Whenever you feel the need of a break from the stresses and frustrations of day-to-day living, simply adorn your deck shoes and escape to the freedom of a break on the Norfolk Broads.
The quality and pace of life of a self-drive boating holiday is something really special and an experience I would recommend everyone to try at least once, and if like me, many more times thereafter. Boating becomes a habit hard to break.
Just park the car and present yourself at the boatyard's reception; you will be given a hands-on lesson in boat handling and safety, then wow! you are in charge; captain of your own floating home.
As you pull out on to the main river for the first time you are aware of entering a whole new world. Everything is so much slower and relaxing; you are travelling at 4 mph on the river, instead of 70 mph on the motorway. Your whole metabolism slows, the hours and the landscape just drift by.
Cruising through quiet villages and bustling country towns, stopping whenever the mood takes you to explore the local countryside, go for a pub lunch, or simply to slide back the roof and dine alfresco in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes you may even choose to throw over the mud weight (anchor), turn off the engine and just drift around whilst you dine, relax, or bed down for the night.
If you have never boated before and are still really not sure whether it's for you, why not get together with a few friends or family and try a short break, just a weekend or a few days in the week should whet your appetite and give you the feel of how totally refreshing and relaxing life really can be.