St Olaves

St Olaves marks the first safe moorings since Burgh Castle. The wind blows hard across the Fritton Marshes and the tide flows fast, care is needed when mooring. Over to the east is a high wooded ridge that stretches all the way from Burgh Castle in the north to Oulton Broad in the south. It is a very welcome feature of this flat section of the Broads.

This part of the Broads can look quite desolate, but when the sun comes out, as in the photo above, it can brighten up an October morning.

St Olaves is not an unattractive village as first impressions may suggest. The Bell Inn situated on the river has a delightful garden and comes highly recommended. The moorings are in poor condition, some boats moored here have suffered damage.

Just a short walk east along the busy main street are the ruins of the Augustinian Priory of St Olaves and St Mary. If you feel energetic walk a little further along the main street and visit Fritton Lake Countryworld. The lake is 3 miles long, in a beautiful setting surrounded by trees and parkland. Other attractions their include fishing, golf, pottery, a falconry centre, cafe and adventure playground.

The bridge here at St Olaves has 8ft 2.44m headroom at average high tide. The tide runs fast, and the bridge can look higher than it is, lower your canopy in good time.

You will have no trouble getting under the other bridge here at St Olaves for it has a clearance of 24ft 7.32m, (see below).

Haddiscoe Bridge over the New Cut , dug in 1833 it connects Reedham on the Yare and St Olaves on the Waveney and is 2 1/2 miles in length.