About Islandeering
Hi and welcome to Islandeering Islandeering is for people who want adventure in Britain’s wild blue spaces – our rivers, coast, lakes, canals and islands. You will find amazing walks, paddles and swims in the UK’s most special places, those recognised for outstanding natural beauty, incredible geology or special and abundant wildlife.
More About UsWe continuously find new islands, rivers, lochs, canals and coast to walk, SUP and swim in and meet plenty of great folks along the way. Join our community to get new routes and adventures, latest blogs and news by using the email box below. Tune in also to our Facebook and Instagram pages to see where we are going next.
Nestled in the Norfolk Broads between the River Yare, River Waveney and New Cut this island, which has a high point of less than five metres, consists of marsh pastures that form part of Pettingell’s Level. An eighteen-kilometre walk around the perimeter of the island includes a section of the Wherryman’s Way. A wherry is a large cargo-carrying barge whose elegant black sails were once a common sight on these waters. The Pettingell family have lived on the island for at least two centuries and their house is situated on the marsh beside the dyke on the western bank of the River Waveney; it is marked on Ordnance Survey maps as Seven Mile House, because it is seven miles from Great Yarmouth. This is a true wilderness walk in the Broads.
Highlights of Haddiscoe Island
- Historic pumping mills
- Chinese water deer
- Marsh harriers
- Snakes!
How to get to Haddiscoe Island
St Olaves is half way between Great Yarmouth and Beccles along the A143. Start at St Olaves Bridge (roadside parking); food is available at the sixteenth-century Bell Inn at nearby St Olaves.
About Islandeering
Hi and welcome to Islandeering Islandeering is for people who want adventure in Britain’s wild blue spaces – our rivers, coast, lakes, canals and islands. You will find amazing walks, paddles and swims in the UK’s most special places, those recognised for outstanding natural beauty, incredible geology or special and abundant wildlife.
More About UsWe continuously find new islands, rivers, lochs, canals and coast to walk, SUP and swim in and meet plenty of great folks along the way. Join our community to get new routes and adventures, latest blogs and news by using the email box below. Tune in also to our Facebook and Instagram pages to see where we are going next.
Key Facts
- Location: Norfolk
- Size: 800 hectares
- Terrain: Rough grass
- Access: Footpath
- Height gain: 23 metres
- Map: OS Explorer 40 The broads
- Starting point: Haddiscoe Cut Bridge, St Olaves (GR TM 454 991)
Haddiscoe Island Walk
The circular walk around the perimeter of Haddiscoe Island is a great place to get away from it all. The entire route is on top of the banks of the River Waveney, River Yare and The New Cut. It starts at the beautiful riverside village of St Olaves and heads along the straight dyke of the New Cut towards the ‘resort’ village of Reedham. Following the dyke north east along the tranquil waters of the River Yare, the iconic mill and buildings of Berney Arms and Mill on the opposite river bank are then passed almost where the Rivers Yare and Waveney meet. The northern tip of the island, dips into the western reaches of the large stretch of water, known as Breydon Water, with the Roman ruins of mainland’s Burgh Castle claiming much of the view. The return leg at times tracks inland offering great views across the whole island with tantalising glimpses of the River Waveney through the reed beds.
