Ross' Wildlife Boat Trips at Horsey Windpump

a white boat with a brown wooden cabin top parked by a jetty

Discover the 'hidden' Norfolk Broads by taking a wildlife boat tour from the Staithe at Horsey Windpump. Ross' Wildlife Boat Trips offers an informal and relaxing boat ride across Horsey Mere with opportunities to see the often rare wildlife that in habits this corner of Norfolk, including Marsh Harriers, Swallowtail Butterflies, Bitterns and Kingfishers. The boat trips run from 1 April to 30 September.

Leaving from the staithe by Horsey Windpump, enjoy an informal all-weather wildlife trip in the comfort and safety of mv Lady Ann, a traditional wooden Broads built pleasure boat. Your friendly, experienced, local Broads guide knows just where to take you to see some of the unique flora and fauna that have made this part of Norfolk so famous. 

Horsey Mere surrounded by the reed beds that are so important to the wildlife
Horsey mere surrounded by reeds
Horsey Mere surrounded by the reed beds that are so important to the wildlife

Ross offers one hour wildlife-watching trips departing regularly from Horsey Staithe. His trips are friendly and informal so you can relax and enjoy a trip into a Broadland landscape largely unchanged since medieval times. Lady Ann can carry up to 12 passengers and well behaved dogs are welcome 

Private hire is available for early morning and evening tours during the main season and throughout the off season by arrangement which is ideal for birthdays, family outings, picnics, special interest groups, filming & photography and Clubs & Societies. 

 

MV Lady Ann 

The Lady Ann is a classic wooden boat, built in Wroxham. She is stable and perfect for viewing the unique wildlife in all weathers. 

Learn about the wildlife and history of the Broads while seated in the open-sided saloon and relax during this friendly and informal tour. Lady Ann can carry up to 12 passengers and well behaved dogs. 

What might you see? 

Throughout April-September, weather permitting, you are almost guaranteed to see the stunning marsh harrier. On warm days in May, June and July the very rare swallowtail butterfly is likely to be on show. Whilst there are more than a dozen sites this butterfly may be seen at, for anyone with restricted mobility we probably have the best chances of finding one. In the early season we often see cuckoos. Bitterns boom and sometimes put in an appearance. Horsey is one of the best places to see cranes.

The beautiful Swallowtail butterfly which is unique to the Norfolk Broads and can often be seen at Horsey Windpump
the beautiful black and yellow swallowtail butterfly
The beautiful Swallowtail butterfly which is unique to the Norfolk Broads and can often be seen at Horsey Windpump

Accessibility 

Access to Lady Ann from the car park is via 150m of solid, well-maintained path. 

Entry to Lady Ann is possible for wheelchairs with the assistance of the skipper to help negotiate a 5" upstand of wood at the transom and to deploy and use a ramp inside the boat. The boat can only carry one wheelchair at a time due to the layout. 

Very occasionally the skipper of the boat is someone with restricted use of his wrists and is therefore unable to assist wheelchairs in boarding. For this reason we advise anyone with restricted mobility to contact us first to ensure we can accommodate them. 

If you have a mobility scooter there is room to park it where the boat departs from. We regret we are unable to carry such scooters on the boat. 

 

Parking

Parking is available at Horsey Windpump (owned and managed by National Trust) with disabled spaces available. Parking is free for National Trust members and charges apply for non-members.

 
 
One hour wildlife-watching trips depart regularly from Horsey Staithe most days from 1 April to the end of September. You can just turn up on the day as you are unlikely to wait long and there's plenty to do in Horsey, why not grab a hot drink and a tasty snack from the National Trust tea room on site?
 
If you haven't pre-booked make your way to the departure point at Horsey Staithe and write your name/s down on the booking sheet for the boat trip you want. 
 
Prices: Adults £10, Children £8.00, Family (2+2) £34.00, well-behaved dogs welcome £1
 
You can contact Ross by telephone on 07791 526440 or please text me before 10am on the day
 
Please note: this activity is not organised by or licenced through the National Trust; any queries or concerns need to be taken up with Ross directly.