Norfolk Broads footpaths disappearing due to flooding

The Broads Authority has highlighted the growing threat to the popular routes which line many of the waterways' rivers in a new document.

It says climate change and rising water levels on the Broads mean the issue will worsen.

The report identifies several paths which have already been lost or redirected away from the riverbank because they have become unsafe or have had to make way for new flood defence works.

Even routes like the Wherryman's Way and the Weavers' Way - two of Norfolk's best-known long-distance trails - are under threat.

Officials say the situation is particularly worrying because, unlike coastal paths, riverside routes do not benefit from the same legal powers that ensure they are reinstated. Instead, they can be moved in land and away from the water.

Riverside paths may have to be rerouted away from the banks of the river due to erosion and flooding (Image: Newsquest)

PATHS LOST

Since 2020, 10 paths have been rerouted further inland away from river banks, meaning some trails no longer allow walkers to follow the path of some of Norfolk's idyllic waterways.

These footpaths have been redirected in Acle, Ashby with Oby, Fleggburgh, Reedham, South Walsham, Upton and West Caister.

They include parts of the Wherryman's Way and Weavers' Way, which follow sections of the Rivers Yare, Bure and Thurne.

The Wherryman's Way is a popular walking route that follows the River Yare from its mouth in Great Yarmouth to Norwich, travelling upstream as the wherries transporting goods to the city once did (Image: Newsquest)

Four other paths have been 'extinguished' at Cantley, Langley with Hardley, Mautby and Stokesby after new routes were created.

The risk from flooding and erosion continues to be a problem and last winter's persistent high water levels left many trails waterlogged.

Sections of the Weavers' Way - which runs between Great Yarmouth and Cromer, have been repeatedly reported as being impassable due to flooding.

Paths in Geldeston and Hickling are also facing issues, with a mile-long stretch of trail in Hickling currently closed while engineers reinforce flood protection.

The Wherryman's Way at Reedham marshes (Image: Newsquest)

High water levels are also causing banks to erode, making them unsafe for walkers.

The 14 paths that have been diverted followed work for the Broadlands Flood Alleviation Project - a scheme begun in 2001 which made flood defence improvements along the tidal areas of the Rivers Yare, Bure, Waveney and their tributaries.

Engineers 'rolled back' flood defences and created new floodbanks as part of the work, with the land in between the river and new banks left to become a reedbed habitat. 

Where possible, the rerouted paths follow the new river banks however, this isn't always possible.

Hickling was badly affected by flooding this winter (Image: Mike Page)

COSTS RISE

The growing issue can also be costly.

Extinguishing a path costs about £1,850 per order, which would mean the 14 paths mentioned above will cost £25,900 to remove them as footpaths.

There is no established protocol for who should pay for these costs, according to the BA.

However, if paths that are no longer viable are not extinguished, Norfolk County Council will continue to have responsibility for maintaining the routes despite it being impractical.

CALLS FOR CHANGE

The report by officers explores legislation that protects rights of way and how this relates to footpaths lost to erosion or persistent flooding.

Current rules mean coastal paths must be moved in line with the erosion.

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Views across Hickling Broad (Image: Newsquest)

However, the same obligations do not apply to riverside paths, meaning these can be rerouted but do not necessarily have to follow the river.

Jo Thompson, the BA official who wrote the report, said: "There is not the same legislation around paths lost to riverbank erosion as there is for coastal erosion.

"Paths flooding and being lost to the river will continue to be a problem with climate change and the predicted rise in water levels and rainfall patterns."

It has been proposed that local MPs could be lobbied to support changes to Public Rights of Way in a bid to gain the same rights as coastal paths for those that follow Norfolk's meandering waterways.

But as it stands, some of the county's best-loved riverside trails could soon be moved further away from the banks.