"The best places are often to be found at the edge. Now that
the main holiday season is upon us it is increasingly difficult
to find peace and tranquillity on ‘the waters of comfort’.
July and August turn the main rivers into marine motorways where
the speed limit seems often to be scarcely regarded.
"Where to find the ‘still waters’ to which the
Psalmist hopes to be led? That’s where the extremities come
into their own. We need to look to the margins of time and space
to find peace and quiet in the height of summer. Temporally speaking,
serenity can still be discovered at first light in the morning or
at the last thing of an evening. That is when nature is stirring
or stilling itself, when birdsong is at a crescendo and ducks and
waterfowl splash and splutter. Hardly peaceful you may think but
it is a time when every prospect pleases, and only man is vile,
snoring in his cabin or carousing at a waterside pub.
"If you are neither an early bird nor a night owl then spatial
extremities may compensate. The limits of navigation provide the
greatest rewards. You will have to squeeze under Potter Bridge to
savour the whispering reeds of Candle Dyke and the magic of Horsey
Mere. Or you could wriggle up the Ant and navigate through the wide-open
spaces of Barton, where Nelson learnt to sail, and slip past the
prettiest, most photographed mill on the Broads at Hunsett. My favourite
small corner is the Belaugh Loop. Once passed the fleshpots of Wroxham
and under the bridge you are quickly in a world, which has hardly
changed since the 1950’s. This tranquil stretch of river is
shot through with the blue dart of kingfishers. You will recall
the BBC’s black and white interval sequence of a river trip,
which was endlessly uninterrupted. If this wasn’t enough there
is Broadland’s best-kept secret to be discovered. High on
a hill surrounded by water is little St Peter’s church commanding
a magnificent view of this unspoilt stretch of river. Take time
to visit Belaugh church and you will be blessed by a warm and informative
welcome. But the prayerful interior will bring you to your knees
in gratitude to a God that surprises us with joys like this in the
midst of a busy world in which the fever of life has not entirely
triumphed. If we are prepare to go that little bit further to the
borders, at the edge of things, then we may find that the temporal
and spatial overlap in such a way as to heighten our spiritual awareness.
Then we shall be really living life at the edge."
