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Messing about on the water is an enduring pleasure and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Look East's Mike Liggins was allowed more than his fair share when he shed the office shackles to dip more than a toe into the rivers and lakes of the Norfolk Broads.

He began his meandering in the bustling Broads' town of Wroxham, often tagged the Capital Of The Broads.

Every year thousands of fun-seekers flock here to hang out or hire a boat for the day, eager to see as much as they can within their allotted time.

Visitors to Wroxham or Horning will find a paddle steamer cruising the waterways, sometimes with an on-board band filling the still evening air with lively jazz.

Elephant crossing

At Reedham, the ferry clanks across the Yare, an old-fashioned chain-link ferry owned by generations of the same family.

Farm vehicles are regular users of Reedham Ferry alongside cars, post vans and bicycles - and word has it that even an elephant was once carried over the river.

Day three of Mike's meanderings took him to tranquil Hickling Broad, owned by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, where two trail wardens, one at the start of his working life, the other nearing the end of his, gave him a tour of some of its least accessible places.

And so on to the infamous low Potter Heigham bridge which is notorious among boating folk as the hardest on the Broads to navigate.

Here Mike met the Broads rangers who keep control of the waterways and help to keep visitors safe.

Thorough drenching

Mike's final visit to the Broads took him to Whitlingham, the newest of the Broads created just outside Norwich, where youngsters talked about the thrills of sailing.

Back in the Look East office there were thrills for his colleagues too.

When he stepped ashore bone dry from a taste of helming, he faced a thorough drenching from the young sailors who were waiting armed with buckets!

Sailing boats on the River Thurne

Gems of the Broads

If you've the time to explore the Broads further, Stalham, Potter Heigham and the nature reserve and broad at Ranworth are all beautiful.

If you head towards Breydon Water in Great Yarmouth you can sometimes see a seal on the mud flats, but be careful of the tides - you don't want to get stuck under a bridge. Burgh Castle, St Olaves and Somerleyton all bring different vistas.

Alternatively, take a break at Burgh St Peter then follow the winding Waveney to Beccles Marina and Geldeston lock.

Broads' photographs

Anytime spent on the Broads offers an opportunity for a photograph -from shots of messing around on boats to pictures of the stunning natural beauty, sailing ships, windmills and sunsets.

For the latest pictures from the Broads, take a look at our mobile webcam which operates on a Broads Authority cruiser during the summer months.