There’s an almost miraculous richness of wildlife in the Broads National Park – a unique landscape of shallow, reed-fringed lakes or ‘broads’, waterways and rivers flanked by grazing marshes. It’s not at all easy to see it from the land.

One of the best ways of getting really close to it is by taking a waterborne safari – venturing by yourself (or in a group of up to four) in a canoe, into the reedy open waters and along the tree-fringed rivers – and sometimes along waters free of motorized craft. Paddling at your own pace and without the disturbance of engine noise, you’ll be in the ideal position for spotting kingfishers, voles, herons and maybe even the elusive otter. Keep your ears alert for the song of a Cetti’s warbler, and on the river bank look out for the bright yellow collar of a grass snake. When you feel like a rest, there are plenty of places along the river where you can stop for a while (please respect any ‘private’ signs’), and it’s an idyllic way to sample local pubs and restaurants.

Wildlife on the water and canoeing through the reeds.
Photos: Broads Authority.

Each of the six centres offering canoe hire is described overleaf. They’re scattered over the Broads, and each has its own character. You might like to try more than one to experience the diversity of wildlife the Broads can offer. Most of the canoe centres are accessible by public transport, so even if you’re travelling without a car you can use trains and buses to reach most of them.

The Itinerary

You don’t need any experience of canoeing to enjoy the magic of canoeing in the Broads, and all the family can take part. There’s virtually no current, and even if you’ve never canoed before you will soon get moving. You decide how strenuous or relaxing you want to be. Technically it’s not that different from rowing a boat on a park pond – only it’s much, much more exciting!

The Broads never look or feel quite the same from one day to the next, and the changes between seasons are even more dramatic. Canoe safaris are worth doing in autumn and spring too, though bear in mind that canoe hire yards are closed in winter.

Car-free ways of reaching the canoe centres
If you’re visiting the area using public transport or cycle, there are plenty of ways of reaching most of the canoe hire centres. You can even arrive by train in Norwich, join a boat cruise that starts near the station and get off at a canoe hire centre.

Where to start
There are six Broads Canoe Hire Centres throughout the Broads National Park. They rent Canadian canoes, which are very stable and take two, three or four adults and the hire charge includes buoyancy aids, including life jackets. You also get a dry bag for keeping the splashes off your valuables. At only £25 a day or £15 a half-day per canoe, this healthy and highly environmentally friendly of way of getting around is remarkably good value. You don’t need special skills or any experience, and all the family can join in. At low bridges you may need to get out and carry the canoe over a stretch, but this is easily managed by two adults.

Broads Canoe Hire Centres
Outney Meadow Caravan Park, Bungay
Just outside Bungay, and a short walk from the town centre; National Express buses from London stop here, and there is a limited bus service from Beccles (which has rail services). On a great horseshoe meander of the River Waveney, this centre is well placed for exploring a stretch of the river free of motorised craft. You can paddle upstream around the meander until the bypass bridge, and then back, for a short excursion. Downstream, head along the river to the Locks Inn at Geldeston, by the start of the navigation; carry on to the Wherry at Geldeston, and if you want a long day, as far as Beccles, and you may glimpse otters on the way. Homersfield makes a satisfying objective, and you can also stop off at the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton (admission free) for tea. Outney Meadow also rents out cycles and has pitches for caravans. Bungay itself is a delightful historic East Anglian town that is fun to explore: the waymarked Bigod Way (yellow arrows on brown) takes you round a series of loops, passing the castle ruins.

Rowancraft, Geldeston
The bus stop here is next to the Wherry public house and is a minute’s walk from the boatyard. Bus 580, run by Anglian Coaches, runs approximately hourly (not Sunday or bank holidays) from Beccles Old Market Place (a 10-minute walk from Beccles rail station); the same service goes from Diss to Yarmouth via Beccles – all of which have rail stations. Geldeston is also on National Cycle Network Route 1.

Downstream an easy day’s paddling would be to canoe to Beccles, where the church tower comes into view as you approach the town. Stop for lunch in town – for example at the Waveney House Hotel, handily placed on the waterfront (may need to reserve mooring in high summer). In the upstream direction, Bungay is a good place to aim for; you soon pass the remote Locks Inn after which there are no motorised craft beyond a low footbridge. The abundant wildlife includes geese, ducks and moorhens in great numbers, and kingfishers. For a full list of places to eat and stay please see the section at the end of the guide.

Waveney River Centre
Tucked away on a remote loop of the River Waveney, this is a perfect spot for relaxation and exercise. In addition to canoe hire it offers holiday accommodation to let including lodges and apartments, holiday homes for sale, a family-friendly pub and restaurant – the Waveney Inn – a Nordic Leisure Centre with a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna and spa, a campsite for tents and touring caravans, a shop, a day cruiser, bicycle hire, boat servicing and private moorings.

From here you can paddle all day in either direction along the Waveney. Experienced canoeists might like to venture towards Oulton Broad (which gets very busy with craft); a quieter stretch for novices is to go upstream along the Waveney in the Beccles direction.
This passes Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve (owned by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust), an area of grazing marshes, reed beds, dykes and minibroads which attracts a variety of marsh flowers, insects and birds.

Canoeing in convoy. Photo: Broads Authority.

Wildlife and places to stay and eat on the Waveney
During summer months warblers are seen and heard on the river – Cetti’s warblers, reed warblers, sedge warblers and grasshopper warblers, and great creasted grebe and dragonflies are common sightings; less common is the marsh harrier, and you would be very lucky to spot one of the Waveney’s many (but elusive) otters. Yellow flag makes a colourful splash by the river banks. In addition to the accommodation at Waveney River Centre and Outney Meadow, the Three Horseshoes and Waveney House Hotel (both in Beccles) are usefully placed destinations for lunch or a drink; the Waveney House Hotel has 3-star accommodation. Earsham Park Farm, near Bungay, has a Visit Britain Gold Award for its guesthouse accommodation.

Norfolk County Council Outdoor Education Centre, Whitlingham Country Park
Buses 58 and 58A go every 15 minutes from Norwich city centre to Trowse, from where it is a 15-minute walk from the village centre, along Whitlingham Lane, opposite the church just outside the built-up area of Norwich, Whitlingham is the newest of the broads, created in recent years from a disused gravel quarry. Canoeing here can be on Whitlingham Broad itself, or along the River Yare. Now landscaped and centred on a splendid new Broad, the site is managed by a charitable trust and it is a place to come for all kinds of activities: as well as canoeing (which is on offer all year round), there is bike hire, archery, orienteering, abseiling, sailing and instruction in various other outdoor activities. It is also good for bird watching and they also run nature-based events such as pond-dipping and moth and bat evenings.

Bank Dayboats, Wayford Bridge
On the A149 between Stalham and Hoveton. Bus 736 (not Sun or public holidays), Cromer–North Walsham–Yarmouth, six services daily; about 20 minutes from North Walsham (nearest station), or 10 minutes by taxi.
Canoeists can base themselves across the road at the Wayford Bridge Hotel. To the north there is a marvellously evocative old canal, no longer used by mechanised craft but ideal for canoeing 1 ½ miles up to the disused lock; kingfishers, otters and marsh harriers are often seen along here – the marsh harriers can be seen dropping food offerings to their partner or offspring while in flight. South from Wayford Bridge, the River Ant can be followed to reach Barton Broad, and you can divert to the Museum of the Broads at Stalham. Run by volunteers, this fascinating museum on the history of the Broads is open to the public throughout the summer. The heritage of the waterways and the people who lived there and worked along it are vividly brought to life. The museum is involved with the preservation of Broads' heritage as well as conserving and restoring objects, including boats, which tell a local story. On Wednesdays from the beginning of April to the end of October, the museum runs steam boat tours.

Barnes Brinkcraft, Wroxham
A 10-minute walk from Hoveton & Wroxham station (with direct services to Norwich) and terminus of the Bure Valley Railway. If arriving by bus, get off at Roy’s Shop in the village centre; Barnes Brinkcraft is a two-minute walk from the bus stop. There are plenty of places to eat and stay nearby and in the charming village of Coltishall only a further mile and a half along the B1345. For a full list see the section at the end of the guide.

Very much in the centre of the boating scene, Wroxham is an excellent starting point for venturing by canoe along the River Bure. you can paddle upstream past Belaugh towards Coltishall, or downstream past the entrance to Wroxham Broad and Hoveton Great Broad towards Horning and Bure Marshes National Nature Reserve: this reserve is full of wildlife, including the Norfolk hawker dragonfly, the swallowtail butterfly, and nesting birds such as reed, sedge and grasshopper warblers. Otters are attracted by the variety of fish, and the rare bittern frequents the reedbeds.

Paddling through the reeds. Photo: Broads Authority.

Reproduced by kind permission of the Broads Authority © 2006