What to do in Norfolk

Burnham Market/Fakenham/King’s Lynn specifically

On a complete whim, Mrs Lunge and I have booked 4 days in this area for a winter break. No idea what is there just that it looks pretty.
Worst case, we walk along the coast, read a lot and find a nice pub or 3.
Anyone suggest what to do there? Be that pubs, walks, places to see, etc.?
Thanks!

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Worst case, we walk along the coast, read a lot and find a nice pub or 3.

Sounds perfect! 🙂

I grew up there, I think thats ok 🙃

Plus 1 on the coastal walks and pub. Pretty much the entore north coast has good walking. Been a while since ive looked, but i think you can make use of regular bus services that follow the coast allowing point to poitn walks.

Theres also a lot of road riding just inland, better than the coastal road due to being quieter.

Holkham nature reserve would be on my list of walks.

Enjoy the peace and quiet, big skies and clean air!

We’ve been a few times, and the contrast between Manchester and rural Norfolk is incredible.

There are plenty of National Trust places (but I’m not sure if they are open at this time of year) traditional seaside towns, quiet villages, Norwich, Muckleburg Tank Museum… or you could wander quiet bits of the coast or find village pubs.

What do you want to get out of it?

Just travel around but I’d say stick between Hunstanton and Cromer. Not much to see past Cromer! 🙂

White Horse at Brancaster Staithe is rather nice…
https://www.whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk/

What do you want to get out of it?

Relaxation and a break from a screen. we’ve had a hectic few months so a lazy few days with the dog is as far as we’ve got in terms of planning.

Just don’t walk around and point at the locals.
Yes they look funny but it isn’t really their fault

Seal spotting at Titchwell beach
Eric’s fish and chips and cider at the Drove Orchard in Thornham
Cycling and parkrun at Holkham
Walking to Seahenge at Holme
Crab baguettes at Brancaster Staithe

Enjoy! It’ll be…. bracing!

If you want to see ‘the land that time forgot’ go to Snettisham Beach – its a strange place! 🙂

Holt is worth an amble round. Wells Next the Sea of course. And Burnham Market if you have a Range Rover Evoque!

Marry your sister?

I’d give Hunstanton a swerve although it you do go, park at Old Hunstanton near the lighthouse and you can walk along the cliff-top to Hunstanton proper, gaze in awe, turn round & walk back.

Wells next the Sea is worth a visit & take the walk down the beach road (concrete promenade bit) to the beach.

North Norfolk Railway is good if you wanna sit on an old train for a bit.

Cromer is always nicer than I think it’s gonna be & the pier is nice (although probably all shut up in the winter?

There’s also loads of nice NT properties – Holkham Hall near Wells is nice.

Bewilderwood /thread

May be a little cold though.

Walking, pubbing, mooching, beaching, all sound good. Norwich isn’t a bad place to spend a day.

Bewilderwood is great – but only for kids under 10!

How good is your banjo playing 😉

Bewilderwood is great – but only for kids under 10!

Those slides hurt if you are over 35 and “chunky”

in-laws are there – even after 40 years they’re not really ‘local’. Even getting married there doesn’t help me.

at this time of year, it can be a little bleak on the coast. Not everything is open, and if it’s cold and wet, it can be grim

So that’s when you find a pub, roaring fire, and chill.

But – if nice, there’s nowhere better. Long walks on the beach (esp overy staithe to wells). Enjoy the wide open skies.
and as mentioned Norwich is a fine city. Excellent pubs there.

Can be pricey – the hoste is burnham is now up to the £8 a pint mark. But socius is a lovely restaurant, as is the duck in stanhoe. Wells has some nice places as well

take some binocs – awful lot of migratory birds at the moment; and the estate manager at holkham is doing some great rewilding work see here

I know a cracking owl sanctuary.

https://www.therealaleshop.co.uk/

If you like ale then this place is a must. Only sells Norfolk, bottle conditioned ales.
Stock up!

Lunch at The White Horse Blakeney recommended and a dinner at the Dabbling Duck in Massingham are recommended. A wander around Houghton Hall for the statuary (if it’s open) and a sausage roll from the Deli in Great Bircham. The Holkham beach has a huge amount of sand and sky when the tide is out.

The grey seals are pupping at Blakeney Point, not sure if there are any boat trips at this time of year, but I would have a look as the pups are beautiful.

RSPB sites for wetlands and marsh harriers and at Snettisham for the thousands of migrant waders – they provide tide timings which indicate the better chance of murmurations: Snettisham Spectacular tides

+1 to walks on the coastal path between village pubs. Not sure what the bus service is like in winter to enable a point-to-point. Every village pub we went in during a week on the coast was lovely, though as has been said a little pricey.

Inland there are pretty historical places, Castle Acre is a pleasant place to stop and wander around. There are a few inland wetland areas being rehabilitated, I think around Fakenham.

Further west, East Runton and West Runton can have fossils appear regularly after winter storms. But do be very wary of the cliffs if there has been heavy rain in the preceding days or strong waves as they are prone to collapse.

There are some steam train days on the North Norfolk Railway during the February half term.

Gin Trap Inn in Ringstead for Sunday lunch, delicious.

Was thinking we’d done this recently so dug out the thread. OP seems familiar.

Recommend me somewhere to visit in Norfolk

I’m a Norfolk resident, although i wasn’t born in here, but married a local girl…

Nice to see all the regular jokes and prejudices above, being from South coast, and having lived in Surrey, London, North, south and West Yorkshire, as well as being stationed many other places in the army, I can say it’s actually the friendliest place i’ve lived, there has been a genuine good community spirit in the village i live in over last few years.

Things to do… if you’re near Burnham Market you won’t have to worry about meeting the locals as everyone will be from Surrey!

But when tide is out, walk along bottom of cliffs and look at the wreck at Old Hunstanton. As above walk from Wells round on North Norfolk coastal path to Holkham hall and walk round the estate, and through the trees behind beach.

Visit Cley, Cromer, Blakeney point or Horsey for the seals (and great bakery at Blakeney), if you have National Trust or don’t mind paying, then there is a 8-10 houses in the area, personal favourite is Blicking Hall and a walk or cycle round the lake.

There is the “UK’s best pub” just up the road from me, the Brisley Bell, good food and beer, or a new-ish craft place called Duration that has a great tap room at West Accre, and very close to Castleacre for priory and castle visit.

I’d avoid Fakenham or Kings Lynn (unless you have a neck tattoo), but Norwich is a great city, lots of old buildings, great market and castle and easy to walk around…

Walk on the beach from Wells to Holkham is a must in any weather. Then back through the trees. Just pay attention to the tides!

It’s a bit of an acquired taste in terms of venue and personnel, but get yourself to Cookies if you like no-nonsense seafood.

Vegas Fish Bar in Hunstanton for Rock and Chips! (just ignore the rest of the place, although there’s a nice walk along the prom to Heacham and back nosing at all the chalets and beach huts).

Galton Blackiston’s Number 1 chip shop in Cromer is worth a try too as long as your pockets are deep enough.

We were there in October. We actually had a good time doing the orienteering course at Sandringham – more interesting than just walking around the grounds of a country house. Our son lives in Norwich and it’s worth a trip as well.

Where are you staying?

The comments about King’s Lynn are just but if history is your thing then the area around the quayside up as far as Nelson Street has some real historical buildings. The town has a very interesting history.

Lotus museum. Need to book. Hunstanton, Happisburgh see it while it’s still there. Go and see the seals. And enjoy the beach walks and pubs.

https://www.explorenorfolkuk.co.uk/seals-in-norfolk.html

Sunset over the wash in Hunstanton with fish and chips. And there’s fatbirds bike shop where I bought my Merlin.

And there’s fatbirds bike shop where I bought my Merlin.

Sadly no longer there. Will always be remembered by me for some great advice on road bikes when we moved here as MTB’ers in 97. Although a new shop, Open Sky Cycles in Heacham have filled the gap.

I know a cracking owl sanctuary.

What do you think of the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre?

There’s a legendary fish and chip shop in Hunstanton.
Well, it’s more a run down shack by the back of the fair / caravan park.
Probably the last place you’d choose to go but somehow the fish and chips are outstanding. No idea what they do different, but worth a try if you’re there. Very limited opening hours and a long queue.

talking of fish and chip shops, there’s two in Wells; French’s and Plattens.

One is always empty. One has a perpetual queue out of the door. Always amazes me. Personally I think there’s no real difference, but the local family completely disagree.

[You can get around the queue by phoning the order in – then walking straight to the front.]

And there’s fatbirds bike shop where I bought my Merlin.

Sadly no longer there.

I popped in when we were nearby back in 2016, popped in to drool at the bikes, got chatting, they insisted on me taking a £3k Lynsky round the block to see what a Ti frame felt like. No ID check, didn’t take a credit card for security, just sent me out with directions to go about a mile the block.

I’d give Hunstanton a swerve although it you do go, park at Old Hunstanton near the lighthouse and you can walk along the cliff-top to Hunstanton proper, gaze in awe, turn round & walk back.

Disagree, Hunstanton is great for a wonder about, especially the sea front. Walking down to Heacham, looking for crabs in the breakwaters is a great way to de-stress, as is pottering about around the cliffs.

Visit the RSPB site at Tichwell then a pint at Tichwell Manor would work too.

If you remember the childrens TV show Knightmare you can go to Castle Rising and recreate it!

chestrockwell

Disagree, Hunstanton is great for a wonder about, especially the sea front. Walking down to Heacham, looking for crabs in the breakwaters is a great way to de-stress, as is pottering about around the cliffs.

Fair enough, although I meant Hunstanton town itself, rather than the beach etc. It probably wasn’t clear.
I find the walk towards Heacham really bleak, but not in a good way like the ‘bleakness’ near Blakeney etc. We all enjoy different things I suppose.
The beach & cliffs between Hunstanton town & the lighthouse is nice.

Castle Rising is amazing. Not been for years, but last time we were there we paid a bit more for the audio commentary handsets & they were well worth it.

I remembered another place near Hunstanton that’s worth a look – the station/not a station at Wolferton is well worth a visit if you are driving past.

I know a cracking owl sanctuary.

What do you think of the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre?

Not been the same since they closed Tandys.

I’d suggest a nice ramble.

Things to do in Norfolk pops up on a regular basis. One of the great aspects of Norfolk is the advice rarely changes year on year, I’ve given up posting as it’s all on here via the search.

Seeing the same poster ask the same question 3 months on is a new record though!

And there’s fatbirds bike shop where I bought my Merlin.

Sadly no longer there.

Before i moved here, i was working at a law firm where i got dragged into office and asked about my internet search history for googling fatbirds.co.uk for the bike shop! i had to show them on phone what the website was…