Discover the Norfolk Broads - A guide to 12 great days out in the unique environment of the Norfolk Broads compiled by people who live there

Day Six: Cycle ride / picnic – Clippesby to How Hill

The Broads National Park is well suited for exploring on two wheels, as the landscape is relatively flat and crisscrossed by a network of small, quiet lanes, ideal for escaping from the noise and pollution of four-wheeled traffic. Don’t worry if you haven’t brought your own bikes, as there are a number of cycle hire centres located in and around the Norfolk Broads, supported by the Broads Authority. A leaflet is available from Visitor Information Centres providing details of their locations and contact telephone numbers. We have chosen one such centre, at Clippesby Hall, near Acle, and designed a 15 mile route based around How Hill on the River Ant, but other centres will be happy to provide suggestions for days out in their local areas.

Start: Clippesby Hall Reception, Clippesby, near Acle Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL40; grid reference TG426144 SatNav postcode NR29 3BL

Cost Guide: £ - £££

Our recommended itinerary is as follows:

•	Take a bike, with cycle hire available if required, and pedal your way along seven miles of quiet lanes to How Hill Nature Reserve, which is one of the most unspoilt places in the Norfolk Broads

•	Stop off on the way at the studio and gallery of local artist S. F. Clarke, showing many fine examples of his Broadland scenes

•	Continuing on to How Hill, picnic on the wide expanse of grass overlooking the River Ant, a great place for the kids to let off steam, before wandering down to the waterside

•   Here you can explore the reputedly haunted traditional marshman’s cottage, home for a whole family in Victorian times. See how they lived, the clothes they wore and the tools they used •   Walk the nature trail leading to Crome’s Broad with its bird hide, discovering creatures and plants at home in the Norfolk Broads on this walk for all seasons

•   Or embark on a waterborne mystery trail by electric boat, along dykes fringed with marshland plants. An experienced guide will show you the wildlife, with stunning dragonflies, marsh harriers, swallowtail butterflies and many wild flowers all able to be seen here at different times of the year. The trip lasts around 50 minutes, includes a short walk to a bird hide •   Cycle back to Clippesby via the village of Ludham, (with an optional additional route off-road via St. Benet’s Abbey) stopping for afternoon tea at Alfresco Tearooms opposite the village church, a friendly, typically English tearoom, with a secluded courtyard area which is perfect on sunny summer days •   As you return from Ludham along the quiet lane to the north of the main road, don’t miss the sight of the old RAF airfield on the left. Spitfire squadrons flew from here in the Second World War, including ace pilot Johnny Johnson, and the control tower is still visible across the fields to the north

Cycle Hire Centres Bungay, Outney Meadow Caravan Park. tel 01986 892338 Burgh St Peter, Waveney River Centre. tel 01502 677343 Clippesby, Clippesby Hall. tel 01493 367800 Hoveton, Broadland Cycle Hire at BeWILDerwood, Horning Road. tel 07887 480331 (Please book in advance outside school holidays.) Ludham Bridge, Ludham Bridge Services. tel 01692 630486 Stokesby, Riverside Tea Rooms and Stores. tel 01493 750470 Bicycles can be hired by the day or half day at very reasonable rates and free route maps are available from each location. Some centres also have tandems. The hire centre at Ludham Bridge has two electric bikes which can be used by people with limited mobility. For more information please visit any of the Broads Information Centres.

Young Family Option

The trip from Clippesby Hall to How Hill and back is around 15 miles long, and may not be suitable for younger children. For a shorter alternative route, follow the quiet country lanes down to the river at Thurne, taking your bikes to the windpump at the end of the dyke for your picnic. The windpump has recently been restored and is now back in working order. This is a lovely spot for your picnic, as it is a popular stretch of water for yachts and there can be few better sights in the Norfolk Broads than a mass of sails billowing in the breeze around Thurne.

The village has a pub and a gift shop, together with a children’s playing field and a picturesque thatched church standing a little way out of the village on the hill overlooking the river. A route map for this trip is available from Clippesby Hall, or as part of the Broads by Bike leaflet or online at www.thebroadsbybike.org.uk

Useful Norfolk Broads Contacts

Below you will find suggestions for accommodation, activities, attractions, food & drink and shopping.  All useful contacts while visiting the Norfolk Broads.

A cost guide is included for each day out, ranging from lower cost (£: free or up to £15) to higher cost (£££££: £80 up to £100). These costs are based on a family of 4
undertaking all the activities suggested and are accurate as at the date of publication.

Adopted by Louis Vll as his crusading heraldic emblem, it became known as ‘fleur-de-lys’, a corruption of Louis. If not handled carefuly, its sharp edged and pointed leaves can cut flesh, giving rise to another common name, ‘the sword flag’. By mid May these plants rise above most other vegetation around the edge of open water and in damp meadows around the Norfolk Broads, opening their vivid yellow flowers.

Discover the Norfolk Broads - A guide to 12 great days out in the unique environment of the Norfolk Broads compiled by people who live there