The Broads National Park

Exploring The Broads National Park

The Broads National Park extends across 303 km² of Norfolk and Suffolk, forming Britain's largest protected wetland and one of its most distinctive lowland landscapes. Rivers, shallow lakes known as broads, reedbeds, grazing marshes, wet woodland and open waterways combine to create a landscape shaped by both water and centuries of human activity.

Water connects much of the National Park. The rivers Bure, Yare and Waveney and their tributaries run through a landscape containing more than 60 broads and surrounding wetlands, connecting villages, nature reserves and open countryside. The broads themselves originated as medieval peat diggings that later flooded as water levels rose, creating the shallow lakes that characterise the landscape today.

Walking provides a different way to explore a landscape often associated with boating. More than 190 miles / 300 km of public footpaths cross the National Park, following riverbanks, grazing marshes, woodland, farmland and wetland landscapes. Boardwalks and shorter paths also provide access to nature reserves and areas of fen and reedbed.

Several long-distance trails pass through the Broads. The Weavers' Way crosses Norfolk from Cromer to Great Yarmouth, entering the National Park as it travels through the waterways and wetlands of the Broads. Other routes follow the river valleys and marshes, connecting settlements and landscapes across the protected area.

The character of the Broads changes between its different river systems. The northern Broads around the Bure, Ant and Thurne include open water, reedbeds, woodland and villages, while the Yare and Waveney valleys to the south are characterised by broad expanses of grazing marsh, rivers and drainage mills. Towards Great Yarmouth, these waterways meet around Breydon Water before reaching the North Sea.

Overview

Landscape: Rivers, broads, reedbeds, grazing marshes, wet woodland and open waterways
Counties: Norfolk and Suffolk
Region: East of England
Country: England
Key Trail: Weavers' Way
Best For: Wetland walking, wildlife, rivers, nature reserves and long-distance trails