Hickling Broad | |
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Type | Nature reserve |
Location | Stalham, Norfolk |
OS grid | TG 428 222 |
Area | 600 hectares (1,500 acres) |
Managed by | Norfolk Wildlife Trust |
Hickling Broad is a 600-hectare (1,500-acre) nature reserve 4 km south-east of Stalham, north-east of Norwich in Norfolk. It is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.[1] It is a National Nature Reserve[2] and part of the Upper Thurne Broads and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest[3] and Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I.[4] It is in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,[5] and part of the Broadland Ramsar site[6] and Special Protection Area,[7] and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.[8]
It is the broad with the largest surface area, and the water is slightly brackish, due to its proximity to the sea.[9] The navigation channel is only 1.5 m deep, with much of the broad being shallower; it is 1.4 km2, making it one of the largest expanses of open water in East Anglia.