We left Strumpshaw Fen and headed towards Horning stopping off at NWT Ranworth Broad. We didn’t know too much about this site but when we arrived it was mentioned to us that a boat trip was going to be leaving in about an hour. We decided to take them up on this.
Being a bit early, however, we had a cup of tea and then walked through the reserve from the main reception to another building where the boats left from.
Ranworth Broad Site Map
We didn’t really see anything particularly special on this boat trip though there were plenty of Marsh Harriers about and we got very close views of Common Terns that perched on the navigation poles totally oblivious to us. But it was still a very interesting boat trip as the skipper explained quite a lot about the development, erosion and succession of the broads and the reed beds.
After we got done there we headed off to The Swan Inn at Horning. As it happens this turned out to be a pretty crap hotel but in a lovely location. It’s not often that I feel like replying to a questionnaire about a hotel but I did with this one complaining about the dirt in the bathroom and the breakfast room and the lack of hot water on our first morning there. It was by far the most expensive hotel we stayed at on our holiday and – location apart – the worst !! We should never stay there again.
Bird Sightings NWT Ranworth Broad 1st May 2019
| Greylag Goose | 20 |
| Mute Swan | 8 |
| Egyptian Goose | 2 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Mallard | 10 |
| Tufted Duck | 2 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 6 |
| Great Cormorant | 8 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 4 |
| Black-headed Gull | 30 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 1 |
| Common Tern | 20 |
| Common Wood Pigeon | 4 |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | 2 |
| European Goldfinch | 6 |
| House Sparrow | 2 |