Mission Statement: Make your way to the centre of the Broads
Trail Introduction
The trail starts from Thurne, a beauty spot famous for its white-painted drainage mill, built in 1820 and takes you along the River Thurne to the pretty riverside village of Potter Heigham, known for its medieval bridge. This is a trail where it’s important to get the tides right to assist you on your adventure.
About the Area: With Thurne being a small riverside village and beauty spot situated on the confluence of the rivers Bure and Thurne, and Potter Heigham being one of the most famous villages on the Broads, this trail takes in some of the most iconic broads sights. With plenty of places to explore, this is a great route for a full day’s adventure.
Womack Water is home to Hunters Yard who own the Lovely Ladies, 14 1930s built traditional cabin yachts as well as the black sailed wherry Albion. Built in 1898, the Albion is one of only two trading wherries remaining from 300 vessels that once carried cargo on the Broads. Try to spot her sailing or better still look round the Albion on an open day (wherryalbion.com).
Potter Heigham is home to the first yacht marina on the Broads, Broads Haven. The large 2-acre basin was dug out by hand and completed in 1931. The rivers beyond Potter Heigham are much quieter as the medieval bridge acts as a barrier for much river traffic getting beyond this
point.
Thurne Windmill was built in 1820 to drain the marshes for the farmers to be able to farm the local land. Why not plan a visit and understand how these windmills drained the marshes? thurnewindmill.co.uk
Interesting Fact: Dutch Tutch started life as a helter skelter that stood at the entrance to the Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth. The bottom section is the house and the top section is used as storage. It was the first residential house on this stretch of the river and is now a holiday let.
Round Trip Distance: 6 miles
Approximate Time that the Trail will take: 5 hours in a Wayfarer or similar in F4 winds
OS Map or Chart: OS Map OL40
Trail Details
Permitted use of Openseamap under the “Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0” license
This map is for information use only, not for navigation.
1 Launch from Thurne slipway
2 On leaving Thurne Dyke turn to starboard onto the beautiful River Thurne, a reed-fringed river
3 After 1.5 miles, you will pass signs to Womack Water on the left. You can divert here if you wish – this is where you find Hunter’s Yard and is a great place to explore the village of Ludham from
4 Sail past the Ludham and Potter Heigham marshes, where barn owls can often be seen early evening, along with the sound of the elusive bittern booming
5 As you start to come into Potter Heigham, the river bank is lined with riverside cottages
6 You will pass by Repps Staithe on the starboard side, with limited moorings, but a grassy area where it’s possible to picnic
7 On passing by more cottages, be sure to look out for ‘Dutch Tutch’ on the port bank
8 On approaching Potter Heigham Bridge, which was built in 1385, there are plenty of public moorings available. A footpath takes you to the heart of Potter Heigham
9 Retrace your route back to Thurne.
Trip Extensions:
- Drop your mast and go under Potter Heigham Bridges and sail on to Hickling or Martham.
- Check the clearance available on the gauge board at the bridges before attempting to pass under them.
- Walk the Three Rivers Way
Launch Point Lat and Long: 52.687317, 1.554151
Launch Point What3Words: ///trip.unguarded.voltages
Launch Information:
Launch from the slipway at Thurne and plenty of public moorings are available (fees may be payable).
Postcode: NR29 3AP
A small charge (£5 in cash 2023) is levied to use the slipway at Thurne.
A Broads Authority toll is required to use a boat on any part of the Norfolk Broads. A comprehensive guide to boating on the Broads, as well as online toll applications, may be found at https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/
Tidal Information:
Tidal range at Potter Heigham bridge: 30cm (neaps) – 1m (springs). Average clearance at high water: 1.98m
Best Tides:
Lunchtime high tide = 12,13,14
Towing Vehicle Parking: There is limited parking by the slipway and in the village.
Towing vehicle Parking What3Words: ///trip.unguarded.voltages
Towing vehicle Parking Information: Free, but limited, off-street parking.
Trailer Parking: Trailers should be parked with the car.
Trailer Parking What3Words: ///trip.unguarded.voltages
Toilets: Public toilets in the village. Located at: The Staithe, Thurne, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR29 3BU
Toilets What3Words: ///illogical.smoke.caramel
Toilets Information:
From Easter weekend, opening only till Whitsun.
Open daily (24hrs) from 31st May to September.
October weekends only.
Closed during winter.
Page Month Published: October 2025
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