Yorkshire Three Peaks | Yorkshire Dales Map

Posted on May 23, 2013 by A-Z Maps

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a place of outstanding natural beauty. It is home to sublimely scenic valleys, remote rolling hills, and some interesting geology, including limestone pavement and large cave systems. The variety of landscapes makes it excellent walking country. The highest points in the Yorkshire Dales are three millstone grit-capped peaks, rising to around 700 metres. The summits of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent make up the renowned Yorkshire Three Peaks, which can be walked in a single day. This week we look at this famous feature on our new Yorkshire Dales map.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks

Established as a National Park in 1954, the Yorkshire Dales covers an area of 680 square miles of Yorkshire and Cumbria, including a sizable chunk of the Pennines mountain range. It is crossed from north to south by the Pennine Way, and hosts one of the most famous 1-day hikes in the UK, taking in the Yorkshire Three Peaks.  We have even shown the route on the page guide for our Yorkshire Dales map.

Yorkshire Dales map - overview showing Yorkshire Three Peaks route

Overview map from the A-Z Yorkshire Dales South Adventure Atlas showing Yorkshire Three Peaks route

Walking enthusiasts have devised the challenge of tackling all three hills in less than 12 hours. The circular walk covers around 25 miles and nearly 1600 metres of ascent and descent so this is no easy task. The walk will take you over various types of terrain and you may encounter unpredictable mountain weather conditions, so make sure you’re fully prepared before setting off. If you’re able to complete the walk within 12 hours then you’ll be invited to join the Three Peaks of Yorkshire Club and purchase exclusive accessories to reward your achievement. Completing the walk within any time frame is still an achievement in itself!

Choose Your Own Speed

Why not take up the challenge yourself? Many charity walking events take place each summer, making the most of the long summer days, so there is still time to enter. A more intense challenge for serious fell runners is the Annual 3 Peaks Race. The 59th instalment was held recently, and was won for the second year running by Joe Symonds. He completed the near marathon length course in a lung-bursting 2 hours 55 minutes.

Of course, you can always take in the scenery in a more leisurely fashion. That was the view of famous author and walker Alfred Wainwright, who wrote: “Some people have chosen to regard the walk as a race, and this is to be greatly regretted, walking is a pleasure to be enjoyed in comfort”.

Yorkshire Dales Map

If you’re taking to the peaks then don’t forget to plan your route carefully and remember to take your Yorkshire Dales South A-Z Adventure Atlas. This Yorkshire Dales map covers the many stunning attractions of the southern dales, including Wharefedale, Malham Cove, and Ribblesdale. The map book uses detailed OS Explorer mapping, which is ideal for walking and other outdoor activities. The Three Peaks route fits almost entirely onto 3 double page spreads, making it easy to check your route. No more wrestling with a sheet map on the windswept summit of Ingleborough!

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Dartmoor Walks – Exploring The Moors

Posted on May 15, 2013 by A-Z Maps

Dartmoor National Park covers a huge 368 square miles of South Devon between Plymouth and Exeter. The landscape encompasses a range of breathtaking scenery, from valleys and forests to rivers and waterfalls. In prehistoric times Dartmoor was fertile farmland, and was well populated around 3500 years ago. The land turned to peat moorland and was abandoned, leaving behind an abundance of relics from the past such as stone circles, stone menhirs and ancient settlements. In fact, Dartmoor has one of the largest concentrations of archaeological remains anywhere in Europe! Whether you’re climbing the windswept tors, or wandering through the lush green forests, Dartmoor walks will inspire you.

Buckland Beacon Dartmoor Walk

Distance: 2 Miles

Location: Buckland-in-the-Moor

Difficulty: Easy

Buckland Beacon is a hill that overlooks the village of Buckland-in-the-Moor and was historically used as a fire beacon. At the beacon’s base you’ll find stones which were inscribed with the Ten Commandments in 1928 and have been preserved to this day by Dartmoor National Park Authority. When walking on Dartmoor, you can usually expect a fair amount of hill climbing, but this short walk is one of the flattest routes you can take when visiting the National Park.

Buckland Beacon Dartmoor Walk

Cuckoo Rock Dartmoor Walk

Distance: 4.5 Miles

Location:  4 Miles East of Yelverton

Difficulty: Moderate

Cuckoo Rock is the subject of many local myths, including being a meeting place for Dartmoor Piskies (pixies) to dance under the moonlight. The rock is so-named because it was believed that the top of it looked like a cuckoo. This might be difficult to understand when seeing it! On your way to Cuckoo Rock you will pass the fascinating Yellowmead Circles. The four circular rings of stones were discovered lying under a thick bed of heather in 1921 and have now been restored. On this Dartmoor walk you’ll also pass Deancombe Farm which was operated until 1930 and has since gone to ruin.

Cuckoo Rock Dartmoor Walk

Belstone Tor Dartmoor Walk

Distance: 4.2 Miles

Location: Belstone

Difficulty: Moderate / Hard

This Dartmoor walk begins at Belstone, a quaint village in North Dartmoor. The first landmark you’ll come across is Nine Maidens, or Nine Stones, a Bronze Age burial chamber encircled by around 16 stones. Like the piskies of Cuckoo Rock, Nine Stones also has a mythical background. Legend has it that there were Nine Maidens that were turned into stone as a punishment for dancing on a Sunday. From here onwards you’ll pass a number of granite topped tors which can be difficult to walk over. The views may be brilliant, but don’t forget to keep an eye on your footing! The route makes its way back towards Belstone alongside the dramatic River Taw.

Belstone Tor Dartmoor Walk

The three Dartmoor walks above are shown on the high quality 25k OS Explorer mapping used in the Dartmoor A-Z Adventure Atlas. These are not well-signposted routes, so please take sensible precautions while walking on Dartmoor, especially in worsening weather conditions, and when fording rivers or crossing boggy ground. Plan your own trip to Dartmoor and discover the beauty of the moors for yourself. Use these walking routes for inspiration or plot your own using our atlas.

 

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The Best Small London Parks

Posted on May 2, 2013 by A-Z Maps

London’s parks are renowned for their architectural prowess, coupled with some outstanding scenery. Visitors to London are often surprised by the amount of green space. The tidy city squares offer peace and calm to workers, residents and tourists alike; the larger parks and commons give Londoners space to play and unwind. There are many famous parks, from Richmond to Regent’s, but every city has its hidden spaces. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite lesser-known parks. Now that the weather is getting warmer, we hope you can get out and enjoy the best small London parks!

The Japanese garden in Holland Park, London.

Holland Park

Situated in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, just west of Hyde Park, Holland Park is noted as one of the most tranquil and peaceful parks in western London. The park contains a giant chess set, a Japanese garden and one of London’s best equipped children’s playgrounds. The Holland Park setting is perfect for a romantic walk or a family day out, and boasts a sizable 54 acres of natural scenery.

Gunnersbury Park

Another west London gem is Gunnersbury Park, which lies in the Brentford ward of the borough of Hounslow.  It is home to the Gunnersbury Park Mansion which is now a museum showcasing local history and fine art. The mansion and park were formerly owned by the European banking dynasty, the Rothschilds, until 1925 when the grounds were sold to Ealing & Acton Borough Council. Gunnersbury Park contains a boating pond overlooked by an 18th Century temple, as well as an orangery and boat house.

Waterlow Park

If you travel south east from north London’s Highgate, you will find Waterlow Park. This 26 acre park is set on a hillside and offers some of the best views of Central London. Lauderdale House, on the edge of the park, acts as a tea room and the perfect place to unwind after a relaxing walk around the park. The house dates back to the 16th Century but the building has seen heavy restoration since it was first built.

Barking Park

Located in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Barking Park is the borough’s oldest and opened in 1898. The park’s most significant feature is its 910 metre long boating lake which is home to some fantastic wildlife such as the Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe and the Little Grebe. The park also includes various sports facilities and a children’s playground. A light railway provides a novelty trip from the main entrance to the boating lake. Recent funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund has allowed the construction of two new pathways and a splash park.

The Open Garden Squares Weekend on 8-9 June 2013 gives access to over 200 special green spaces, including many private gardens. The website sells tickets and lists the gardens taking part in each area of London.

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Why Are A-Z Maps So Easy to Read?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by A-Z Maps

Open a map page in your A-Z street map or other quality street atlas. You will immediately notice the main roads and landscape features like rivers and parks, showing you the lay of the land. Focus in on a neighbourhood and you’ll see the network of side streets, their names, and how they connect to each other. You’ll start to spot other local features like schools and postcode information. The map shows all this richness of detail, but not in a way that stopped you seeing the bigger picture at a glance. This is just one part of good map design.

Last month we looked at how we keep our maps as accurate and up-to-date as possible. Now let’s look at another part of the map-makers art – a few of the things we do to make the maps as clear as possible.

Map design

Why is it a challenge to make a clear map? The answer comes from two basic limitations: the limited space on the page or screen, and the limited space in our brains! Faced with an immensely complex world, the map maker has to create a simplified picture. They have to show the essential features of an area, but not overwhelm the viewer with too much detail.  The big decisions are selecting what to show and how to show it.

When deciding what to show, we need to consider the likely uses of the map. For example, our visitor’s maps emphasize visitor attractions and leisure facilities; on standard street maps, some of these will be left off or be less prominent. We’ll look at the map content in more detail in a future blog post.

Maps are basically made of simple shapes – areas, lines and dots – and text (“labels”). Again the map maker has myriad choices on how to show things: colours, sizes, fonts, and whether to show the real extent of something or just a simple symbol.

Cartographic generalisation

A-Z’s stylised cartography is used to make clear maps that are easy to read. Roads are shown with a greater width than they actually have on the ground. This lets them stand out, and gives space for large, clear road names. Their shapes might be smoothed and simplified, but the essential layout is kept for accurate navigation.

Another example is railway stations. Stations will often be shown with a standard symbol that is simple to spot and understand.  We could try to show the exact shape of buildings and platforms, but this is rarely essential information, and the overall map would become harder to use.

A sign of good cartography is how bigger, more important places stand out from lesser ones. This is often an issue in online maps like Google Maps. When zooming in, the map will often show smaller town and village names with much bigger place names no longer visible. A paper map does not suffer from this loss of context, helping people to better understand locations and get their bearings.

Getting the details right

A-Z maps go through a carefully quality control process to make sure features are shown clearly and effectively. Just one part of this is tidying around page edges. When a road crosses a page edge, we don’t want the name to be cut off. We try to fit the name label on both pages, so the map reader doesn’t have to turn the page.

Cartography is a specialist profession, and we’ve barely scratched the surface here. It is easy to learn more about maps though: just look at a few for an area you know. Compare the features they show and how they show them, and you’ll start to see the choices that the cartographer has to make.

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City Music Festivals

Posted on April 22, 2013 by A-Z Maps

It may be rare to hear ‘music festivals’ used in the same sentence as ‘city’ but let us assure you, they do exist. People often associate music festivals with mud, camping and spending days away from our creature comforts. Not everyone’s idea of a holiday. Still, music is enjoyed by almost everyone; it can shape the way we think and behave; and even influences who we socialise with. To experience music in its purest form, you have to see it live. But you don’t have to be in the middle of a field to enjoy it!

City music festivals are becoming increasingly popular and are often accompanied by a lower price tag. They are ideal for local residents, and are often easy to get to on public transport. Why not visit a city music festival to discover some new acts, save some money and get less muddy! To help you out, we’ve listed a few city music festivals happening in the UK this summer.

Worcester Music Festival

Ticket price:  Free

Genre: Varied

When: 30th August – 1st September

Where: Worcester City

Worcester Music Festival has grown massively since its inception six years ago. 400 performances take place every year in pubs, clubs, cafes and historic buildings across the city. The music festival aims to promote the acts that take part, in exchange for their free performance. In addition to the live acts, the event was host to 30 free workshops in 2012, ranging from world drumming to a guitar master class.

http://www.worcestermusicfestival.co.uk/

City of London Festival

Ticket price: From Free to £50

Genre: Jazz / Classical / Folk

When: 23rd June – 26th July

Where: The City of London

The City of London Festival aims to entertain and inspire people to engage in the arts. Founded in 1962, it has grown to become one of the UK’s leading arts events, with broadcasts by the BBC. Whilst not strictly a music festival, the City of London Festival adopts a different theme each year in order to create a unique feel. Culturally rich and full of activity, this festival is vast and attracts some big names in classical music such as the London Symphony Orchestra.

http://www.colf.org/

Dot To Dot Festival

Ticket price: £20

Genre: Indie / DJ’s

When: 24th May – 26th May

Where: Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham

Dot to Dot Festival began in Nottingham 7 years ago and today it also takes place in Bristol and Manchester.  Dot to Dot showcases bands and DJ’s from across the world. It has played host to the likes of Ed Sheeran and Frank Turner, and continues to act as a platform for up and coming artists.

http://dottodotfestival.co.uk/

Slam Dunk Festival

Ticket price: £34

Genre: Alternative / Punk  Rock / Metal

When: 25th May – 27th May

Where: Glasgow, Leeds, Hatfield, Wolverhampton, Cardiff

Slam Dunk Festival is now 8 years old and has expanded massively into a multi-day touring festival. Over 40 bands play across seven stages with a total capacity of 5,000. In the past, the likes of You Me At Six, Taking Back Sunday and Fall Out Boy have all headlined this growing music festival.

http://www.slamdunkmusic.com/

Whatever your choice in music, A-Z make a huge range of clear and accurate map products to help you find your way to the venue. Find street maps for any of the cities featured in this article by typing the town or city name into our Map Finder.

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Guess the National Park Competition

Posted on April 12, 2013 by A-Z Maps

It’s competition time! We’re giving you a chance to win an Adventure Atlas. A-Z Adventure Atlases have the accuracy and quality of OS Explorer mapping and are indexed within a single book, making them the perfect companion for walkers, off-road cyclists, horse riders and anyone wishing to explore this beautiful landscape.

To win, you need to guess the National Park pictured in a series of 6 photos! The competition is hosted on Twitter, but you can also leave your answers in the comments section, as a reply to this blog post.

ENTER NOW!

Win an Adventure Atlas of your choice.

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London Bridges

Posted on April 4, 2013 by A-Z Maps

The River Thames was much wider and shallower when London was a younger city. When the Romans first saw it, the river was around five times as wide as it is today. Today its levels have to be monitored and controlled following construction of narrower banks. In total there are over 30 bridges spanning the Thames in Greater London and each one is unique in character. This week we pick out a few of the most famous London bridges to grace the pages of A-Z maps.

London’s bridges take many forms. They range from grand suspension bridges (Hammersmith Bridge) to simple decorated spans (Blackfriars Bridge) to utilitarian structures (Cannon Street Railway Bridge). Heading upstream from the Dartford crossing, the first bridge within London is Tower Bridge.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is one of London’s most recognised landmarks, although visitors often mistakenly call it London Bridge. Tower Bridge was built in 1894 and is the only Thames bridge which can be raised in order to accommodate large vessels travelling up the Thames. The bridge connects the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Southwark. During the 2012 Olympics the bridge was adorned with a set of Olympic rings which cost £259,817 to make.

London Bridge

Next stop upriver is one of the world’s most famous bridges. London Bridge sits between the City of London and Southwark. The original London Bridge has historical roots dating back to Roman times. However, it has been rebuilt and redesigned across many centuries. The modern London Bridge was opened in 1973, but is arguably less interesting than its predecessors!

The medieval bridge was crowded with shops and other buildings, some reaching 7 storeys high. It lasted over 600 years but was replaced in 1831 with a new bridge, designed by John Rennie. This in turn was sold in 1968 to American oil entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch for US $2,460,000. McCulloch ordered it’s reconstruction at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA, where it is one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions.

Millennium Bridge

A couple of spans later and we reach one of the newest crossings. The Millennium Bridge was built in the year 2000. This footbridge was designed to connect the Tate Modern Art Gallery to the City and St Paul’s Cathedral.  Almost immediately after opening the bridge had to be closed due to questions surrounding its structural integrity. It has since re-opened after safety modifications.

Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge also offer classic central London views, benefiting from the open space created by the Thames. Heading further west, we reach the bridges of Chelsea and Battersea. The elegant structure of Albert Bridge is a delight to glimpse from the neighbouring London bridges, especially at night when it is lit up by 4000 bulbs.

Richmond Bridge

Further upstream, we pass the London bridges of the Boat Race course, then Kew and Richmond. Richmond Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge in London, despite being the eighth Thames bridge to be built in Greater London. It is a Grade I listed structure. Built in the 1770′s, it was used as a replacement for a ferry crossing which connected Richmond town centre to East Twickenham.

We complete this journey up the London Thames with the bridges of Kingston and Hampton Court. You can follow this whole journey on A-Z maps in our Greater London app or London A-Z Master Atlas.

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Cycling in the North York Moors

Posted on March 27, 2013 by A-Z Maps

The North York Moors is one of the largest areas of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. Cycling in the North York Moors makes for the perfect outdoor pursuit. The many miles of country roads, bridleways and forest tracks offer some great cycling routes. The North Yorkshire Moors National Park covers a massive 554 square miles so there are plenty of routes to choose from, including this selection of our favourites.

Long Distance Routes

The Moor to Sea cycle route is a signposted network of routes that crosses the North York Moors, linking the towns of Scarborough, Pickering and Whitby. It provides a diverse range of landscapes from forest and moorland, to towns and spectacular coastline. There are 11 stages that join up to give 80 miles of riding: you won’t need to cycle the whole thing, but this may be tempting for the more enthusiastic cyclist! The route follows lanes, forest tracks and a cinder trail, so might be best enjoyed from a mountain bike or hybrid. The Moor to Sea website gives more information about the route and its stages.

Alternatively, you could get your hands on our new North York Moors East Adventure Atlas, and use this slim map book to plan and follow your own route. Contour lines on the detailed Ordnance Survey Explorer mapping will help you find or avoid those steep hills!

Family-Friendly

As with most moorland, the North York Moors are very hilly and can be hard work to cross on a bike. The Whitby-Scarborough trail follows a disused railway line which means the slopes are gentler, although rarely flat. Take a ride on this branch of the Moor to Sea route if you want a less exhausting option! The cinder surface is eroded in places, so you will need to take care if you are on a touring or road bike or with inexperienced children. The spectacular views from Ravenscar and the Larpool Viaduct can be worth the trip!

Transporting bikes by car can be a challenge, but thankfully there are several bike hire companies in the Moors. Trailways offer bike hire from an old station building on the trail at Hawsker, a few miles south of Whitby, including bikes with tag-alongs and child seats.

Mountain Biking

To experience off-road cycling at its thrilling best, an easy place to start is Dalby Forest. This Forestry Commission site contains a large network of waymarked trails that have been carefully graded from beginner to expert. For keen mountain bikers, the site boasts a Mountain Bike World Cup course and an impressive bike park to play in and test skills. Nearby Purple Mountain Bike Hire supplies a range of bikes to hire or even buy.

Cycling in the North York Moors

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the most popular heritage railways in the country. The train operators allow bikes on their trains, which is useful if you realise you’ve arrived at your destination and don’t have the energy to complete the return trip!

The railway and the other routes above are all within the area covered by the North York Moors East Adventure Atlas. The companion North York Moors West atlas covers the inland half of the national park, including the higher Cleveland and Hambleton Hills.

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How Are A-Z Maps Updated?

Posted on March 15, 2013 by A-Z Maps

One of A-Z’s biggest challenges is keeping our maps up-to-date. Maps need to be an accurate representation of the real world but, as Heraclitus said, change is the only constant. Some changes are very obvious like a new bypass, housing estate or hospital. However, there are many more small changes happening all around that need to be reflected in A-Z maps, such as small housing developments. Sometimes the physical landscape doesn’t even change, just a name or a traffic restriction. A-Z have to identify these constant changes and update our maps accordingly.

Finding Out About Changes

The first part of the process is called change intelligence. A-Z don’t send out armies of surveyors onto the streets. Instead, we are licensed to use data that is already gathered that way. The challenge is to combine these different sources – along with a solid dash of human intelligence – to get a precise picture of an area.

Our biggest single source is the national mapping agency, the Ordnance Survey (OS). The OS is a government agency that is tasked with surveying and mapping Great Britain at various levels of detail. Their most detailed data, OS MasterMap, forms the backbone of many of A-Z’s products. The OS employs several hundred surveyors to capture the precise locations and names of things, although it increasingly uses photographs taken from a plane. Real world changes can be spotted by comparing new and older aerial photographs.

The aerial and foot surveys are part of the OS’s own change intelligence processes. They aim to capture major new schemes before they are even open to the public, whereas minor landscape changes like the reshaping of a wood are only picked up when an area is checked in their continuous revision cycle. The updated OS database is sent to A-Z so changes can be identified and recorded in our own mapping database. However, we can’t just rely on this source to make sure our maps are accurate and up-to-date.

We work with a wide range of other public and private sources to identify important changes. Helpfully, local authorities and government departments give access to plans, so we can see how an area will change before the work is even completed. Important sources include Borough and County Councils, the Highways Agency, the Department for Transport, the NHS, and the London Fire Brigade. Many organisations provide this information freely, but sometimes we need to buy commercial datasets, as with speed cameras and petrol station locations.

Occasionally it is hard to know the exact status of a development scheme, and we need to go out and check exactly what has been built and where. This “ground research” makes a pleasant change for map makers who otherwise spend most of their time sitting at a desk!

Updating the Maps

Our mapping is stored as a set of computer files, each covering a small area. The files are updated whenever a new edition is published for that area. Skilled cartographers have the job of interpreting the change information and making changes to the map. This human involvement is essential, and A-Z’s maps wouldn’t be as clear and trustworthy without a careful process of checks. A map is a simplified picture of reality, and the cartographer has to try to show the real-world situation as clearly as possible. We will come back to this in a future blog post.

Finally, some updates also need to be reflected in the important index at the back of the atlas (or the search function in digital mapping applications). In the early days of A-Z, this was a laborious process involving huge numbers of index cards. Thankfully, it is now stored in a database and the extraction of a publication index is mostly automated.

A-Z products cover all of Great Britain at various scales. It would not be possible to update our whole mapping database continuously, so the update cycle is based on the publication of new editions. The London area gets closest to constant revision due to the number of A-Z products that cover some part of the capital. Some people may not realise that all map producers need to take this kind of structured approach in updating their maps. Just because a map is viewed over the internet or through a sat nav, it doesn’t mean that the mapping is somehow updated as soon as any change happens in the real world. This is shown by cautionary tales like the Spanish driver who followed their sat nav directions straight into a new reservoir.

The New A-Z

At the end of all this work, it is a delight to send a new A-Z edition off to be printed. By showing accurate, up-to-date information in the famously clear A-Z mapping style, we hope your new A-Z will remain a reliable companion for many years to come.

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The Broads

Posted on March 13, 2013 by A-Z Maps

The Broads is a vast network of waterways in Norfolk and Suffolk, formed from seven connected rivers. The broads themselves are lakes formed from flooded medieval peat diggings, and are often found alongside the rivers. A national park covers 303 square kilometres, making it Britain’s largest protected wetland. The waterways and fens are home to an abundance of wildlife, including rare species such as Bittern and Swallowtail butterfly.

Since the late 19th century, the Broads have been a popular tourist destination. A huge 200 kilometres of the waterways network is navigable, so many visitors choose to explore by boat. Boats are available to hire for a relaxing holiday afloat or just a day trip. If you prefer, there’s a variety of other accommodation options available including B&B’s and self catering cottages. In this week’s blog, we look at just a few ways to experience The Broads.

Walking

Walking is a great way to explore the Broads and experience the natural surroundings. The Barton Broad boardwalk is a wheelchair-friendly path through the swampy carr woodland that was built over deep mud. The short route takes in a special viewpoint looking out across the broad.  Kids might love the boardwalk adventure, but dogs aren’t allowed in the reserve.

If you’re a keen walker looking for a bigger challenge then head down Wherryman’s Way. This lengthy 35 mile route runs along the River Yare between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and will be sure to work those leg muscles. The route takes its name from the wherry, a large cargo barge whose elegant black sails were a once common sight on these waters.

Taking To the Water

Boats can be hired for almost any period of time, ranging from an hour to a week or more. If you don’t fancy hiring your own boat then you can take a guided boat trip. The Broads boats come in all shapes and sizes too, from modern powerful cruisers to canoes. There’s something for every age and ability.

  • Motor Cruisers – Motor cruisers have always been a popular choice for travelling the Broads. Modern cruisers are equipped with beds, cookers, fridges and provide a comfortable home from home.
  • Sailing – Sailing taster sessions are available for novices; Professionals can take part in one of the many regattas that take place throughout the year.
  • Canoes & rowing boats - If you are open to light physical exertion then hire a canoe or rowing boat. This option may be more cost effective and will enable you to see the wildlife up close.

Map of The Broads

Whether you are on the riverbank or at the helm of a boat, the Broads Adventure Atlas will come in handy. One single slim map book contains detailed Ordnance Survey mapping of the whole of The Broads. You can use it to plan your route, explore riverside locations, or use the index to quickly find places to visit.

However you navigate, The Broads offer a fantastic selection of activities for all the family. The quaint villages, bustling market towns, and unique landscapes make the Broads a wonderful, individual wetland attraction.

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