad with Dad at the helm in a sailor’s cap. Not sweeping but chugging. Pretend-adventure. It seemed to encapsulate the timorous smallness of English life in the 1950s and 1960s when thousands upon thousands of families went safely a-chugging in these 150 miles of lock-free waterways. I still find it hard to believe they never made a Carry On film about it all: Carry on Boating or, more probably Carry On up the Broads.”

Oh dear. This guy is “one of Britain’s leading writers on the environment” including spells as environment correspondent for both The Times and The Independent. He writes beautifully and knows his stuff, but is at least a generation out of date on what’s going on up here. Admittedly, he does go on in his book – published last year - to be utterly captivated by the River Yare, indeed he is introduced to what he calls “the soundscape of birds” by the Yare’s official ambassador Mark Cocker.

But in the very week that the Broads was rebranded “Britain’s Magical Waterland”, it’s this “cardigans and ham sandwiches”  view  that still sends a shiver down my spine. Not everyone liked the rebranding. “Mandarins at Minitrue will be busy. We have always sailed on Britain's Magical Waterland. The Norfolk Broads never existed,” snorted one tweeter.

But while new brooms at Coldham Hall and Hardley Mill and Langley Abbey show the way ahead, Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo shows that old-fashioned perceptions of the Broads remain remarkably resilient.

* Britain’s magical waterland EDP report.

A greener Ferry Boat

THOSE new owners of the old Ferry Boat in Norwich really mean business. You’ll recall they want to convert what was the last pub in King Street into an eco-youth hostel, charging as little as £9.50 a night, and hiring out bikes and canoes. Well now we’ve got a little more flesh on those green bones. “We're looking at things like straw bale building, wooden frame structure, whole-roof photovoltaic, solar panels to heat all the hot water,” Jason Borthwick told the Evening News. “We're hoping it will be something really quite different and what we're looking for at the moment is interesting, innovative ideas.” There’s much more on this at www.norwichbackpackers.co.uk

A new Abbey habit down at Langley

IT’S about two years now since I first wandered around the ruins of Langley Abbey, amazed at how much medieval history survives there. The church from this once huge complex may have long since disappeared, but substantial buildings remain amid a much larger farming estate. Back then a visit was a treat offered to very few of us – indeed for my book I was specifically asked to say that it wasn’t open to the public. But now all that has changed. And how. Since the beginning of the month it’s been open to everyone, six days a week. The atmospheric lighting and classy information boards make it unrecognisable from the dusty old buildings I previously encountered. Less than 500 years ago this abbey would have been simultaneously the commercial, spiritual and cultural centre for miles around. It’s great to see it being cherished and restored.

Manager Natalie Wilson (pictured centre with colleagues Lisa Wilson and Ann Morris) told me it was the culmination of nearly ten years of effort. Much of the funding had come from Natural England via their Higher Level Stewardship scheme, which encourages farms to preserve historic buildings. And as well as the abbey, there are tea rooms and a shop which sells Langley Longhorn beef – the cattle are of course grazed on the surrounding fields. For me, it’s yet another indication of the  Wherryman’s Way effect. The walk attracts walkers. The walkers need feeding and watering. But they’re a discerning bunch who like proper history and a bit of geography and natural history too. Slowly but surely they are attracting a similar breed of business people. From Whitlingham to Coldham Hall from Langley Abbey to the Humpty Dumpty Brewery, a new generation of high quality attractions is starting to flourish.

* Langley Abbey open 10am to 4pm. Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays. Admission £4, concessions and children £2. Much more on the Abbey’s history in my Wherryman’s Way book which is on sale in the abbey shop.

This weekend: a rare Yare frolic

EVER been to a water frolic? No me neither, but I do know they used to be all the rage in Victorian times. Think a fete on water and you get the general idea. This weekend the Yare Sailing Club holds its  third frolic in the 25 years since it was reformed in 1985. It all takes place at Surlingham Ferry House (pictured) this weekend. Among the attractions; canoe demos, topper racing, folk music and a hog roast. And given that we’re on the Wherryman’s Way, it’s great to learn that the wherry Maud will also be in residence. Lots more on this page of the club’s own website. I’ll be signing copies of my book there on the Sunday between roughly 10am and 1pm.

Wherryman’s Way reviewed

NEED an independent review of The Wherryman’s Way before you splash out? Cameron Self from Literary Norfolk has obliged. Click here for more details.

Thank you

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came along to our book and beer launch at Hardley Mill on June 6th. No-one counted, but I’m going to guesstimate that more than 120 people were there to enjoy the  selection of real ale, real cakes and real folk music. I sold 84 copies of my book - meaning I can hand over a cheque for £252 to the windmill trust. Donations from the refreshments combined with the raffle to make another £200. In addition we made £37 profit from ice cream sales which will go to Loddon White Dolphins Swimming Club. Stephen George from the Humpty Dumpty Brewery reckons he sold about 100 pints on draught and dozens more in bottles. (Five pence per bottle will go to Norfolk County Council to help them maintain the Wherryman’s Way itself.)  Thanks to Frances Kirkpatrick and everyone involved at the mill for making us so welcome, including Nigel who got dozens of you there and back by minibus. Thanks too, to the band Rum Kelter, my family for running around all weekend and Gaby and Harry Horsman for great work as gatekeepers

* For more pictures try flickr. My ones are here. Cameron Self from Literary Norfolk took many more here.

A Rum ol’ do down at Hardley Mill

 

IS the world ready for Wherryman’s Way folk? The Norfolk band Rum Kelter have just confirmed they’ll be playing our book’n’beer launch tomorrow at Hardley Mill. Check them out at their myspace page. There’s Heidi on the whistle and French Pipes, Darren on guitar, Nik on bodhran and Pete (pictured) on the fiddle. And yes I’ll work out what a bodhran is tomorrow too. It all kicks off at 2pm. Details on the sidebar.

Wherryman’s Way whatever the weather

YOU might just have noticed that the weather forecast doesn’t look quite so clever for book launch day on Sunday. But have no fear. Hardley Mill might be in the middle of nowhere but it has a large, dry visitors centre and we are also erecting a large tent next door. And if that walk from Hardley Staithe doesn’t seem quite such a good idea, remember that a shuttle bus will be running direct from Langley with Hardley Village Hall.  I’ll be signing copies of my book, while Humpty Dumpty are launching their new Wherryman’s Way IPA. (More than a pint of that stuff at 7.4 per cent and you won’t know what the weather is anyway….) All that plus free tea, coffee and cakes. I look forward to seeing you there between 2pm and 5pm.

* My reading of the latest windguru data is that we’ll be OK till about 4pm. Get in early I say.

The Wherryman’s Way book hits Loddon

THE WHERRYMAN’S Way book is available on the Wherryman’s Way at last.. Copies have been available at shops in Norwich and various other locations for while, but now you can buy it at Church Plain Stores in Loddon too. Alternatively, there’s the launch at Hardley Mill on Sunday afternoon. The details are on the sidebar…..fingers crossed on the weather.

Welcome to the Woods End

FROM dealing with demanding away fans at a hotel in the centre of Ipswich to an idyllic riverside pub on the Norfolk Broads, it’s been a big change for the new couple in charge at the Woods End. Phil George and Paula Kirk took over here a month ago, but spent the first two weeks on a thorough clear out. In came the plumbers, out went the carpets.Ten skips have been filled with the detritus from this huge, magnificent boozer on the banks of the Yare. Longer term, says Paula, the plan is to extend the kitchen and have a second restaurant in a big function room upstairs. But for this summer at least they’ll concentrate on slowly but surely getting the word out. And what about my “boots as well as boats” manifesto? In other words will they look after Wherryman’s Way walkers who tend to arrive at a closed pub during the morning, gasping for a cup of tea? Well Paula’s on the case. Once all the paperwork is done, she says, they’ll get a licence to open up early. Good stuff eh? Oh and they bought a copy of my book. Well, with the Woods End on the front cover, it would have been rude not to….

Pole star: the movie

NEXT time you’re walking the Wherryman’s Way, look out for a smallish, elegant boat called Pole Star. Inside you are likely to find Lorna and Richard Cracknell, a couple who love exploring the Yare from their home mooring at Brundall. So far so normal. But how many of the hundreds who do the same have had a song composed in their honour? Lorna and Richard’s daughter Liz has done just that. Don’t be put off by the mention of Beccles in the title, this is mostly a Yare love affair. Brundall Marina rhymes with “serener” and Reedham rhymes with freedom. WARNING: this song could make you want to sell the house and live on board for ever.

Wherryman’s Way in today’s EDP

JUST a quick line to say there’s more on my Wherryman’s Way book in today’s EDP – the Sunday section. I was asked to write a few words on how it all started and there are some super photos by the paper’s photographer Bill Smith.You’ll find an  online version here.

Do we need to save St Saviour’s?

INTERESTING news from one of my favourite spots on the entire Wherryman’s Way – St Saviour’s Church at Surlingham. St Saviour’s, you might recall, is a ruin, a very atmospheric ruin a few hundred yards away from the village’s other church St Mary the Virgin. Ted Ellis is buried there and so are a few other lucky people. Anyway today I learnt from long-time Surlingham resident Fred Morris, that there is a campaign to “Save St Saviour’s”. At first I needed some convincing that it needs saving. It’s pretty perfect just sitting there, I always find. But Fred says that there are concerns that the masonry is so brittle it really needs attention and that people could do with an information board. I guess he’s right. In any case, the campaign is at a very early stage. As yet there’s no money. But if you like your ruins raw and full of nettles, you might want to get along sooner rather than later.

Ex libris E A Ellis

THE LIBRARY of Ted Ellis duly went under the hammer at Keys in Aylsham today. (For more on this eccentric Norfolk naturalist who made his home at Wheatfen Broad near Surlingham click here.) His collection of more than 2000 items – including sketches and much, much miscellania, raised almost £14000. It also, I’m told, attracted attention from all over the country. Some of the books went for hundreds of pounds, others for much less. Apparently the auction house was struck by how many non-collectors were there. It was as dozens of Ted fans turned up just wanting to take away something, anything, from the great man’s library.

A funky brew with just a hint of Bombay

DON’T you just love working with the experts? My book launch is a joint affair with the Humpty Dumpty brewery of Reedham. Their contribution is a Wherryman’s Way IPA to be launched at the same time. So what exactly is an IPA? I have to confess I didn’t really know until Humpty Dumpty partner Stephen George revealed all on his website this morning. Are you ready for a proper description from a man who knows his onions? Here goes:

“Wherryman's Way IPA is brewed in the American pale ale style, which pays homage to the original strong but light-in-colour English ales that made the journey from Burton-on-Trent to Bombay, with a combination of locally grown Maris Otter pale malt and caramel malt for a deep golden colour with a refreshing dry flavour.  Hopped with a combination of Target and Centennial hops and then dry-hopped in the cask with more Centennial and Simcoe hops, the beer is full of a funky citrus hop character like many of its cousins from across the pond.”

Funky citrus hops?…. Now I know it’s going to be a good bash.

* For all the details about the launch on June 6th see the side panel.

The scribblings of a much-loved naturalist

THE well-thumbed library of the naturalist Ted Ellis will go under the hammer next week. Many of the 2000 books come complete with his own scribblings. But as a well-written article in the EDP makes clear, this is only likely to add to their attraction at the auction in Aylsham on May 27th. I‘d love to make it along, as much for the people-watching as anything else. The county’s finest nature lovers will surely be out on patrol. Ted Ellis lived at Wheatfen Broad (pictured) – an isolated habitat which became a nature reserve under his careful stewardship. It lies between Surlingham and Rockland, off every beaten track bar one – the Wherryman’s Way. As the article makes clear – he was a protege of Arthur Patterson – the Great Yarmouth naturalist.  My favourite book of his is Wildfowlers and Poachers. Apparently there’s a copy of that book in the collection signed: “To Edward Ellis, deputy author who helped me in shaping sentences”. Beautifully put, don’t you think?

Thorpe St Andrew’s Swan Nester

A SWAN makes its nest on a semi-submerged boat just off Thorpe Old Reach. The old reach was the original course of the River Yare before the railway came to Norfolk in the 1840s – it’s the bit you see as you drive through Thorpe St Andrew. The new railway line from Norwich to Great Yarmouth bridged the river twice in less than a mile. And because the bridges were so low, engineers also dug out a “New Cut” to effectively give wherries a “Thorpe bypass”. That leaves an island in the middle – you see the other side of it if you walk along the banks at Whitlingham. Mother Swan has made her home within an even later bit of water, dug out during the height of the hire boat boom when many a Broads holiday started in Thorpe St Andrew. Hearts, Jenners and Wards were the big names here from the 1940s through – in part – to the 1990s. Now this vast basin within the island lies unused. Have a pint in the beer garden of the Town House pub to get a better view. Give or take an inquisitive canoeist with a camera, it should be a perfect place to bring up a young family.

St John the Baptist, Hellington

YOU know you’re seriously off the beaten track when the cow parsley in the church yard is almost as tall at the arches in the porch. This is St John the Baptist at Hellington, a hamlet near, well, near nowhere that anybody’s heard of really. It’s close to Carleton St Peter, which is close to Claxton in a soft underbelly of Wherryman’s Way land where a church appears around every corner – despite a lack of obvious communities nearby.  I often drive home along these lanes as a gentler alternative to the A146. The porch, incidentally, is the highlight of the church. It baffles the experts who can’t work out when it was built – estimates vary from medieval to Victorian  - though Simon Knott has come up with a customarily erudite solution to an architectural mystery. For more go to his excellent Norfolk churches website.

New beginning for the Woods End

GOOD news from Bramerton. The Woods End pub is to re-open on Saturday. And given that this beautiful riverside pub features on the front page of my book …it hasn’t come a moment too soon! Good luck to new tenants Philip and Paula. This is a perfect “location” boozer at which to enjoy a quiet pint on the way home. I’ll do exactly that – and report back – next week. More on why it closed here.