Norfolk Broads Tourist Map

Suggested Itinerary

If you're coming for a whole week, you'll be able to explore much of the northern broads with some quick stops on the way. Consider our travel itinerary below or plan your own exploration of the Norfolk Broads.

Day One - Arrival

You'll be welcomed onboard your boat and left for a while to allow you time to get "ship shape" with your belongings and provisions. Then, one of our experienced boat handlers will officially guide you through how the boat operates and give you a river trial to ensure that you're happy with the controls of the boat and protocols of the river. Once you're happy with this, your holiday begins. We might suggest you first stop being Potter Heigham, one of the main centres of the Norfolk Broads. It's only an hours cruise away and the first signs that you're approaching are the pretty riverside chalets that line both sides of the river Thurne. Watch out for fishermen's rods down here, keen anglers occupy many of the chalets.

There's plenty of mooring available on the Repps bank (on your right as you travel towards Potter Heigham), so select one large enough and moor up. You'll often find other boaters more than willing to lend a hand if you need it. Look out for an old windmill tower on the Repps bank - it's a little hidden by trees about 500 yards from the bridge. This used to be the holiday home of Sir Roger Moore in the 1970s. On the opposite bank is a curious round white building that was once the Helter Skelter from the pier at Great Yarmouth!

Potter Heigham features a small medieval bridge over the river and this marks the centre of the tourist area of the village, although technically, the main village is about half a mile away on the other side of the main A149 Yarmouth to Cromer road. There's a riverside pub available to quench your thirst and a selection of provisions and gift shops with Latham’s being the largest. This is a mecca for bargain hunters and many hours (and pounds) can be spent rummaging around.

Day two - Hickling & Horsey

Now you have a choice. You can go under Potter Heigham bridge (however only with the aid of a bridge pilot who will advise you whether the water level is suitable for your boat) or turn around and head back towards Ludham and on to Thurne.

If you can get safely through the bridge, it's well worth the experience. After about a mile, the riverside chalets are gone and you're into some of the most spectacular areas of the Norfolk Broads. Up here you'll find the largest of all the Broads, Hickling. It is truly massive and is part managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. A two-hour water trail takes you into the backwaters of the broad and provides access to a Tree Tower offering splendid views over the Norfolk Broads. At the far end of the broad is the Pleasure Boat Inn, which is a good place to stop for a tipple and some food.

We'd recommend that you explore Horsey Mere too. This forms part of the Horsey Estate which is run by the National Trust. The mere is closed to river traffic from 31st October to 31st March, as it's a vital nature reserve often used by migratory birds. At the head of Horsey Mere is a staithe with the iconic Horsey Windmill. Horsey Windmill was struck by lightning and destroyed in 1943 and acquired by the National Trust in 1948. It has since been restored to full working order and visitors can climb to the platform around the cap and get amazing views across the broadland landscape. A walk to Horsey Gap beach is to be recommended. If you're lucky, you'll see some seals. In September 2007, guests who stayed at our holiday cottage (Providence Place, see testimonials) reported seeing over 100. A camera and binoculars are key to recording this.

Day three - Thurne, St Benets Abbey, Ranworth

Back to Potter Heigham Bridge and through to Thurne. Here the white windmill is probably one of the most photographed structures on the Norfolk Broads. The small village of Thurne has a dyke for mooring with a gift shop and the Lion Inn at the head of the dyke. Perhaps a spot of lunch is in order. Then, on to Thurne Mouth where the river joins the Bure which heads straight on to Yarmouth or right towards Horning and Wroxham. Turn right here and you'll be on a much wider river. After about 40 minutes you'll see St Benets Abbey appear on the right hand bank. This looks like a ruin that someone has built a windmill in - and you'll not be wrong. St Benets is unique - it was the only monastery that was undisturbed by the dissolution, though much of the practice was transferred to Norwich which left the buildings to ruin. The mill structure was built in around 1810 but by 1883, the sails had blown off. You can visit the site of St Benets on foot from a riverside mooring.

Opposite St Benets Abbey is Fleet Dyke which leads to the twin South Walsham Broads. Originally, when the Broads were first flooded, South Walsham Broads were landlocked and Fleet Dyke was purposefully dug to allow navigation. South Walsham inner broad is private, though cruisers are permitted to enter but not moor. The outer broad has no official mooring around the perimeter, but you can drop your mud-weight and bob in the middle.

Back onto the Bure and you can now visit Ranworth. It's about an hour between the two villages of South Walsham and Ranworth by river, but as the crow flies it's less than 2 miles. Ranworth too has twin broads and the names are often confused. The navigable Broad is called Malthouse Broad and the other is Ranworth. A stop here is highly commended. Ranworth Staithe (on Malthouse broad) offers 24-hour moorings and access to this quaint village. There's a shop offer provisions and gifts on the staithe along with a Broads Authority information centre and, just across the road, the Maltster's pub. A short walk up the hill brings you out to St Helen's Church, locally dubbed the Cathedral of the Broads. A medieval Rood Screen inside is well worth a visit and another key attraction of St Helens is the fact that you can climb the tower. Up here, you can get the most spectacular views over the rivers.

Ranworth is also the home of a popular wildlife centre. Housed at the entrance to Ranworth Broad, the centre is approached via a boardwalk from the village, which runs through marshland, reedbeds and carr woodland. The boardwalk itself will occupy you for long enough and with the visitor centre at the end offering splendid views across the nature reserve, a visit to Ranworth is likely to see your day fully occupied.

Day four - Horning & Wroxham

Back onto the Bure and you're getting close to Horning. This picturesque village is amazing from the river with waterside properties taking all shapes and sizes. There's even a mock windmill. Three riverside inns cater for thirsty boaters and you'll soon see the Southern Comfort party boat (styled as a Mississippi Paddle Steamer) come into view either at its mooring at the Swan Inn or en-route. Horning is a very popular mooring point and spaces in summer can get limited - keep your eyes peeled.

Beyond Horning is Hoveton Little Broad which is open between April and November to river traffic. Further on you'll see a converted windmill that now looks more like a light house with it's glass viewing platform at the top and shortly after this is Salhouse Broad. This is a very popular area, especially with children with its small sandy beach and open spaces, wide heath land and children's climbing frames. Watch out for the Ice Cream boat - you can't miss it.

Out of the broad and back onto the Bure, and you can visit Hoveton Great Broad. Access to this nature reserve is only by river. Moor up on the Bure and take a boardwalk trail to the southern reaches of the broad. Trail through carr woodland on the edge of the broad. (Open 9 April-14 Sept Sun-Thurs 10-5). A little further on you'll find Wroxham Broad. This is a private broad that's open to river traffic but there's no mooring permitted. This is the home of the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club with racing being the mainstay of the activity on this water.

Back onto the main river and you'll soon see the riverside houses of the elite of Wroxham appear. At the height of his popularity, George Formby was a resident of Wroxham. You'll soon come upon Wroxham's twin bridges. The first is a modern footbridge immediately adjacent to the old arched stone bridge. A river pilot will take you through these if you have enough headroom. Beyond the bridge Wroxham's public moorings and it is recommended that you spend some time here.

Wroxham is the undisputed capital of the Norfolk Broads - though it's fairer to call it Hoveton for the village of Wroxham is to the south and the site that we all know as Wroxham is on the northern banks of the Bure which is Hoveton. Not withstanding that geographic anomaly, Roys of Wroxham proudly calls itself the "World's Largest Village Store". Just a quick look and it's easy to see why. It's a plethora of shops dominating the village from a large supermarket to a purpose-built department store (rebuilt in the late 1980s after a fire destroyed the previous shop), children's toy shop, fashions and DIY.

Day five - Coltishal, Cockshoot Broad, Ludham Bridge

Take a lazy trip now from Wroxham along this beautiful stretch of river to Coltishal. Until 2006, Coltishal was the home of the RAF Jaguar squadron when the base was decommissioned. The skies are quieter now and this stretch of river is less busy after the hustle of Wroxham. Mooring up at the wide-open common at Coltishal gives you the chance to give the dogs a good run, play ball with the children or just relax on the boat. Coltishal is the end of navigation so you'll need to turn around and go back from whence you came, perhaps going back through Wroxham bridge and heading back to Horning or beyond.

Just past Horning is Cockshoot Broad. In 1980, Cockshoot was dammed off from the River Bure and so began a project aimed at getting the Broad back to it's natural state. Gradually, the chemicals from years of intensive farming, riverboats and other pollutants have been removed from the broad and the water is now remarkably clear with water lilies in abundance. Moor up at Cockshoot dyke and take the boardwalk along the dammed section of the dyke to the bird hide at the end looking out over this "restored" broad.

If you've got time, head back towards St Benets Abbey and turn left just before onto the River Ant. The Ant is a narrow river initially flanked by reed beds. You'll soon come to Ludham Bridge, which is easily navigable with around 8 foot of head height. However, you may need to drop your canopy. Just beyond are some public moorings with access to Ludham Bridge Stores a craft shop and local artist's gallery. A 10-minute walk up the road and you'll find The Dog public house.

Day Six - Turf Fen, Barton Broad, Hunsett Mill

Head off up the Ant and after about 40 minutes you'll see the restored Turf Fen Wind pump appear on the horizon with a majestic thatched house to the right. This is How Hill Study Centre. Adjacent to How Hill Staithe is Toad Hall Cottage, a tiny thatched cottage that was once home to a local Marsh man and his family. Marsh men used to maintain the riverbanks and cut the water reed that grows in abundance. The reed was (and still is) used for thatching and you can commonly see bundles drying out on the bank by the boathouse. A Nature Trail can be visited from here or you can take a walk up to Clayrack Mill and Boardman's Mill, two frame windmills once used to drain the land. Back on the boat and you're only 45 minutes from Barton Broad - the second largest of the broads and site of one of the most ambitious natural history restoration projects ever seen. Using millennium project money in the year 1995, the Clear Water 2000 project set about removing mud and sediment from the broad. In total, over 50 tonnes of phosphorus was removed from the broad with enough mud to fill over 26 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The project was a resounding success with the water quality vastly improved. Consider visiting Gayes Staithe for a walk around Herons Carr Boardwalk, which culminates at a viewing platform over Turkey Broad (non navigable) looking out to Barton Broad. Overnight at Stalham. This small town is about five minutes walk from the staithe and features public houses, eateries and a large supermarket.

Day seven - Hunsett Mill - Heading back

It's time to head back down the Ant now, but before you do, head towards Dilham for another of the Broad's iconic sights, Hunsett Mill. In April 2004, Hunsett Mill was on the market for £650,000. The wealthy new owner is looking after it well.

A further 20 minutes and you're upon Wayford Bridge. If you can get under, you're a couple of miles from the head of navigation and access to the only canal in Norfolk, the Dilham Canal. Long since disused, it's only navigable by canoe. About turn and head back to Ludham Bridge (about 3 miles from Ludham village!) and back onto the Bure. Consider overnighting at Thurne or Potter Heigham ready for your return to Womack Water the next day.