Norfolk is a fascinating county with a wealth of historical sites and beautiful scenery, ideal for a weekend break despite its isolation. Deb had always wanted to go on a paddleboat and I found one that operates on the Norfolk broads so that was the main reason for this visit. We obviously managed to fit in a castle and a garden or two as well!
| Holiday Ratings | |
| Recommended days | 3 |
| Budget | £ |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Why Norfolk
Whenever I read any articles or see images of places I’d like to visit I add them to may saved places on Google Maps (hence the blue and green circles on the map above!). Norfolk had accumulated quite a few tags and then finding the Mississippi River Boat on the Broads too moved it up the priority list. We’d never visited Great Yarmouth so that was chosen as our accommodation destination.
Our Accomodation
For our weekend break in Norfolk we stayed in the White Lodge, a B&B right on the seafront in Great Yarmouth. Never having visited the town I had no idea what to expect but we were very pleasantly surprised. The B&B was very well presented, clean and spacious. We had use of a large lounge (which we didn’t take advantage of) and the breakfast each day was fantastic, I ate so much I waddled afterwards.
The location was ideal for us. Each morning I crossed the road and was then on the beach so I could walk for an hour or so enjoying the peace before going back for breakfast. Jean was an excellent host and we had no complaints at all during our stay.
The area was probably one of the nicest in the town. The Venetian Water Gardens were parallel with the main road as we walked down to the pier area and before reaching the pier there was a good selection of nice restaurants. The beach was really quiet and very clean. South of the pier wasn’t the same story but after one visit we avoided that area!
Burgh Castle
I dozed part of the drive from home and woke just before we got to our first stop, Burgh Castle, one of the Roman Saxon Shore forts. We found the car park and then followed the path but it seemed to be pretty much pot luck if we got to the castle or not as it was only signposted on about every third junction. As the area was flat and the walls relatively low it didn’t really stand out from a distance either. The area is a nature reserve I think so it was lovely to walk the paths anyway, chatting to some of the dog walkers and eventually we came to the fort.
Built in the third century the castle was a base for mobile troops to intercept Germanic raiders rather than a fortification in the medieval sense. The walls were still standing on three sides, up to a height of maybe 4m and were impressively made with flint layers interspersed with terracotta. There were round towers on each corner and either side of the gateway and plenty of information boards. It was another place I wish I had a drone though as it was far better appreciated by aerial photography.
We carried on from the castle to the Church of St Peter and St Paul, an interesting 10th century church with a round tower. Unfortunately it was closed so we couldn’t see the exhibition inside as I’d like to have known the origins of the tower.
Great Yarmouth
We walked across the road and followed the promenade south. The beach seemed huge and protected by deep sand dunes, something I hadn’t seen for years. I think it’d be a lovely place to bring the dogs as it was almost deserted but had lots of space for them to run. There was a lovely water garden running the whole length of the prom until you reached the pier, called the Venetian Waterways, which was built in the 1920’s as a work relief project for those back from the First World War and has meandering ponds with islands in and crossed by Venetian style bridges.
We walked as far as the pier, where it seemed very similar to Blackpool, before turning round and heading north as the southern end of the town looked a lot less salubrious than the north. We looked in various restaurants and chose one that Jean had recommended, Dune, for our evening meal.
Dune
Dune was fabulous! It was about a 15 minute walk along the prom to get there which was very useful on the way back as it gave us a chance to let our food go down. Service in the restaurant was very pleasant and personable. The menu had some interesting offers and I went for cod loin in prosciutto ham and Deb tagliatelle with crayfish and prawn. Both were beautifully presented, generous portions and fantastically cooked. To finish I had ginger cheesecake with chantilly cream, absolutely divine!
I could certainly eat there every day for a week before I wanted a change, just wonderful. The walk back along the prom was most welcome and we meandered through the water gardens again before returning to our hotel.
The next morning I went for a walk around the gardens and beach whilst Deb was in bed. It was a gorgeous morning with blue skies and almost no breeze so I had a good chat with Sofia while taking some photos. After a very filling breakfast we left for our first stop, St Benet’s Abbey.
St Benet’s Abbey
The abbey is very close to one of the waterways of the Norfolk Broads and is the only abbey not dissolved by Henry VIII, being granted to the Bishop of Norwich instead. The bishop repaid this gift by looting the stone and lead so that by the end of the sixteenth century the abbey had almost disappeared with just the gatehouse and some forlorn stone walls remaining. In the early eighteenth century a tower mill was built within the gatehouse, originally to crush seeds and later to help drain the marshes.
It was a bit difficult to find, down a bumpy gravel path but there was a car park and several information boards. The gatehouse and mill looked a really strange combination and we then walked on to the cross that marked the high altar before returning to the car.
Southern Comfort Mississippi Paddle Boat
Next stop was the reason we’d come to Norfolk, the Southern Belle paddle boat. We arrived with 15 minutes to spare to find the car park full so we had to park a bit further away and by the time we got on board all the upper deck seats were gone, the only ones remaining being in the bar. For some unknown reason they also allowed smoking on the boat so within 10 minutes I would have happily had almost every passenger keel hauled the entire duration of the trip.
The commentary was excellent and we saw several herons as well as the ridiculously expensive riverside houses whilst learning about the history and ecology of the Broads.
East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens
We then got back to the car for the short drive to East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens, testament to the power of social media as I’d seen their posts on Facebook so deceided to visit based on that. These gardens are just 50 years old and a real labour of love, there was a room showing the photos of the property when they bought it and then at each stage of creation and expansion. The gardens covered a huge area and were lots of independent sections, separated by hedges, trees or walls and each section had its own theme.
We got the impression that the upkeep was now too much as lots of the areas were in need of some TLC and there was also a distant lack of signage or any obvious route so we just wandered around and may have missed some areas entirely. The online map was pointless as there was no signal so we did buy the guide book before we sat down for cake and Deb read that. There were some fantastic sections with lots of colour and insect life and we saw some recently shorn alpacas too.
Great Yarmouth
After about 2.5 hours we left the gardens and drove back to Great Yarmouth, parking in the centre this time to look at some of the historic sights. The first, the Greyfriars Cloisters, was closed for renovations so we continued on to the city walls. This looked to be in a pretty dodgy part of town so we didn’t stay long or explore all the sections and it would probably be a good idea to rebuild it, Escape from New York style!
Back at our hotel I sorted the pictures while Deb had a sleep. We then walked down to the pier and had fish and chips, practically compulsory for an English seaside visit before ambling back through the water gardens although we soon exited them due to the clouds of midges that weren’t dispersed as there was no wind, unlike the evening before! Despite that is was a beautiful and relaxing evening.
The next morning I did another early morning walk along the beach, chatting to Sofia and enjoying the warmth and blue sky, uninterrupted by any other people. After another superb breakfast we left Great Yarmouth and Deb drove to our stop on the way home.
Wimpole Estate
The Wimpole Estate is a large National Trust property near Cambridge, chosen because it broke the journey home into two reasonable sections. Having been there, I’d say it is aimed at families with young children as there’s a large play area and a rare breeds farm as well as lots of parkland. We had a pleasant wander through the walled garden and tried to work out how to get to the folly, Wimpole Castle, on the hill above the estate but gave up after an hours walking.
It was a wonderful day though with blue sky and no wind and we walked to the house for a tour of the interior. The history of the house was fascinatingly depressing with ownership passing from family to family as each owner spent beyond their means and eventually the house was gifted to the National Trust in 1976 after being owned by Rudyard Kipling’s daughter. The current house was started in the 1640’s on the site of a moated manor house and then expanded, developed and demolished over time to leave the property we have today.
We continued our drive home, finishing listening to Joanna Lumley’s autobiography – what an amazing life she’s had! Norfolk was a lovely break with so much to see but we really should have stayed longer as the drive each way took a huge chunk out of the long weekend. Plenty more to see next time though!