AVID readers of these travel pages may recall that my boating holidays are never without incident.

There was the time when traffic backed up after someone (me) couldn’t work out how to raise the barriers at the Shirley drawbridge on the Stratford Canal.

Then there was the time, near the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, when we drifted into the path of other boats after someone (that’ll be me) failed to tie a proper knot in the mooring ropes.

And there was the time, unreported until now, when my wife fell from a towpath into the Brecon Canal after someone (yes, me again) didn’t throw her enough rope as we attempted to moor.

So it was no surprise when Mrs C, still scarred by events in Wales, took exception to my plan for a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads. It was a case of Norfolk yes, boats no, no, no.

Never one to rock the boat, so to speak, I booked a property through Norfolk Country Cottages and discovered, to my delight, that you don’t need to set sail to explore the Broads.

Watts Cottage is in the very peaceful, one-pub village of Upton, ten miles east of bustling Norwich and two miles north of the small town of Acle, which has a couple of supermarkets.

The village, on the River Bure and on the edge of Upton Broad, is well placed for anyone wanting to discover the wetland’s lakes, marshes, windpumps, dykes and 125 miles of navigable waters.

A short drive away is Fairhaven Water Gardens, a secret hideaway of woodland walks leading to South Walsham Inner Broad – and there’s free entry for Watts Cottage guests.

A little further down the road is Ranworth Church – celebrated as the ‘Cathedral of the Broads’ – where the brave and agile can climb its tower for terrific views of Malthouse Broad.

Close by, at the end of a winding wooden path through reed beds, is a thatched, floating wildlife centre with a viewing gallery across Ranworth Broad, a nature reserve that’s closed to traffic.

Of course, we were not confined to dry land and just past the picture postcard village of Woodbastwick we parked up and hailed a river taxi to take us to the Ferry Inn in Horning.

The Inn was largely destroyed in a Second World War bombing raid by the German Luftwaffe, killing 22 people including some pilots stationed at nearby RAF Coltishall.

Horning itself is perhaps the prettiest of all the Broads villages with pubs, tea-rooms and a lovely village green all on the riverside.

Best of all, it’s home to The Southern Comfort, a Mississippi-style paddle boat which we boarded (after some cajoling of Mrs C) for a one-and-a-half hour trip.

The commentary was informative and amusing and the thatched riverside properties we passed were simply stunning – a real glimpse into how the other half live.

Along the way we passed a wherry, a traditional Broads cargo boat with black sales on a hinged mast, only a handful of which have been presevered as pleasure boats.