Norfolk Broads – Boating Sailing Water Activities Pictures Gallery
Boating holidays, river cruises and an abundance of wildlife and scenery make the Norfolk Broads a destination for tourists of all ages.
Made up of Rivers Ant, Bure, Thurne, Waveney, and Yare, the Norfolk Broads are a natural spectacle of interconnected waterways and lakes.
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.
The total area, the majority of which is in Norfolk, is 303 km², with over 200 km of navigable waterways. There are 7 rivers and about 50 broads, mostly less than 12 feet deep. Out of 50 or so broads, only 13 are generally open to navigation, with a further three having navigable channels. Some broads have navigation restrictions imposed on them in autumn and winter.
The Broads give their name to the Broadland district council area
Although the terms “Norfolk Broads” and “Suffolk Broads” are used to identify those areas within the two counties repectively, 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 would be in conflict with the navigation aspects of the Broads, the Minister responsible has opposed the national park aspect and this is likely to be dropped.