Tourism and Recreation at Salhouse Broad

The Broads are mainly man made shallow lakes hand dug in medieval times as a source of peat for fuel, although Salhouse Broad was created through the extraction of gravel. Man has managed the land for several thousand years, by farming, draining the marshes, building flood defences and manipulating river courses. For many years the fens and marshes around the Broads were cut for reed and sedge, which was used for thatching, animal fodder and bedding.
As demand for reed and sedge reduced, large areas were left to overgrow through a process known as natural succession. If left to continue, the Broads would gradually silt up, changing from Reed bed, to Alder Carr (wet woodland) and then to Oak woodland. All of these habitats are extremely valuable for wildlife, supporting rare species such as the Bittern, the swallowtail butterfly and the fen orchid. It is therefore necessary to preserve the species of rich wetland habitats.

Salhouse Broad is amongst the most regularly visited sites with people arriving by boat, car and on foot. They participate in activities such as bird and wildlife watching, picnicking, walking, jogging, fishing, sailing, canoeing or just relaxing and taking in the beautiful scenery.

Tourism, however, also creates problems for the environment such as eroding banks caused by boat wash, propellers churning up sediments, and pollution from sewage. Various groups are now working to combat these effects by designing craft that create less wash and are powered electrically, in addition to enforcing speed limits for river traffic. In this way it is hoped that tourism can provide a sustainable future for the Broads.

“Friends of Salhouse Broad”

Salhouse Broad lies on the river Bure in Norfolk, and is part of the Natural Area Profile of ‘The Broads’. It is 32 acres in size and consists of a mixture of habitats including open water, sedge beds, alder carr, grassland, heathland and ancient woodland. It is owned by Henry Cator, but was leased by him to the Broads Authority for 21 years. This lease ended in July 2003, when the management of the area returned to the responsibility of Mr Cator.  One of his main aims for the Broad was that the local community should become actively involved in its care and management, and should feel a sense of custodianship of their local environment, which should be passed on to generations to come.