Floating bikes make a splash on the Norfolk Broads

The resident swans and geese on the River Bure have been greeted with an unusual sight over the past few weeks - humans on floating bicycles. 

Laura Calver said the start-up firm Buoyancy Bikes was going "swimmingly" since she and husband Simon set it up in April - after the idea came to Simon in a dream. 

Mrs Calver said: "We've added a kiosk, because we've learned that people definitely like their snacks and hot drinks. We've also learned the places to avoid, and we had a couple of issues with the baskets falling off, but they've now been double tied in. 

"Everyone seems really happy with it - they've all come back with smiles on their faces."

Based at Bridge Broad Marina in Wroxham, Mrs Calver said people usually went through the broad and then back along the river. 

"It's a bit like going around the block," she said. "We've had one person go up as far as Caen Meadow.

“Some people find it exhausting and others, not so much. The good thing is you can stop pedaling and just have a bit of a float so it’s not constant exercise.”

She said people's biggest concern was ending up in the water, but the bikes were very stable because they each had two floaters and were steered from the handlebars, just like regular bicycles.  

"Nobody has fallen off yet and I don't think you would be able to," she said. 

Mrs Calver said they knew of only one other business with such bikes elsewhere in the UK - that was in Kent and operated on the River Thames. 

She said people enjoyed seeing the wildlife along the river, which also included kingfishers, herons and an otter. 

"Some people like to just take their time and enjoy the wildlife," she said. 

The Calver currently have five of the bikes, which are made in China, and hope to be operating 15 within a couple of months. They are each designed for a single rider with a maximum weight of 120kg, and a minimum height of 140cms. 

They are also looking at a more accessible electric version of the bike.