Messing about on the water! (Norfolk Broads)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Norfolk Broads
Date:	26/02/09 (273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxing holiday, scenery, lots to do

Disadvantages: British weather

I think a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads is the best holiday you can have in the UK (that's just my opinion, of course!). I've had a week's holiday on a boat on the Broads three times; the last time was last summer.

The Norfolk Broads is a series of lakes (broads) connected by rivers covering nearly 200 square miles of countryside in Norfolk and Suffolk. There are over 125 miles of navigable waterways in this area. One of the best things about the Broads is that, unlike canals, there are no locks to negotiate.

Despite its natural appearance, the Norfolk Broads is a man-made landscape. In the Middle Ages, the underlying peat beds were excavated for fuel (this was before coal was discovered). This created pits which, when sea levels rose, flooded to form the shallow broads we see today.

The Broads comprise the largest wetland in the UK, and has a similar protection status to a national park. Despite being very busy in the summer with hordes of boating visitors (like me), the lakes, rivers, and reed beds are home to some very special, and in some cases unique animals, birds, insects, and plants.

The very rare Bittern makes its home here, the Broads are a stronghold of the marsh harrier, a large bird of prey, and the swallow-tailed butterfly is found only in the Norfolk Broads. In the past, human activities caused wide scale pollution in the area, but it has been cleaned up. The cleaning process is still ongoing, but one success story is that otters have returned to many areas of the Broads (during my last visit, I was thrilled to see a pair of otters at How Hill Nature Reserve).

Boating is definitely the best way to see the Broads. Motor cruisers are for hire from many boat yards across the area. These are best thought of as floating caravans. They range from small (two berth) to very large (can house up to 12 people). The cruisers vary in quality from basic to almost luxurious. Even a basic cruiser will have a galley, bathroom, shower, living room and bedroom. The larger ones will have TV's CD's, DVD's, microwaves, central heating and even, in some cases, a Sony Playstation!

They can be quite comfortable, but the best feature of some of the boats is the sliding roof. These roll back and open the living room/driving position to the open air. This means you can motor along, with some people sunbathing, someone else piloting the boat, with others watching TV or eating. The roll back roof is really worth watching out for.

When picking up your boat, you will get a short course in how to steer it. This is relatively easy, but it does take some practice to do smoothly. Once you're comfortable, it can be really relaxing motoring along a picturesque river. The maximum speeds may seem low (3, 5, or 7 mph), and you may think that it would appear slow, but for some reason, it doesn't. There's no inclination to "put your foot down" as you're rarely in a hurry to get anywhere.

The Norfolk Broads area is an extremely pretty place to holiday. The scenery varies from dense woodland, large expansive broads, flat farmland, and, near Great Yarmouth, what seems like the open sea (but is really Breydon Water, an inlet from the River Yare).

There is never a shortage of things to do whilst boating. There's plenty of pubs to stop at which vary in quality from OK to excellent. There are several nice towns such as Beccles, Lowestoft, and Wroxham. You can visit inland Norwich or coastal Great Yarmouth. There are plenty of historic places to visit including the Museum of the Broads, several show wind pumps (i.e. "windmills"). There are, of course many nature reserves where you can get close to some of the wonderful wildlife that lives in the area.

All of these attractions are available within a short walk of a mooring point. Many mooring areas are free of charge, but those at the towns can attract a mooring fee.

One of the activities that the Broads is famous for is coarse fishing. This is free across the area (but you do need an Environment Agency "rod licence", although you can apply for this online).

Fishing from a boat is excellent. Most have an area at the stern which you can fish from in comfort. If it rains, you can retreat a few feet into the boat, leaving your rod outside. The fishing is very good, too, with plenty of roach, perch, rudd, pike, and bream to be caught. If you've never tried fishing, this could be a good chance to have a go.

In summary, boating on the Norfolk Broads is a peaceful, relaxing, varied, interesting holiday. If you can put up with the lottery that's English weather, it might be worth trying out.

Summary: A really nice way to spend a week.