St Benet's Abbey, River Bure

The gatehouse of St Benet's Abbey, with an eighteenth-century windmill stump built bizarrely inside its ruin, is the definitive Broads image — a lonely monument in a sea of grazing marsh at a lazy bend of the Bure. From 60 metres you get the full geometry: the river's meanders, sailing cruisers tacking below, drainage mills on the horizon and cattle scattered across the levels. Dawn mist here is genuinely special and worth the alarm clock. Why caution rather than open: the site is owned by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust, and the Broads Authority's published drone guidance asks pilots to secure landowner permission for take-off and landing and to stay away from nature reserves entirely — several sensitive marshes lie within easy drone range, so plan your lines over the river and abbey, not the reedbeds. It's dead flat and shelterless, so wind that feels modest at the car park is stronger at height, and there are no visual wind breaks for a small drone. Keep well clear of moored boats and the pilgrimage services held here in summer. Quiet, atmospheric, and best treated with a light touch.