BeenThere-DoneThat		The Unofficial Guide to Great Britain

The Norfolk Broads is Britain's largest protected wetland and third largest inland waterway, has the status of a national park and also harbours some of the rarest plants and animals in the UK.

The area lies in the triangle formed by Lowestoft in the South, Norwich to the West and Sea Palling in the North. Consisting of open areas of water linked by navigable channels it provides well over 100 miles of lock-free navigation for cruising in boats. The Broads were formed by shallow depressions left after peat was removed by man hundreds of years ago for burning on fires. Peat is no longer used as a fuel but there is still demand for another Broads product - reeds used in thatching.

We visited part of the Broads on the last day of our trip to Norwich which was a Sunday. Visiting on a fine summer's day at the weekend is probably not the best time for peace and solitude. One of the places we were hoping to visit for a walk around was serviced by only one, relatively small, car park at the end of a very narrow country lane. We arrived mid-morning and found the car park to be full so we were not able to stay. This also applied to Ranworth to an extent except that we did find a space. Salworth Broad was a different matter with there being plenty of room in the car park and the only crowded part here was the number of moored boats. There is only one rule for this in high season - go early!

Within the area covered by the waterways there are many historic villages including medieval churches, gardens, windmills and stately homes. There are also many walking and cycling routes. Here is a list of information centres

Public transport links are good with the Wherry Lines which link Norwich with Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft and the Broads Hopper bus travelling through the Broads and linking up with both the Wherry Lines and the Bittern Line.

Norfolk		England