Hickling Broad Walks
Visit the Norfolk Broads village of Hickling and enjoy a walk around the beautiful Hickling Broad. It's the largest of the Broads and a fantastic area for wildlife. Look out for common crane, bittern, marsh harrier bearded tit and Cetti's warbler as you make your way around the lake. Also of interest are Chinese water deer, red deer and otters.
The walk starts at the car park and visitor centre off Stubbs Road on the north eastern side of the broad. From here you can pick up footpaths heading west to Hickling Heath. The walk then uses a section of the Weavers' Way long distance trail to take you around the broad to the River Thurne. Here you can enjoy riverside footpaths to Potter Heigham Bridge and boatyard where refreshments are available at the waterside Potters tearooms. The route then returns to the car park on the same paths.
It's easy to extend your walk by heading about a mile to the east and visiting the National Trust run Horsey Windpump and Horsey Mere. Here you'll find waymarked circular walks taking you to the interesting old drainage windmill and around the pretty mere.
Just to the south you can visit Fleggburgh and Filby Broad where there's a nice little circular walk from the village to the broad and Burgh Common.
If you follow the Weaver's Way and the River Bure south you will come to the market town of Acle which is well worth a visit.
Postcode
NR12 0BW - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsHickling Broad Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Hickling Broad Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Hickling Broad OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Hickling Broad Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
The Potter Heigham Walk starts from the nearby village and visits Hickling Broad before heading along the Thurne River to the little village of Thurne. In Potter Heigham there's some interesting architecture and a noteworthy 12th century church which also Grade I listed. In Thurne there's the picturesque Thurne Mill which was built in 1820 and is still working today.
In this area there's also the worthy village of Ludham where there's views of Womack Water, chocolate box thatched houses and the impressive 14th Century St Catherine’s Church to see.
A few miles to the south east is the delightful coastal village of Winterton on Sea. There's much to enjoy here with village features including a lighthouse, pretty cottages, unusual roundhouses and a fine 17th century pub. The area also includes the noteworthy Winterton Dunes. The dunes are part of a National Nature Reserve where you can look out for a variety of coastal birds and the natterjack toad. The Winterton on Sea Walk starts at the lighthouse and takes you through the dunes to Horsey Mere and Martham Broad.
A few miles to the south there's the Ormesby Broad Walk to try. This also visits Rollesby Broad and includes a couple of fine waterside eateries.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Norfolk Broads Walks page.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Boathouse view at the broad
The broad is the largest of the Norfolk Broads. It is in the care of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and home to a great variety of plants and animals such as swallowtail butterflies, bitterns, marsh harriers and other rare wildlife.
The Pleasure Boat Inn, Hickling Broad
Boathouses on the broad
Hickling Broad Visitor Centre, run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
The Broad is covered in a sheet of ice on this cold day in early February but the snowdrops growing by the water's edge (in foreground) indicate that spring is on its way.