Until quite recently it was common place belief that the ‘Norfolk Broads’, were just one more of Britain’s natural, indigenous wetland habitats that had evolved peacefully without much trace of human intervention over many thousands of years, gracefully springing up after the ice-age, and born from the winding Wensum, (Wind-sum) network of rivers and tributaries flowing through the frequent low lying north Norfolk valleys, marshes and fenland countryside.
 Photo of Moored boats at Rockland St Mary Broad
It would seem, however, that this is not so, as so many past and more recent discoveries of mediaeval peat digging’s and subsequent carbon dating of tools of the local & ancient trades found or unearthed all over this region show, along with plentiful other findings countrywide that have also demonstrated that almost all of the Norfolk Broads are ‘man made’. What’s more, they date not only from the region’s rapturous medieval & feudal past, but also in part from centuries pre-dating this era too!
Unintentionally then, the Norfolk Broads were created uniquely by the labor intensive hand diggings of the heaviest marshland soils, (peat), indigenous all through the rich low-lying areas of wetland Norfolk, especially in medieval times, which yielded massive quantities of the densest peat turfs laid down by centuries of decaying, rotted-down reed beds and compressed decaying grassland materials, knitted, woven & compressed together naturally over thousands of years. These part-saturated peat-turfs could be easily abstracted by the local peat diggers working in rows, cutting out with an implement not unlike a spade, the square sided flat peat turfs that were then transported by heavy dray horse & cart or perhaps by hand to higher-up dryer areas, then stacked in columns & rows by the thousands.
 Photo of the Wildlife Centre at Ranworth Broad
Left to dry throughout summer months, these sun- & air-dried peat turfs after time yielded the most perfectly manageable high quality fuel product that could be simply transported, handled & used for heating, energy, cooking or for simple tool making, perhaps over open fires, or inside makeshift furnaces. Pretty much the same then as coal, gas or electricity is now utilized in our modern world, albeit far more simply today due to the existence of the national grid, extensive gas pipelines and coal that’s delivered by truck, or available conveniently packed in manageable plastic bags.
Another alternative available fuel would simply have been good old wood, especially Oak, Beech, Birch and Yew, and lots of it too, cut down by the many selfless, ravenous, axe-yielding deforestation experts that were prolific at this time! You would be correct then to imagine, that this path was not at all sensible or sustainable and would of course become ever more unsustainable as larger swathes of precious ancient forested Norfolk lands were cleared and burned, (Brazil, take note), especially when considering these ancient Norfolk forests like most others in the country had already been cropped back to a fraction of their original expansive acreage by countless generations of human inhabitants seeking through necessity and drawn by the sheer abundance, this prolific natural material, yielded so much of the time
 Photo of South Walsham Broad, Norfolk
Wood would also have been utilized for many more basic items such as utensils. Including, bowls, spoons, knives & Combs, to mention but a few. |
|
The only other choice of plentiful fuel supplies at the time (if you can call it a choice) was expensive, dirty, smog-producing ‘Sea-coal’ that was imported by ships, through the plentiful, flourishing north Norfolk sea ports of the time.
 Photo of a mill at Thurne on the River Bure, Norfolk
Sea-coal though had the effect (as well as smelling like rotted eggs) of instantly enveloping everything in the locality with a dense cloud of heavy grey grime, dust & choking smog, so much so that all the country’s larger towns and cities, in calmer wind conditions, would quickly become engulfed in smut-laden clouds that humg around for days on end like gathering winter storm clouds, not unlike the more invisible polluting clouds of this age created from Diesel (so-called cleaner) engines. (Perhaps to be fair, not quite as bad now as then, but existing in part by virtue of government departmental stealth revenue practices that ignore the real issues while taxing the obvious but less harmful ones (make it look clean at least)), Enough said.
The full expanse of the Norfolk Broads covers more than 300 sq. Km. of this south easterly precious & historic corner of Britain that is Norfolk, and is host to the region’s main rivers, many shallow, man-made lakes (broads), countless winding shallow waterways, a thousand miles of man-made land drainage canals & dykes, plus expansive areas of marshland and unspoilt fenland..
 Photo of Filby Broad
The Broads are not surprisingly, then, Britain’s largest inland wetland to enjoy such unique environmental protection status, so rightfully deserved, and hosting some of the region’s most extraordinary and unique countryside, wildlife and plants, ever changing through the seasons and rivaling anywhere else in the country. This unique habitat is also noted for one of the most populous nesting places of the magnificent Bittern, once one of the country’s rarest wetland birds, now thriving albeit in small but significant numbers in some of the quieter broads areas.
The historic heyday of Norfolk’s inland waterways may have peaked in the good old days when the city of Norwich was a bustling rich and influential inland seaport and enjoyed the status of second city to London. The rivers Wensum and Yare would have played a huge part in Britain’s defense, trade and transport strategies, not only for the region and its local transportation needs of local produce, but for the larger and strategically important imports from all over the globe. Nonetheless, as the rivers slowly silted up over the years and bigger ocean going ships of the time could no longer navigate these shallow waterways, it left the rivers free for the smaller local Wherries, that in time met there own eventual downfall years later, as road transport took over the business of moving local cargo and passengers. Thus all those magnificent tall-masted, graceful Wherry vessels have en-masse sadly disappeared into near obscurity, leaving but only a handful today and, like vintage cars, all left now are restored for there uniqueness and historic interest rather than any real commercial cargo or passenger-carrying value, and are rich in nostalgia.
 Photo of Salhouse Broad, Norfolk
Later, the broads have taken on a new roll as one of the most popular recreational waterways in Europe for boating holidays, plus fishing, bird watching and nature trails, with timeless hotels or enjoyed just for the stunning views and unique panoramic Norfolk skies. Whatever you seek, the tranquility that is unique to this area is yours for the taking, as long as you avoid the few main tourist towns and head for the smaller, hidden villages that in most cases have not changed a great deal for hundreds of years, then to be sure you are guaranteed a worthwhile taste of the real Norfolk Broads and countryside feeling. |
|
Large-scale tourism in this area, if managed correctly, can’t be a bad thing for the region financially, as it attracts over 2 million visitors to the area per year. However, with so many hundreds of large diesel cruisers now, to-ing and fro-ing (trawling up and down) throughout the summer months from Wroxham, Norwich, Potter Heigham & Yarmouth, and so many diesel cars with caravans that clog up the roads, bringing the tourists here, one can’t help worrying about the damage that they collectively cause to such a sensitive area. This is why I strongly believe a cultural trip to Norfolk is best done avoiding the tourist months from June to September, as its not only the broads they come for but for the many miles of endless sandy beaches and coastline that exist just a few miles beyond the broads. In some areas the broads almost reach to the sea.
 Photo of a boat on the River bure at Howe Hill
The gateway to the Norfolk boards is said to be Wroxham, which contains many of the larger boat hiring companies, and accounts for a vast number of cruisers, some that seem far too long, to pass by, let alone to be able to turn about in such narrow & winding waterways. Also, the bridge at Wroxham is far to low to allow all but a few boats to pass beneath it, and has for a long time due its narrowness been the cause of many a traffic jam, this roll however, now the bridge has been improved yet again seems to have been passed on to the pedestrian traffic lights that remain constantly Red, as countless tourists cross the main and only through road.
Here also you can find the worlds biggest village store, Roy’s of Wroxham, its not that it is so big, but it is very big for a village store. Its many buildings and different departments plus extensive car parks seem to take over the complete town centre, excluding the usual tourist precinct shops that sell souvenirs, holiday homes, houses etc, as well as a few fish & chip shops, that now compete head to head with kebab houses, Asian takeaways, Thai restaurants and McDonalds, there are also many small Hotels B&Bs and guesthouses, ranging from inexpensive to luxurious.
Fortunately most of the holiday and Broads boat-hiring companies are now thinking of more environmentally friendly ways of powering their cruisers with LPG (propane) and electric powered craft are being trialed and considered, so, whatever the outcome, at last I believe that the day of diesels on the broads is drawing to a close. It’s also worth mentioning at this point that if you intend to bring your speed boat or high powered Jet Ski onto such an inviting expanse of waterway, the maximum speed limit on 99.99% of the Norfolk Broads is a mere 4mph.
 Photo of the River Bure at Horning, Norfolk
For those that enjoy bird watching, the unique and varied Marshlands that bound many of the Norfolk Broads are unique in habitat and provide a stopoff for many of the most spectacular & varied migrant birds from Europe, Scandinavia and Africa, as well as for the many indigenous species that grace these waterways too.
If fishing is your thing, most of the waterways are free to fish by float, spinner, ledger or fly when in season, so long as you hold a current rod license. Although there are, of course, some restricted areas set aside for fishing clubs or on private land, you are otherwise free to fish wherever you please. You can expect to catch Pike Roach, Rudd, Bream, Tench, Dace, Chubb & Greyling to mention but a few, and in some of the faster river chases you may even net brown and rainbow Trout.
Eels used to be one of the more commercial catches of the Broads, caught from special boats that were flat bottomed in order to navigate some of the shallower reaches, with a purposeful three bladed harpoon type spear that would be thrust into the shallow muddy waters, or by simple entrapment nets left baited overnight. Eel catches now though are becoming scarce due to over-netting for the lucrative posh restaurant trade, as fresh Norfolk Eel, both jellied or pan fried, is a delight for the most discerning of tastes.
Text author and copyright © 2007 : Chris Crane
|
