River Thurne
The shortest of the Broads rivers, six miles from West Somerton to the Bure, with Hickling and Horsey off its head
The Thurne is the shortest of the Broads rivers, about six miles long, and unusual in flowing away from the coast rather than towards it: it rises near the sea by Martham and runs inland across Norfolk to join the River Bure at Thurne Mouth. It is navigable from West Somerton down to the Bure.
For its short length it opens onto more water than any other Broads river. Above Potter Heigham, Candle Dyke leads off to Heigham Sound and on to Hickling Broad, the largest of the Broads, while Meadow Dyke branches north to Horsey Mere, most of it a National Trust reserve close to the dunes. Martham Broad lies on the upper river near the limit of the navigation.
The river’s best-known obstacle is the medieval road bridge at Potter Heigham, thought to date from the 14th century and one of the tightest on the Broads — only small cruisers can pass beneath it, at low water and often with a pilot’s help. Above the bridge the broads are shallow and reed-fringed, prized for their birdlife and for sailing. West Somerton, with 24-hour moorings, marks the head of the navigation.
