Family holiday in North Norfolk - what is there to do?

[elizaco]

We are going on our hols to Norfolk in under 3 weeks - staying 2 miles from Cromer. We have 2 young daughters, age 6 and 4. Which are the best beaches? What good attractions are there in that area? Any recommendations from people who live in that area or have holidayed there, much appreciated :-)

[smoothfield]

That part of Norfolk is great. Cromer should be nice anyway - and old-fashioned seaside town with pier etc. but very close is Sheringham, a really nice seaside town with a bit of everything. Great beach, high cliffs, lovely pubs, a few arcades, leisure centre/swimming pool, a working steam railway and station museum, it's own small independent theatre with a different play each week, and interesting shops in a varied High Street. Apart from Woolworths, it's a High Street with no chain stores.

The countryside all around that area is lovely, and there are great villages, like Blakeney (miles of sand) and Cley (with its windmill). Holkham Hall is nearby and very much worth a visit on a sunny day. Boat trips to see seals in Sheringham and Blakeney, and probably in Cromer too. It's a lovely part of the world. Hope the weather is nice enough for you to enjoy these things. My kids loved it as much as I do.

[4getmenot]

All beeches along that coastline are great. Just dont head Yarmouth way, is a bit tacky. If you can, see if you can go on norfolk broads for the day, hire a boat your girls would love it. Or if they want theme park, Pleasurewood hills is near. Make sure you try some Crabs :-)

[4getmenot]

Oooh if you go to Blakeney You can get a boat out to Blakeney Point where your girls will get to sea the seals.

[LoftyLottie]

As 4get has said the whole of the North Norfolk coastline is beautiful and very unspoilt and the countryside is lovely. You are coming at the best time of the year. Its a lovely county generally and we don't have any motorways and the traffic is generally very light. A traffic jam is a rare occurence.
!
Pleasurewood hills, as 4get has also mentioned, is quite near and is an ideal place for two young children - a very gentle pleasure park.

If you go to Holkham park don't forget to go to the beach. It's absolutely spectacular and has been the location for many a film, including Shakespeare in Love.

Do enjoy yourselves but when you get back tell everyone it's absolutely awful in North Norfolk. We need to keep our wonderful secret!!

[4getmenot]

And think Holkham Beech is also used in the series Kingdom. Theres also a dinosour park
http://www.dinosauradventure.co.uk/template.ph p?languageId=1

Raaaaaaaaaaaa

[LoftyLottie]

Thursford:

https://www.thursford.com/default.aspx

Pensthorpe:

http://www.pensthorpe.com/index.htm

[4getmenot]

Basically you wont run out of things to do. When I was young I don�t remember really going far out of Norfolk for day trips, probably because I was very car sick all the time. :-) But there is plenty to do in Norfolk. And contrary to what someone said on a post yesterday we are not all stuck up and are very friendly :-)

[LoftyLottie]

Also don't forget that Cromer is very close to Norwich which, in my opinion, is an absolutely wonderful and very attractive city with a lovely atmosphere and lots to do and a lovely riverside.

And the shops are also very good with lots of individual shops down cobbled streets in the area near the cathedral

[4getmenot]

yes Norwich has 2 big shopping malls but I tend to prefer the cobbled street area

[4getmenot]

If you are going on broads go to Wroxham. Some good pubs all along the river.

[LoftyLottie]

Oooh 4get, we ought to start up our own tourist information office!

[4getmenot]

I'd much rather a little tea shop :-)

[LoftyLottie]

I'll come and help you, but I hate making cakes!

[4getmenot]

You're on tea duty then :-)

[vehelpfulguy]

I have to agree with smoothfield, the town of Sherringham is really nice. Lovely old fashioned seaside town.

I much prefer it to Cromer.

Dont go into the centre as the roads are small and narrow.

Park in the large car park by the steam train (they also sometimes have a market in the car park).

It is only a few seconds walk from the stream train car park to the centre of the town.

[vehelpfulguy]

One of the lovliest places I went to during a holiday there is Ranworth broad. This is a real out-of-the-way place.

There is a small village there and a lovely old church. You can climb the tower of the church and get amazing views over the whole area.

There is also a tourist information centre there.

Ranworth broad is closed to boats and is a nature reserve.
There are pathways that take you through the woodlands and right up to the edge of the lake.

Built into the lake is a lovely wildlife centre where you can watch the birds and ducks on the broad.

There are a few things for the kids to do in the wildlife centre, and binoculars are supplied so they can watch the wildlife.

There is a pub in the village that serves food.

We spent the whole day there and it was like heaven on earth. More here:

http://www.tournorfolk.co.uk/ranworth.html

http://www.broadsnet.co.uk/html/ranworth.htm

http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature% 20reserves/map-links/ranworth.htm

[vehelpfulguy]

As someone has said, maybe go and see the seals at Blakeney point.

Blakeney point is west of Cromer, and is a bit of a drive, but the coast along there (Wells next to sea, Clay next to sea, Holkham etc) is fantastic.

You cant walk out to the seals you have to get a boat and this of course is dependant on the tide. Dont just turn up and assume you can go, you may have to wait hours for the tide to come in.

Mind you, watching the tide come in gradually filling up the gulleys is an amazing site.

Loads of boats go out there, from a few different villages, but you get very close to them you can almost touch them. The seals also "pop" their head out the water right next to the boats. The girls will love it.

One company who go out to the seals.

http://www.beansboattrips.co.uk/

[vehelpfulguy]

There is an article here about best Norfolk beaches.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/coast05/beaches/

[vehelpfulguy]

I will say one final thing. I had never been to North Norfolk until about 5 years ago. We took our son to an activity camp at Cromer and decided to stay on ourselves for the week.

My wife and I fell in love with it.

The whole North coast from Hunstanton in the West to Cromer in the East is wonderful. Mostly unspoilt, no large towns, no motorways, no huge supermakets.

It is like England was 50 years ago.

Lots of wildlife and nature, lots of great beaches, and lovely small seaside towns.

One example is Holkham beach, where they filmed the final scene of Shakespeare in Love, where she is walking alone across that huge beach. Picture here

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1363/1425203558 _d39195cde8.jpg

They say Norfolk is the place of big skies, and when you get there you see why.

[vehelpfulguy]

When arriving in a new seaside town I always spend 30 minutes in the tourist information centre.

The one in Cromer is here (in the bus station)

http://www.aboutbritain.com/tourist-informatio n-centres/cromer-tourist-information-centres.a sp

They will have all sorts of brochures, leaflets, maps and so on.

Plus you can ask for advice for places to go suitable for a young family with 2 young children.