The Broads National Park

They are Britain's newest national park and are in the care of the Broads Authority. Special legislation gives the navigation of the waterways equal status with the conservation and public enjoyment of the area.

The total area is 303 sq. km. over 200 km of waterways. There are 6 rivers and about 50 shallow lakes known as broads.

Specific parts of 'the Broads' have been awarded a variety of designations, for instance:

• Special Protection Area (SPA) status for an area named 'Broadland' composed of 28 SSSIs Site of Special Scientific Interest
• Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) status for parts of the Halvergate Marshes
• National Nature Reserve (NNR) status for:
  • Bure Marshes NNR
  • Benacre NNR
  • Ant Broads & Marshes NNR
  • Hickling Broad NNR
  • Ludham - Potter Heigham NNR
  • Redgrave and Lopham Fen NNR
  • Martham Broad NNR
  • Calthorpe Broad National Nature Reserve
  • Mid-Yare NNR

The Romans first exploited the rich peat beds of the area for fuel, and in the Middle Ages the local monasteries began to excavate the "turbaries" (peat diggings) as a business, selling fuel to Norwich and Yarmouth. Then the sea levels began to rise, and the pits began to flood. Despite the construction of windpumps and dykes[?], the flooding continued and resulted in the typical Broads landscape of today, with its reedbeds, grazing marshes and wet woodland.

The Broads have been a favourite boating holiday destination since the early 20th century. The waterways are lock-free, although there are three bridges under which only small cruisers can pass. The area attracts all kinds of visitors, including ramblers, artists, anglers, and bird-watchers as well as people "messing about in boats". The Norfolk wherry can still be seen on the Broads as some specimens have been lovingly restored.

A great variety of boats can be found on the Broads, from Edwardian trading wherries to state-of-the-art electric or solar-powered boats.

The Broads are Britain's largest protected wetland and are home to a wealth of wildlife, especially birdlife. Amongst the waterfowl: mallard, coot[?], moorhen[?], Great Crested Grebe, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose. Larger birds include Grey Heron, cormorant[?], kestrel, sparrowhawk[?] and bittern. Among the rare insects is the Norfolk hawker, a dragonfly.

Some of the broads are surrounded by fens, i.e. reed[?] and sedge[?] beds.

The broads range in size from small pools to the vast expanses of Hickling Broad, Barton Broad and Breydon Water. They are unevenly distributed; there are far more broads in the northern half of Broadland, and out of 50 or so broads, only 13 are open to navigation. A further three -- Martham Broad, Sutton Broad[?] and Womack Water[?] -- have navigable channels. Hoveton Little Broad and Horsey Mere[?] are not available for boating in autumn and winter. These 18 broads provide approximately 400 hectares (990 acres) of water for navigation.

In the lists below, names of broads are bolded to help distinguish them from towns and villages.

The River Bure rises near Aylsham in Norfolk and joins the sea at Gorleston, Great Yarmouth.

• Coltishall
• Belaugh
• Belaugh Broad[?]
• Bridge Broad[?]
• Wroxham
• Hoveton
• Wroxham Broad
• Hoveton Great Broad
• Salhouse Broad
• Bure Marshes NNR (National Nature Reserve)
• Salhouse
• Woodbastwick
• Decoy Broad[?]
• Round End[?]
• Hoveton Little Broad (sometimes called 'Blackhorse Broad')
• Burnt Fen Broad[?]
• Horning
• Cockshoot Broad
• Ranworth Broad
• Malthouse Broad
• Ranworth
• South Walsham
• St. Benet's Abbey
• Upton, Norfolk, England
• Upton Broad[?]
• Upton Broads and Marshes[?] Site of Special Scientific Interest
• Upton Fen
• Acle
• Oby
• Stokesby[?]
• Mautby Decoy[?]
• Great Yarmouth
• The Trinity Broads (Ormesby, Rollesby, Filby, Lily and Ormesby Little Broads)

The River Thurne is a tributary of the Bure. It rises near Martham Broad and flows for about 6 miles to Thurne Mouth where it joins the River Bure. It is wide open and wind-swept.

• Upper Thurne Broads and Marshes[?] Site of Special Scientific Interest
• Hickling Broad
• Hickling
• Horsey
• Horsey Mere[?]
• Martham Broad (NNR) (National Nature Reserve)
• Martham
• West Somerton[?]
• Thurne
• Potter Heigham
• Ludham
• Ludham - Potter Heigham NNR (National Nature Reserve)
• Womack Water[?]

The River Ant is a tributary of the Bure. It rises at Dilham and joins the Bure at St. Benet's Abbey. It is winding and narrow.

• Honing[?]
• North Walsham & Dilham Canal
• Dilham
• Dilham Broad[?]
• Wayford Bridge
• Barton Broad
• Stalham[?]
• Sutton[?]
• Sutton Broad[?]
• Ant Broads & Marshes NNR (National Nature Reserve)
• Turkey Broad[?]
• Alderfen Broad
• Catfield Broad[?]
• Crome's Broad
• Neatishead
• Barton Turf
• Irstead
• How Hill
• Ludham Bridge
• Broad Fen[?]
• Calthorpe Broad (NNR) (National Nature Reserve)
• Ingham, Norfolk

The River Yare rises in Norwich, passes through Breydon Water and flows into the sea at Gorleston.

• RSPB Breydon Water
• Halvergate Marshes, also RSPB reserve
• Halvergate
• Berney Arms
• RSPB Berney Marshes
• Reedham
• Cantley
• Carleton Broad[?]
• Rockland Broad[?]
• Wheatfen Broad[?]
• Strumpshaw Fen
• RSPB Strumpshaw Fen (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve)
• Mid-Yare NNR (National Nature Reserve)
• Surlingham[?]
• Surlingham Broad[?]
• Brundall Broad[?]
• Haddiscoe[?]
• Haddiscoe Cut also known as New Cut
• Brundall[?]
• Langley
• Postwick[?]
• Thorpe St. Andrew[?]
• Barnby Broad[?]

The River Chet is a tributary of the River Yare.

• Loddon
• Chedgrave[?]
• Hardley Flood[?]

The River Waveney

• Burgh Castle
• Beccles
• St. Olaves
• Herringfleet
• Somerleyton
• Fritton[?]
• Fritton Decoy[?]
• Gillingham[?]
• Geldeston[?]
• Burgh St. Peter[?]
• Bungay
• Ditchingham
• Lowestoft
• Oulton Broad[?]
• Kessingland
• Benacre Broad NNR (National Nature Reserve)
• Covehithe Broad[?] NNR
• Easton Broad[?] NNR

The River Wensum is a tributary of the River Yare.

• Norwich, England

External Links

• Broads Authority (http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk)
• How Hill (http://www.how-hill.org.uk)