I am having the best time with L this half term. His school broke up Thursday and between visits to the zoo to meet a baby giraffe and pumpkin trails and patches we’ve been busy everyday.

But there’s one thing we haven’t managed to fit in. A day on the Broads in a picnic boat.

L has been asking to go all year, he loves the Broads and he loves boats. It even made his post lockdown bucket list. Bless him, I had asked him to write a list of all the things he’d like to do when were able to them again and a boat on the Broads was up there with Legoland and The London Eye. He loves being out on the water, it’s an adventure. Let’s be honest who doesn’t want to be captain of a boat for the day.

I’m annoyed I didn’t manage to fit it in this half term and it would have been the perfect day out.

Now I’m mentioning this because I know Herbert Woods have picnic boat availability this week and if any of you local parents are struggling to think of something to do with the kids, hiring a picnic boat is the perfect activity. Just because I couldn’t fit it in, doesn’t mean you can’t.

The main reason a picnic boat is perfect is because it’s got a roof! With this ever changeable weather, dry one minute and chucking it down the next, how great would it be to be out enjoying nature under cover. Dry as a bone and toasty warm. It still feels like an outdoor activity though which is nice.

With a kitchen on board, you don’t have to worry about the constant demands for snacks, you can bring all the food and drink you want and have the ability to cook lunch and provide snacks all day long. No need to worry about fussy eaters refusing to eat the £8 kids meal you just paid for and then 2 minutes after you’ve left them complaining that they’re hungry. It helps keep those day trip costs down too, once you’ve paid for the boat that’s it really. You can bring all your own food and drinks from home and there’s no expensive gift shop at the end which you have to walk through to leave.

The Broads are beautiful this time of year, with the changing foliage and abundance of animals to see. I couldn’t think of a better place to while away a few hours. L loves bringing his binoculars to see what he can spot and this year is the first time we haven’t made the trip to explore St Benet’s Abbey, which whilst accessible by land is so much easier to visit by boat. We’ve never had to worry about keeping L occupied when we’ve been out on the Broads, he’s always happy to just watch what’s going on around him and stop for the odd walk. We’ve found playgrounds, ruins and explored nature reserves but he’s always at his happiest onboard just enjoying boating life.

The picnic boats easily fit your group of 6, with loads of space to spare. Indoor and outdoor seats are plentiful and very comfortable too. There is also a bathroom onboard, which is very handy if you’ve got little ones and we’ve always found it just makes the whole day easier, especially now as you’ll be wanting to wash hands more often and just have your own space away from others. In fact having your own space, all day long is one for the draws for me.

So that’s it really. An easy, dry, day out amongst nature. It couldn’t be better. Plus being in your own bubble on the boat couldn’t be more socially distance if you tried. Herbert Woods have always provided excellent customer service and really know their stuff. Their boats are excellent and I just know you’d have a great day if you booked with them.

Disclosure – whilst we were offered a picnic boat for the day this half term to enable a review, we weren’t able to take up the offer. I have chosen to write about it anyway, as based on past experiences with Herbert Woods, I know it would be a fabulous day and many of you may not have thought of booking a boat as a day out.