Special Protection Area,
and The Broads
Special Area of Conservation
A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
.
It is the broad with the largest surface area, and the water is slightly
brackish, due to its proximity to the sea.
[''Inland Waterways of Great Britain'', Jane Cumberlidge, (2009), Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson, ] The navigation channel is only 1.5 m deep, with much of the broad being shallower; it is 1.4 km
2, making it one of the largest expanses of open water in
East Anglia.
Ecology
It has the largest reed-bed in England and supports rare waterweeds such as the
holly-leaved naiad and three rare species of
stonewort. Amongst the rare insects is the
Swallowtail butterfly, subspecies ''Papilio machaon brittanicus'' which feeds on milk-parsley (''
Peucedanum palustre''), the
Norfolk hawker
''Aeshna isoceles'' (or ''isosceles'') is a small hawker dragonfly that is found in Europe, mostly around the Mediterranean, and the lowlands of North Africa. Its common name in English is green-eyed hawker. In the United Kingdom it is a localise ...
''Aeshna isosceles'' and
Emperor dragonfly. Birds that visit the reserve during the winter include cranes,
common goldeneye
The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (''Bucephala clangula'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus ''Goldeneye (duck), Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from th ...
s, shovelers and teals, while
Eurasian bitterns,
marsh harriers,
common pochards,
water rails and
Cetti's warblers stay for most of the year.
[Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Hickling Broad NNR]
accessed 2010-03-13 There is a
waymarked walk around the broad.
Sea planes
Hickling Broad was used as reserve station for sea planes by the
RNAS, in the period 1916–1918, as an escape for RNAS South Denes. It was known as RNAS Hickling Broad. Contractors started building a concrete slipway, but this was never completed. Eventually, Hickling was only used for two emergency landings. A separate arrangement allowed seaplanes destined for
Great Yarmouth to land on the calmer waters of the broad if the sea were too rough (this arrangement stands to this day). RNAS South Denes was located in the area which is now the South Denes Camping and Caravan site. There is a commemorative
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
in Regent Street in Great Yarmouth, it reads "Headquarters of the Royal Naval Air Service Occupied these premises during WWI April 1913-November 1918 Flying land & sea planes from South Denes, Hickling Broad
ic and heavily involved in anti Zeppelin warfare."
References
{{Authority control
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
National nature reserves in England
Norfolk Broads
Seaplane bases in England
Hickling, Norfolk