Making the most of the Beautiful Norfolk Broads

Yes, it may sound like a cliché but it’s 100% true that you really are spoiled for choice when it comes to holidaying in the Norfolk Broads. Just ask the eight million visitors who come for a holiday or day trip to the area every year.

It’s not just the stunning waterways to go boating upon, there is also the wildlife, culture and gorgeous little villages you can’t help but stumble across when you go exploring.

The Broads National Park – also known as the ‘last wilderness in southern Britain – consists of more than 60 areas of water, known as ‘Broads’ and seven rivers. It is actually the UK’s third biggest inland navigation region and the Broads themselves have been traversed upon by humans from as far back as the 19th century.

A haven for nature lovers

Nature lovers too love the Broads for its abundance of rare wildlife. Britain’s largest butterfly, the Swallowtail, resides here, for instance. And so too does a rare species of dragonfly, known as the Norfolk Hawker. 

There are, in fact, nine national nature reserves in the Norfolk Broads National Park, together with 28 sites of specific scientific interest – to the extent it is the UK’s largest protected wetland area.

Natural history writer @patrick_barkham, embarking on his own rowing trip on a Norfolk Broads paddle boat says: “I’m aware that all I can hear is the gentle slop and sloosh of water against prow as Saffron rocks gently with Zoe’s oar-work. Actually, no – there’s the shrill fuss of a redshank and the delightful burble of a curlew.”

Where to eat and drink in The Broads

Again, there are plenty of commendable eateries here in the Norfolk Broads. One of our top favourites has to be The Royal Oak in Beccles for its very moreish pizza. For fish and chips there is HMS Hinchinbrook at Great Yarmouth and for a healthy, local, seasonally-grown menu, there is always the Kitchen Garden Courtyard Café in Hoveton.

Where to stay in The Broads

There are so many beautiful riverside cottages here in the Broads, as well as homely hotel rooms and old, character-filled inns. Book a boat for a week’s holiday and you can, if you like, berth down in that. But there are also opportunities to stop off at land-based accommodation if you would prefer that.

In addition to the cottages and old inns, you can also find perfectly comfortable sleeping accommodation in converted barns and the more rustic campsite option.

Regardless of where you choose to stay though, you are bound to end up having a holiday you and your family will remember for many years to come. And who knows, the Norfolk Broads may just become one of your favourite ‘go to’ destinations. It is for thousands of returning visitors every year, after all.

Get in touch

To find out more about the wonders of the Norfolk Broads and to book one of our gorgeous riverside cottages then take a look at our website www.herbertwoods.co.uk today.

Did you find this article useful? Why not visit our Norfolk Broads boating holiday page or browse our fantastic choice of waterside properties by the river and a short drive from the coast?