Get a duck's-eye view
...on our wildlife boat trips at Hoveton, Ranworth and How Hill.
Ra, Liana and the Electric Eel
Our three small and friendly wildlife boat trips are fun for everyone, and will give you a duck’s-eye view of the Broads. Experience nature’s secrets in tranquillity – the boats are all quiet, thanks to electric power. Our expert staff will ensure your safety and comfort, and will share their knowledge and love of the Broads with you on these special trips. Whether you’re a new or returning visitor, there are discoveries to be made, whatever your interests. And thanks to funding from BMW’s Recharge in Nature project, Ra and Liana’s engines will have improved reliability and will be even quieter.
Before you go on these three trips…
- You may find it convenient to book your boat trip in advance at holiday times when trips may be busy; as well as booking direct, you can also book at any Broads information centre
- Family tickets are for up to two adults and two children
- We are sorry we cannot take dogs, except assistance dogs, on any of these trips
- All passengers must wear the life jackets provided
- For spring and autumn trips bring warm, waterproof clothes
- Group bookings also available, including special dawn and evening trips – please ask for details
More info
VisitTheBroads.co.uk/information-centres
Ra boat trips at Hoveton
Hoveton and Wroxham lie either side of the River Bure. Take to the water here on Ra, named after the Egyptian sun god, and you’ll find yourself drifting into another world, transported along a beautiful stretch of the river, going to Caen Meadow on the short trip and into Bridge Broad and along to Belaugh on the long trip. Ra sits high on the water, so offers great views, and you can listen to the birdsong and relax in a green world, with meadows and wet woodlands on either side that can’t be explored by land. It’s hard to believe that you’re just minutes from the bustling centre of Wroxham. Ra was the first solar-powered passenger boat in the UK, so you can also find out about solar power, and how the Broads Authority and partners are developing the greener next phase of boating on the Broads.
These trips depart from Hoveton Riverside Park on Station Road, close to Hoveton Broads Information Centre, Hoveton & Wroxham Railway Station (on the Bittern Line between Norwich and Sheringham) and the Bure Valley Railway’s Wroxham Station. Parking and free 24-hour moorings are close by too. Ra is accessible to wheelchair users via a ramp. Any remaining refurbishment work at Hoveton Riverside Park will be completed this season.
Boat trip details and bookings
- 1 hour or 2 hours, up to 12 passengers (at driver’s discretion) including wheelchair users. Please check details when booking as passenger numbers depend on the type or types of wheelchair.
- April, May, October: weekends, bank holidays, Easter week and local half-term only 10am (short trip), 11.15am (long trip), 1.45pm (long trip), 4pm (short trip)
- June-September: daily 10am (short trip), 11.15am (long trip), 1.45pm (long trip), 4pm (short trip)
- Cost: Short trip £12 adult, £10 child, £38 family; long trip £15 adult, £12 child, £50 family
- Bookings: Hoveton Broads Information Centre, 01603 756097
Hoveton Broads Information Centre
Station Road, Hoveton NR12 8UR
01603 756097
hovetontic@broads-authority.gov.uk
Open (free entry)
- 28-31 March, April, May, October, 1 November: Monday-Friday 9am-1pm and 1.30-5pm; Saturday-Sunday 9am-5pm
- June-September: daily 9am-5pm
More to explore at Hoveton
Expand your day out with a visit to Wroxham Barns for crafts and children’s activities, or Hoveton Hall Gardens (both about 1½ miles away), or BeWILDerwood children’s woodland adventure park (about 2 miles away). The Bure Valley Path is close by. Hoveton has toilets on Station Road, and plenty of shops and places to eat.
Bure Valley Path norfolk.gov.uk/trails
Liana boat trips at Ranworth
Set off on a voyage of discovery from Ranworth on board Liana, our Edwardian-style electric launch. As we cross Malthouse Broad, the activity of birds at the staithe subsides and there’s a wonderful view of St Helen's Church, known as the cathedral of the Broads. We go past the entrance to Ranworth Broad (the broad and marshes are part of the Bure Marshes National Nature Reserve) and if we’re very lucky, we may catch a glimpse of an otter or two as we pass along Ranworth Dam on our way to join the River Bure, heading towards Cockshoot Dyke. Birds peer out of the reed fringes at us, a kingfisher may be zipping across the water and look up too, a marsh harrier could be soaring overhead. These trips depart from Ranworth Staithe, where you’ll find moorings (with charge during the summer season) and free parking.
Boat trip details and bookings
- 55 minutes, up to eight passengers (at driver’s discretion)
- April-October: daily 10.30am, 12pm, 2pm, 3.15pm
- Cost: £12 adult, £10 child, £38 family
- Bookings: Ranworth Broads Information Centre, 01603 756094
Ranworth Broads Information Centre
The Staithe, Ranworth NR13 6HY
01603 756094
ranworthtic@broads-authority.gov.uk
Open (free entry)
- 28 March to 1 November: daily 9am-5pm
More to explore at Ranworth
At the information centre you can enjoy extracts from archive films about the history of Broads holidays. Expand your fun day out with a free visit to Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s floating Broads Wildlife Centre (follow the boardwalk from the staithe, taking you through the nature reserve). They also run a ferry service from the staithe (with charge) and boat trips. There are toilets near the staithe and refreshments available, including a tea shop at the church’s Visitors’ Centre.
How Hill
How Hill, close to the village of Ludham, has something of everything that makes the Broads special, and this year marks 20 years since its launch as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) by Chris Packham in May 2006. NNR is a government designation to protect important habitats, species and geology, and to provide ‘outdoor laboratories’ for research. The River Ant runs through the How Hill reserve and there are reedbeds, grazing marshes, wet woodlands and even a broad – all full of wildlife for you to discover.
Visit Toad Hole Cottage, lived in by generations of eel catchers, and imagine home life on the marshes in Victorian times. Look out for the curious tools used for working on the marshes. Then take a boat trip to see where the marshmen worked. How Hill is still a working marsh – reed and sedge are cut for thatch, so you could see a ‘modern marshman’ at work. Explore the Wildlife Walking Trail, Secret Gardens, riverside walks and maybe even Hathor – one of the Broads sailing wherries.
Entry to the site is free, there are public footpaths, a car park (open all the time, free, but How Hill Trust does welcome donations) and 24-hour free moorings. Toilets, including an accessible toilet, are open during the summer season. Visitors with disabilities may find it helpful to telephone in advance to check if How Hill is sufficiently accessible for you. In the summer and autumn you may find it helpful to bring an insect repellent for the How Hill trails.
Electric Eel boat trips at How Hill
Step on board at How Hill Staithe, leave the River Ant behind and enter a tranquil, secret world, where reeds and flowers fringe the narrow dykes. Glide along until we stop for a short walk to a bird hide overlooking Reedham Water. The changing seasons bring changing wildlife. In May, when the sun shines, the hidden warblers are in full song. June sees many butterflies and dragonflies on the wing, such as the Norfolk hawker dragonfly. Summer is the season for flowers, including water lilies. In autumn, the birds are on the move again. The summer visitors leave for warmer climes and soon, duck including teal and wigeon will arrive from the north, as the marsh moves towards winter.
Boat trip details and bookings
- 50 minutes for up to six passengers (at driver’s discretion)
- April, May, October: weekends, bank holidays, Easter week and local half-term only 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm
- June-September: daily 10am, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
- Cost: £12 adult, £10 child, £38 family (not suitable for children under two)
- Bookings: Toad Hole Cottage, 01603 756096
Toad Hole Cottage
How Hill, Ludham NR29 5PG
01603 756096
toadholetic@broads-authority.gov.uk
Open (free entry)
- 28-31 March, April, May, October, 1 November: Monday-Friday 10.30am-1pm and 1.30-5pm; Saturday-Sunday 10.30am-5pm
- June-September: daily 9.30am-5pm
Wildlife Walking Trail
Explore the trail to see wildlife for all seasons. In June look out for huge and very rare swallowtail butterflies; sometimes there’s a second brood in August. On the way you’ll find Crome’s Broad. Like other broads it’s the remains of a medieval peat digging. Assistance dogs only on the trail please. Group bookings also available.
Opening times and cost
- April, May, October: daily 10.30am-5pm
- June-September: daily 9.30am-5pm
- £3 adult, £1.50 child, includes guide booklet
Combined tickets
New for 2026, you can buy a combined ticket for the Electric Eel boat trip and the walking trail: £14 adult, £11 child, £40 family
Visit Wherry Hathor
Pleasure Wherry Hathor is based at How Hill Staithe from May to September and except when sailing will usually be on view, when you’re welcome on board for a free look round. We suggest you check in advance by emailing jk@wherryyachtcharter.org if you want to be sure of visiting Hathor.
Riverside walks
From Toad Hole Cottage the riverside footpath continues downstream to Ludham Bridge and St Benet’s Abbey. Or you can take a short stroll upriver, past the boat shed, to Boardman’s Mill. The path then goes on to Clayrack Mill and Sharp Street. There’s a third mill, Turf Fen, on the opposite bank, going towards Ludham. Restoration work is taking place on it this year.
St Benet's Abbey norfarchtrust.org.uk
Marsh refreshments
After last year’s very successful start, these popular refreshments are returning for 2026. Pop into Toad Hole Cottage garden for hot and cold drinks, plus delicious savoury and sweet snacks from Natural Rise, including paninis, cakes and pancakes.
How Hill gardens
Explore the Secret Gardens, usually open every day during the summer season, entry by donation. These water gardens were created in the 1920s by local architect Edward Boardman for his family home at How Hill, which dates from 1905. The gardens are always lovely and secluded, and in early summer there are spectacular displays of azaleas and rhododendrons. Follow the signs from the car park, moorings and main house. The formal gardens surrounding the house are sometimes open too – please check in advance for details.
Boat trip gifts
Give your friends and family the experience of one (or more!) of our wildlife boat trips. Full details from our staff at Hoveton (Ra trips), Ranworth (Liana trips) and How Hill (Electric Eel trips).
Thurne
Not far from How Hill, you can visit possibly the smallest national park information centre in the world – inside a former telephone box! Find out about Thurne and the Broads, then listen to recordings of Broads birds to hear who’s calling.
- The Street, Thurne, NR29 3AP
- Open daily (calls are free)