The elegant wooden boats that once cruised the Broads ferrying groceries β and George Formby β are once again carrying daytrippers. T here is a rightness about sailing a Norfolk wherry that leaves you feeling in harmony with the world.
As a sustainable form of transport, a wooden boat being propelled across the water by the wind is about as low-carbon as you can get.
I must confess, though, I had never heard of a wherry before setting off on an overnight trip from Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads. Later, some of these trading vessels were converted into elegant cruisers such as the Ardea Latin for heron , where I am to spend the night.
I descend the narrow staircase and am transported back to the elegance of the s. The teak-lined cabins are a statement of style and true class. For a moment I have returned to an era when the Norfolk Broads were a destination for the wealthy and famous, a time when adventure and glamour were something to be sought amid the beauty of your own country, not by leaping on a plane to elsewhere.
A tiny piano occupies one corner and comfy armchairs are dotted around the saloon. I long for a period costume in which to sashay around sipping champagne from crystal glasses while listening to a tuxedoed pianist. The Ardea is a piece of living history and I wish to live it to the full.
