Yarmouth bridges

[Portland Billy]

Can anyone give me a 'ball park' figure for the general low water clearance for the Great Yarmouth bridges.
Some years ago I'm sure I went through with a 12 ft air draught, and would like to visit the Broads again next year.

 

[Leighb]

From memory the lower of the two has a 6' 9" clearance at Average HW, so you would need a tide with a range of about 7' to get enough room at LW. Obviously tidal heights can vary a lot between springs and neaps, atmospheric pressure and the amount of rainfall coming down the Bure.
Always best to check with the HM at Yarmouth Yacht Station. We found them very helpful with advice about suitable dates and times.

 

[LittleSister]

Depends where you are going in the Broads.

Leigh assumes you are going up the River Bure, which is much more restricted by Vauxhall Bridge (6'9"average HW clearance, as Leigh says) and Acle New Road Bridge (7' average HW clearance).

Going up the River Yare, both bridges are lifting bridges, but even closed they are less restricted (Haven Bridge 9'6", Breydon Bridge 13' average HW clearances).

More info here and here and here -

Bridge heights and openings

Help with navigating low bridges on the Norfolk Broads

Guide to passaging to or through Yarmouth Yacht Station

 

[Portland Billy]

I know all the bridge HW clearances.
It's the average LW clearance I would like to know

 

[Plum]

Can anyone give me a 'ball park' figure for the general low water clearance for the Great Yarmouth bridges.
Some years ago I'm sure I went through with a 12 ft air draught, and would like to visit the Broads again next year.

I went in 2 years ago and had a very hard time finding the LW clearances. Gt. Yarmouth Port Marine Services and the Broads Authority could not answer my question and just said to check the tide gauges on arrival!! Anyway, by the time you are close enough to read the gauges you may be too close to stop and will find the graduations near low water are completely obscured by slime and weed. I succeded to pass under the Haven and Vauxhall bridges shown beow which somewhat verified my data:-

Haven bridge closed is 4.80m above CD

Vauxhall bridge is 3.96m above CD (for access to the northern broads)

Bredon fixed span is 5.86 above CD (for access to the southern broads)

Use Gorlestone on Sea tide tables to plan your Height of Tide.

We had a great visit. Enjoy!

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[LittleSister]

I know all the bridge HW clearances.
It's the average LW clearance I would like to know

The second link I provided includes an indication of the size of the rise and fall of the tide (presumably an average).

I went in 2 years ago and had a very hard time finding the LW clearances. Gt. Yarmouth Port Marine Services and the Broads Authority could not answer my question and just said to check the tide gauges on arrival!!

Great Yarmouth Port (now part of Peel Ports) is the harbour authority below Haven Bridge, and is focused on commercial traffic in the outer harbour and the lower river.

The Broads Authority is the navigation authority for all above Haven Bridge (i.e. including the lower Bure where the low bridges presumably of most interest to the OP are) . It used to have a team of dedicated navigation rangers, most, if not all, of whom were very experienced and knowledgeable boaters. A few years ago the Authority had the cunning wheeze of combining the navigation rangers with their land-conservation ranger team. This involved training the latter to drive boats, etc., and probably the loss of some of the former navigation rangers to land work or to leave permanently, and hence significant loss of knowledge of the waterways. I know not whether that situation still pertains.

Bear in mind also that they will expect most of the calls they receive will be from boat hirers or others who have not a clue about tides and heights, and may be reluctant to provide detailed info, even if they happen to know it themselves, unless they are convinced the person they are dealing with fully understands it and its implications.

 

[Portland Billy]

So it seems no-one can answer my question.
What is the average clearance at LW neaps and springs?

 

[Plum]

So it seems no-one can answer my question.
What is the average clearance at LW neaps and springs?

I did answer your question on post 5 but I obviously did not explain well.

Lets take the lowest bridge I mentioned above, Vauxhall Bridge (non opening), which I said was is 3.96m above CD. Now lets assume you want to visit on Saturday August 28 for which the tide tables show Gorleston on Sea low water height of tide will be 0.8m at 19:49. So at that time the bridge clearance will be 3.96 minus 0.8 = 3.16m. (10ft 5") meaning you will not fit. You will, however, on that day, fit under the Haven bridge, with 1ft clearance, and Breydon bridge enabling you to visit the southern Broads although you could book an opening of the Haven bridge.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Greg2]

Worth saying that both Haven and Breydon bridges can be booked to lift and that Reedham and Somerleyton bridges are swing bridges so air draft isn’t a major issue on the southern rivers.

Haven bridge is currently having work done that has gone past the projected completion date but should be sorted this year. Reedham and Somerleyton are ageing and have been problematic for years. Funding was recently announced to sort them next year, so there may be some disruption I guess.

We haven’t been up to the northern rivers for years but I reckon 12’ is no longer doable. Some time back wooden beams were added to the underside of one of both of the Bure bridges at Gt Yarmouth, which took a foot off the available height. Maybe 11’ or 11’6” is doable on a spring tide but remember that you will need to get back out!

 

[Slowboat35]

I did answer your question on post 5 but I obviously did not explain well.

Lets take the lowest bridge I mentioned above, Vauxhall Bridge (non opening), which I said was is 3.96m above CD. Now lets assume you want to visit on Saturday August 28 for which the tide tables show Gorleston on Sea low water height of tide will be 0.8m at 19:49. So at that time the bridge clearance will be 3.96 minus 0.8 = 3.16m. (10ft 5") meaning you will not fit. You will, however, on that day, fit under the Haven bridge, with 1ft clearance, and Breydon bridge enabling you to visit the southern Broads although you could book an opening of the Haven bridge.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

The only problem with that is the assumption that LW Gorleston is applicable to LW Vauxhall Bridge.
Waterflow at Gorleston is relatively unrestricted out to sea at any state of the tide and thus the tidal height is fairly predictable within the well-known variables.
But once two miles up the harbour, and then above the additional significant bottleneck of the Haven bridge there must surely be an appreciable difference. And we haven't got to the bridge yet! Clearance under that must take the above differences into account (and no-one's tabulated them afaik) and account for rain-related outflow (thus level) of the Bure and height of previous tide - again, untabulated. Localised heavy rain in the Yare/Waveney catchment would affect the Bure's outflow and thus bridge clearance appreciably too.

I doubt very much that 'average LW Vauxhall Bridge' is something anyone can predict at all. The only measurement is the tide gauge which merely tells the truth at the moment.

 

[5imon]

Have you considered entering the broads via Lowestoft,
Lowestoft cruising club website gives useful information about access

 

[Greg2]

Have you considered entering the broads via Lowestoft,
Lowestoft cruising club website gives useful information about access

That is our usual route out and back in. The rail swing bridge next to Mutford lock is currently not working as it should but there is a reasonable height and we never need a swing on our current boat (3.44m air draft).

 

[Plum]

The only problem with that is the assumption that LW Gorleston is applicable to LW Vauxhall Bridge.
Waterflow at Gorleston is relatively unrestricted out to sea at any state of the tide and thus the tidal height is fairly predictable within the well-known variables.
But once two miles up the harbour, and then above the additional significant bottleneck of the Haven bridge there must surely be an appreciable difference. And we haven't got to the bridge yet! Clearance under that must take the above differences into account (and no-one's tabulated them afaik) and account for rain-related outflow (thus level) of the Bure and height of previous tide - again, untabulated. Localised heavy rain in the Yare/Waveney catchment would affect the Bure's outflow and thus bridge clearance appreciably too.

I doubt very much that 'average LW Vauxhall Bridge' is something anyone can predict at all. The only measurement is the tide gauge which merely tells the truth at the moment.

You are quite right but the data I have provided is the best I found and I verified the data on two occasions near to low water, one on neaps and one on springs, including checking for actual variances here Real-time/near real-time data display for Lowestoft | National Tidal and Sea Level Facility, and what I observed was very close to what I calculated using Gorleston tide predictions. Obviously, I cannot guarantee so you will have to apply your own safety factor . I would be grateful if you would let me know you find better data.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Plum]

this picture shows the bridge clearance gauges at Vauxhall bridge showing just how vague they are near low water.