Taking a holiday or short break in Norfolk is a bit like drinking a lot more than you can handle – you could end up doing almost anything.
From beaches to boating, city breaks to cottages, and Royal Estates to rural escapes, Norfolk offers a huge assortment of things to do and ways to unwind.
Boating on The Broads
What better way to switch off completely than to relax on a boat as you leisurely chug along the Norfolk Broads, and moor up for a pub lunch and a pint of local ale as and when you feel like it!
The Broads, a winding network of rivers, lakes and waterways, is the newest of the UK’s fifteen National Parks and certainly the county’s unique selling point. A common misconception is that to enjoy a boating holiday here you need to be an experienced sailor. Novices needn’t be deterred.
However, boating isn’t the only way to enjoy the Broads. Paths and boardwalks weave along the banks, where you’ll encounter anglers, birdwatchers, picturesque villages and historic market towns. Oh and pubs, did I mention pubs?
Wildlife
The vast biodiversity of the areas’ wetlands means, naturally, the county is rich in a wide variety of wildlife. Indeed, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust is the oldest of its kind in the country and oversees over 40 nature reserves, sanctuaries and protected areas. Birdwatchers flock to the area, be it the coastal reserves or the banks of the Broads.
Seaside Assortment
Norfolk is one of Britain’s least-densely populated counties, but it’s not all peace and tranquility. The beauty of this place is you could be negotiating the hush of the Broads one day, and revelling in the clatter and quintessentially British kitsch of seaside towns such as Great Yarmouth the next.
The county’s coastal stretch is another fine example of the variety Norfolk has to offer. Bustling seaside resorts neighbour deserted hideaways. More well-known spots such as Cromer and Great Yarmouth normally hog the limelight as well as the punters. Places like Holkham Bay offer a perfect counterpoint; the liberating solitude of endless expanse of golden sands sitting alongside the brashness of kids with disconcertingly huge blobs of candyfloss and giddy Mums in ‘kiss me quick’ t-shirts.
Fishing, sailing and watersports enthusiasts are catered for in delightful places such as Brancaster – renowned for its seafood. There’s surely no better way to round off a tiring days’ sport & leisure with an evening of mouth-watering local food and drink.
England’s eastern coastline is largely flat and low-lying, and Norfolk is no different. Mountains aside, however, it offers more or less the whole gamut – countryside, coast, city, forest and fen. Walkers should be just as compelled to visit as birdwatchers because of the comprehensive range of walking opportunities.
Noble Norfolk
The city of Norwich is Norfolk’s county town; its cobbled streets and cathedral perfectly complementing the quaint idyll of the coast and Broads. Home to one of Britain’s largest covered markets, Norwich is a popular destination for a city break and a prosperous shopping haven.
The area is fit for a Queen, literally. Sandringham House is privately-owned by the Royal Family and is Queen Elizabeth II’s favoured holiday home. Set in 20,000 sprawling aces of the Sandringham Estate, it is open to the public - provided Her Highness isn’t in, of course – free of charge, and attracts visitors from all over the world.
A-ha!
Norfolk has often suffered from old-hat stereotypes, periodically (and, granted, often hilariously) reinforced by the likes of Alan Partridge and Delia Smith. ‘Normal for Norfolk’ become the stock phrase used to belittle the place. In 2009, the local council cleverly reclaimed the phrase, and used it to promote the county – ‘world class is normal for Norfolk’.
And they’re not wrong.
Sean Cummins
February 2010
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