20 places to visit in Norfolk this year

20 places to visit in Norfolk this year

It’s so hard to pick out the Top 20 places to visit in Norfolk this year, there are so many top quality visitor attractions, here’s a selection that always prove a draw for visitors staying in Wymondham and stand the test of time, they are consistently popular.

Blickling Hall

1/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. The estate has the most spectacular gardens and park but is most famous for being supposedly haunted by Anne Boleyn, and was once owned by the Boleyn family. The second wife of Henry VIII is seen on the anniversary of her death, arriving at the front door as a headless apparition (carrying her head) in a stately carriage driven by a headless coachman.

Castle Acre

2/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Castle Acre was once a fortified town as evidenced by the Bailey Gate. Situated on the pretty River Nar, choose from The Ostrich Castle cafe (link) or Barnsfield cafe (link) among others, for fresh, affordable refreshments. 

Fairhaven Woodland

3/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. The Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden Trust opened to the public in 1975, the garden is a nature lover’s delight; 100% organic with gardeners using only traditional methods; solar panels offset energy use, and rainwater is recycled through the flushing system in the toilets. A new tea room has been built from wood taken from sustainable forests and the tea rooms grow as much as they can of their own veggies, herbs and salad with all other food being locally sourced where possible. The winter garden is planted with early flowering plants, providing valuable food for early emerging insects. An exquisitely pretty place to visit any time of year and you will certainly leave even more refreshed and replenished from your stay at Number 10, The Abbey if you include a trip here!

Felbrigg Hall

4/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Felbrigg Hall offers visitors a delightful stroll through 1,700 acres of parkland and the Great Wood. It’s a Grade I listed building and a fine example of Jacobean architecture with Georgian interior, walled garden, orangey and orchards. It passed to the National Trust in the late 60s. Part of the National Cycle network also passes through the estate. Whichever way you choose to arrive at the estate, you will be delighted by the excursion on your way out for the day from your fine serviced accommodation in Wymondham.

Henry Blogg Museum

5/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. If you don’t know Henry Blogg, you should, the most decorated lifeboatman in the history of the RNLI. Entry to the museum is free and you cannot fail to be very moved by this experience. Ideal for adults and children alike.

Holt Country Park

6/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Beautiful carvings are scattered around these woods, well worth a visit if you fancy some fresh air during your stay at Number 10. Heather, gorse and buzzards abound and watch the birds feasting on the red rowan trees.

Merrivale

7/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Home-made fudge and the Old Penny arcade make a trip to the Merrivale model village a true delight for all the family. See the whole world in miniature and when you’ve had enough of wandering through the miniature streets, enjoy a well-earned cream tea in the visitors’ tea rooms. Just like that! See the pictures of when Tommy Cooper first opened this iconic visitor attraction, too!

Norwich Cathedral

8/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Most visitors to Norwich city know about Norwich’s superb medieval cathedral but there is another – Norwich’s Catholic Cathedral – accessed by a small footbridge over the ring road. It’s well worth the detour. Visitors are rewarded by one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in England. The medieval cathedral cannot be surpassed, however, with the second largest monastic cloisters in the United Kingdom and its splendid vaulted arches, but it is quite possible to visit both in the same day with time to spare for other diversions.

Oxburgh Hall

9/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Owned by the National Trust, Oxburgh Hall is encircled by a wide moat. Among its treasures are needlework samples made by Mary, Queen of Scots when she was held prisoner in England by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Although Oxburgh Hall looks like a fortress from the front, it is in fact very much a family home built by the Bedingfeld family and is a 15th Century, red brick house.

Pensthorpe Gardens

10/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. The Millennium Garden was designed by Piet Oudolf, the internationally acclaimed plantsman and Chelsea Flower Show Gold medal winner. If you really want one experience that sums up the beauty of Norfolk in one day, it has be this, immersing yourself in the naturalistic landscape designed by Piet as it merges into the surroundings at Pensthorpe. Absolutely stunning and a garden in total harmony with your own serviced accommodation. 

Scroby Sands

11/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. A very good, free attraction, where you can view the shoals and also learn about wind farm technology. Lots of interactive displays to keep the kids amused.  

Shirehall Museum

12/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year.  The Shirehall houses the Norwich Castle Study Centre which, with four well-equipped study rooms, offers individuals and groups the opportunity to research a massive variety of historical items from the millions of objects in the Norwich Castle Museum collections. An amazing display with helpful staff and well worth a visit.

Strumpshaw Fen

13/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. On the River Yare, 6 miles East of Norwich, you’ll find this hidden treasure trove of delight when you venture out from Wymondham. Hidden away on the back lanes of Norfolk, this RSPB nature reserve offers an impressive array of facilities and locations from which to view many of the species that have made this impressive reserve their home, either permanently or seasonally when passing through on migration paths.

The City

14/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Discover Norwich, England’s first UNESCO City of Literature and learn about the history and culture of Norfolk’s regional capital. The compact size of Norwich city centre makes it the perfect location to base yourself. Whether you’re here on business, or looking for a short-break or family holiday, there’s something for everyone, from a UK top ten shopping centre, 1000 year old historical buildings, modern architecture and venues (Norwich is after all, a hi-tech city), parks and greens and the more well-known fun attractions. All are within easy reach from your base at Wymondham, near Norwich.

The Muckleburgh

15/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Especially exciting for dads and boys in the family, the Muckleburgh collection on the North coast of Norfolk, houses one of the UK’s largest private displays of tanks and armoured vehicles and makes for a great pit stop on your day out from your accommodation in Wymondham.

The Poppy Line

16/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Also on the North coast is one of the UK’s top steam train lines. The Poppy Line offers a spectacularly scenic ride from Sheringham along the coast to Weybourne and through the heathland to Holt. Make this part of your itinerary when you are in Wymondham.

Steam trains from April 1st-End of October. Three Victorian stations. Refreshments and gift shop. Railway museum at Holt station.

Titchwell Marsh

17/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. East of Hunstanton and another great day out from Wymondham, is the RSPB owned Titchwell Marsh with its reed beds, salt marshes, freshwater lagoon and sandy beach. It is home to rare breeding birds and an important site for migrating birds and also an important historical site, dating back to the paleolithic era. There’s a seawatching platform, three bird hides, two nature trails and a visitor centre.

Walsingham Abbey

18/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. Delight in the Priory ruins, wildflower meadows, woodland and river walks along the Stiffkey. Walsingham is famous for its pilgrimages and is in fact made up of two unspoiled North Norfolk villages. Little or ‘New’ Walsingham and Great or ‘Old’ Walsingham. Both have a wide variety of historic buildings, shops and places to eat and drink to explore and enjoy.

Welney Wetland

19/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. A must for all the family. You can get up close to a wide variety of wildlife at the Welney wetlands. During the summer months you can visit the pond dipping stations and get a closer look at underwater inhabitants; in the winter you can learn more about the ringed swans and watch the wild swan feeds from within a hide; why not pick up an Explorer backpack and head off on a trail to learn more about some of the seasonal wildlife. Whatever you fancy, there’s something for everyone here on a fantastic day out from your base at Number 10, The Abbey in Wymondham.

Wymondham Abbey

20/20 places to visit in Norfolk this year. If you are staying at Number 10, The Abbey, you should take a stroll to the eponymously named Wymondham Abbey which originally started life as a Benedictine priory. It is stunningly kitted out, and one of the grandest religious buildings in East Anglia. We often say that if Number 10 was an Abbey it would be this! Its famous gilded alter screen by Ninian Cooper is among its many splendours.
 

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