Natural environment at Welney Wetland Centre
_Reasons why you shouldn't come to Norfolk
If you don't like wildlife, Norfolk may not be for you
Of course, we want you to come… in fact, we can’t wait to welcome you. But, you know, we may not be for everyone. So here are our top ten reasons why you shouldn’t visit Norfolk…
Views of the sea from Roman Camp
If you want to climb mountains
Is Norfolk flat?
Of course Norfolk's not flat. You won’t need carabiners and crampons when you visit Norfolk. That said, bring a bicycle or walking shoes and you’ll be rewarded with gently undulating coast and countryside and enormous skies. In Norfolk it’s easier to see the horizon. See if you can find a spot where you can’t see a church tower. That said, you can still get high in Norfolk!
On the Cromer Ridge at Beacon Hill/Roman Camp you can enjoy the highest sea view in the region.
The Brecks has the warmest summers in the UK
If you want bad weather
What’s the weather like in Norfolk?
It’s pretty good! Of course, it is sometimes inclement in Norfolk, when Scotland, Wales or Cornwall send their rain clouds our way. Otherwise, Norfolk has one of the best overall climates in the country, with more sun than most destinations and more drier days. In fact, Thetford Forest, set in a bowl to the west of the county, has the warmest Summers. Oh, and if it does rain, don’t worry, there’s still lots to do.
Projections in The Great Hall, Norwich Castle Keep
If you don’t like history and heritage
We’re steeped in it, not least the 850,000-year-old footprints of the first people to arrive in this country when it was still joined to the Continent. So yes, the UK’s first tourists came to visit Norfolk. That’s part of our Deep History Coast. And with no fast-running water, the Industrial Revolution passed us by, which is why Norwich is the best-preserved medieval city in England with cobbled streets, Norman castle and cathedral.
We’ve got lots of museums, stately homes and King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth are both historical ports with great stories to tell.
If you like motorways
Does Norfolk have any motorways?
No, we don’t have any. In fact, we’re the largest county in England without one. But we do have two or three lane roads from pretty much anywhere all the way to Norwich, Norfolk’s county city. After that you’re on 6000 miles of quieter roads which reflect the pace of life here… slower, more relaxing, more mindful.
Fresh, seasonal asparagus when you visit Norfolk in Spring
If you like motorway service stations
Stands to reason doesn’t it, if we haven’t got motorways. But who needs a BLT with limp lettuce or something delivered with the ping of a microwave echoing in your ears when you can enjoy quality local produce at roadside pubs, restaurants and farm shops? In the Spring and Summer you could get fresh asparagus, samphire, seafood and strawberries from layby shacks. Much better than a Ginsters!
Getting outdoors is what being in Norfolk is about... here at Geldeston Locks in the Broads National Park
If you don’t like being outdoors
Are there things to do outdoors in Norfolk?
Being outdoors is one of the key reasons you come to Norfolk – to cycle, walk or just enjoy being in wonderful countryside. We’ve got some of the best birdwatching in the country too. And let’s not forget the Broads National Park, 125 miles of navigable, lock-free waterways. And would you believe, they were actually man-made.
If you want to speak a different language
Some of us pick destinations to practise our foreign languages, but if that’s you, you won’t have any luck in Norfolk. We do, however, have our own dialect and our own place name pronunciations. Have a go at Costessey, Happisburgh or Wymondham.
Holkham beach
If you don’t like coast and seaside
We’ve got 90 miles of it, 93 when the tide’s out, and all of it has something fabulous to do, from the seaside resorts of Great Yarmouth, Cromer and Hunstanton, to huge beaches at Brancaster, Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham, which is often voted the best in Britain. There are secret beaches too, and plenty of pubs and restaurants to enjoy the freshest fish and shellfish. And don’t miss the famous and eponymous crab in Cromer.
Birdlife at RSPB Snettisham on The Wash
If you don’t like wildlife
Does Norfolk have wildlife?
Norfolk has some of the country’s best wildlife and Premier League birdwatching reserves, not least Cley Marshes, Snettisham on the estuarine Wash and Titchwell. The Broads is a great place to birdwatch too – see if you can hear the boom of a Bittern. In the Autumn see rutting stags, and our seals are best seen in the Winter, when the Greys have their pups.
Shakespeare at Norwich Cathedral cloisters
If you don’t like culture and arts
Oh, we’ve got loads of that. Oodles, in fact. The Norfolk and Norwich Festival is the oldest single city arts and longest continuously-running arts festival in the UK, having just celebrated its 250th anniversary. Great Yarmouth has the Out There festival of performing and circus arts. Thursford Christmas Spectacular is the biggest festive show outside London. The Sainsbury Centre of Visual Arts is a must visit, as are the galleries at Norwich Castle. And there are brilliant theatres, museums and galleries to enjoy as well.
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