By Norfolk Broads.Org
An excellent site that includes a tide table relevant to your holiday dates. Enter your holiday start date, and number of days then click on calculate.
A minor collision and another of 2 boats going through Wroxham bridge. One gets it right but the other does not.
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“Norfolk Broads General Boating, Cruising and Mooring Tips”
Norfolk Broads Handbook
If you intend crossing Breydon Water or visiting Great Yarmouth you may wish to select the “Crossing Breydon Water” tab above. You can also print this information as a PDF.
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Relax and Explore the Villages & Riverside Inns
Boating On The Norfolk Broads
Bridges
Video of a Pilot taking a boat through Potter Heigham Bridge
A bridge height/clearance chart and a tidal rise & fall chart can be found on the Bridge Gaps page using the blue “Bridge Gaps” tab at the top of this page.
- Ensure that all crew are safely below deck when navigating bridges. There are some low bridges so check the height/air draft that is indicated on your boat and compare it with the gauge on the bridge. If you can comfortably see that the gap is above the height of your boat it should be ok. If applicable ensure TV Ariel is down. Remember depending on the individual craft the height of your boat is with the top/sliding roof down and windscreen folded. Do this in advance maybe a few hundred yards before the bridge. It may be an idea to ask a boatyard official what the boat height is with the roof up as some bridges have ample height and it may be unnecessary to lower the roof and windscreen especially helpful on a wet or cold day. Again seek advice from the boatyard official.
- If you are cruising against the tide give way to craft cruising with the tide as they will find it more difficult to slow down and tread water/come to a standstill.
- On southern Broads The very restricted height bridges that need low water are At Thorpe Norwich and By Beccles towards Geldeston. At the Thorpe railway bridges (one each end of the cut) it’s best to decide if you intend staying before you go under the bridge for the water may rise while you are moored up and you could end up waiting hours for low water to get back through. There is a cut in a couple of hundred yards before bridge (travelling from Brundall) where you can moor free of charge. You can then walk a short distance to the railway crossing footbridge.
- On the Northern Broads it is Wayford Bridge,Wroxham and Potter Heigham. Their are also 2 bridges at Yarmouth that have limited clearance at high water. This is very important should you be coming from the Southern Broads across Breydon Water. For more details See the “Crossing Breydon Water” page . Yarmouth Yacht Station Tel: 01493 842794.
- Wroxham Bridge. For most if not all boatyards now make it compulsory to use the Pilot take the boat through.
Although there is a charge for this service I would recommend using it even if your boat yard has not made it compulsory. Some boatyards may include this service in the hire cost.
The Bridge Pilots are highly experienced and pass under the bridge at a fair pace. There is a natural tendency to go too slowly leaving you vulnerable to crosswinds and currents. See youtube video page for film. Wroxham Pilots No: 07775 297638.
Please be aware that the Pilot will not board your boat from outside The Hotel Wroxham as the moorings are for mooring fee paying customers only.
The above picture is an old photo of Wroxham Bridge before the building of the footbridge that runs parallel.
- Potter Heigham Bridge. You must get the pilot to take the boat through.
Although the listings and onboard plaque may indicate that a particular boat is able to pass through all Norfolk Broads bridges, Potter Heigham may only be achievable in ideal tidal conditions.
Due to varying river levels even at low water there will often be insufficient clearance for an outward and return journey within your holiday period.
The figures that I have sourced would suggest a clearance of only 6ft 5ins at average high water and an approximate rise and fall of of only 4 to 6 inches based on a single tide.
If you are planning a trip to Potter Heigham and hoping to get through the bridge I'd suggest ringing ahead of the planned trip i.e. the day before or on the morning to The Phoenix Fleet Pilots Office at Potter Heigham, Tel 07990 686097 or 01692 670460 between 8.30 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.
The pilot is best qualified to inform you if your outward and return passage is achievable during the chosen dates and if so when you need to return for passing back through the bridge.
Below is an old video I took of a Pilot taking our hire boat through Potter Heigham bridge. I believe the footage was taken in the late 70’s or early 80’s.
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