“We have been holidaying on the broads for the last 10 years or so , the last 8 years with barnes brinkcraft,
Wroxham is the perfect place to start off a holiday on the. Broads and barnes is for us the best boatyard. Customer service is always 5 stars, the boats are quality and easy to handle . We have hired a variety of sizes of boat from the 2/4 berth encore to a 10 berth melody, depending how many family has come with us. The little touches like a welcome bottle of bubbly and a fantastic hamper for returning customers really make a great start to a holiday on a barnes cruise. We love the broads and barnes do all they can to make sure you're experience on the rivers is the best it can be. We are currently looking forward to our week on the new Chorus 2 in July 2026 and have already booked with barnes for 2027 on chorus3 .”
“Good introduction on arrival. Clean boat, clear instructions. Diesel boats are quite noisy, would go electric next time. No maps given - bring your own.
4 hours gave us enough time to get to Horning, drink at the Ferry Inn, around Wroxham Board and a quick walk through the nature reserve.
We cycled there, nowhere to lock up bikes but they did allow us to leave them locked together behind reception. The assumption is that you are driving or walking up.”
Thank you for your lovely review and for your kind comments about the handover, cleanliness and onboard instructions. It sounds as though you made the most of your four hours on the water — Horning, the Ferry Inn and a trip around Wroxham Broad is a pretty good Broads day out!
We’re sorry to hear the maps were not easy to find onboard. We provide a complimentary copy of Broadcaster magazine on all of our day boats, which includes maps and Broads information, and this should have been onboard for your trip. We’ll make sure the team double check these are more clearly positioned for future guests.
We also really appreciate your comments regarding bicycle storage. You’re absolutely right that many guests arrive by car or on foot, but with more people choosing to cycle to us, providing a proper bike locking area is a very sensible suggestion and one we’ll certainly look into.
Thank you again for taking the time to leave your feedback, and perhaps next time we’ll be able to tempt you aboard one of our quieter electric boats!
“I rented a boat from this company for what was supposed to be a relaxing 4-hour trip, but the customer service completely ruined the experience.
To start, they gave us the boat an hour late, sitting around wasting our day before we could even get on the water. Because of their delay, our actual boating time was cut short, yet they still charged us the full price for 4 hours.
Trying to get a partial refund for the hour they stole from us has been an absolute nightmare. Their customer service is incredibly rude, unhelpful, and completely evasive. They are more than happy to take your money for 4 hours, but good luck getting any of it back when they fail to deliver on their end.”
We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations.
Unfortunately, on the day of your booking, the return of the previous boat was delayed by another customer, which had a knock-on effect on later departures. We completely understand that this was frustrating and disappointing, particularly when you had planned a relaxing afternoon on the water.
Our team did everything possible to minimise the delay, however we were unable to extend the hire later into the evening due to operational and staffing limitations at the end of a very busy day.
We did provide details of how to contact management regarding compensation, as our front-of-house team are not authorised to process refunds directly.
While we appreciate this impacted your trip, we do feel it’s important to recognise that the delay was caused by circumstances outside the control of the staff you dealt with on the day, who were working hard in difficult conditions to assist all customers safely and fairly.
We are genuinely sorry your experience fell short and appreciate your feedback.
“Will was very helpful and explanied everything before we set off.
Had the basic Brinklet boat, which was fine for novices like we were. But after 6.5 hours listening to the diesel engine, Ill try an electric next time .”
Thanks for the review — we’re glad Will helped get you confidently underway. And yes, after a full day on the river, the quiet life of an electric boat does start to sound quite appealing. We’ll look forward to hearing how you get on with one next time.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“We've holidayed on boats hired from B/B several times over the years and have found them to be a step above others on the Norfolk Broads. It's difficult to quantify why that is, but from the boat handover, to the return, it just feels that you, the customers, are what matters. Add to that the well maintained and cleanly prepared accommodation and it makes a relaxing holiday, all the more stress-free.”
“It’s our fault we hired a boat for a young Family and as we are all in our 70+ it’s a young Family not for us oldies
The boat in it self was great but if we were to come back the a bigger boat would be better”
“A company you can really rely upon year after year. The Brinks team are and have been helpful in every respect. The free pens are a nice touch as well.”
