A Week in Norfolk

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Beautiful sea views Photo - Norfolk, England

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This northern section of East Anglia is one of the most rain shy counties in Britain and is tailor made for family holidays. It offers masses of scope for traditional bucket and spade holidays on uncrowded sandy beaches.With well under 900,000 inhabitants, spread over an area of 2,074 miles, Norfolk remains largely a rural county. The highest point in the county is Beacon Hill in West Norfolk - just 103 metres above sea level.Norfolk regularly attracts 5 million staying visitors annually and also lots of day trippers. There are wonderful medieval churches and castles, thatched cottages and pretty villages. The coastline is long with both pebbled and sandy beaches, tiny fish...Read More

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Tips and Hints

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* There are lots of places you can cycle. The paths are safe and scenic and it is very easy as Norfolk is predominantly flat. This is a great way to see the countryside.* Animal lovers will enjoy spotting the many seabirds that stop off along North Norfolk's beautiful coastal creeks as they migrate to and from breeding grounds. You can also often see seals as you walk along the coastal path.* Summer is the best time to appreciate the huge skies, warm weather and below average rainfall. The countryside is also really pretty in spring and autumn. The North Easterly winds can and do strike at any time, but even then, strolls along the blustery beach are still magical. The w...Read More

* There are lots of places you can cycle. The paths are safe and scenic and it is very easy as Norfolk is predominantly flat. This is a great way to see the countryside.

* Animal lovers will enjoy spotting the many seabirds that stop off along North Norfolk's beautiful coastal creeks as they migrate to and from breeding grounds. You can also often see seals as you walk along the coastal path.

* Summer is the best time to appreciate the huge skies, warm weather and below average rainfall. The countryside is also really pretty in spring and autumn. The North Easterly winds can and do strike at any time, but even then, strolls along the blustery beach are still magical. The winter months are beautiful but incredibly bleak.

* Explore the unspoilt beaches, traditional seaside resorts and coastal creeks.

* North Norfolk has been referred to as Islington-on-Sea, due to the influx of London second home owners. This has raised the bar at many restaurants and hotels. Visit the famous Smokehouse at Clay next the Sea, the food hall in Bakers and Lamers in Holt and the Walsingham Farm Shop.

* Take a ferry to see the common and grey seals at Blakeney Point. Departure times and availability depend on the tides. The ferry stays in the harbour and does not go out to the open sea. They normally depart from Morston Quay.

* Walk along the North Norfolk coastal path from Cromer - it is beautiful.

* Eat the seafood - freshly caught and delicious. Do not go away without trying the Cromer crabs.

* This is a tidal region - you need to be extremely careful in the water and keep a close eye on children. We experienced this particularly in Wells-next-the-Sea - people were playing on the beach when the tide, when, very quickly it came in and was extremely fast flowing.

* The dialect spoken here is soft and rich and sometimes so broad it can be difficult to understand. The people are extremely helpful and friendly.

* The fishing fleets are not particularly large, but their crops can be found in any decent pub or restaurant along the coast. Ask what is fresh before ordering and explore the market towns to find local fishmongers who can tell you all about the fish and shellfish they have for sale.

* Watch out for the Norfolk windmills - the winds from the North Sea blow across Norfolk powering old windmils that pump the marshes or grind corn into flour. You can see a windmill in action at the Cley windmill near Holt. Read Less

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Beach Walk, Wells-next-the-Sea

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Ground floor double bedroom Photo - Norfolk, England

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We stayed in Beach Walk, a mile from the sandy beah at Wells-next-the-Sea and just a couple of minutes walk from the harbour and the centre of the little town.Beach Walk is a 4 bedroom town house on 3 levels. It has a large balcony on the first floor, a little enclosed terrace garden and from the living/dining area on the first floor you have views across open marshland towards the sea in the distance.It is one of a row of houses on a new and pleasant little housing development. The house is very spacious - the ground floor had a large double bedroom, a bathroom with shower and a garage which had a little snooker table, table football and other games. There was also a laundr...Read More

We stayed in Beach Walk, a mile from the sandy beah at Wells-next-the-Sea and just a couple of minutes walk from the harbour and the centre of the little town.

Beach Walk is a 4 bedroom town house on 3 levels. It has a large balcony on the first floor, a little enclosed terrace garden and from the living/dining area on the first floor you have views across open marshland towards the sea in the distance.

It is one of a row of houses on a new and pleasant little housing development. The house is very spacious - the ground floor had a large double bedroom, a bathroom with shower and a garage which had a little snooker table, table football and other games. There was also a laundry room at the back.

On the middle floor was a twin bedroom, WC and washroom and large open-plan kitchen/dining/living room with television and DVD player. The kitchen was well equipped with microwave, dishwasher etc.. There was also plenty of space to relax. On this level there was also a balcony with table and 10 chairs - perfect for al fresco dining. There was also a barbecue in the little garden.

We booked directly with the owner through their website www.nth-norfolk.co.uk, about 12 months prior to our visit. Properties here in August book up well in advance so you do need to think ahead. The cost was £1,040 for a week.

The house had a car parking space just outside the front door and there was space at the end of the row of houses for a further vehicle.

Towels, sheets etc were provided and on our arrival the basics such as milk, tea, sugar etc. were also left for us to use.

There are lots of little independent shops and lovely delis in Wells-next-the-Sea, but there was no big supermarket. The closest one we managed to find was 11 miles and a half hour drive away in the town of Fakenham.

The other slight problem we had with this property was the lack of mobile phone signal. In the house you cannot get any signal at all on a mobile phone - to use our phone meant a walk down to the harbour or the beach where it worked. There is also no WiFi and none of the cafes or restaurants in the town had this facility. This is wonderful if you really want to be unreachable during your holiday - it was a little inconvenient for us, but we managed anyway!

We enjoyed our stay at Beach Walk and would recommend staying here. It is perfect for a family or extended family who require plenty of space and want to cater for themselves. Every evening we had a BBQ which we ate on the balcony, and then strolled the short distance to the harbour and fished for crabs with our 6 year old son.

It is by no means a fast paced place to stay, but to relax, unwind and have a traditional, old-fashioned British seaside holiday - this is the perfect place to stay. Read Less

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Wells-next-the-Sea

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View from the walkway to the beach Photo - Norfolk, England

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This was where we were based for our week in North Norfolk - it was perfect for us and for a family holiday.Wells-next-the-Sea is one of the most attractive little towns on the North Norfolk coast. It has a long and sweeping beach bordered by pine woodland, a gentle harbour with small fishing boats where children fish for crabs and generally it is an unspoilt seaside destination.Architecturally it is lovely with quaint lanes and alleyways, hidden courtyards and traditional flint houses with pantiled roofs dating back to the 17th century.The area around the town gives opportunities for sight seeing, water sports, bird watching and country walks.The main ...Read More

This was where we were based for our week in North Norfolk - it was perfect for us and for a family holiday.

Wells-next-the-Sea is one of the most attractive little towns on the North Norfolk coast. It has a long and sweeping beach bordered by pine woodland, a gentle harbour with small fishing boats where children fish for crabs and generally it is an unspoilt seaside destination.

Architecturally it is lovely with quaint lanes and alleyways, hidden courtyards and traditional flint houses with pantiled roofs dating back to the 17th century.

The area around the town gives opportunities for sight seeing, water sports, bird watching and country walks.

The main street in Wells - Staithe Street - has plenty of shops but there is not a chain-store in sight. The shops are all independent, some are old-fashioned but all are charming and quirky. We enjoyed very much browsing in them one Sunday afternoon. My particular favourite was The Mermaid's Purse - a treasure trove of artwork and quirky souvenirs for the home; handbags and other knick-knacks. There is also a wonderful coffee shop where you get service with a smile. The other shop I especially liked was Normal for Norfolk - stuffed full of hippish clothes and jewellery.

It is great fun to wander through the delightful network of narrow streets, alleys and yards. The buildings are impressive - Georgian and Victorian and many of them are listed.

At the top end of Staithe Street is the Butlands. This is a quiet green lined with lime trees and Georgian and Victorian houses. There is a lovely pub which looks onto the Butlands where they serve great food.

At the bottom of Staithe Street is the fishing quay where you can watch the fishing boats come and go. There is a great fish and chip shop overlooking the quay called French's. It is always busy and there is always a queue, but the fish and chips are worth the wait. We ate ours, sitting on the harbour wall, looking out to sea and watching the sun go down - fantastic!

The harbour is also where children (and adults) fish for crabs. We did this every evening with our 6 year old son - it is such fun and a great way to spend the last hours of daylight.

Wells-next-the-Sea has been a fishing port for 700 years, even though it is a mile away from open water. A handful of fishing boats still go crabbing, shrimping and whelking. You can watch them going about their business and unloading at the quay.

Just off the quay, you can catch the miniature steam train which takes you the mile trip to the beach. It leaves every 15 minutes and costs £1.20 for adults and £1.00 for children for a one way trip. We did enjoy walking to the beach as well - the walkway is raised and you get a lovely view of all the boats. There is also a man selling ice-cream half way along - it is delicious and worth trying.

The beach at Wells-next-the-Sea is a must-do. It is golden and sandy, with pine trees, dunes and a row of colourful beach huts. It stretches for miles towards Holkham and was famously featured in the film "Shakespeare In Love." You do have to be careful at this beach - when the tide comes in, it does so fast and furiously, so you need to keep a close eye on children and be aware of tide times so you do not find yourself in a location that gets cut off by the sea. Read Less

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Holt, Norfolk

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Holt is about a 20 minute drive from Wells-next-the-Sea. The streets are extremely narrow and parking is fairly limited. We found a parking area just outside the town - about 10 minutes walk away - where it was free to park, and then we walked into the centre of the little town.Holt is a lovely old-fashioned Georgian town of impeccable colour washed houses, gourmet grocery shops, antique shops and picture galleries. We passed a thoroughly pleasant morning browsing around its narrow back streets and watching the world from a cosy tea shop.Holt is 7 miles from the sea and I read it has been referred to as "the Fulham of North Norfolk".Most of the buildings are Geor...Read More

Holt is about a 20 minute drive from Wells-next-the-Sea. The streets are extremely narrow and parking is fairly limited. We found a parking area just outside the town - about 10 minutes walk away - where it was free to park, and then we walked into the centre of the little town.

Holt is a lovely old-fashioned Georgian town of impeccable colour washed houses, gourmet grocery shops, antique shops and picture galleries. We passed a thoroughly pleasant morning browsing around its narrow back streets and watching the world from a cosy tea shop.

Holt is 7 miles from the sea and I read it has been referred to as "the Fulham of North Norfolk".

Most of the buildings are Georgian, thanks to a huge fire in May 1708 that burned down a lot of the ancient buildings.

Holt was mentioned in the Doomsday Book and there has been a church on the site near the marketplace for over 900 years. The current church dates from the 14th century.

The Georgian architecture is best seen from the market place - pink washed, white washed and sage green buildings. A jumble of streets and alleys fan out from the main street, with lots of pubs, galleries, cafes and shops.

The food hall of the department store Bakers and Lamers is worth a look - they have delicious things, we succumbed to temptation and left with a number of gourmet treats.

The famous independent school of Greshams, founded in the 16th century is on the outskirts of the town. Amongst its famous alumni are WH Auden and Benjamin Britten.

We had tea and cakes in a wonderful little bakery / tea shop called The Owl, right next to Greshams Prep School. Inside the decor is quaint and old-fashioned - the seats are pews they got from the Methodist Church! We tried their lemon drizzle cake and chocolate fudge cake - both were heavenly.

Less than 5 minutes drive from Holt is the pretty village of Letheringsett. Here you can visit a working watermill. It was built in 1802 and is the last remaining watermill in Norfolk to produce flour. They mill spelt flour - a speciality wheat. There are regular working demonstrations of milling and you can do a self guided tour of the 3 levels of the watermill on most weekday afternoons (except Mondays). It is open between 10am and 5pm and the cost is £4.00 for adults and £2.00 for children.

Also about 5 minutes from Holt is the Wildflower Centre. We spent a couple of hours here - it costs £3.20 to get in. It is a bit like a huge meadow, full of wildflowers. There is a lovely walk by a little stream and lots of butterflies everywhere. You can borrow fishing nets and fish for creatures in a pond or in a river - our 6 year old loved this. It is a peaceful and calm place and lovely on a sunny, summer afternoon.
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Sandringham House

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Attraction | "Sandringham"

The Norwich Gate Photo - Sandringham House, Norfolk, England

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It took us about 45 minutes to drive to Sandringham from Wells-next-the-Sea. It is a lovely drive and we passed through some beautiful little villages.Sandringham Country Park is free to enter - there is lots of free parking available as well.Sandringham is the country retreat of the Queen and has been the private home of 4 generations of monarchs since 1862. A visit here is a leisurely day out in the countryside in the most beautiful surroundings.Sandringham House is set in 60 acres of glorious gardens, with lakes, a stream and rhododendron walks. Beyond is a 20,000 acre estate of which 600 acres is a country park with free access throughout the year. It is a w...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 10, 2010

Sandringham House
6 miles NE of King's Lynn
Sandringham, Norfolk PE35 6EH

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Cromer

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Cromer is about 45 minutes drive from Wells-next-the-Sea. We parked in the beach / cliff top car park, just before you get into the town. It cost £5.00 for the whole day and although it involves a 10-15 minute walk into the centre of Cromer, it is a good place to leave your car.Cromer is a charming Edwardian seaside family resort, famous for its pier, succulent crabs and tall church tower. It has long, sandy beaches; landscaped cliff top gardens; Edwardian style promenades; a boating lake; a mini funfair and great fish and chip shops.Cromer was developed into a significant seaside resort by the late Victorians when healthy breezes were sought, rather than sun-drenched sands....Read More

Cromer is about 45 minutes drive from Wells-next-the-Sea. We parked in the beach / cliff top car park, just before you get into the town. It cost £5.00 for the whole day and although it involves a 10-15 minute walk into the centre of Cromer, it is a good place to leave your car.

Cromer is a charming Edwardian seaside family resort, famous for its pier, succulent crabs and tall church tower. It has long, sandy beaches; landscaped cliff top gardens; Edwardian style promenades; a boating lake; a mini funfair and great fish and chip shops.

Cromer was developed into a significant seaside resort by the late Victorians when healthy breezes were sought, rather than sun-drenched sands. It was a fashionable place for holidays in the late 1800's. Edward VII came here and Lillie Langtry performed at the Town Hall theatre in the summer of 1906.

The church dominates the town and it has the tallest tower in Norfolk. We were feeling energetic and decided to climb the 172 steps to the top of the tower. It costs £1.50 for adults and 50 pence for children. The climb is really hard work and the last section is extremely steep and very narrow and winding. At the top though, you do get a superb view of the beaches, the sea and the town.

We loved exploring all the narrow lanes and alleys. They are crammed with shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes. The buildings are all pastel coloured. The fishing industry might have declined, but Cromer crabs are still as famous as ever, with fishing boats launched from the beach in season, tending to hundreds of crab pots. We found a little old-fashioned family run tea-shop/cafe (there are lots of these) and had Cromer crab sandwiches for lunch - delicious.

The pier is a blast of nostalgia. We sat on the pier eating ice-creams, then walked to the end and saw people fishing for crabs. The Pavilion Theatre is at the end of the pier - apparently the show here, which is on during the summer months, is the only remaining end of pier show in the country. You can also go inside the lifeboat house. There is a viewing area where you can see the lifeboat up close, and they have a nice little shop as well as interesting displays about the lifeboats and their history.

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BeWILDerwood

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The entrance Photo - BeWILDerwood, Norwich, England

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Bewilderwood is at Hoveton, just past Norwich, about 1.5 hours drive from Wells-next-the-Sea. It is a forest full of fun and outdoor adventure and has won various awards. There are tree houses, zip wires, jungle bridges, boat trips and more.Bewilderwood is the setting for the book "A Boggle At BeWilderwood" by local author Tom Blofeld. You can buy copies of the book in the gift shop - it is a lovely children's story.There is plenty of parking and the forest is open between 10.00am and 5.30pm. On their website, they recommend you need a minimum of 3 hours, but we stayed most of the day. It costs £11.50 for adults and children, £8.50 for people aged over 65 years...Read More

Bewilderwood is at Hoveton, just past Norwich, about 1.5 hours drive from Wells-next-the-Sea.

It is a forest full of fun and outdoor adventure and has won various awards. There are tree houses, zip wires, jungle bridges, boat trips and more.

Bewilderwood is the setting for the book "A Boggle At BeWilderwood" by local author Tom Blofeld. You can buy copies of the book in the gift shop - it is a lovely children's story.

There is plenty of parking and the forest is open between 10.00am and 5.30pm. On their website, they recommend you need a minimum of 3 hours, but we stayed most of the day. It costs £11.50 for adults and children, £8.50 for people aged over 65 years and babies/toddlers under a certain height are free. It is suitable for all ages, from babies through to grandparents, but really children aged between 5-11 ish are the ideal age. You need to wear suitable clothing and sensible shoes.

The whole place gives children the chance to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. The Observer newspaper recently rated BeWilderwood, "one of the 50 most fabulous things in the world to do with kids." I am not sure I would go that far, but it is a fun day out.

We went in the middle of the summer holidays. We were blessed with good weather, but the downside was that everywhere was extremely crowded. You had to queue most of the time for the various activities, and in my opinion this did take away from it a little.

Nonetheless we did enjoy our day here. Together with our 6 year old son, my husband and I tested the wobbly wires (zip wires), got lost in the muddle maze and slid down the Slippery Slopes. Two of these slides were extremely steep and unexpectedly thrilling.

We had lunch at one of the snack places. The food was delicious, nutritious and quite unlike anything you normally find at this kind of place. I would highly recommend it.

After lunch we strolled along the Peaceful Paths, and then had some fun for half an hour in the den building area. Logs are provided, you bring the imagination and labour and build your very own wooden den.

There is a story telling area, where they related tales of the Boggles and Twiggles (the imaginary creatures who live in BeWilderwood), which all the children seemed to enjoy. We finished off our visit with a boat trip down the Dismal Dyke.

The gift shop had lots of nice, unusual and quirky souvenirs. We left with an armful of things, including a copy of the book, a wooden hedgehog alarm clock and a huge daisy!

BeWilderwood is a fun, active day out for children aged around 6-11 (and their parents). Any younger and they would not get the full benefit of the park, any older and it might not be exciting enough. Parents can join in on all the equipment - great for us and a lot of fun, although I did ache a bit the next day! Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 15, 2010

BeWILDerwood
Horning Road
Norwich, England 12 8
01603 783900

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Blakeney and Little Walsingham

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Blakeney marshes Photo - Norfolk, England

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Blakeney is a really pretty seaside village. Flint fishermen's cottages tumble down a steep slope to a picturesque quay with wonderful views over the salt marshes. Beyond the harbour is Blakeney Point, the tip of a 4 mile long shingle spit, a National Trust nature reserve, famous for its seals. You can get there on foot, but it is a lot more fun and a lot less tiring to be ferried in a fishing boat from Morston, a small marshland village about a mile along the coast from Blakeney. A round trip takes one hour.The boat trips operate with the tides so the times change daily. The boats do not venture out into the open sea, but stay in the harbour, so apparently it is never choppy. After ...Read More

Blakeney is a really pretty seaside village. Flint fishermen's cottages tumble down a steep slope to a picturesque quay with wonderful views over the salt marshes. Beyond the harbour is Blakeney Point, the tip of a 4 mile long shingle spit, a National Trust nature reserve, famous for its seals. You can get there on foot, but it is a lot more fun and a lot less tiring to be ferried in a fishing boat from Morston, a small marshland village about a mile along the coast from Blakeney. A round trip takes one hour.

The boat trips operate with the tides so the times change daily. The boats do not venture out into the open sea, but stay in the harbour, so apparently it is never choppy. After a short boat ride you arrive at the seals basking on the sandbanks. The colony is make up of common and grey seals and there are around 500 of them. The boats sail close to the seals which gives good opportunities for photographs.

The seal boat trip costs £8.00 for adults and £4.00 for children and it is advisable to book in advance. We booked a couple of days before, and you do not pay until you collect your tickets, about half an hour before the trip. They accept credit cards.

After visiting Blakeney, we drove inland to the extraordinary village of Little Walsingham, 9 miles inland.

In 1061 an influential local widow convinced the villagers here that she had seen the Virgin Mary and persuaded them to build a shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham. This out of the way village then became one of the most important pilgrim centres in Europe. It became known as "Nazareth in England."

The shrine was destroyed in 1538 during the Reformation and pilgrimages were brought to a halt. It is said that all the Kings and Queens of England from Henry III to Henry VIII visited the shrine.

In Victorian times there was a revival of Little Walsingham's fortunes, the 14th century Slipper Chapel was restored and in 1897 pilgrimages started again. In the 1930's a new shrine church was built and today the pilgrimage business here is thriving, especially at Easter.

The village retains its charming medieval character with timber framed houses, an old courthouse, a ruined priory and numerous historical and religious relics.

There is a visitors centre where you can watch a short video on the history of the village - very interesting and I would recommend this. You can also wander around the shrine area and visit the church. Read Less

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