A Weekend Exploring Norfolk - 6 Experiences

In our opinion there isn’t a better outdoor weekend escape from London than Norfolk. Alpine forests meet vast stretches of sand dunes that spill onto enormous sandy beaches. Wetlands packed with wildlife alongside intricate networks of rivers and lakes. Norfolk is packed with options for adventure and is one of the most beautiful corners of south-east England.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: adventure is both personal and scalable. You don’t need to be conquering mountains or navigating oceans to have an adventure, you just need to be trying new things, pushing yourself… surprising yourself.

And Norfolk is the perfect example of this. It offers ‘small scale’ and very much achievable adventure. For us it was somewhere different, somewhere that we had never been to before and with that came lots of pleasant surprises.

How To Get To Norfolk

Often overlooked, Norfolk falls into the well kept secret category of English escapes. The north coast is only a few hours drive from London and Norwich around 2:20 on the train, so getting there is easy, making a long weekend trip very achievable.

Perhaps due to its lack of motorway access, the county remains relatively free of crowds and its vast beaches offer a perfect combination of sea air and seclusion to blast the city stress from your system.

Check train times

What To Do In Norfolk

We spent 2 long, action packed weekends exploring Norfolk and below are 6 of our favourite experiences:

1: Explore Holkham National Nature Reserve

Holkham is a vast area of natural beauty where wetlands meet gorgeous sand dunes alongside forest that spills onto an enormous beach before meeting the North Sea. At low tide the sea drags back hundreds of meters, revealing miles of sand and meaning you need not go anywhere near another human.

Venturing beyond the most immediate stretch of sand comes with notable rewards as you lose most other beach goers and are treated to an entire section of sea to swim in for yourself.

Holkham beach is, in our opinion, one of England's most beautiful beaches. It’s sheer size makes a low tide walk along it a unique experience as you lose yourself in it’s scale, giving you that feeling of insignificance as you blend into the enormous landscape.

If you are lucky with a sunny day we advise a swim, followed by a sunset picnic on the dunes.

2: Walk The Wash

The Wash is the biggest reserve in England and one of it’s last great wildernesses. This expanse of wetland and salt marshes is home to all types of wildlife and is one of the largest breeding places for seals.

A walk across the reserve's remote paths will make you feel a million miles away from the stresses and strains of city life, as the sea air fills your lungs and the sound of nature washes over you.

3: Cook up some Fresh Local Seafood

Located in the quintessentially English market town of Burnham Market, Gurney’s is a 40 year old, family run, traditional fishmongers, and a very good one at that. Selling locally caught smoked fish, shellfish and wet fish, a trip to Gurney’s kicks up the best type of problem - what delicious fresh seafood shall we cook tonight?

Furthermore, with beautifully displayed produce, all types of pickles, sauces and dips to choose from and chatty staff, a trip here is far more than a transactional affair, it's an experience.

Side note: Burnham Market is a lovely little town and well worth wandering around for an hour or so during your trip to Gurneys. Little shops, good cafes and a couple of pubs make it a great food based pit stop.

4: Fish & Chips at Plattens

Let's be honest if you're on holiday by the seaside and you don’t indulge in fish and chips at least once you’re not doing it right. Located on the dock in Wells-Next-Sea, Plattens is a traditional fish and chip shop good enough to turn even the fence-sitters. The menu? Well as straight down the line as you like with battered cod, mushy peas, thick cut chips and curry sauce for the traditionalists and pies, scampi etc for those who fancy a change.

Once ordered, grab a pint or two from the pub next door and head over the road to dangle your feet off the dock and watch the boats come in. Seaside bliss.

5: Crabbing

Crabbing is one of those nostalgic English pastimes that transports you immediately back to your childhood. It really is a waiting game, as you sit there patiently with your bucket and line… The best thing about doing this as an adult is that you can spice up that wait with a beer, making for an even more enjoyable couple of hours.

There are many spots along the coast to crab but a particularly good one is the dock at Wells-Next-Sea, with it’s high walls and dramatic tide the stage is set for you to catch some rippers.

6: Boat on the Broads

The Norfolk Broads National Park is an intricate network of navigable waterways that run throughout both Norfolk and Suffolk. The best way to experience them is of course by boat and you are not short of options with rental companies offering everything from canoes, kayaks and paddle-boards to sail and motorised boats. Cruising along the water immediately makes time disappear as you lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings and rhythm of the river.

In Conclusion

We have explored Norfolk twice now, once just the two of us and the other time with a group of mates and it ticked all the boxes for both. It is easy to get to from London, beautiful and jam packed with options for adventure.