BARTON BROAD
Including the charming villages of Neatishead, Irstead and Barton Turf.
Take a trip up the River Ant to reach the second largest of the broads and National Nature Reserve - magnificent Barton Broad. Following a major environmental restoration project, Barton Broad is a fantastic place for wildlife and has a fully accessible boardwalk which winds its way through swampy woodland to give panoramic views over the broad. It’s also famous for its important sailing scene. You can choose to moor at one of three villages surrounding the broad Neatishead, which has a lovely pub and shop, or the charming little villages of Irstead and Barton Turf. Barton Broad is a fascinating place to visit for those interested in the environment thanks to a major restoration project by the Broads Authority - Clear Water 2000 - that began in 1995. Today the broad has very clear water full of rare plants and animals but prior to the project the water was thick with algae, which silted up the broad and killed off other plants and animals.
P6
The project pumped out the equivalent of 160 Olympic swimming pools of mud and temporarily removed fish from sections of the broad. Without any fish to eat them, the population of water fleas increased, which in turn cleared up the water by feeding on algae. Dredging the broad was also good news for boaters.
