Martham Broad
Encyclopedia
Martham Broad is a broad (or lake) and National Nature Reserve
on the River Thurne
in the English
county of Norfolk
. The broad is located within The Broads National Park about 2 km
north of the village of Martham
.
The nature reserve is maintained by English Nature
and is part of the Upper Thurne Broads and Marshes SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest
). It is owned and managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust
. It comprises 590,000 m²
of open water, reed
and saw-sedge
fen
, and it is a shallow, brackish lake. The reed swamp
consists of common reed and lesser reedmace. In summer, the swallowtail butterfly
can be seen.
Boats can only use a narrow marked channel through the broad; they are discouraged from using the broad during the winter months because of the breeding season. There is a footpath through the reserve. The path along the north side of the Broad presents one of the best views in Norfolk across the Broad.
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
on the River Thurne
River Thurne
The River Thurne is a river in Norfolk, England in The Broads. Just six miles long it rises two miles from the coast near Martham Broad and is navigable from West Somerton. It flows southwest and is linked by Candle Dyke and Heigham Sound to both Horsey Mere and Hickling Broad...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The broad is located within The Broads National Park about 2 km
1 E3 m
To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 1 kilometre and 10 kilometres .Distances shorter than 1 kilometre-Conversions:1 kilometre is equal to:* 1,000 metres...
north of the village of Martham
Martham
Martham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk and within the Broads National Park. It is situated some north-west of the town of Great Yarmouth and north-east of the city of Norwich....
.
The nature reserve is maintained by English Nature
English Nature
English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006...
and is part of the Upper Thurne Broads and Marshes SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
). It is owned and managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk, England, formerly known as the Norfolk Naturalists' Trust, is one of almost 50 wildlife trusts throughout the United Kingdom.Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts....
. It comprises 590,000 m²
1 E5 m²
To help compare sizes of different geographic regions, areas between 10 hectares and 100 hectares are listed below.* Areas smaller than 0.1 km2* 0.1 km2 is equal to:**1 E+5 m² or 100,000 m2...
of open water, reed
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
and saw-sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
, and it is a shallow, brackish lake. The reed swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
consists of common reed and lesser reedmace. In summer, the swallowtail butterfly
Old World Swallowtail
The Old World Swallowtail is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the Common Yellow Swallowtail or simply the Swallowtail...
can be seen.
Boats can only use a narrow marked channel through the broad; they are discouraged from using the broad during the winter months because of the breeding season. There is a footpath through the reserve. The path along the north side of the Broad presents one of the best views in Norfolk across the Broad.