A Paddle on the Norfolk Broads. North Walsham and Dilham Canal. Cedar Strip Canoe. 

Love the peace and quiet.

Hi Simon. Many thanks for a great video. On the back of it my wife and I paddled the same stretch this afternoon. Such a peaceful trip through lovely countryside. Thanks again for sharing it. A bit of an update on the Wayford Bridge Inn. Their car park is now controlled by another company so it’s £10 for 2 hours and an automatic £100 fine if you are more than fifteen minutes late! We had planned to go for a meal there afterwards as you suggested but ditched the idea after that!

Thank you , Simon . 🐺 Loupis Canis

Hi folks and thanks for watching! I just wanted to add a bit of an update here about the canal. I said in the video that it forms part of the river Ant, but I’ve since discovered that it was actually a completely man-made canal that joined the navigable part of the Ant creating a link to North Walsham. There was no tow path either, it was designed for the classic Norfolk Wherry - a sailing barge. The canal only had a very short ‘working’ life as transportation of goods over land became cheaper and quicker, however, the canal was used afterwards for leisure trips in the old converted wherries. Thank you to those of you who have passed on additional local history and knowledge - completes the picture!

Fun trip thanks for bringing us along

Nice video again, Simon. One of the few that doesn't have a fire in it. I was waiting for it, but then you just poured your coffee from a bottle...

I live in North Walsham. If I remember from my school days the canal was only operational for a few years before the railway came and rendered the it obsolete. A mate's spotted otters up near Honing lock. We used to camp by the water on Honing common as kids. Sadly overgrown now.

thanks for the info on the book Simon, I've just ordered it, exactly whats needed. I did this trip last Sept it was really satisfying, very overgrown but that just made it better, the wildlife is amazing.

Will try that one, surprising how many quiet waterways in our area of east anglia thete is to get out there and explore. Great job.

Simon, I don't have a strong enough command of the English language to describe how thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable your video's are. I've never had the privilege of visiting your beautiful part of the world. So, I travel along with you, enjoying the sight's, sound's, and your willingness to share the history of the place's you visit. Be safe. Happy trails. Roger, Colorado-US

Interesting! Thank you for the ride..

Very nice. Commercial videographers could learn a thing or three from you!

Cedar strip canoe is on my list of things to build Beautiful scenery Thanks for sharing Simon

Great relaxing video, thanks and take care.

That was really nice to see, we have been wanting to kayak there for ages, our favourite bit of canal!

Cracking video looks like a nice quiet bit of canal atb Jimmy 😎😎

Lovely video Simon. We did that trip from Barton Turf to the locks with the Open Canoe Association at Easter 2018 :) History of the canal "History of the Canal Today the Old Canal Co. Ltd. owns the top 2¼ miles of the North Walsham and Dilham Canal. The rest remains in the hands of The North Walsham Canal Co. Ltd, except for a short length at the top of the canal owned by Mr M Starling and the bottom tidally influenced section below Honing Lock owned by Paterson Estates. This is Norfolk’s only artificial, locked sailing canal and was opened in 1826. 8¾ miles in length, it ran from Antingham Bone Mills, 1½ miles NW of North Walsham, to Wayford Bridge where it joined the navigable River Ant. It used 6 large locks along its length to enable the 20 ton wherries to ascend the 58ft rise to Antingham. Although built for the carriage of coal, it remained cheaper to transport this overland from the coast. As a result the main cargoes were to and from the mills - including a local cabbage wherry to Gt. Yarmouth. In the late 19th century some of the first pleasure wherries, converted from commercial craft, were based on the canal. However trade was low and the canal from Swafield Locks to Antingham was closed in 1893 and officially abandoned in 1927. The section above Bacton Wood Lock was breached in the flood of August 1912 and the following repairs were poor." from www.nwdct.org/index.html

Lovely work Simon, that looked like a peaceful and beuatiful voyage. As always thanks for taking us along on your adventure. Always look forward to you videos and you never disappoint! Cheers,

Lovely video as always, Simon.

What a peaceful paddle that was. Maggie would have loved to have played with those young cygnets but I think perhaps you wouldn't have enjoyed the inevitable dunking Simon. 😀 I do hope you get a chance to explore this area in more depth. Really pretty.

Beautiful area, great video. All the best Simon. 👍

Such a beautiful canoe, well done.

What a great way to spend a Sunday morning,looked so nice and peaceful.Thanks Simon.

I do like a paddle on the canal, very peaceful and the canoe is nice and quiet for the wildlife watching. Top job butty 👍🏼

nice video. i hope canal and river trust is going to restore this canal. greetings,, Kitty.

Beautiful video Atb

Very nice paddle. I would love to have a nice slow flat river at the moment, i live next to the dart which is a tad bumpy this time of year.

A great antidote for the hustle of the city.

Lovely canoe mate...

I love your paddling videos, you capture the beauty and joy of being in a canoe on a lazy river...I'll watch as many and you can make..

Every time i see that beautiful canoe you built it makes me want to get in the shop and build one! You really did a nice job and it came out beautiful! There nothing like the pride of paddling a beautiful canoe that you made yourself! I like the waterproof compartments you built in bow and stern, and as usual, thanks for another great episode!

There was boat access above North Walsham, all the way to Antingham, but now you would not believe it as the waterway is only ditch sized.

Once again another excellent video. Another one I shall like to copy. Thanks Simon.

Wow breath taking how beautiful that canal is. Great video

Nice 😊👍

As always another top shelf production thanks.

What a lovely video, Simon.Thanks for sharing this beautiful place with us.

What an excellent way to spend a Sunday morning! Great video as always Simon.

Fantastic trip along the old canal and so enjoyable to watch as you explore this beautiful area. Thanks for sharing. Take care...

What a way to unwind I have to do this one day, and your wooden canoe looks to be a thing of Beauty, Enjoyed watching TFS, Les.

A very nice trip that. I’m sure it blows the cobwebs of the week off. Your very lucky to have a choice of canals, broads and rivers to choose from. Cheers for sharing Simon.

Great film Simon as always, cracking bit of river and once again lucky with the weather...👍😎 that must be a big ole’ debt you owe the weather gods..!

Pleasure to watch

Awesome, reminds me a bit of the river I grew up on here! Thanks Simon!

Yet again, beautiful video, always look forward to your canoeing ones in particular...only a wooden canoe can "chuckle" like that! As Abe says below, it is a very beautiful canoe The Dilham canal and the Ant, and Barton Broad were waters we spent two weeks in the summer exploring by canoe, camping at Dilham...a little further upstream of the lock when it becomes a ditch! Obviously a lot of clearance work has been done since the summer (18) as well as the appearance of the Hobbit Hole Pods!! Another launch point at Wayford is Smallburgh staithe, and that book is indeed very useful. Thank you again for your films.

Thank you so much! May the wind be always from your back my friend!

Nice little paddle mate, good to see the cedar strip out :)

Love that stretch of river, I take some pruning snips with me to cut back brambles at lock so you can paddle into it , but you can see that I’ve not been for a while. The lovely little red bridge is tonne bridge

oh this is beautiful reminds me of home, lovely video Simon :)

Evening Simon , another nice upload fella, looked like a nice morning of natural enjoyment and exercise. Keep doing the good stuff and enjoying it mate, it’s a treat to watch.

Those "glamping pods" look like some kind of sauna farm.

Another great video, Simon. Incredibly beautiful scenery, Norfolk’s a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing.

Another good and interesting video. Congratulations on reaching 10k. So proud of you

Another fantastic video Simon. I only discovered your channel the other week and I love it. Beautifully done, interesting and as mellow as a cello. Thank you!

Yep, very peaceful, love it up at the broads, havnt been up there in some years.

Cracking trip Simon thanks for sharing

Lovely relaxing watch. Great viewing Si

Beautiful trip on the water Simon. Great time of year. Thanks brother!

Another great informative film Simon. I have to say that your videography skills are second to none!! I find you as engaging to watch AND listen to as the revered David Attenborough. Those Glamping pods were nice, although a bit "In yer face". Thanks so much for taking us along and can't wait for the next adventure :-) ATB Steve

Lovely trip Mate! Your canoe is rather beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

What a lovely, tranquil, trip! Thoroughly enjoyed the commentary and visuals and particularly the boat. What a lovely thing! An open canoe to travel and camp from is a niggling little itch I really need to scratch sometime :-) Thanks for taking us along!

Great canoe. Great canal. Reminds me of the canal that runs through our village in the Netherlands. 2019: time to explore the Dutch west-frisian islands. You’ll love them!

Simon, great video. Thanks for sharing.

What a lovely waterway. Love your canoe : )

Great video as always. I'll have to paddle that one day soon!

Very cool Simon, chilled me right out 👍🏽

beautiful video well done simon ATB

Broads....whaaa... oh i see. whew, I thought you speaking of the waking, dancing kind for a second...😂

Really nice and beutiful video !

Lovely!

Very peaceful river trip Simon, lovely autumn colours around. Great stuff. ⛺️

Excellent video, love the Broads! I've been thinking of doing this stretch for a while, looks a lovely area & your canoe.....just beautiful, it really is a work of art!!

Two blokes! Not in the woods! Pfff is your name Simon? Haha. I imagine Gavin was laughing when you were going back for the camera and setting up for your cuppa, it does make all the difference to a video. Thanks for the little history lesson and the peaceful trip down the canal, really enjoyed it.

David Hasselhoff lol....superb Simon and Gavin, inspirational in fact, not the Hoff but the video. Paul 👍😊

As always, great video mate ✌🏽

Just saw you on Kent’s channel , so thank you Kent . Lovely videos so I am a new sub . Look forward to seeing all your videos. Thank you , Gail from Worcester Massachusetts USA 🇺🇸!!!

it would be a portage for other section!

Hi Simon, love all your videos . I live in North Walsham and am gutted I didn't get to come and say hello to you! Keep the videos coming as I love them so much! Mind how you go 👍

Nice one Simon..excellent camera work as usual. I like the idea of meandering down disused canals, so peaceful. The nearest I've got to that was late one drunken evening, setting sail in the local burn in a small paddler dragged across from the boating pond..lol! I spent most of the voyage dragging it through the shallows....until I finally gave up after dumping my junk in a deep bit...hahaha Those were the days...😁 Cheers 👍

When we lived down there. Local volunteers were improving and renovating the North Walsham to Swayfield section. I believe that it was the Norfolk Wheeries that were used on the Dilham canal, rather than towpaths. But others may be able to add more.

I know this video was posted awhile ago This looks like a nice beginner canoeist route, would you agree. ?

Okay from now on, when Maggie is not along for the ride, we should see this in the title. Some sort of disclaimer or some such thing . I mean do you really think we come here to see you? You know who the star is! 😉😉😉 Your canoe really is a work of art, brother.

This is a great video :) There's a beautiful river about 30 miles from my home in Belfast called Blackwater river. It flows into the largest lake in the UK, Lough Neagh. There are camping stops and a bothy to make use of and the Argory, a National Trust site, to visit. I'd happily bust out the canoe and show anyone around if interested...

Lol I bet that David Hasslehoff and Pamela Anderson were never mentioned in a bushcraft video before. Hehehe, first things for everything 😂 that is such a fantastic looking canoe & looks so easy to row. Love the scenery and the bridge was gorgeous! Tfs Simon. Atb, Nikki. Edited: at first I put canoe, then second thought I changed it to kayak lol then I looked at it again and went ahead with calling it a canoe, mainly bc of the length...lol I think I’m right lol but you know I may be wrong...it’s only happened a few times 😂😉😬🤦‍♀️coughs* yeah right!

When I was young I used to love Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows and I just have to say this, Simon... You do like messing about in boats don't you?

Can't find that dam book anywhere

another lovely video have you ever had the thought using a 360 camera like the Insta360 ONE X it would be a interesting film even if you reached out to them for a review of said camera ;-)

The NWDC Trust are aiming to fully restore the NWDC navigation back to full navigation for its entire length down to Wayford. There are several urban myths about the canal, and the Trust have already restored some of the locks and the canal navigation stretches. Hopefully in the not too distant future, we will be able to take cruisers up the canal and through the locks, which incidentally several of the REAL owners are more than happy with, providing you pay a fee for a license to cruise it.

A well done and relaxing video. Some nice information and history in the comments too. I wonder if the canal was dug following a branch of the river or laid out just to connect points. What is the average depth of it. Most of the canals over here follow rivers with the locks to bypass rapids.

Yer internet link isnt as bad as mine we will have a rubbish off one of these days n remember on this giveaway you soooooooo owe me!!! :(

Swans are a protected species I believe?

Come west to paddle young man!! Where men are men!! & sheep are very careful!! :)

Here in the US, 'paddling the broads' has an entirely different meaning.

What is the overall length of your canoe

Lovely, but it is not the same when Maggie is not piloting the canoe. Would she have jumped in after those Swans?

What camera did you have on the tripod there fella?

Nice video Simon. Is there much debri in the water that would tear an inflatable canoe. Just looking if this would be suitable for me.

Beautiful trip Simon. With the stand you guys seen in the beginning, around here we use those for deer. One question. in the front of your canoe, is that black thing like a little storage hold?

As to parking and the inn: 'Fair is Fair, I say!' And it makes a nice destination and a better reward at the end of the day. I have previously admired this particular canoe of yours and appreciate the opportunity to 'ogle' same once again. I have recently been discovering 'Cruising the Cut', focused on narrowboat life. So I have renewed an interest in the Canal and River Trust: hopefully, they will step up for this stretch. You show it is enormously well-suited to canoe traffic, being perhaps without locks! Oared transport needs to be catered for as well!

Hi I would like to d this but where can you park and launch nearby please? Thank youi