The Broads Totally Explained

Everything about The Broads totally explained

The Broads is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes (known locally as broads) in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land was constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988. The Broads Authority, a Special Statutory Authority responsible for managing the area, became operational in 1989. The total area is 303 km² (188 miles), most of which is in Norfolk, with over 200 km (125 miles) of navigable waterways. There are seven rivers and sixty three broads, mostly less than twelve feet deep. Thirteen broads are generally open to navigation, with a further three having navigable channels. Some broads have navigation restrictions imposed on them in autumn and winter.
Although the terms Norfolk Broads and Suffolk Broads are used to identify those areas within the two counties respectively, the whole area is sometimes referred to as the "Norfolk Broads". The Broads has the same status as the national parks in England and Wales but as well as the Broads Authority having powers and duties almost identical to the national parks it's also the third largest inland navigation authority. Because of its navigation role the Broads Authority was established under its own legislation on 1 April 1989. More recently the Authority wanted to change the name of the area to The Broads National Park in recognition of the fact that the status of the area is equivalent to the rest of the national park family but was unable to get agreement from all the different parties. The Private Bill the Authority is promoting through Parliament is largely about improving public safety on the water and the Authority didn't want to delay or jeopardise these provisions for the name issue, so the provision was dropped before the Bill was deposited in Parliament.

Management

The Broads are managed by the Broads Authority. Special legislation gives the navigation of the waterways equal status with the conservation and public enjoyment of the area.
Specific parts of 'the Broads' have been awarded a variety of conservation 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:

A specific project being considered under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan is re-introduction of the Large Copper butterfly, whose habitat has been reduced by reduction of fens.
The Broads give their name to the Broadland district council area, although some of the geographical areas covered by the Broads are covered by a neighboring district council.

History

For many years the broads were regarded as natural features of the landscape. It was only in the 1960s that Dr Joyce Lambert proved that they were artificial features, the effect of flooding on early peat excavations. 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 peat lands as a turbary business, selling fuel to Norwich and Great Yarmouth. The Cathedral took 320,000 tonnes of peat a year. 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 reed beds, 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". There are a number of companies hiring boats for leisure use, including both yachts and motor launches. The Norfolk Wherry, the traditional cargo craft of the area, can still be seen on the Broads as some specimens have been preserved and restored. Ted Ellis, a local naturalist, referred to the Broads as "the breathing space for the cure of souls"
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.

Geography

The Broads largely follows the line of the rivers and natural navigations of the area. There are seven navigable rivers, the River Yare and its (direct and indirect) tributaries the Rivers Bure, Thurne, Ant, Waveney, Chet and Wensum. There are no locks on any of the rivers (except for Mutford lock in Oulton Broad that links to the saltwater Lake Lothing in Lowestoft), all the waterways are subject to tidal influence. The tidal range decreases with distance from the sea, with highly tidal areas such as Breydon Water contrasted with effectively non-tidal reaches such as the River Ant upstream of Barton Broad.
   The broads themselves range in size from small pools to the large expanses of Hickling Broad, Barton Broad and Breydon Water. The broads are unevenly distributed, with far more broads in the northern half of Broadland (the Rivers Bure, Thurne and Ant) than in the central and southern portions (the Rivers Yare, Waveney, Chet and Wensum). Individual broads may lie directly on the river, or are more often situated to one side and connected to the river by an artificial channel or dyke.
   Besides the natural watercourses of the rivers, and the ancient but artificial broads, there's one more recent navigation canal, the lock-less New Cut which connects the Rivers Yare and Waveney whilst permitting boats to by-pass Breydon Water.
   There is also a second navigable link to the sea, via the River Waveney and its link to Oulton Broad. Oulton Broad is part of the Broads tidal system, but is immediately adjacent to Lake Lothing which is itself directly connected to the sea via the harbour at Lowestoft. Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing are connected by Mutford Lock, the only lock on the broads and necessary because of the different tidal ranges and cycles in the two lakes.
   In the lists below, names of broads are emboldened to help distinguish them from towns and villages.

River Bure

The River Bure is a tributary of the River Yare which rises near Aylsham in Norfolk and joins the Yare just downstream of Breydon Water. On its way it flows through or passes:

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

Upton Broad

Upton Broads and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest

Upton Fen

Acle

Oby

Stokesby

Mautby Decoy

Great Yarmouth

River Thurne

The River Thurne is a tributary of the River Bure. It rises near Martham Broad and flows for about six miles to Thurne Mouth where it joins the Bure. It is wide open and wind-swept, and on its way it flows through or passes:

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

River Ant

The River Ant is a tributary of the River Bure. It rises at Dilham and joins the Bure at St. Benet's Abbey. It is winding and narrow, and on its way it flows through or passes:

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

Irstead

Broad Fen

Calthorpe Broad (NNR) (National Nature Reserve)

Ingham, Norfolk

River Yare

The River Yare rises south of Dereham and flows through the southern fringes of the city of Norwich, passes through Breydon Water and flows into the sea between Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. On its way it passes through:

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

Surlingham Church Marsh RSPB reserve.

Brundall Broad

Haddiscoe

Haddiscoe Cut also known as New Cut

Brundall

Langley

Postwick

Thorpe St. Andrew

Barnby Broad

River Chet

The River Chet is a tributary of the River Yare. It flows through, or passes by:

Loddon

Chedgrave

Hardley Flood

River Waveney

The River Waveney is a tributary of the River Yare, joining that river just upstream of Breydon Water. It flows through, or passes by:

Beccles

Fritton

Fritton Decoy

Bungay

Oulton Broad

Benacre Broad NNR (National Nature Reserve)

Covehithe Broad NNR

Easton Broad NNR

River Wensum

The River Wensum is a tributary of the River Yare. It rises in the Breckland area of south-west Norfolk and flows through the centre of the city of Norwich before joining the Yare just to the east of that city. The navigable section of the river is entirely urban and runs from the centre of Norwich, past Norwich Cathedral to the confluence with the River Yare.

Trinity Broads

The Trinity Broads are an exception to the general rule, in that whilst they're connected to each other they've no navigable connection to the rest of the broads. The broads are:

Rollesby Broad

Ormesby Broad

Filby Broad

Lily Broad

Ormesby Little Broad

Ecology

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.
The scarce Cetti's Warbler breeds in the Broads, and Britain's only breeding Common Cranes are found in the area.
Among the rare insects are the Norfolk hawker, a dragonfly and the Swallowtail butterfly. Some of the broads are surrounded by fens, for example reed and sedge beds. Norfolk reed from the broads has been a traditional material for thatching houses.

Further Information

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