“This fragile mysterious wetland was one of my childhood playgrounds. I rowed the Yare, canoed the Bure and capsized dinghies on Hickling. On family walks, we tramped the banks of Rockland and the Thurne. We looked for wrecks on Breydon Water....
Stories of the Broads
Useful links
Welcome to the Wherry Albion, a traditional Norfolk Wherry, and known as a 'black sailed trader' she is one of only two remaining trading barges.
WYCCT needs your help to care for three of the last eight traditional Wherries on the Norfolk Broads.
Hunters Fleet - Sailing on the Norfolk Broads. We offer day boats, sailing holidays, sailing tuition and more.
Boating heritage
Throughout history Broads boats have been specially designed to suit the shallow nature of the waterways. The earliest vessels were keels carrying trade to and from Norwich - the forerunners of the famous Norfolk wherries. The coming of the railways in the Victorian era with its prosperous economic climate heralded a shift away from water-born commerce towards recreation and pleasure.
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Norfolk wherries
In the 16th century Norwich was the second largest city in England after London and a major centre for trade. Goods from the city were exported on wherries to nearby towns and villages as well as worldwide through Great Yarmouth for more than 200 years. Today, it is still possible to experience the thrill of sailing aboard one of these magnificent craft. www.wherryalbion.com/
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Working boats
For centuries, the fens have been a source of reed and sedge for thatching, litter for animal bedding and marsh hay for livestock. Flat-bottomed boats called reed lighters were traditionally used by marshmen to transport their crops along the dykes that connect the fens with rivers.
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Victorian Era
In the 1870s the railways opened up the Broads to visitors from far and wide. Special wherry yachts were built as luxury holiday craft. The pioneer of the boat hiring business, John Loynes, founded his business in 1878 and other firms soon followed suit. In 1908 H Blake & Co was founded, to handle bookings for a number of companies.
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Motor cruisers
Wooden motor cruisers came on the scene in the 1930s opening the way for people who were new to boating and had no experience of sailing. In the 1960s fibreglass hull mouldings were developed for boat building, allowing the rapid production of large fleets for hire. The Broads became a centre for the modern boat-building industry, which still builds and exports boats all over the world.
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Green Tourism
Sustainability has become a key word in relation to tourism and holidays - maintaining a balance so that we can all enjoy visiting an area, sure in the knowledge that we are treating it gently. Modern boats have low wash hulls to reduce bank erosion and many electric boats are now produced. The Broads Authority introduced the first solar powered boat – the Ra - to the UK.
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