THE BROADS

(Redirected from The Broads National Park)
'The Broads' are 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 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.[1]
The total area, the majority of which is in Norfolk, is 303 km², with over 200 km of navigable waterways. There are seven rivers and about fifty broads, mostly less than twelve feet deep. Out of fifty or so broads, only thirteen are generally open to navigation, with a further three having navigable channels. Some broads have navigation restrictions imposed on them in autumn and winter. [2]
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 Authority is promoting a Private Bill to be put before parliament in 2006 to create the "Broads National Park". Since the "Standford principle" governing National parks puts a priority on conservation, there would be a conflict with the navigation aspects of the Broads. The Minister responsible has therefore opposed the national park aspect and this is likely to be dropped.
Yachts on the Norfolk Broads



Contents
Management
History
Geography
River Bure
River Thurne
River Ant
River Yare
River Chet
River Waveney
River Wensum
Trinity Broads
Ecology
References
See also
External links

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:


Bure Marshes NNR


Benacre NNR


Ant Broads & Marshes NNR


Hickling Broad NNR


Ludham - Potter Heigham NNR


Redgrave and Lopham Fen NNR


Martham Broad NNR


Calthorpe Broad NNR


Mid-Yare NNR
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.

History


Muttons mill, one of the many historic drainage windpumps on the Norfolk Broads

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 "turbaries" (peat diggings) as a 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 and other major disasters where over 1000 people died from the 'plague'.
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". 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"[1]
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 point at which Breydon Water splits into the River Yare and The River Waveney

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 is 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 em'bold'ened 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, Norfolk, England

★ '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'

Neatishead

Barton Turf

Irstead

How Hill

Ludham Bridge

★ '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:

Burgh Castle

Beccles

St. Olaves

Herringfleet

Somerleyton

Fritton

★ 'Fritton Decoy'

Gillingham

Geldeston

Burgh St. Peter

Bungay

Ditchingham

Lowestoft

★ 'Oulton Broad'

Kessingland

★ '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 are connected to each other they have 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, i.e. reed and sedge beds. Norfolk reed from the broads has been a traditional material for thatching houses.

References


1. The Broads Authority. ''The Broads Act''. Retrieved January 23, 2006.
2. Living Lakes Partnership (1998-2005). ''The Broads, England''. Retrieved January 23, 2006.

See also



★ The children's novels "Coot Club" and "The Big Six", both by Arthur Ransome, are set on the Broads.

External links



Norfolk Broads

Broads Authority

Discover the Norfolk Broads

How Hill

Speakers Corner - A Forum with reference to The Norfolk Broads

Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988

BroadsNet — a cruising guide to the Norfolk Broads illustrated with maps and photographs

The Norfolk Broads Forum provides a treasure trove of information about the area

Windmills & Watermills in the Broads area from the Norfolkmills website

Shorebase - Norfolk Broads Information, Maps, Photos, Weather, Tides, & Local Links

visitnorfolk.co.uk - Norfolk broads guide on the official Norfolk Tourism website

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