n By Duncan Milligan


So, do the sights and booming sounds of bitterns go well with a pint of bitter?


It looked like it when I visited one evening. Visitors were beginning to gather for evening walks and a drink.


There were plenty of locals. While driving there I spotted one local with his dog towing his wheelchair (at some speed) to the pub.


He assured me the dog knew the route to the pub very well. More importantly, he said, the dog knew the route back.


Not only is the pub family friendly, it is dog friendly. And, according to local wheelchair users, it’s pretty easy to access.


Perhaps the dwindling number of purveyors of bitter can take heart from the fate of the bittern. In the late 90s, the number of bitterns in the UK was close to extinction levels (only 11 male bitterns survived according to the RSPB).


Nearly 30 years on and thanks to conservationists the number of male bitterns has jumped to nearly 250. (Male numbers are easier to track because they are many times louder than the quieter females).


The Pleasure Boat was refurbished in early 2024 inside and out and an extension added. It reopened in late 2024.


The large pub garden, which has fantastic views, was refreshed and the moorings tidied up. The original BT red phone box is still open for calls and works when you insert 60p (I did test it).


The NWT realised that a wildlife charity would not have the skillset to run a successful pub.


So, The Pleasure Boat has tenant landlords – Rick and Felicity Malt – who run two other successful local pubs.


The interior of the pub is clean colours, open space and plenty of windows to view the outside landscape. The emphasis is locally sourced products.


Pell & Co provide gin and vodka inspired by the flora of the Norfolk Broads. Woodford’s, a local brewery, donate 10p on every pint of their ale sold in the pub to the Trust.


You can get a pint of Pillow Fight, a beer which commemorates a raucous pillow fight between Prince Charles (as he then was) and his friends when they stayed at the pub. King Charles, now past his pillow fighting days, is patron of the NWT.


The food also aims to be locally sourced at all times. Norfolk and the counties around are famous for their local produce, a source of much local pride.


The emphasis is on locally sourced meats, vegetables and mushrooms at affordable prices. There’s local beef, lamb and pork roasts on the menu (large stuffed mushrooms is the vegetarian option).


Rachel told us the pub adds to the already great attraction of the nature reserve. “There is river frontage where small boats can moor up and people can explore local nature.


“There are organised boat trips from the pub and the nature reserve itself. On the breakfast trips you can hear the ‘dawn chorus’ on Hinkley Broad.”


There’s also day and evening boat trips that can be booked through the Trust. Some months you can do a combined boat trip and dinner at the pub afterwards.


“This is such a beautiful spot to explore on foot, the Trust’s nature reserve using boardwalks and pathways,” she tells me. “This is a year-round attraction, bringing people into nature and improving well-being.”


The nature reserve is a key part of the world famous Norfolk Broads landscape and wetlands. Hickling is a haven for some of the UK’s rarest animals and plants.


It is one of very few places in Britain where you can spot our largest butterfly – the swallowtail. And while the bittern is more heard than seen there are marsh harriers, great crested grebes, cranes, warblers, spoonbills and egrets.


In addition to the swallowtail butterflies, there are squadrons of various dragonflies. The view from the pub garden is truly idyllic.


If you want to have a bitter with the bitterns, a gin with the geese or a soft drink with the spoonbills, take some time to drop into Hinkley. And enjoy a walk or a boat trip.


FIND OUT MORE See norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk


45 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2026


All photos by Peter Everard Smith. Bitterns: Alamy


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