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Oulton Broad guide

The gateway to the Broads National Park

Forming the Southern Gateway to the Broads National Park, Oulton Broad is a busy tourist and sporting centre with many beautiful sights to take in, a range of activities to try out and places to visit, shop, eat and drink. It is a place to slow your pace and meander by cycle, foot or boat and admire the scenery and wildlife and explore at your leisure.

Did you know?

Oulton Broad is a well known as a thriving centre for watersports, with powerboat racing, canoeing and its Thursday night speed boat racing.

The author George Henry Borrow grew up in Oulton Broad before embarking on a great many travels, he returned to the area in 1840 and from his estate wrote a great many of his most popular novels, including The Zincali and Lavengro. His legacy is remembered in the nearby ‘Borrow Road’.

Oulton Broad's Nicholas Everitt Park is home to the Lowestoft Museum; probably best known for its important collection of 18th-century Lowestoft Porcelain. Other fascinating displays include locally found fossils and artefacts relating to early man (Pakefield Man dating back 700,000 years) and local archaeological displays of objects from Roman and Anglo-Saxon sites. There are also exhibits relating to HMS Lowestoft and HMS Mantis and Lowestoft as a fishing port.

things to do oulton broad where to stay Oulton Broad where to eat Oulton Broad

Location

Oulton Broad Highlights

1. Nicholas Everitt Park

Towns & Villages - Oulton Broad - sitting by river

With its extensive water frontage and open views across the Broads, Nicholas Everitt Park is a jewel in the crown for Oulton Broad and offers scenic walks and a range of amenities, leisure facilities, beautiful gardens and attractions. This includes the Lowestoft Museum, situated in the Broad House, a grade ll listed building dating from 1685. The Museum boasts one of the best collections of Lowestoft Porcelain as well as many objects and displays relating to the history of the area and its people.

The park also hosts a calendar of events in the summer from powerboat racing to concerts on the bandstand, plus lots of yacht racing on the Broad. The park offers a variety of water based activities and for those with their own vessel a slipway is available. There are tennis courts, a bowling green, toilets, putting green trampolines, a play area, boating lake and ponds Head down to the park during the summer months and enjoy a concert from the Victorian Bandstand or on most Thursday evenings watch some of the world’s top drivers at the Power Boat Racing. The summer weekends are a great time to watch the yacht racing. Alternatively, simply find a spot on the grassed area, or many benches, and enjoy the picturesque waterside views across the Broad or stop at one of the cafés for a refreshment break.

2.The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads

Towns & Villages - Oulton Broad - view from air

The Broads are Britain's largest protected wetland and third largest inland waterway, designated for its special characteristics, unique landscape, wildlife and culture. Stretching across both Norfolk and Suffolk, with over 125 miles of navigable waterways, the beauty and tranquillity of its landscape, as well as being home to some of the rarest plants and animals in the UK, it is easy to see how it attracts around eight million visitors every year.

Heading east from Oulton Broad, the Mutford Lock links the Broads to Lake Lothing and the North Sea via Lowestoft. The connection of salt and fresh water, and two different tides on each side, means Mutford Lock is an unusual design – you will notice the double lock gates at each end which are used to adjust the level of the water within the lock. The length of the lock was designed so that a trading wherry could fit within it. The Norfolk Wherries, with their iconic long, low shape and large sail, were used to transport all manner of goods around the Broads network. The hotel opposite is named after them.

You can sail along the River Waveney from Oulton Broad to Burgh St Peter with Waveney River Tours, a 100 seater passenger boat or be the captain of your own ship with a boat hire from Oulton Dayboats.

For more information on The Broads, download this free digital guide: http://qrco.de/VisittheBroads2021

3. Powerboat Racing and Sailing

Towns & Villages - Oulton Broad - Sailing

Every summer Oulton Broad is the host of the Powerboat European Championships. Races take place on Thursday evenings and some Saturdays and Sundays. If you fancy trying your hand at sailing, the Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club run a range of courses, offer boat hire and host many regattas through the year.

4. International Boatbuilding Training College

Towns & Villages - ITBC - Boat build

The IBTC offers a variety of boat building/maintenance and woodworking courses suitable for those looking for a career in the maritime industry as well as individuals wanting to develop existing or new interests and skills. With courses from 1 day to almost a year there is something to offer everyone; from owners and enthusiasts to prospective trades people.

5. Carlton & Oulton Marshes

Towns & Villages - Oulton Broad - Carlton - Oulton Marshes

Head South West away from Oulton Broad along Angles Way and you will find Carlton Marshes nature reserve with its stunning all year-round wildlife and seasonal broadland features. Part of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads network, it’s free to visit with a variety of trails to explore, where well behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Walking North through the nature reserve brings you to the River Waveney where you can catch a passenger ferry across to the popular Waveney River Centre which offers visitors a range of facilities.

Useful Information

A Visitor Information Point is located at Oulton Broad Library, 92 Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 3JR and at The Harbour Master's Office, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 9JS

Public conveniences and baby changing facilities:

Nicholas Everitt Park, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 9JR - Disabled toilets and baby changing facilities.

The Boulevard (next to the Yacht Station), Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 9JS - Showers and toilets.

Accessibility

Check out AccessAble's detailed access guides to Suffolk and work out if a place is going to be accessible to you.

The access guides cover multiple locations and venues across Suffolk, including places to stay, attractions, places to eat, stations, shops, trails and more.

The access guides are 100% facts, figures and photographs, checked by AccessAble's trained surveyors in person, people who know everyone's accessibility needs are different and understand how important it is for information to be detailed and accurate.

How to Get to Oulton Broad - By Public Transport

With Suffolk on Board you can plan journeys using public transport from and to a town or village, named station or stop, or point of interest.

As many destinations along the Suffolk coast are rural there can be limited public transport services on many routes, but there are journey solutions through various local community transport services that will get you to where you want to go/your final destination. These tend to need to be booked in advance but you can find out more and plan your journey at Suffolk on Board.

By Bus:

Local bus timetables and further information can be found at www.suffolkonboard.com

Address: Gordon Road, Lowestoft, NR32 1LR.

By Train:

Oulton Broad has two rail stations; Oulton Broad North, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR32 3LJ, providing services to Lowestoft and Norwich, and Oulton Broad South, Beccles Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 8QX providing services to Beccles with on-going connections to Ipswich and London.

Greater Anglia operates frequent train services. All train tickets can be purchased via the Greater Anglia Website or the app.

Car Parks in Oulton Broad

To find parking places in East Suffolk and where parking fees apply, visit the council’s RingGo parking service .

The free RingGo app allows drivers to locate a parking place before starting their journey, receive navigation to it, see how busy car parks are within an area, pay for your parking session and extend it if you need to. Signing up to RingGo is as easy as entering your car’s registration and your payment details. Find out more about registering and using the service on the RingGo how it works page.

Nicholas Everitt Crescent, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9LQ - 1 hours free parking

Nicholas Everitt Park, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9JX - Pay and Display

The Boulevard, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9JS - Pay and Display

Parking for Larger Vehicles and Campervans

Nicholas Everitt Park, Oulton Broad, NR33 9JT (in designated coach bays)

For further details visit Larger vehicles and campervans » East Suffolk Council

Walking in Oulton Broad

Walking in East Suffolk has just become easier. In partnership with East Suffolk Council, walking app Go Jauntly has launched a collection of East Suffolk walks.

Go Jauntly is a free community-based app to promote walking, wayfinding and nature connection. You can find local walks created by people who know and love them, discover the greenest walking routes from A to B, create your own jaunts and enjoy outdoor adventures with friends and family.

Go Jauntly is available to download, for free, on the App Store and the Play Store.