At the north end of the Broad, a wide dyke leads northwards. This divides into two about a mile from the Broad; the left-hand one leads to Dilham and North Walsham, becoming a canal, with locks and water-mills. We took the right-hand one, and on coming to another sub-division, took the left-hand one, the right leading to a grown-up piece of water, known as Sutton Broad. The course we chose led us over Stalham Broad, which, though marked on maps as a piece of open water, now only consists of a tract of marsh, with a dyke kept open through it. Stalham is at the end of this dyke. Here there are two good inns, the “Swan,” and the “Maid’s Head,” and there are plenty of good boats for hire at the waterside. Stalham has a station on the Yarmouth and North Norfolk Railway, and as a fishing station is considered very good.
We caught a pike in the dyke, at luncheon time (ours as well as his), and a big fellow of about fourteen pounds in weight was said to haunt the spot. We saw a large fish strike at some roach, but he would not look at our spinning-bait. Within sight of the dyke end is a tumble-down house, with a thatched roof, broken-backed, and altogether so jumbled and ancient-looking, that it makes a capital subject for a sketch.
In the afternoon we sailed quietly back to the cutter, and took both boats back to the Bure, and down it to St. Benet’s Abbey, which we reached by moonlight.
