Moorings on the River Thurne

The River Thurne is a short Broads river, 10.6 kilometres long, that rises near Martham Broad and flows south-west to join the River Bure at Thurne Mouth. West Somerton marks the upper limit of navigation. It is the way to the northern broads: Hickling Broad through Heigham Sound, Horsey Mere through Meadow Dyke, and Martham Broad. Womack Water runs about a mile off the river to Ludham, and Thurne Dyke leads to Thurne village.

The Broads Authority is the navigation authority. The medieval bridge at Potter Heigham, thought to date from 1385, is the main obstacle: its narrow central arch only passes boats needing less than about 2 metres of headroom, and only small cruisers get through, near low water. Hire boats must take a pilot, and pilots are available from Phoenix Fleet beside the bridge. A modern road bridge crosses nearby.

Moorings on the River Thurne are concentrated at Potter Heigham, where boatyards and hire fleets are based on the river by the bridges. Above the bridge, the river leads on through Heigham Sound to Hickling Broad, the largest of the Broads, and to Horsey Mere, which by water is 26 miles from the sea although the coast is less than a mile away.