A Kayak Trip on the Norfolk Broads – Wroxham

July 20th 2020

Today me and my friend Daryn, took a trip to the Norfolk broads, luckily just a quick 20-30 minute drive from my house, to have some fun and explore our local wildlife hotspot.

We wanted to do something fun, active and in a beautiful location so the decision to hire a kayak on the Norfolk Broads for the morning was an easy one. Pre-booking online was quick and easy. The kayak service we used offered multiple trips but we decided to use the Wroxham to Coltishall stretch of the River Bure for our excursion.

The Norfolk Broads are one of Britain’s 15 National Parks. This status protects the local cultural heritage, with the broads being dug out in medieval times to source peat for fuel, before flooding to create the boating waterways that still exist today. The park is Britain’s largest protected wetland and also protects a greater variety of rare wildlife than any other National Park in the country, with a huge array or species inhabiting 60 open areas of water and 7 rivers. It even hosts 9 national nature reserves, 28 sites of specific scientific interest and 25 percent of the park has received international designation for its biodiversity, making it well worth a visit for any nature lover!

It was one of Britain’s rare few hot days of the year so sunhats, bug spray and sun-cream were all necessary. If you can get DEET free sprays and creams go for it, because they are much less harmful to the local water chemistry and eco-systems.

We decided to take a 3 hour trip and covered a good 7km distance. There is no need to go fast, we just enjoyed drifting down the river at our own pace and enjoying the wildlife and scenery that surrounded us. You also have the option to take the boat out for longer and there are plenty of stops along the river to dock, take a break and have a picnic if you wish.

It was a very relaxing experience, with great weather luckily for us. The broads are usually quite busy, but on this stretch there is a section where few large boats can go, so it was easy to get some peace and quiet, enjoy the sounds of nature and even chat with other passing paddle-boarders and boaters. The surroundings are the best part however, with near pristine waterways to explore and wildlife to discover.

Along to way we saw a huge array of local Norfolk wildlife. We encountered Banded demoiselles (above), Hawker dragonflies, Herons, Swans with their cygnets (babies) and Roach, but to name a few of the wide variety of insects, birds and fish we encountered! The broads homes a much wider variety of species than this however offering something for everyone. On past trips I have also seen Water vole, Shrews, Cormorants, various duck species and a huge range of insects and there is obviously a huge variety of water plant species for the botanists.

If you are looking for something a bit special however, luck, patience, or repeat visits may be required. Otters, Kingfishers, Great Crested Grebes, Bitterns, Marsh Harriers all live in and around the broads. Swallowtail butterflies (above) are by far Britain’s largest species of butterfly and live nowhere else in the country, due to their caterpillars only being able to eat the local Milk parsley. However, conditions will have to be perfect (early morning on a bright summers day) for you to have any chance of spotting this rare species.

If you want to find out more about the wildlife you can encounter visit the Broads Authority website here.

Kayaking isn’t too difficult to get the hang of, getting in and out is the hardest part, I had done it before, but Daryn picked it up with ease too, so don’t be afraid to give it a go. I highly recommend taking a boat out on the broads whether it be a kayak or canoe. But if you are looking for a more relaxing option there are many businesses that offer motorized boats as an option, which having done before, allows for a little extra comfort and much drier clothes!

If you would also like the opportunity to explore the Norfolk Broads, by kayak or canoe, then visit https://thecanoeman.com/wroxhamhire.php where you can use the same great service that we did!