Herbert Woods Reviews 

Having recently hired a cruiser from Herbert Woods I was extremely disappointed at the state of the boat compared to the brochure. They rushed the handover and hardly showed us anything about the boat. The toilet had a really bad smell from the outset and we had to have it pumped out at another boatyard as it clearly had not been pumped out before it was handed to us. The inverter ceased to work properly part way though the holiday meaning we could not use any facilities for fear of the engine not starting. Unfortunately we decided to end our holiday early due to the poor experience which is a shame as we have had better experiences with other boatyards. After the holiday Herbert Woods customer service was very poor and they would not acknowledge any of the issues raised. Very poor service indeed 😡 and to top it all you get no refund on the fuel despite not using very much.

We took a picnic boat out from Herbert Woods based at Potter Heigham, Norfolk for the day on Saturday, the 4th of July 2026.

The check-in process was smooth and all the reception staff were very friendly and welcoming. After picking up our life jackets and completing a short safety briefing from knowledgeable staff, we were escorted a short walk away to our picnic boat.

The boat was clean, modern and felt luxurious. The pictures we previously saw online on the website were very accurate .

In the main cabin, there was ample seating for the six of us and you can comfortably fit nine people on board. We were then shown how to operate the boat. This was essential as some of us were first time boaters. All the instructions were clear and easy to follow and we were given safety instructions and a very good map of the rivers and broads and places to go. The map also gives an accurate journey time to popular destinations along the river ways.

On return, friendly Herbert Woods staff were ready to greet us and help us back in. All in all, this was an amazing experience in an incredibly beautiful place.

Thanks to everyone at Herbert Woods for a fantastic day out for all the family and keep up the great work!

The Flynn family.

Went for a weeks holiday on Sunlight 3. The boat wasn't quite ready when we got there, but we were early. So we went off to Lathams for our supplies. We had very detailed instruction from Cameron, who took us out for our "test drive", a very pleasant guy. Had an issue with the ignition beaping, so we had to call out the engineers, Kaleb and Keith turned up promptly, and had the issue sorted in next to no time. What a lovely polite, and efficient pair and a credit to your company. We enjoyed the holiday immensely, thank you

We stayed at the Swallowtail Apartment in the middle of picturesque Potter Heigham. It was a lovely apartment with great views in 3 directions including of Potter Heigham's famous bridge. It had many mod cons and we'd consider staying there again. The staff were very helpful answering our questions on the local area, and also when we got our included boat trip. However, you should be aware that there are 2 flights of stairs to get to the apartment, no lifts. Also the hot water was VERY hot, which was nice, but it would be good if it had a warning label. The bath had a shower in it, this was good, but with the shower wall on the bath, and with the toilet bowl in the way, you needed to be very athletic to get in and out of the bath. The windows, though double-glazed, were very draughty on windy days (ie most days), which could be a problem outside of summer.

We’ve hired from Herbert Woods several before and enjoyed this year's holiday, even if the boat was a little outdated.

However, their new no‑refund fuel policy means we won’t be using them again. As usual, we used very little fuel and received a £135 refund as a result. Under this new system (now adopted by some other boatyards too), that money is simply kept by the yard, regardless of usage.

We also followed their own complaint procedure exactly as written — raising the issue within the 14‑day window — but HW didn’t follow their side of the process, and despite writing to the “Captain”, the “Deckhand” who replied, refused to engage properly.

A shame, because the holiday itself was fine — but the new pricing model and the complaint handling left much to be desired.

The booking process was easy.
The picnic boat was spacious, comfortable and spotless - and it had great facilities on board. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful and we will definitely be returning to Herbert Woods later in the year for another fabulous day of boating on the broads!

Super-friendly staff. Very good value. Spacious boat, but easy to handle. Lots of great information if you want it, and if you know what you are doing they don't labour the instructions. Big but easy set-up in Potter Heigham. Excellent all round.

We booked Adventuring Light 3 for the Easter weekend—just me, my husband, and Zac, our Westie-and had a wonderful experience from start to finish.
The cruiser itself was delightful and perfectly suited to us as a couple travelling with our dog. In true UK fashion, we encountered a mix of weather, including the tail end of Storm Dave with strong winds, hail, and rain. Thankfully, the sun made an appearance too, giving us the chance to open the canopy roof and relax at the front, soaking up the rays. The changing weather didn't spoil the trip at all.
The boat was exceptionally well equipped, with everything we needed: a microwave, oven, fridge, and two TVs-one in the living area and another above the very comfortable double bed. The heating was excellent, keeping the space warm, cosy, and inviting throughout.
The staff were lovely and friendly, making the whole experience even more enjoyable from the moment we arrived.
All in all, it was an exceptional boating experience and a truly memorable Easter break. Thank you to Herbert Woods for such a fantastic trip.
Booked Adventuring Light again for September so we can have a venture under Ludham Bridge onto Barton Broad side and go back to Ranworth and visit the Maltesers after its refurb.

Hired Adventuring Light for the weekend from Herbert Woods, had a great time. The staff were friendly and informative. This was our first time on a boat, Steve who did our trial run was very thorough and included not just how to operate the boat but also how to moor up and tie up. We were met by the yard staff who showed us where to moor up and took our lines as we came back at the end of our holiday. We will defiantly be back next year & would highly recommend Herbert Woods to our friends & family.

Had two amazing holidays no issues. Third holiday staff rushing to go home crashed into our boat which was safely moored damaging our gear, reported to management no responsibility taken very disappointed.

Lee is a credit to the company. Answered all my questions very knowledgeable and very customer oriantated

Absolutely disgusting customer relations and its out of season so cannot blame being rushed off their feet. Employer on a grinding machine F'in and Blindin at boaters (non Herbert boats) as coming into yard to use services, simply just rude! Then Reception staff equally blunt & rude! Sadly shall not even contemplate booking with them!

Absolutely disgusting, hired a very expensive boat for 3 nights, the boat had the last occupants poo in the toilet for the 1st 24 hours, the sink was fully blocked & the bathroom as unusable due to the bad smell, we returned to their site to pay to use the communal showers & they did not work properly, were freezing cold & again in a dire state.

I did inform the receptionist we had an issue who asked for no further information about the boat & got irritated that she had to refund the shower fee.

This company is fully obsessed about money & have zero interest in hearing about issues or understanding.

This was our 2nd stay, the 1st stay 2 years ago was fine, however all of their boats looked dirty on the outside & tatty, we spoke to plenty of unhappy Herbert Woods customers & we also spoke to lots of happy customers from other companies such as Richardson &, Ferry Marina, do yourself a favour & avoid these sinking clowns.

Extremely Disappointed – No Compassion Shown by Herbert Woods - I’m writing this review with a heavy heart and deep disappointment following a very upsetting experience with Herbert Woods Broads Holiday Adventures. I had booked a day trip on the Starlight for 29th July 2025 for myself, my wife, and my parents. We paid in full and were genuinely looking forward to the trip, especially my dad, who had just bought a motorhome and was excited to holiday around the Norfolk Broads.

Tragically, my father passed away before we were able to go, leaving us utterly devastated. Given the circumstances, I reached out to Herbert Woods by phone and was advised to email them, which I did on 26th June. I received no response. I followed up again on 2nd July and finally heard back on 9th July – nearly two weeks later. This delay in communication, particularly in such a sensitive situation, showed a total lack of compassion or urgency.

Their eventual response, while polite, was cold and inflexible. Despite me explaining the loss of my father and giving them ample notice (over a month in advance), they refused any form of refund. Instead, they offered to transfer the booking to a later date (this year or 2026) — but with a £35 administration fee. Frankly, I found this completely unacceptable and insulting under the circumstances.

It’s highly likely they will re-book the boat for that day without issue, so a partial refund would have been the least I expected. To be told that we would have to pay more money just to move the date — after losing a loved one — left a bitter taste and demonstrated a shocking lack of empathy.

I urge anyone considering booking with Herbert Woods to think carefully. Emergencies and tragedies can happen, and sadly, this company has made it clear that they are not interested in supporting or helping customers through them. They follow their policies rigidly, with little room for humanity or understanding.

Book with caution — their customer service ends the moment they take your money.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour from the so called yard manager we hired a boat for 2 weeks after5 days it was leaking oil from the bilge pump and there was 8 inch of water in the engine bay to be told it was rain water we had not had a drop of rain , my husband was told he didn’t know what he was on about when he mentioned the oil , environmental issues we told them and he said it’s common for oil t leak into the water we said we wasn’t going to help contaminate the water we asked for another boat to be told there wasn’t any until the Monday which in there words would be to big , but low and behold they relet our boat out 3 hrs later to someone else how could they have possibly sorted the problem out in that time , they are now saying that we cannot have any money back because we refuse to drive the one we had oil or no oil , absolutely ridiculous behaviour and rude beyond words save your money and go with a different company.

40% off sale, many people have now paid a lot of money for pre booking to see they should have waited. If you call you are told cancel, lose your deposit. I would say it's all downhill for these guys from here, monumental marketing failure.

We have just had a Monday - Friday rental on Royale Light 1 and had an amazing holiday. I was most impressed by the staff, every single member of staff that we met was friendly and helpful. I found the whole experience of arrival and departure very easy, I do not have any comparisons but feel I would struggle to find a better service elsewhere. The boat was very clean and in good working order. The kitchen was spotless with new utensils, etc. We called maintenance the first evening as the heating was not working but they came to where we were moored up to sort it out. I must have had interactions with at least 10 members of staff and they were all friendly and helpful.

Royal Light II

‘Boat was serviced and cleaned before you left’.

It wasn’t. It smelled of smoking despite being a non smoking boat (we had to buy air fresheners to mask it), we had to pump out within 24 hours and fill water within 48.

1st toilet stopped working within 24 hours, the second within 72 hours (the boat smelled as a consequence). An engineer was called out to us to fix the first toilet, we gave up on the second.

Staff at the centre seem disinterested and fed up with tourists despite being reliant on it.

On the whole, therefore, it’s a miss and if we were to do it again we’d use a different company.

We recommend you do too.

If we could give a minus * we most definitely would . We Booked a winter cruise on the basis that the brochure said " These boats all have warm air heating systems to ensure you won't be cold on board" . Well that might have been the case during the day, but we were told not to have the heating on when we went to bed for risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, I don't feel the cold normally BUT it was unbelievably cold in the bedrooms and toilet, there was no way would we have a shower it was freezing. The blown air heating didn't even reach the said rooms during the day, so it never even got warm in the first place, all the bedding and clothes felt damp.
The windscreen didn't have any form of demister so we couldn't clear the screen , which was a real pain when motoring and it snowed.
We only found out from a fellow boater at 10.20am that the environment agency were going to shut the barrier to the Marina at 11.am ... If we didn't get out by then we could be stuck inside it for days, NO ONE from the marina told us that...
Very disappointed as to the short distance we could travel due to bridge restrictions and high tide, Wroxham and Acle were as far as we could go , and that's it. The freezing temperature at night forced us to cut short our holiday from10 nights to 7 nights.. honestly it was that cold especially with no heating. My advice if you want to book up in the winter, only do so if you are an Eskimo. We left the fridge door open to warm us up.
Another thing to look out for is the fuel gauge was OFF the full symbol when we left , so it wasn't a full tank of fuel yet we were charged £140 when they topped it up ( allegedly)... All in all it was one of the worst holidays we have had, would we recommend it.. NOT A HOPE IN HELL...
The plus side was the ladies in reception were kind and understanding, the " main man" who showed us the boat was bl**dy rude , horrible and patronising...

We are experienced Broads boaters, and this was our 4th time with Herbert Woods. The last time was six years ago, and sadly this time the standard has dropped considerably.
The main issue is the boats. Not just tired and old, but very dirty. We had dogs with us, and paid over £100 for extra cleaning. I have to say we returned the boat a darn sight cleaner than when we picked it up. They can’t say that you get what you pay for, as other companies are offering far more modern, cleaner boats for a similar price. The boat cleaners should spend less time being surly and actually down right rude to customers and more time doing their job..!! The reception staff were ok, apart from the fact that I called about some lost property and was promised a call back when they were “Less busy” A week later I’m still waiting. The boat proficiency check was ok, but no mention was made about the risks due to the tidal differential, and the effects on mooring warps. which regular boaters will know is important.
I’m sorry, but there is plenty of competition on the Broads and I won’t be coming back.