Stag and Hen parties on the Norfolk Broads

Every year, many groups choose the Broads as the location for their weekend, midweek or week-long party. They have the advantage of being on the doorstep of large cities and towns, such as Norwich and Great Yarmouth, with all their nightlife infrastructure, whilst at the same time, being less than an hour's cruise from the beautiful Norfolk countryside. As such, you get the best of both worlds. Cruising is great as it allows your crew to end up at a different locality each evening, complete with bars and restaurants. You will find a map showing the location of these pubs, together with an overview of what they offer (evening entertainment, pool tables, dog-friendly etc) HERE.

The maximum part size a boat will accommodate on the Broads is 12 people. There are pluses and minuses to having two boats. You will find that a boat with 12 berths, is adequate for that number of people, but you will have very little extra space, and you may find that some of the beds are doubles, not singles. If your party consisted of less than 12 people, then that would still probably work. The disadvantage to splitting the party across two boats is the cost per person will rise, as fewer people are sharing the cost of the boat they are accommodating. Two x six berth boats will probably end up costing around 150% of the charge for one x 12 berth boat. So your choice would need to take both these factors into account. 

It is possible, but would involve hours and hours of cruising. So much so that you would take up much of the break just travelling to and from the city. The smart move is to use the good train service into Norwich from Wroxham, which is just a 15-minute journey. That way, wherever you pick up your boat from (Wroxham and Stalham are the two hire yard locations that welcome stag and hen parties) you will easily be able to include the city in your plans. For those wanting to visit nightclubs, you would travel in by train, then arrange a taxi/minibus for the return journey. 

The two boatyards which welcome stag and hen parties are based in Wroxham and Stalham. Each is around a three hour cruise from the other, and offers a range of around 500 cruisers, we rate from budget through standard to superior. A three-night cruise generally starts from 2.30 pm on the Friday or Saturday and finishes at 9 am on the following Monday or Tuesday. If you want to hire midweek, then choose a four-night break starting on the Monday or Tuesday, finishing on the Friday or Saturday. Start and finish times are the same. Week-long parties are also available, and though most start on Friday or Saturday, a few begin on a Monday if that is more convenient. All finish at 9 am, seven nights later. 

A four or seven-night cruise would allow you to see more of the Broads, and to visit more places. For instance, Great Yarmouth is doable on a three-night break but would involve long cruises each day. The extra number of nights aboard would make Yarmouth more comfortable to visit. 

All male or all female parties will need to leave an extra deposit with the boatyard. The amount varies by boatyard, but is usually around £50 per person. This amount is payable on arrival at the boatyard but is fully refundable on the safe return of the boat at the end of the holiday. Any damage to your boat or claims against you for damage to other property will be deducted from the amount paid. 

Our boatyards are based in Wroxham and Stalham. Both have a similar range of budget, standard and superior boats to hire. As such, your decision might lie more with how accessible each is by road and rail. If everyone will be driving to the boatyard, both Stalham and Wroxham are ideal, and being only 15 minutes away from each other by road, are much the same distance from you. If you have party members arriving by train, Wroxham would probably be your preferred starting point. It has its own railway station with a direct connection to Norwich, whereas the journey to Stalham would involve an onward 15 to 20-minute taxi ride. 

Most stag and hen parties tend to be over a weekend. You would pick the boat up from around 2.30 pm on a Friday or Saturday and then have until it gets dark to cruise somewhere, or you may just want to stay on the boatyard moorings. You then have the whole of the next two days and nights to cruise to other areas. You need to bear in mind that on the final night, you will have to be close enough to your home boatyard to return usually by 9 am. So how far can you get? I've put together two 3-night suggested itineraries that might be of interest, depending on where you're boat starts from - Wroxham or Stalham. They've been specially curated so as to appeal, suggesting pubs and restaurants large enough to accommodate groups of people, while serving good food and drink.