“This is one of our many return visits to enjoy the calm of the Broads. We've taken carious boats on hire from Barnes Brinkcraft over the years, and always found them to be of high quality, friendly service and the added bonus of a great hamper pack when setting off. A brilliant team and family business.”
Thanks for the review — and for the photo as well, it looked like a proper relaxed day on the water. Sometimes “nothing fancy” is exactly what you want on the Broads: a boat that does the job properly and lets you get on with enjoying the day.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Really enjoyed it. The boat was all ready for us, nice and clean. The safety brief was good. Would recommend Barnes Brinkcraft. Can't wait until the next time!”
“Had the most fantastic day. Hired a day boat for our 25th wedding anniversary. Easy to use and staff were helpful. Great service. Will definitely be back for another trip with family.”
Thanks for the lovely review — and for sharing the photos as well, it looked like you picked a proper Broads day for your anniversary. We’re really pleased you enjoyed the boat and found everything easy to get to grips with.
Congratulations on 25 years together too.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“We had a great afternoon check in was quick and off we went
I was disappointed with the booking process because I had to change our original booking to a boat to accommodate more people in our party
this new boat cost less than the original boat booked but they wouldn’t refund the difference of £50 which is quite a considerable amount, it wasn’t as if I had cancelled I just amended my booking.
The boat was basic and a little tired but done the job the weather was perfect and we enjoyed ourselves”
Thank you for your review — we’re really pleased to hear you had a great afternoon on the water and that the weather behaved itself for you too!
We’re sorry to hear you were disappointed with the amendment to your booking. As bookings are made online, each boat’s maximum capacity and pricing are shown during the booking process. Over the busy bank holiday weekend we were almost fully booked, so when changing to a different boat we unfortunately weren’t able to offer the same flexibility as we sometimes can with earlier amendments.
We do appreciate your feedback regarding the boat itself. Our day boats are designed to be simple and practical for exploring the Broads, although we’re always looking at ways to improve and refresh the fleet.
Thanks again for choosing us and we’re glad you still enjoyed your time on the river.
“From the start of the booking process to handing the keys back, Barnes Brinkcaft have been excellent.. No fuss, no hassle, friendly staff and an amazing experience..”
“The pick-up and drop off were excellent. Everything was ready for us and simple to navigate. The trial run was well co-ordinated. The boat was spotlessly clean and everything was in working order. We will definitely use Barnes Brinkcraft again. Brilliant.”
“Booking process was easy. Would benefit from some trip planning ideas, suggested route etc. Got them easily from Copilot/ChatGpt but website would benefit from them.”
“Fantastic experience, and lovely man who gave us a tutorial. Very pleasant and friendly service. Just me and my 8yo son, and we booked online with no issue at all. 2 hrs on the electric boat, exploring the beautiful river and surroundings. My son was over the moon to be trusted to steer the boat, and it was really easy to navigate (aside from my questionable ‘parking’ when we returned!). Wonderful experience, super friendly company. What a great idea!”
“Wonderful day out! Thanks so much, Jack, for explaining the boat to us, and for allowing us a few minutes' grace when we returned the boat. We hugely appreciated your assistance and friendliness and will be back! Easy booking and return. The boat is lovely, easy to navigate, and perfect for beginners like us. Thank you for your help and for making our holiday so memorable.”
“Our poor rating is based on the fact that our introduction on day one was poor. The young fellow who was explaining things to us was pleasant and friendly but perhaps calling guests / customers , especially senior citizens, ‘mate’ is not good for customer relations! However, he wasn’t sure how to turn on the cooker and had to summon a colleague to help. We were not shown how to fill up with fuel or water - not that we needed to in the event. But we needed much more advice about mooring especially in the light of the windy conditions. We were also surprised to be asked to strip our bed at the end of our holiday especially since it was not made up for our arrival. We would hope to be on the Broads again but perhaps not with Barnes Brinkcraft.”
Dear Mr Armitstead
Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback – I’m really sorry your start to the holiday didn’t feel as smooth or as professional as it should have done.
First impressions matter, and it’s clear we didn’t get that right for you. While I’m pleased to hear our team member was friendly, I completely agree that using terms like “mate” isn’t appropriate in this setting. We’ll be identifying who carried out your handover and making sure they receive some additional training and guidance – both on knowledge and on how we communicate with our customers.
It’s also not acceptable that key areas weren’t properly covered. Even though our boats are typically fuelled to last well beyond a standard holiday (so you wouldn’t usually need to refuel), you should absolutely have been shown how everything works so you felt confident and in control. Mooring in windy conditions is one of the trickier parts of a Broads holiday, and we should have made sure you felt properly prepared before setting off. That’s something we’ll be reinforcing with the whole team.
I was particularly surprised to read about being asked to strip beds at the end of your stay. This isn’t something we’ve required since Covid, and certainly not something we expect customers to do now – especially if beds weren’t made up on arrival. It sounds very much like outdated wording has crept back in somewhere, which we need to track down quickly. If you’re happy to help us pinpoint this, I’d really appreciate it if you could email me directly at sara@barnesbrinkcraft.com
with any details.
I also note your booking was through Hoseasons – if that instruction came from their paperwork, we’d want to address that with them straight away.
We’d genuinely love the chance to welcome you back to the Broads and give you the experience we know it should be – relaxed, well-supported, and enjoyable from the moment you step on board.
Thank you again for your feedback – it’s incredibly helpful, and we will act on it.
Sara
