Norfolk Broads
The Norfolk Broads is one of Britain's most distinctive and enchanting landscapes, a network of rivers, lakes, fens and marshes spread across the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England that was designated a National Park in 1989 and occupies a unique ecological and recreational niche. The shallow, reed-fringed waterways and open broads wind through a level landscape barely above sea level, creating a world of extraordinary tranquillity, reflected skies and intimate natural detail that is entirely unlike any other national park in Britain. The origin of the broads was an enduring mystery until the 1950s, when research by Joyce Lambert of the University of Southampton demonstrated conclusively that they are not natural lakes but the flooded remains of medieval peat diggings. Between the ninth and fourteenth centuries the inhabitants of the region excavated enormous quantities of peat as fuel for the growing towns of Norwich, Yarmouth and Bury St Edmunds. The peat workings were progressively flooded as sea levels rose during the fourteenth century, creating the shallow lakes and interconnecting channels that form the broads today. The realisation that this seemingly natural landscape was actually a human creation gave it an additional layer of historical significance. The Broads support a remarkable range of wildlife. The reed beds, once coppiced commercially for thatch but now managed primarily for conservation, provide breeding habitat for bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded tits. The open water supports diving and dabbling duck in large numbers through the winter, and the region is one of the most important wetland bird habitats in Britain. The rare swallowtail butterfly, found nowhere else in Britain, breeds in the fens and wet meadows alongside rare dragonflies and wetland plants that have disappeared from most of lowland England. The main appeal for visitors is exploring the waterways themselves, and the Broads support one of the largest fleets of hire boats in Europe. Narrowboats, broad-beamed cruisers, sailing yachts and day boats can all be hired from numerous boatyards throughout the system, and the experience of spending a few days cruising slowly between reed-fringed banks, stopping at waterside pubs and watching the marsh harriers overhead is genuinely restorative. The market towns of Wroxham and Potter Heigham serve as the principal service centres for the boating fleet. Walking and cycling routes connect the individual broads and allow exploration of the landscape on foot or by bicycle, with Hickling Broad, Barton Broad and Ranworth Broad among the most rewarding individual sites to visit.