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The Broads National Park

The Broads National Park

The Broads National Park
4.5
National ParksNature & Wildlife Areas
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Discover dramatic landscapes, raw natural beauty and a rare quality of light. Where big, bright skies meet endless horizons and dreamlike landscapes. A place where time stands still. Real peace, open space – it’s a place unlike anywhere else... The Broads National Park.
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  • James F
    282 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ra solar boat trip a must.
    We've been to the Norfolk Broads many times but this time we found "RA" the solar powered boat from Hoveton. This goes the opposite way to most trips Skipper Dean took our trip he was amazing explaining everything before we set off about the boat etc and saying it could be slower than usual due to the overcast weather and did people need to be back for the train etc. Then we set off his knowledge and passion for the area was brilliant he made the trip a really joy. We saw kingfishers herons lots of geese and other birds also fish amazing we didnt realise how long we had been but it was over the 90minutes set. Everytime we come to Norfolk this will be our first stop.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 3, 2024
  • Daphne F
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth exploring
    The RA solar panel boat trip on the broads was the best ever.Dean was fantastic skipper very knowledgeable and Friendly. Saw loads of king fishers and heron.will deffo do again.so tranquil. It was a overcast day the boat was slower so took 3 hrs nearly instead of 1.5 hours not that we minded as said could have just stayed on all afternoon Dean you are credit thank you so much xx
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 3, 2024
  • Alexander S
    Billericay, United Kingdom4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful, picturesque landscapes
    One of our favourite places to visit. We often hire a boat when we come here but it’s nice to walk along the canals too and there’s so many beautiful views. Very relaxing, clear water, you can do some bird spotting whilst you’re there. Very beautiful landscapes.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 13, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,265 reviews
Excellent
901
Very good
240
Average
50
Poor
24
Terrible
50

Bob F
Kent, UK252 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
We booked a small cruiser and set off on a 4 night recommended itinerary stopping at Ludham bridge, Potters Heigham, Acle, Ranworth , Neatishead, Wroxham, Horning and Sutton. We found some excellent pubs and restaurants, amazing sights and very friendly people on our trip. A very relaxing break and a great introduction into boating. We will most likely repeat the experience in a slightly bigger, better equipped boat possibly with more of the family.
Written September 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Clare
Derby, UK56 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
A week aboard Tower Bridge from Bridgecraft at Acle, it was fantastic. The friendliest boat company you could ever wish for. Very Covid safe, each boat has antiviral fogging before you get it so you know the boat is safe. Well equipped boats and a wide range of different boats to suit your needs. We love Tower because we like the roof down cruising.
We saw 3 otters this year, which is great and a good sign that the population is doing well, although the number of cormorants is worrying and I think they need managing. Had some lovely meals at some great pubs, like the Lion at Thurn and the White Horse at Neatishead. These pubs had great track and trace and were doing table service only well before that became compulsory. The food was also stunning.
The Norfolk Broads were busier this year, which I think is because people are not able to go abroad. That said we still had a lovely quiet relaxing time aboard a stunning boat. We will be back.
Written October 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nicky C
Heybridge, UK424 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021
Been on the Norfolk Broads several times now covering both the northern and southern sections at different times of the year.
This time we went with Bridgecraft at Acle Bridge on the northern section.
Small friendly yard, good location and range of boats.
Boats can expensive but from the various boatyards there is a wide choice.
Note the bigger boats can be hard to moor when there is limited space on a mooring.
This time it was busier than normal due to overseas holidays not an option at the time
The broads offer great views, scenery and wildlife.
Boats are easy to handle with training by the yards.
Can be very much like camping and even on warm day the boats can be cold and morning damp.
Lots of different mooring available whether you want wild, free broads mooring, boatyards or pubs/restaurants . Mooring costs range between free and £10 per night and many areas are private and mooring is not welcomed or allowed
Popular mooring do get busy early on.
Be prepared with supplies you take with you as you may not be near somewhere to eat out every night.
The towns and villages are popular places to moor and places can be limited.
Speeds are between 3 and 6 mph so its a wind down type of holiday
March to June is the non fishing season so no rods to avoid.
Dayboats are available at most yards from a few hours to a week if staying in a riverside property.
Never been boating with children but note play areas and attractions can be away from the rivers.
Take a book, a few bottles of wine, binoculars, slow down and unwind.
Pirate flags and captain hats are optional
Written May 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neil E
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Couples
Well, writing this sat in a cramped damp bedroom.
Booked a 9 berth boat with Richardsons via Hoseasons and to say I'm disappointed is a huge understatement.
Only 5 of us plus 2 dogs and it's cramped with very little space.
The fridge is tiny but the rest of the kitchen is okay I suppose, functional at best. The curtains, bedding and upholstery are looking extremely tired.
I liken it to an old budget £9.50 Sun Holidays caravan, that floats, but 100 times more expensive. In fact a caravan would probably steer easier.
The boat itself is tatty, worn and ready for the scrap heap. Leaks everywhere, dated fixings and bodge job repairs aplenty. Luckily for us there was a spare room as the window in one of the double rooms started leaking making that bed unusable, we had to use a bucket to stop everything getting saturated.
No point in complaining as it appears the entire window would have to come out to repair it and going off other reviews it's likely nothing would be done about it anyways.
There is no bin and cleaning equipment that looks like it was rescued from the local tip. Oh and how you meant to clean up without a dustpan and brush?
Onto the Broads themselves...
Well, if I see one more 'Private Moorings or 'No Mooring' sign I'm gonna lose it. It seems that vast majority of people down here don't want us scummy tourists mooring up. The place is severely oversubscribed.
There are lots of free moorings but good luck getting a spot before 10am.
We paid to moor in a couple of places which I don't mind but the holiday wasn't exactly cheap in the first place.
There's very little to do when you can actually moor up, not a lot of nice walks or interesting places. There a couple of interesting places, gardens, ruins of an old abbey, an old museum etc but once you've done that sort of thing it becomes stale.
Lots of windmills and more swamps.
If your happy with mooring up somewhere different just to go in a pub and pay ridiculous amounts for meals and drinks then fair enough but, what's the point if booking a self catering boat then?
Most places you can moor that are away from the villages are simply that, a mooring point. Nowhere to walk because its either private land, farmland or swamp.
If the weather is crap (oddly for July) then this exaggerates the above and makes you want to leave early which is exactly what we are contemplating.
One of the biggest gripes is the lack of information regarding what's available at various locations, you are given basic info but it misses a lot of important stuff out, like telling you there's not enough free Moorings and the fact that going to Yarmouth means certain death due to massive tidal differences and strong currents.
Will not be returning and will stick to places like The Lake District or Scotland for our UK breaks that are miles better setup for tourism.
Written July 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carl T
Ipswich, UK69 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Family
What can I say. We hired a boat for the whole day and we found the river overcrowded with boats with drunk people. After our day we stayed in wroxham for a meal and the place was full of drunk people with some of them fighting in the street. Around every corner there were empty beer bottles with some smashed. I would never return to wroxham itself as it has lost its charm. However the broads are beautiful and made up for our bad experience. I honestly think if they continue to rent boats to drunk people then I can see some people losing their lives.
Written September 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

derek a
Herstmonceux, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Couples
Just arrived after our amazing week away at the south Norfolk broads . We had the broom skipper 1 and for two people this boat was amazing ! I have to say the staff at broom boats were amazing nothing was too much trouble and I mean nothing from fixing our toilet loading our luggage taking it to the car and emptying out rubbish . If you have never done the broads you are missing out and I would totally recommend broom boats and enjoy the experience 10/10 service and a holiday we will never forget 👏🏻
Written May 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Colin M
Southampton, UK1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Couples
Just come back from the worst holiday I have ever been on by far! The boat was miles older than the pictures, the beds were very small, the so called bedrooms were too cramped, very smelly and poor toilet. Galley okay, but the Microwave did not work! Parts of the fridge was broken!

Now we come to the Broads! Well for starters there are far too many boats for the moorings available and where you can get one you have to moor by 2-3pm, this is after you have spent most of your day looking for one.

There are little to zero attractions, the guide highlight 'post offices' and Pubs, if you can find a pub by the water's edge, the small amount of public mooring (1 or 2)have been taken early and the rest are private high price affairs.

All in all I will never visit again, the broads authority and boat hire companies seriously need to up thier game, the Norfolk Broads are a dissapointment of a national parks and an embarrasment as a tourist attraction.

Yours

Colin
Written July 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steven B
5 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Couples
f your looking to go on the norfolk broads avoid booking your vacation with NYA. 

My party had a week on the Arabella July 2021, this was a luxury boating experience we were all looking forward to. 

Handover was rushed and inadequate which was admitted by NYA. There was a place for a generator on the boat which we were informed at handover it was in for repair from previous week, which NYA are denying. 

We were told that although there was no generator we shouldn't  have any problems as the boat charged itself when cruising, total and utter MISINFORMATION. 

After numerous calls to engineers it became apparent on day 5 of our vacation that the immersion heater had been left switched on and draining power, this wasn't  checked on handover and we weren't  made aware that it had one. Up until now we had to plan our route to ensure we were at a location with electric hook up, which weren't always available. More to the point, hence why we opted for a luxury boat was so we could wild moor where we wanted. 

We pursued compensation for a luxury boating experience that fell below our expectations with NYA. 

NYA would not take any resposibilty for the trouble we experienced. 

We returned the boat back 1 day early as it had been so stressful and ruined our vacation. 

We made our complaint via email and  they then replied making accusations towards us that we had caused damage to the bow of the boat and sent us photos. 

We feel absolutley insulted by this, if we had caused damage we would have reported it. 

We travelled 2.5 miles to Norwich and moored up for the night. 

Next morning took photos of the luxury boat to send to family. 

When we zoom in on these photos  you can see the damage on the bow of the  boat that we are accused of. How many other customers  have they accused of this. 

Our boating experience was filled with stress and anxiety. Our party existed of 4 Adults, 3 who are key workers who were looking forward to a stress free week. 

NYA failed in providing a robust handover which is paramount. 

Unreliable boat due to electrics.

They made accusations to us as customers. 

Very poor customer service. 

Don't book with NYA they are the pirates of the broads. 

Their goodwill gesture was to refund us our £500 deposit minus the cost of the fuel which is what we're entitled too anyway. 

They also stated they wouldnt deduct any money for damage to the bow, (which we hadnt done) which is a total defamation of our characters. 

Written August 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Abigail B
Rustington, UK29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Family
We've had some fantastic holidays on all of the boats, apart from Evita. MoneyPenny is our favourite. Having owned a boat it's easier and cheaper than owning a boat with maintenance, licence and mooring fees etc. The boats are kept to the highest standard and immaculate inside and out. We are going again in October with friends to celebrate 🍾 2 very special birthdays on CoverGirl. Customer Service from NYA is exceptional.
Written June 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Penguin32
Haywards Heath, UK547 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Friends
We booked a trip on the Broads in January in the hole we would get at least one trip away.
Picked our boat up from Potter Heigham. We were with friends and their grandchildren who had another boat.
Set off and moored at Acle Bridge. Ok for the first night. Next day to Great Yarmouth, nowhere to moor, so headed back to Stokesby where we managed to double up. Early departure to Salhouse Broad so the kids could kayak. On to Wroxham and out very quickly.
Malthouse Broad, Ludham and then back to Potter Heigham.
Short trip, 4 nights, weather was good. Beautiful scenery on the rivers and relaxing on the boat.
The rivers do get a bit crowded once the day boats are out, paddle boarders and the sailing boats, but manageable.
Nothing else to do, the pubs have a monopoly charging to moor up.
If you like fishing all day then this is perfect.
Avoid Wroxham, overcrowded!
I have sailed the Broads before, but never again. Friendly people but limited activities. Over crowded towns and pubs
Written August 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Broads National Park - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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