_The best places to see wildlife in Norfolk for free

There’s amazing wildlife to be found across Norfolk, but here we’ve chosen the best locations where you’ll never be disappointed…

Norfolk has it all when it comes to wildlife habitat. It has a wide variety of land types it has chalk rivers, ancient woodland, fertile farmland, fen, broad, and breck. A coastline that is full of variety, internationally important wetlands, marshes and sandy beaches. 

The shallow North Sea is a powerhouse of potential feeding for visiting mammals, fish and birds all that are interconnected in the circle of life.

The Norfolk Coast is one of the major flyways for migrating birds in the spring, summer, autumn and winter. Change is the constant that provides the visitor with an opportunity to see and photograph something different in every season.

Blakeney Point

As well as the largest seal colony in the country, the National Trust-managed Blakeney Point hosts Norfolk’s largest gathering of Sandwich tern in the summer before they head south to spend the winter in west Africa. There are also common and little terns.

Look out for black-headed gulls, which protect the terns from predators like foxes, ringed plovers, oystercatchers and common redshanks. The pastures contain northern lapwings, sedge and reed warblers and bearded tits.

Please give any fenced areas a wide berth to protect nesting birds and don’t forget to bring your binoculars.

Hickling Broad

The largest of all the Broads, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Hickling Broad is a haven for wildlife all year round. Spend the day on the walking trails with bird hides or, in summer, while away a few hours on one of the NWT’s Boat Trails. Get your bearings in the visitor centre.

On the Upper Thurne river system, the broad has a significant number of common crane, as well as breeding bitterns, marsh harrier, bearded tit, Cetti’s warbler and, in winter, a large number of marsh harriers. 

Look out for Chinese water deer, red deer and difficult-to-see otters, plus two icons of Norfolk wildlife – the swallowtail butterfly and Norfolk hawker dragonfly.

Thetford Forest

The largest low-lying pine forest in the country, and only planted after the first world war, Thetford Forest has its own micro-climate with low rainfall and warm days… which makes it a haven for wildlife.

Look out for red deer, roe deer, fallow deer and Muntjac as well as badgers, foxes and dormouse. Birdlife includes pheasants, crossbills, woodlarks, nightjars and sparrowhawk.

You can also go on the Pingo Trail, which are small Ice Age lakes and unique to this area, go down a Neolithic flint mine or just get off the beaten track on foot or two wheels.

Stiffkey Estuary

At the mouth of one the unique chalk rivers of Norfolk – behind the sea wall look out for nesting avocets this iconic species with its turned up bill breeds here every summer – if you are really lucky you may see one of the many otters that can be found on all the rivers of Norfolk. Walk to Stiffkey village for a pint of Norfolk Wherry in the Red Lion.

Warham Marsh

In the summer the marsh is alive with nesting waders listen for the calling redshank or look into the sky for the skylark, the brown hare will have its leverets in the long vegetation on the marsh. In the winter flocks of up to 20,000 pink footed geese can be seen at dawn and dusk along with the ever-present Brent geese. Marsh and hen harriers are regular visitors to the marsh. Look carefully and you may see the peregrine falcon. 

Cley Marshes

The first reserve set up by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Cley Marshes has a range of habitats that attracts many birds, including saline lagoons, grazing marsh, reedbed and shingle beach, which attract huge numbers of wintering and migrating wildlife and waders. Plus, look out for bittern, bearded tits and marsh harriers.

The pebble beach of Cley is a great platform to see migrant birds arriving, stand on the beach look out to sea and you may see flocks of summer and winter migrants making their way into the reserve or using the coast as the signpost to the breeding grounds or winter home. In spring listen out for the booming bittern, whilst watching the waders. 

Visit the environmentally-friendly visitor centre which has an observation area and interactive interpretation. 

Look out for regular fun education activities to learn more.

West Runton

The coastline between Sheringham and Cromer, and in particular at West Runton, are unique on the East Anglian coast in that it is made up chalk and flint rather than sand – perfect for rockpools. 

At the foot of the towering cliffs, twice a day the tide exposes fantastic wildlife retreats. Closer to the cliffs you might find serrated wrack, edible winkle, common prawn and shored crab, but at a really low tide, further out, you might discover black squat lobsters, velvet swimming crabs, common hermit crabs and long-spined sea scorpions. How exciting does that sound!

Just as exciting is that you’re standing where the world’s largest and best-preserved mammoth skeleton was found, back in 1990. 85% of the skeleton was discovered – the remainder being eaten by hyaenas (there are teeth marks on the bones and fossilised hyaena poo, dissected, was found to have mammoth bone in it… yuk!). If you know what to look for you might even find a mammoth tooth on the foreshore. Or you could look for hyaena poo. Whatever takes your fancy.

Just offshore is the world’s longest chalk reef, where our fabulously tasty Cromer crab and lobsters feed.

Nar Valley Way

The Nar valley provides one of the best examples of a Norfolk chalk river - look out for wild trout catching mayflies in May and early June. Drumming snipe can be seen in the spring on the flooded meadows. Water plants and insects abound. It may not be too coastal, but you will traverse some fantastic historical sights some hidden in ancient woodland.

Burnham Overy Sea Wall

In spring listen for the croaking of the natterjack toad, watch the display of the lapwing and if you are lucky the ritual passing of food between the Marsh harriers. 

Barton Broad

The second largest of the Norfolk Broads, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Barton Broad and the surrounding fens have an impressive array of species, including common terns, herons, kingfishers and otters.

The wheelchair-friendly boardwalk takes you on a journey of discovery, through swampy wildlife-filled alder carr woodland.

Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea

You’ll have to pay for the car parking, but after that you’ve got the run of the huge Holkham National Nature Reserve – and what a place it is!

Orientate yourself at the new Lookout education centre and then you’re ready to go wild.

On the grazing marshes you might see lapwing, little tern and spoonbill, in and amongst the nonchalant cattle. Then it’s time to head into the huge pine forest, which has waymarked trails and interpretation posts. 

Then you’re on to the beach that’s been voted the best in Britain by readers of the BBC Countryfile magazine. 

You can take part in a deer safari on the estate.

Walk on the beautiful beach at Wells-next-the-Sea and consider the point at which the sea meets the land, the intertidal zone – it’s full of adaptive species that are constantly changing with the seasons.

Horsey

This day out takes in the Broads and the beach. Spend half the day trekking over the sand dunes to see the seal colony (please don’t disturb them and leave your dogs behind) and then head to the National Trust’s Horsey Windpump, which stands sentinel over Horsey Mere and the surrounding Broads landscape. You can climb to the top for a great view but there is a charge for that. There’s a tearoom here for refreshments.

On waymarked trails, look out for the swallowtail butterfly, bitterns, kingfishers and cranes and, in winter, migrating wildfowl. There are also boat trips on to the Mere to see more wildlife.