The Waterways Great Yarmouth Review

The Venetian Waterways and Boating Lake is a 7 acre garden and boating lake situated on the seafront in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It is quite popular in the summer months, but it is also very popular with the local residents all year round as it is such a beautiful place to take a stroll and relax. It has quite a history to it too!

It was initially set up in 1919 by the local council. Ir was a means of helping people relieve the distress due to unemployment brought on after World War 1. When the work on designing the Waterways began, priority was given to people who were unemployed, married and had at least 1 child. The Waterways was eventually completed in 1928, by which time 427 men had gained employment. In 2018, a major restoration project of the Waterways took place, which took about a year to complete. This meant completely draining the whole of the waterways of water and repairing and restoring the whole of the historic waterways. This was done entirely by volunteers.

Scattered around The Waterways there are plenty of newly planted trees and flowers for the Ornamental Gardens. There are lots of benches for people to take a rest on too. The Waterways are broken up in some parts by a small road which leads from the main road to the beach itself. So there is easy access to and from the beach. There is also The Island Cafe where people can sit and relax with a snack and something to drink. There are small bridges that interconnect the waterways.

Another nice touch to The Waterways are the Memorials. For those that have lost loved ones you can have a memorial plaque placed on one of the many benches scattered around The Waterways. There is space for up to 2 plaques on a bench, and there are contact details on the website where you can get more information about this. The plaques have a 10 year dedication period. There is also volunteering opportunities for people interested. There are also boats and pedalo's you can hire for a fee.

And of course there's the wildlife too. There are ducks that inhabit The Waterways, so this is always lovely to see. The Waterways is excellent for wildlife and attracts not only ducks, but herons and other wildlife too. As you can see from the pictures I posted, there are plenty of ducks that use the winding canal system.

This is a really nice place to relax and take a walk. It is dog friendly, and it is disabled friendly too. Although when I visited it was in March, so the cafe wasn't open, but it was still very nice to walk around and take in the views and wildlife. The day I went was really quiet, and there wasn't many people about. But I found it really peaceful and quiet. Since they did the renovations and integrated the wildlife back into the winding canals, it's turned into a really beautiful place to walk around and explore.

The boats and pedalo's are only operational in the summer months. As I say, it is free to enter, but there is a charge if you want to have a go on the boats. It really is a big place and you could easily spend a couple of hours here just wandering around and taking in the scenery and wildlife. I love how this looks and feels now. I often go here just for a walk and to sit down and watch the world go by. There is the beach right next door to the waterways too, so it makes for useful access if you want to go on the beach too.

North Drive, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 4EW

The Venetian Waterways is situated on the seafront, just north of The Golden Mile. It's very easy to find and as you walk along the seafront, you will find the large expanse of Waterways.

The entrance is free. There is plenty of parking on the main seafront in Great Yarmouth, and there are also short and long term car parks you can park in, depending on the season. And also beginning from the end of May, there is a train that drives along the seafront that runs from inbetween the Britannia Pier and The Waterways, and running to The Pleasure Beach fun fair at the other end of the Golden Mile.

The cost of hiring a boat is £8 for half an hour and £10 for 45 minutes.