Trinity Broads

The Trinity Broads are a tranquil and beautiful part of the Broads landscape, a hidden gem isolated from the main river system.

The Trinity Broads are owned by Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) and managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT); a partnership that works to safeguard and enhance the Trinity Broads for wildlife and people. The five partners (Broads Authority, Natural England, Environment Agency, NWT and ESW) have been working together for more than 20 years to restore the habitats to their full potential, and to encourage sustainable enjoyment of site by both the local community and visitors.

Situated north-west of Great Yarmouth, the Trinity Broads make up 14% of the open water within the Broads National Park. Habitats include wide expanses of shallow open water, extensive tracts of broadshore reedbed and undisturbed areas of wet woodland.

These habitats support a wealth of wildlife, from the tiniest rare snail to stands of true bulrushes. Other rare wildlife includes swallowtail butterflies and the elusive bittern. The wildlife importance of this NWT reserve means that more than 3km² of the Trinities is protected by national and international conservation designations.

These broads are at the heart of the local communities, not only providing drinking water for the people of the surrounding villages and Great Yarmouth but also providing a recreational resource for birdwatchers, anglers and sailors.

A Five Year Vision for the Trinity Broads

The Trinity Broads is a site rich in wildlife, where healthy fish populations swim in crystal clear waters with abundant desirable plant growth; this in turn shelters a diverse community of invertebrates. 

Migratory and breeding wildfowl proliferate and bitterns feed in the wide diverse reedbeds. Wildlife and special plants thrive in the undisturbed wet woodlands and the calls of buzzard, sparrow hawk and marsh harriers soar above the canopy. 

The clear, low nutrient waters provide good quality drinking water and the open space of the lakes is used for quiet enjoyment by local people and visitors alike. There are wildlife buffer areas where people enjoy access and local communities are informed and involved. The Trinity Broads forms part of a mosaic of habitats surrounded by Catchment Sensitive farms and flowing into the Bure Living landscape.

The aims of the vision are as follows:

• Biodiversity - Working to maintain a diverse wetland landscape: shallow lakes, dykes, marginal reed bed, open fen and wet woodland, and the transition between them, which supports a wealth of plants and animals. Actively seeking to provide wildlife enhancements and buffer zones for future protection of the vulnerable habitats.
• Water Quality and Quantity - Working to achieve consistently clear, low nutrient water in the Trinity Broads that supports diverse communities of aquatic wildlife and provides a high quality drinking water supply.
• Recreation - Working to manage and interpret the Trinity Broads as a place where people come to enjoy the peace and quiet, both on the water by sustainable boating, and from land using viewing areas and walkways.
• Local Community - Working to encourage local people to become passionate and well informed about the Trinity Broads and to facilitate their involvement by providing volunteer opportunities, events for the public and school projects. Projects to enhance biodiversity and community involvement will also be supported.

Useful links

For further information, please contact the Nature Reserve Warden at: eilishr@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

Copies of the most recent Management Plan 2018-2023 are available on request from NWT.

For general enquiries contact NWT.