Holidays that last a lifetime!
Come for the day, stay for years
Whether it’s a day of adventure or a lifetime of memories, Tingdene Holiday Parks invite you to create lasting moments at Caldecott Hall Country Park and Waveney River Centre
From swimming and golf to dining and scenic walks, each visit offers something new. And when you’re ready for a retreat of your own, our holiday homes provide the perfect base to explore Norfolk.
With Tingdene, it’s more than a holiday - it’s a lifestyle.
WAVENEY
There’s Nowhere Like Norfolk… especially in the Summer. What a great time to be here! This is the combined sunniest/driest county in the country, it’s warm, the days are long and bright, and there’s no better time for a picnic or a dip in the briny.
In these action-packed pages we’ve got loads of ideas for you to enjoy a holiday, short break or long weekend.
We’ll offer 50 things to do at the coast, our 10 best beaches, and brilliant places to stay by the sea.
If you’re after family-friendly visitor attractions, we’ve got it covered, and there’s great things to do in Norwich with the kids. Or if you want something slightly more gentle, we’ll tell you where to find the best gardens.
We’ll give you a guide to our best festivals and if all that wasn’t enough we’re even giving you the Crown Jewels of Norfolk – places to visit with Royal connections.
Whatever you choose to do, wherever you choose to go, we hope you have a fabulous time in Norfolk!
Crown Norfolk’s Jewels
Here’s our top ten iconic sights and places that you can see in Royal Norfolk…
1 SANDRINGHAM
Well, we have to start with Sandringham, don’t we? It’s the Royal Family’s private estate, where they traditionally spent Christmas, but otherwise much of it has been open to the public, including the House itself and museum.
King Charles III also traditionally attends the Sandringham Flower Show in July, a role he took on from his grandmother, The Queen Mother.
2 CROMER PIER
Thanks to the reign of Queen Victoria we had huge improvements to infrastructure in the country, not least the railways which for the first time meant inner city workers and their families could travel to the seaside. Cromer Pier is now the world’s last with an end-of-pier theatre – it hosts shows throughout the year, with Summer and Christmas cabaret shows.
3 GREAT YARMOUTH AND THE HIPPODROME
Smack bang in the middle of Great Yarmouth’s fabulous Golden Mile of amusements, shows and rides is The Hippodrome, the last complete circus building in the UK and still retaining its spectacular water feature – you have to see it to believe it!
4 NORWICH CATHEDRAL
Still in Norwich, the Norman Cathedral has the second tallest spire in the country and the largest cloisters, which hosts events including Shakespeare plays in the Summer. Queen Elizabeth I stayed at the nearby Maid’s Head Hotel when she visited her friend Bishop Matthew Parker – the original Nosey Parker! It was Elizabeth I who also invited The Strangers from the Continent to Norwich and helped establish the profitable textile trade that made the city so rich. Above the West Gate is a statue of Sir Thomas Erpingham, who masterminded the defeat of the French at Agincourt for King Henry V.
5 HOLKHAM HALL, ESTATE AND BEACH
You get the full package at Holkham… beautiful Palladian Hall, deer-stocked estate, grand fountains, a newly-refurbished walled garden, boating lake, a museum, places to eat and stay and, just across the road, access to one of the best beaches in Britain. And all within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Wells-next-the-Sea nearby is a must-visit too.
6 KING’S LYNN AND ITS MARITIME HERITAGE
With more Graded buildings than any other town in the country, King’s Lynn rightly celebrates its fantastic maritime history, and in particular its links to the Hanseatic League. Look out for the statue of King John who lost the Crown Jewels on a trip across the muddy Wash.
7 BLAKENEY SPIT
Part of Norfolk’s superb natural capital, Blakeney Spit is home to the country’s largest seal colony, best seen by taking a boat from Morston Quay with Beans Boats.
8 NORWICH CASTLE
The fabulous ‘box on the hill’ Norman Castle is currently undergoing a £13.5m transformation to return it to the Palace of the Norman kings, rebuilding the floors and rooms to how it was in medieval times.
on the North Norfolk coast.
Luxury lodges, holiday homes, touring pitches and beach huts next to Wells beach. Or why not stay for longer with your own holiday home.
pinewoods.co.uk
One day is never enough.
Where else will you discover an iconic stately home, a beautiful Walled Garden, cycle hire, ropes course, cafés, shopping, acres of historic parkland, and an exciting range of events?
holkham.co.uk
Relax like you’re at home, we’ll take care of the rest.
Twenty gorgeous bedrooms and four luxury shepherd huts nestled between Holkham Park and the North Norfolk coast.
holkham.co.uk/victoria
9 BLICKLING HALL AND ESTATE
This National Trust property near Aylsham is a delight, not just for the fine Jacobean Hall but also the 55 acres of formal garden and thousands of acres of parkland and woodland to explore. Can you find Norfolk’s only pyramid? Blickling is where former Queen of England Anne Boleyn was born.
10 BROADS NATIONAL PARK
The only partly man-made National Park and the only one in England with a city in it – Norwich. There are 125 miles of navigable, lock-free waterways – you can hire a boat for a holiday, a short break or a day trip.
things to do at
the Coast 50
You’re coming to the Norfolk coast and you haven’t done your research yet. Don’t despair. Let the Visit Norfolk team take you through you all the best things to do while you’re here, so you don’t waste a moment.
We’ve got spectacular beaches, wonderful walking and wildlife, iconic attractions and much, much more.
See how many can you tick off during your stay!
1
SWIM IN THE SEA, OF COURSE!
Discover the secret-ish beach at Sea Palling with its perfect bays and shallow swimming water…
2
…EXPLORE MORE SECRET BEACHES
Explore more ‘secret’ beaches at Waxham, Cart Gap and Eccles-on-Sea.
3 COUNT BEACH HUTS
Count the beach huts at Wells-nextthe-Sea. You’ll need more than ten fingers and ten toes.
4
EXPERIENCE THE VASTNESS OF HOLKHAM BEACH
Walk in the footsteps of Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love on Holkham beach. This is where the final credits were filmed, with Gwynnie ‘shipwrecked in Virginia’.
5
WALK ALONG A SHINGLE SPIT
The shingle spit at Blakeney is where the largest seal colony in the country resides. The spit is four miles long, so put on some stout walking shoes!
6 GO ROCKPOOLING
Go rockpooling at West Runton for shore crabs and starfish.
7 DO DUNE JUMPING
Go dune jumping at Wells-next-theSea or Winterton-on-Sea. The dunes are topped with marram, which is Norse for sea grass.
8 SURF IN CROMER
Learn to surf on Cromer beach. There’s a surf school just for that purpose!
9 EXPLORE THE DEEP HISTORY COAST
Walk in the footsteps of the first tourists ever to arrive in the UK at Happisburgh on our Deep History Coast. Foot marks discovered here were carbon dated to almost 1 million years old, making them the oldest outside the Great Rift Valley in Africa.
10
SEE OUR STRIPY CLIFFS
Stand on the stripy cliffs at Hunstanton and tell people the land you can see in the distance is Holland. (It’s actually Lincolnshire across The Wash). Stay for the sunset. It’s the only east coast resort that faces west.
Beach huts at Wells-next-the-Sea
11 GO ON A PICNIC
Put a picnic together at Walsingham Farm Shop and then head to the beach!
12 GO FRUIT PICKING
Go strawberry or raspberry picking at Wiveton Hall and then have a slap-up lunch at the excellent café.
13 TASTE THE LOCAL BEER
Have a pint of local beer and know that it was made with some of the best malting barley in the UK, because it’s grown on the high fields of north Norfolk, particularly on the Holkham Estate, where it benefits from the salty sea frets.
14 EAT FISH AND CHIPS IN CROMER
Eat fish and chips sitting on a bench on Cromer Prom, enjoying the sea views… and the fantastic Victorian Pier.
15 TUCK INTO DONUTS
Order some freshly-made donuts on Great Yarmouth seafront. Bet you can’t eat one without licking your lips. Or walk along The Golden Mile licking an ice cream. With a chocolate flake. It’s the law.
NorthNorfolkisfamousforitswonderfulseafood
16 TRY OUR LOCAL CRABS
Have a fresh crab sarnie at The Crab Hut at Brancaster Staithe or a crab salad at Cookies at Salthouse. Tasty!
17 …AND COCKLES
Look out for Stewkey Blues on a menu – cockles from the tidal creeks at Stiffkey. Farrow & Ball have actually named one of their paints after them.
18 …AND MUSSELS
Order mussels from a pub menu on the coast. They may be the ‘poor man’s shellfish’ but the ones we grow in our tidal creeks are FAB-U-LOUS! We recommend The White Horse at Brancaster (sit out on the deck overlooking the marshes in Summer) or The Lifeboat at Thornham. If you’re flush, order oysters.
The White Horse in Brancaster
19 CLIMB BEESTON BUMP!
Climb up Beeston Bump at Sheringham and revel in the coastline views. This was the site of a second world war Y Station which linked to Bletchley Park.
20 GO UP SHERINGHAM PARK WATCH TOWER
Climb the watch tower at Sheringham Park and be amazed by the incredible coastal view down to Blakeney Spit.
21 BOARD A DRIFTER
Step on board the Lydia Eva at Great Yarmouth’s South Quay – an original lovingly-restored drifter from the 1930s and star of the latest Willy Wonka film with Timothée Chalamet.
22 GET IN A TANK
Ride a tank at the Muckleburgh Military Collection. There’s lots of army vehicles, artillery and uniforms.
23 CLIMB A CHURCH TOWER
Climb to the top of the tower at St Peter and St Paul Church at Cromer – it’s the tallest in Norfolk.
24 SEE NORFOLK BY TRAIN
Take the Bittern Line from Sheringham to Norwich and you get to see the coast and some of the Broads National Park too!
25 CHECK OUT ROMAN WALLS
Stand by the walls of the Roman Burgh Castle and imagine that in their time this was a huge estuary and Great Yarmouth didn’t exist!
26 TAKE A RIDE ON THE NORTH NORFOLK RAILWAY
Ride the North Norfolk Railway –known as The Poppy Line – from Sheringham to Holt, a lovely Georgian market town. Choo choo!
27
…OR ON THE WELLS AND WALSINGHAM LIGHT RAILWAY
Take a ride on the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway, the world’s longest ten and a quarter inch narrow gauge railway.
28
EXPLORE CLEYNEXT-THE-SEA
At Cley-next-the-Sea buy an improvised lunch from Picnic Fayre and Cley Smokehouse and dine out by the River Glaven with Cley Windmill in the background.
29
GO ON A COASTAL CYCLE RIDE
Take a cycle ride on the coastal Quiet Lanes at Kelling Heath – you’ll be on the Cromer Ridge, the highest point in East Anglia with a sea view!
30 SEE A SHOW AT GREAT YARMOUTH HIPPODROME
The Hippodrome is the country’s last complete circus building. You won’t forget it’s Water Spectacular!
31 VISIT CALIFORNIA!
Tell everybody you’ve been to California… the one that’s just north of Great Yarmouth that is. Named after the California Gold Rush. Yes, really!
32 GO ON A BIG WHEEL
Hit the heights in Great Yarmouth by taking a ride on the Big Wheel.
33
WALK GREAT YARMOUTH’S GOLDEN MILE
Walk the Golden Mile then spend a penny – in the amusement arcades!
34 WANDER AROUND VENETIAN WATERWAYS
Take yourself back to Victorian times by a visit to the restored Venetian Waterways and Boating Lake at Great Yarmouth.
35 GO TO THE RACES
Have a flutter at Great Yarmouth Racecourse, but don’t lose your shirt – you can do that when sunbathing on the beach.
36
GO TO AMAZONA!
Discover the native animals of South America at Amazona at Cromer. It’s Brazilliant!
37 RIDE THE SNAILS
Ride the snails at Joyland in Great Yarmouth. One for adrenaline junkies. Not.
38
EXPERIENCE A WOODEN ROLLERCOASTER RIDE
Ride the wooden rollercoaster at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach… the last one in the UK that needs a brakeman because there are no brakes on the track. Eek! (Madness filmed their video for House of Fun here).
39 GO TO THE SEA LIFE
CENTRE
Walk through the tropical fish tanks at Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth – yes, through!
40 EXPLORE GORLESTON-ON-SEA
Discover the beach at Gorlestonon-Sea. Director Danny Boyle, who shot scenes for his hit film Yesterday here, described it as ‘one of the great secrets of England. It’s beautiful’.
41
SEE THE CROMER PIER SHOW
Take in a variety show at Cromer Pier’s Pavilion Theatre – it’s the world’s last end-of-pier theatre.
42
GO TO THE TIME & TIDE MUSEUM
Visit Time & Tide Museum at Great Yarmouth and learn that in one day in 1907 fishermen brought into port 80 million herring. In ONE day!
43 SEE SEALS AT BLAKENEY
Take a boat trip from Morston to see the seals at Blakeney – they’re SOOOO cute! Pre-book with Beans Boats. Or take an hour-long Seal Tour with The Wash Monsters from Hunstanton and you’ll get to see the local colony lounging around on the sandbanks.
44 CHECK OUT THE BIRDS
Listen out for a booming bittern and watch marsh harriers perform their amazing ‘sky dancing’ at RSPB Titchwell Marsh. Or bird watch at Cley Marshes, one of the top bird spotting reserves in the UK.
45 …AND AT RSPB SNETTISHAM
Visit RSPB Snettisham at the crack of dawn and watch thousands of wading birds do aerial acrobatics.
46 VISIT A SHELL MUSEUM
Visit the Glandford Shell Museum in the Glaven Valley, a very picturesque waterside scene. The museum is just as picturesque, a small building with Dutch gables.
47
GO ON A MAMMOTH TEETH HUNT
Hunt for mammoth teeth on the beach at West Runton. This is where the world’s largest mammoth skeleton was found. Another part of the Deep History Coast.
48
VISIT HORSEY WINDPUMP
Visit the National Trust’s Horsey windpump and enjoy the views of Horsey Mere.
49 VISIT FELBRIGG HALL
Visit the National Trust-run Felbrigg Hall for a long walk and a sneaky peek in their excellent walled garden.
50
GO CRABBING
Go crabbing off Cromer Pier or Wells-next-the-Sea quay.
Blakeney Point © National Trust Images / Ian Ward
familyFab-u-lousattractions
ROARR!
Major investments over the past few years, not least indoor Dinomite and Dippy’s Theatre, make Roarr! the top adventure park in the region. Head out on to the Valley of the Dinosaurs, hit the heights on the Predator High Ropes, play Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf, or zip around Dippy’s Raceway after a frolic in Dippy’s Splash Zone. There’s lots of hot and cold food options and indoor and outdoor picnic areas.
> roarrdinosauradventure.co.uk
PENSTHORPE NATURAL PARK
Part conservation trust, part visitor attraction, Pensthorpe does an exceptional job of encouraging people to look after the environment and our wildlife… while everyone is also having a lot of fun! Explore the wild side of nature in this stunning 700 acre nature reserve located within the Wensum Valley, just 11 miles inland from the Norfolk coast. There’s epic indoor adventure at Hootz House and at Wildrootz ecoplay area children with energy to burn can push themselves physically whilst boosting confidence and having fun scaling 30ft towers, swinging from zip wires, venturing into underground tunnels and flying down twisty slides.
> pensthorpe.com
AMAZONA ZOO
This zoo in Cromer is absolutely Braziliant! Meet the 200 animals who call Amazona home, get up close and personal with Brazilian wild animals or visit the education yurt to learn more about the wildlife and ecology of South America. Under 12s will love Jumble Tumbles soft play adventure and youngsters will enjoy Rainforest Springs play area.
> amazonazoo.co.uk
SEA LIFE CENTRE
Discover an amazing underwater world on Great Yarmouth’s Golden Mile including the Rockpool Explorer Experience and meet the Humboldt Penguins, blacktip reef sharks, Clownfish, and turtles. There’s a Sea Life at Hunstanton too.
> visitsealife.com/great-yarmouth
BANHAM ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
Set in 50 acres of Norfolk parkland, Banham Zoological Gardens, run by the Zoological Society of East Anglia, is a great place to get up close and personal with amazing wildlife. A conservation hub for endangered species of animals from around the world, Banham aims to spark a lifelong interest in protecting the rich diversity of our natural work through conservation and education. Join us to learn more about incredible animals including the Amur Tiger, Red Panda, Grevy’s Zebra, and Black-Footed Penguin and the world’s tallest animal, the giraffe.
> zsea.org/banham
Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth
BEWILDERWOOD
Run wild in this award-winning outdoor adventure park in the Broads National Park. Enjoy treehouses, wobbly wires, slippery slopes, storytelling, boat rides, marsh walks and meet the Crocklebogs, Twiggles and Boggles.
> norfolk.bewilderwood.co.uk
THRIGBY HALL WILDLIFE GARDENS
Explore the thrilling park near Great Yarmouth using the unique network of walkways. Follow the bridges across the lake, climb the Jubilee Tree walk to get magnificent views of the park, and venture onto the Tiger Machan Viewing Platform. Walk through the tree tops with the Gibbons and over the Leopard Enclosures. Animals to be enthralled by are Sumatran Tigers, Red Pandas, Meerkats, Snow Leopards, Otters, Alligators and Crocodiles.
> thrigbyhall.com
WROXHAM MINIATURE WORLDS
The largest indoor modelling attraction in the UK stretching over 10,000 square feet with some of the largest model railways in the world on permanent public display. Come and be immersed in these miniature worlds. The attraction is made up of many zones including model railways in various scales, slot car displays and a whole city made from over 130,000 Lego bricks! With model boat displays and a host of toys from across the decades there is something for the whole family.
> wroxhamminiatureworlds.co.uk
CHURCH FARM STOW BARDOLPH
Come and meet the friendly farm animals and learn more about them from the experienced livestock staff, whilst getting to pet some of them. The animals, not the staff. The adventure playground is a must for all younger visitors, with trampolines, climbing frames, a great pedal tractor trail and our enormous undercover sand pit and straw barn, where children can jump and play in the straw bales.
> churchfarmstowbardolph.co.uk
Book
BUGZ UK
The largest all invertebrate zoo in the UK, Bugz UK is absolutely unique… especially if you like creepy crawlies! The venue has hundreds of tropical insects, millipedes, spiders and tarantulas… and there are handling sessions every hour.
> bugzuk.com
REDWINGS
Lovable donkey duo Wiggins and Wacko, real-life Black Beauty Maya and resident troublemakers, the Gangsters, are just some of the 50 rescued residents to discover at Redwings Aylsham, while Caldecott, a Visit England Quality Assured Visitor Attraction, is a must-see for all donkey and mule lovers with a herd of over 30 of the adorable, long-eared creatures!
> redwings.org.uk
WATATUNGA WILDLIFE RESERVE
If you’re looking for a unique experience to entertain the whole family from nought to ninety, look no further than a self-drive safari tour at multi-award winning Watatunga Wildlife Reserve. With the UK’s largest collection of endangered deer and antelope, this 170-acre gem is one of Norfolk’s best kept secrets.
> watatunga.co.uk
There’s nowhere like Norfolk
inner child! Unleash your
HOLKHAM HALL AND ESTATE
With a stunning location on the north Norfolk coast and at the heart of a thriving 25,000-acre estate, 18th century Palladian Holkham Hall is an exceptional place to explore. Discover the ‘Holkham Stories Experience’, the walks and cycle trails, hit the high ropes course, take a boat on the lake, or a wander around the refurbished Walled Garden. The estate also hosts events throughout the year, including outdoor cinema and theatre.
> holkham.co.uk
HIRSTY’S FAMILY FUN PARK
Hirsty’s Family Fun Park in Hemsby is an action-packed day out for the entire family. Enjoy a day away from the beach and explore all the fun of the farm. Perfect for youngsters with lots of energy, Hirstys has acres of space to discover. Feeling peckish? Pop over to Hirst Farm Shop and Café, the family-run farm, offering fresh, locally sourced produce from the fields and network of local farmers, fishmongers and artisan suppliers.
> hirstysfamilyfunpark.co.uk
GO APE
Unleash your inner Tarzan by taking to the trees at Go Ape at High Lodge, Thetford Forest. Explore the forest canopy 40ft from the floor on wobbly crossings, giant swings and zip wires. While you’re here, tear up the trails on an all-terrain electric Segway, try your arm at archery, enjoy the adventure playgrounds and much more.
> goape.co.uk
WROXHAM BARNS
There’s great shopping and eating at this fabulous countryside venue, but there’s also lots of family fun. Explore the Junior Farm and Fun Park, romp around in the soft play area, and get lost in the Maize Maze. There’s heaps of cute animals to meet including sheep, pigs, rabbits, alpacas, guinea pigs and goats. And pony grooming too!
> wroxhambarns.co.uk
PLEASURE BEACH
Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach offers huge fun for all the family, from white knuckle rides to traditional attractions, including dodgems, fun factory and freefall. Don’t miss the wooden rollercoaster, the last one in the UK that needs a brakeman because there are no brakes on the track. Eek!
> pleasure-beach.co.uk
Hirsty’s Family Fun Park
Norwich… …for the Kids!
Check out our top 10 things to do with kids in Norwich. Sure there’s bowling alleys, laser games, rolling skating, cinemas and the like in Norwich, but then every place has got those, right? So, for our top 10, we’ve sought out things that are unique to Norwich…
1 NORWICH CASTLE
The ‘box on the hill’ has stood there for coming up for a thousand years when the Normans built it to impress upon the natives who was now in charge. You wouldn’t argue with them. Nowadays, it’s a little like our version of The Smithsonian – galleries of arts and the natural world, a look at Roman Norfolk, and lots more besides. There are regular special attractions and events for youngsters during the holidays. The castle is reopening this Summer as the ‘Royal Palace Reborn’.
> norwichcastle.norfolk.gov.uk
2 NORWICH PUPPET THEATRE
A community outreach organisation just off the city centre they’re all about… yes, you guessed – puppets and puppet performance. Creating magical theatrical performances are just one of the things they do. Oh, and hands-on skills sessions too.
> puppettheatre.co.uk
3 RIVERSIDE AND CATHEDRAL
Combine a trip along the River Wensum with a trip into the Cathedral and its Precinct and you’ll have an adventurous few hours. Look out for Pull’s Ferry, where stone from Caen was brought ashore by the Normans to build their 11th century paean to God. Cow Tower is an interesting feature on the river – a medieval blockhouse to repel attackers. There are lots of kid-friendly restaurants in the Riverside entertainment area, or you could find an independent café in the medieval, cobbled streets in Tombland.
4 SAINSBURY CENTRE
This Norman Foster-designed hangar-like building (used in some Marvel films as their upstate New York HQ) at the University of East Anglia has free admission to the permanent collection which includes work by Modigliani, Picasso and Bacon. There are regular events for families and youngsters. Outside explore the Sculpture Park, which includes works by Henry Moore, and take a walk around the Broad. Nearby, Earlham Park has a café and an opportunity to paddle barefoot in the River Yare.
> sainsburycentre.ac.uk
5 NORWICH THEATRE
One of the country’s best provincial theatres has shows and workshops for young ‘uns, particularly in the holidays.
> norwichtheatre.org
6 MOUSEHOLD HEATH
For great views of the city skyline, head up to Mousehold Heath. This is the vantage point that Robert Kett’s rebels took before causing mayhem in the city in 1549. It didn’t end well. There’s plenty of space to run around, a recreation park and pitch and putt.
7 WHITLINGHAM COUNTRY PARK
Take a cycle or walk around this peaceful Broad and enjoy refreshments in the Flint Barn Café. As well as 280 acres of lovely countryside and water, there’s also Whitlingham Adventure where youngsters can take their first steps to sailing.
> whitlinghamcountrypark.com
8 EATON PARK
Built after the first world war, this big recreation space off the city centre – all 80 acres of it – is where Norwich congregates 365 days of the year. There’s a pitch and putt, model boating pond, tennis courts, crazy gold, skate park and games area. There’s also just loads of space to run around and burn off energy. And you can get refreshments at the café too.
> friendsofeatonpark.co.uk
MUS TARD
10 MUSEUM OF NORWICH AT THE BRIDEWELL
A cornucopia of city history, from when Norwich was England’s Second City through to its rich industrial heritage. Learn about shopping and trading, take a look at the recreated early 20th century chemists shop and explore The Undercroft!
> museumofnorwich.norfolk.gov.uk
There’s nowhere like Norfolk
9 THE MILLENNIUM FORUM
For a second there you thought Millennium Falcon, didn’t you? Admit it. Nope, nothing to do with Star Wars, this is actually a unique space in the heart of Norwich, opposite St Peter Mancroft Church, by the market. Principally the city’s library, it also hosts lots of festivals and events, many for youngsters on the weekends and holidays.
Events are also held outside on Millennium Plain, and is often the launch venue for the annual Norfolk and Norwich Festival, another great reason to bring the anklebiters to Norwich.
> theforumnorwich.co.uk
Norfolk’sbest beaches
Breathe in the fresh sea air of the tranquil Norfolk coast, walk on unspoiled sand where the kids can build sandcastles, play cricket, have a picnic, walk the dog, look for bird life and paddle in the shallow surf. You’ll find huge expanses of honeyed beaches backed by marram and dunes. Or lay back and relax and watch the scanty clouds skipping across the big blue sky.
2 WELLS-NEXTTHE-SEA
Family fun – Wells-next-the-Sea has a lovely wide sandy beach, backed by pine woods, but it’s quite a distance from the town. Hop on the little railway which runs between the two and save your legs. Two hundred colourful beach huts add charm while there’s also a lifeguard on duty for added peace of mind. Youngsters will love splashing around in The Run at low tide, at which time you can walk a mile or so out to its end. But remember the tide comes in quickly so if you hear the hooter, it’s time to come back.
1 WINTERTON-ON-SEA
Best sand dunes – Winterton-onSea has probably the best in Norfolk. Seek out a little secluded spot for yourself and relax. You can hear the squeals of children in the distance, their laughter carried along on the gentle breeze, yet it all seems so far away, your eyelids grow heavy as the sun warms your skin and you drift in and out of a summer’s snooze. There’s also an excellent beach café.
3
GREAT YARMOUTH
Action-packed – The beach at Great Yarmouth runs parallel to the Golden Mile so you can wander from the ice cream shack to your deckchair with the minimum of effort. There’s crazy golf, trampolines, boat trips, donkey rides, and a range of attractions and amusements. No chance of the kids getting bored here. Nearby Gorleston beach is excellent too.
5 BRANCASTER
Great for dogs – drive up Beach Road in Brancaster, park close to the golf course, and then stride out onto the flat sand. Turn right and you’ll head towards the tidal salt marshes of Scolt Head; left and you’ll be faced with a huge expanse of doggie playground. Remember to bring a stick or ball.
4 HUNSTANTON
Rockpooling and kitesurfing – roll up your trousers at Hunstanton and go for a paddle or take the kids crabbing in the shallow salty rock pools. For the more adventurous, the shallow open water here (it’s at the mouth of The Wash) is perfect for kitesurfing. The cliffs look like a layered cake, and the seafront retains the air of a Victorian seaside resort – unsurprisingly, as it was purpose-built as a bathing resort in 1846. Now known as Sunny Hunny, this is our only west-facing beach, so you can see incredible sunsets. Look to the horizon and you can see Holland… okay, it’s Lincolnshire really!
6 TITCHWELL
Best for birds – so many to choose from, but Titchwell has something for everyone. A walk from the excellent visitor centre down to the sandy beach takes you past reedbeds and shallow lagoons, which are often full of birds. Sit on benches or watch from spacious, wheelchair-accessible hides.
7 CROMER
Theatrical appeal – the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier boasts annual summer and winter shows which draw crowds from far and wide. The surrounding Cromer beach is flat and sandy and you’ll see the crab boats dragged up at the foot of The Gangway – a reminder not to leave without sampling a fab crab sandwich.
8 HOLKHAM
Hollywood connection –Holkham Bay gained worldwide publicity when it featured in the Gwyneth Paltrow Oscar-winning movie Shakespeare in Love. The beach is enormous, totally unspoilt and has been voted the best beach in Britain. There’s a large car park, managed by the Holkham estate, and then a pleasant walk on boardwalks through the pine woods before you reach the beach proper. The Natalie Portman film Annihilation was filmed on the beach in July 2016 and more recently Deadpool and Wolverine.
9 MUNDESLEY
Old world charm – Mundesley looks as if it’s been preserved in aspic, which gives it a unique traditional appeal. There are good facilities on the cliffs, so stock up before heading down the steep steps to the large flat beach. It was the Victorians who made it fashionable when the small community had its own railway station.
10 HORSEY
Hidden away – The eastern coast of the county has lots of little hideaways where you feel you have to place to yourself, but a great one is Horsey. Tucked down a little track it has no facilities – just peace and quiet. From the top of the marramcovered bank (marram is an original East Anglian word, deriving from Old Norse words for sea and grass) you might be able to spot a few basking seals… if they’re not up on the beach, sunbathing. Nearby is National Trust Horsey Windpump.
A hotel stay by the Norfolk coast
CROMER
If you want to try sumptuous crab or lobster from the world’s longest chalk reef then head to Cromer, where you can take a saunter along the Victorian pier, home of the world’s last end-of-pier theatre. We’re recommending The Grove and Virginia Court Hotel. Nearby are the National Trust Sheringham Park and Felbrigg Estate and the East of England’s highest seaview at Roman Camp/Beacon Hill.
> The Grove
> Virginia Court Hotel
HOLKHAM
If you want to do a bit of set-jetting and walk in the famous footsteps of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine), Natalie Portman (Annihilation) or Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) on Holkham beach, then the place to stay is The Victoria, just a few minutes’ walk away. With four stars and two AA rosettes, expect lots of local produce on the menu, much of it from the Holkham Estate.
> The Victoria
> Holkham Estate
WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA
Nearby Wells-next-the-Sea is a picturesque quayside town where you can go crabbing or walk to the beach to count the line of multicoloured higgledy-piggledy beach huts. Arrive at low tide and you’ll just be able to see the waves a mile away at the beginning of The Run. If you’re staying then head to The Buttlands, a lovely enclosed green a minute’s walk from the quay, where you’ll find characterful pubs with rooms The Globe Inn and The Crown.
> The Globe Inn
> The Crown Hotel
The Victoria in Holkham
The Harper in Langham
Is there anything better than time by the seaside, walking on the beach, maybe taking a boat trip to see the seals, and then retiring back to your relaxed accommodation in a nearby hotel or pub, settling in at the restaurant to have a pint of local ale and a sumptuous meal of local produce? We don’t think so.
If you’re of the same mind, here are brilliant places to stay by the coast when you visit Norfolk. All you’ve got to do is make a booking!
Bringyourdog!
All these hotels are dog friendly, so bring your hound – dogs love the Norfolk coast!
BLAKENEY
If you’re a nature lover, then head for the Blakeney area, where you can jump on a Beans Boats trip to see the UK’s largest seal colony or get some great birdwatching at Cley Marshes. Stay waterside at The Blakeney Hotel, nestle down by the water meadows of the Glaven Valley at The Wiveton Bell, or go boho chic at fabulous The Harper.
> Blakeney Hotel
> The Wiveton Bell
> The Harper
WONDERFUL
NATURE RESERVES
A little to the west along the A149 coast road there’s also brilliant birdwatching at RSPB Titchwell and Holme Dunes Nature Reserve. Bring your binoculars and stay at Titchwell Manor. Close by is lovely Briarfields. The more adventurous could head over to Scolt Head Island Nature Reserve from Brancaster beach, one of the sandiest in Norfolk and home of the wreck of SS Vina. If that floats your boat, stay at The Ship Hotel.
> Titchwell Manor Hotel
> Briarfields Hotel
> The Ship Hotel
HUNSTANTON
Stay at Hunstanton, aka Sunny Hunny, and you’ll be in the only east coast resort that faces west, so expect spectacular sunsets across The Wash. There’s great views from the Le Strange Arms Hotel. And it’s the same at Heacham, where if you’re staying at Heacham Manor you can discover the story of Pocahontas’ visit to Norfolk. From here there’s another chance to see a large seal colony in The Wash with Searles Sea Tours.
> Le Strange Arms Hotel
> Heacham Manor Hotel
Blakeney
Plan your 2025 Norfolk
There are festivals, events and activities throughout the year when you visit Norfolk. Just take a look at this lot in 2025… something for everyone!
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
8-16 Aug – events include chamber concerts at Wells-next-the-Sea Maltings and across many other venues.
LORD MAYOR’S CELEBRATION
11-13 Jul – join in Norwich’s biggest free weekend street party – The Lord Mayor’s Weekend. Don’t miss the Snapdragon in the main Procession. Come and enjoy all the vibrant colours and sounds of the carnival parade, along with lots of family activities, funfair, fireworks, and an open-air music festival to boot!
Shakespeare Festival in the Cloisters
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL IN THE CLOISTERS
4-5 Jul – the GB Theatre Company perform The Bard in the beautiful surroundings of the Norwich Cathedral cloisters. Pack a picnic or order one from the Refectory.
CLASSIC IBIZA AT BLICKLING
2 Aug – it’s the 10th anniversary of the open-air celebration of White Isle-inspired house music, reinvented by the 32-piece Urban Soul Orchestra, headline DJs and live vocalists. Expect a feel-good atmosphere, with people of all ages, enjoying iconic music in a stunning location.
KING’S LYNN FESTIVAL
13-26 Jul – you’ll find concerts, shows and events for all taste across the town.
FESTIVAL TOO
28 Jun-12 Jul – A more populist take on the above, Festival Too aims to provide free music for the people of West Norfolk and visitors.
ROYAL NORFOLK SHOW
25-26 Jun –two days when it seems as if all of Norfolk descends on the showground outside Norwich.
WORSTEAD FESTIVAL
26-27 Jul – a weekend that grew from a village show into a celebration of traditional country pursuits, such as heavy horses and tractors, with fun for the kids, craft stalls, and the best of Norfolk food.
WAYLAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW
3 Aug – livestock, motorcycle displays, sheepdogs, arts and crafts… you name it, it’s at this show.
FESTIVAL OF BOWLS
24 Aug-20 Sep – hosted by the Great Yarmouth Britannia Bowling Greens for four weeks, more than 1,700 bowlers compete.
HUNSTANTON KITE FESTIVAL
As well as expert kite fliers, you can try it for yourself when you’re not looking at the fun dog show, the classic motor bikes and car rally at this great August event.
GORLESTON CLIFFTOP FESTIVAL
2-3 Aug – family fun and activities take over the town’s seafront.
SANDRINGHAM FLOWER SHOW
23 Jul – set in the magnificent surroundings of Sandringham Park with Sandringham House and Sandringham Church as a backdrop, this one-day Show attracts around 20,000 visitors each year. King Charles III has been a frequent visitor over the years.
SHERINGHAM AND HOLT 1940S WEEKEND
19-21 Sep – you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped back in town when these two towns are taken over this weekend. Think Nicholas Lyndhurst in Goodnight Sweetheart (one for the older readers).
NORWICH CITY ALE OF FESTIVAL
22 May-22 Jun – A month-long celebration of beer. Norwich’s brewing heritage began with Benedictine monks making ales in Cathedral Close in the 11th century – and the city hasn’t stopped drinking since.
NORWICH BEER FESTIVAL
CAMRA-organised festival in October at St Andrews and Blackfriars Halls. They like their beer in Norwich – it wasn’t that long ago the city had a pub for every day of the year.
GREAT YARMOUTH WHEELS FESTIVAL
21-22 Jun – this year, the Wheels Festival, which attracts 60,000 people to Great Yarmouth’s seafront, is aiming to top the more than 900 cars and almost 650 bikes. From classic and sporty, to quirky creations, they all line up along the Golden Mile each year.
There’s nowhere like Norfolk
NORWICH WINE WEEK
19-29 Jun – a week where Norwich gets all sophisticated with its appreciation of the grape.
…as well as these look out for seasonal events at Cromer Pier, including the famous Summer Show, and at Great Yarmouth’s Hippodrome throughout the year, as well as venues such as Sandringham, Holkham, Houghton and Blickling Hall
Norfolk’sGardensbest
Norfolk has a huge collection of gardens, from small higgledypiggledy cottage gardens to wonderfully relaxing water gardens and magnificent stately home gardens. Laze around on the grass listening to bird song and gazing up at the sky. Feast your eyes on a riot of glorious colour –tumbling wisteria, clambering sweet peas, rambling roses and delicate hellebores. Rub your fingers over the lavender and mint or stoop to smell the parsley and sage. You can’t beat wandering around someone else’s garden and enjoying the rewards of all their hard work!
There’s nowhere like Norfolk
THE WALLED GARDEN AT HOUGHTON HALL
Houghton Hall’s stunning 5-acre walled garden is a must-see for garden and art enthusiasts. Divided into 23 sections across four main quarters, it blends vibrant planting schemes, elegant sculptures, and historic charm. Created in 1991 by Lord Cholmondeley as a tribute to his grandmother, Lady Sybil Cholmondeley, the garden was designed with the help of head gardener Paul Underwood and award-winning designers Julian and Isabel Bannerman. Highlights include vibrant herbaceous borders, a formal rose parterre, an Italian garden, and fruit and vegetable plots. Visitors can also admire contemporary sculptures like Jeppe Hein’s Waterflame and Richard Long’s Houghton Cross. Houghton Hall’s Walled Garden offers a unique mix of heritage and modern artistry, making it one of Norfolk’s finest garden experiences.
EAST RUSTON OLD VICARAGE
One of the county’s best-kept gardens has to be the East Ruston Old Vicarage. A privately owned garden, it is open for public viewing so visitors can see the love and attention that has been put into a wonder collection of gardens from exotic to woodland and plants from desert cacti to prehistoric tree ferns. Look out for framed views of Happisburgh lighthouse and church.
HOLKHAM WALLED GARDEN
Holkham has rejuvenated the six acres of walled garden which was originally laid out by Samuel Wyatt during the late 1700s. Head through Italian iron-work gates which were brought from Venice in 1908 and into one of the seven sections, known as ‘squares’ and ‘slips’. The walls within the garden act as a windbreak and reflect the sun to create a gentle microclimate. In Victorian times the garden would have provided a constant and varied supply of food and decoration to the hall, ranging from vegetables and flowers to a wide variety of fruits.
GOODERSTONE WATER GARDENS
Close to Swaffham, six acres of gardens with a natural trout stream, four ponds, waterways, thirteen bridges, grass paths and nature trails, mature trees and shrubs.
SANDRINGHAM HOUSE
Sandringham House, The Royal Family’s country residence, is set in 24 hectares of glorious gardens, and is perhaps the finest of all the Royal gardens. Every generation of the Royal Family which has lived here has added something of their own times and tastes, from the peace of the woodland walks to the drama of the carrstone rockeries, from the formality of the North Garden with its pleached lime avenues to the intimacy of the Stream Walk. In the 1960s Queen Elizabeth II invited Sir Eric Savill, famous for his gardens at Windsor, to re-landscape the Woodland Walk and the Bog Gardens, and in 1996 the then Head Gardener created the beautiful Stream Walk.
OXBURGH HALL GARDENS
The National Trust’s Oxburgh Hall has four main garden areas dating from Oxburgh’s Victorian era, including an impressive French parterre, with its colourful pattern of flowers, a herbaceous border which is a glorious mix of colour and form, woodland trails and kitchen garden.
FELBRIGG HALL GARDENS
These gardens are a delight. Discover the widely renowned Walled Garden, as well as the West Garden, home to our orangery, built in the 18th century. Get up close to the double borders and herb beds in the Walled Garden and breathe in the scent of lavender, sage and mint. You can find a good many modern surprises within this traditionally laid out garden, including one of the few octagonal working dovecotes in the country, dating back to the 1750s.
PENSTHORPE
Pensthorpe is home to three delightful wildlife-rich gardens by award-winning designers, stunning meadow and a lakeside environment with year-round interest and growth. There’s the Wildlife Habitat Garden, the innovative Wave Line Garden, structural beauty of the acclaimed Millennium Garden or you can take a relaxing stroll through the Norfolk countryside in the tranquil Wildflower Meadow.
SHERINGHAM PARK
Sheringham Park was the personal favourite of its designer, Humphry Repton. Take a wander and you’ll soon realise why. Visit the Repton exhibition to see the story of his 1812 design during a turbulent period of history. Famous for its vast collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, the last owner, before the National Trust took it on, would hold rhododendron champagne parties in the 1950s to show them off.
HINDRINGHAM HALL GARDENS
Hindringham Hall Gardens has been described in Country Life as being ‘perfect in every details’. One of only a few complete moats in the county, Hindringham has a walled vegetable and fruit garden with herb parterre, an iris and delphinium walk, daffodil area, a walkwayed bog area, water garden, Victorian nut walk, wild garden, and tearoom by the East Lawn.
PLANTATION GARDENS
A hidden gem in the middle of Norwich, behind the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Plantation Gardens has architectural features that include a 30ft Gothic fountain, an Italianate terrace, rustic bridge and woodland paths. Mature trees and superb planting schemes provide year round colour. Just 10 minutes’ walk from the city centre, this Grade II English Heritage Listed garden has lots of special events.
MANNINGTON HALL GARDENS
The gardens at the medieval moated manor house of Mannington feature a wide variety of plants, around 50 varieties of trees and shrubs in many different settings. Throughout the gardens are thousands of roses especially classic varieties. In the Heritage and Modern Rose Gardens are roses in areas with designs reflecting their date of origin from the fifteenth century to the presentday. The Contemporary Garden features more roses, shrubs and herbaceous borders with brighter colours and modern varieties.
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BLICKLING HALL GARDENS
The National Trust’s Blickling Hall has 55 acres of topiary, sweeping lawns, herbaceous borders, temple and lake. There’s something to see in the garden all year round. Don’t miss the fragrant beds of the parterre and inspiring double borders. You’ll find hellebores and primroses, daffodils and bluebells, azaleas and rhododendron, wisteria and peonies as well as quiet places to sit and enjoy the view. Afterwards, take a longer walk around the magnificent estate… and try to find the county’s only pyramid.
