A Week in Norfolk...
At the end of October last year (yes, I know, this post is long overdue...) me, Ru, my mum and my sister managed to book a week away in Norfolk. Before the Covid police come at me and for anyone that doesn't know, I am a single parent and live alone with my four year old so at the time I was bubbled up with my parents and three of my siblings who are one household.
Our trip had been booked for a while and we were really lucky in that it didn't get cancelled and that we were still allowed to travel down before the restrictions got more strict. I'm so glad we managed to get away as it was just what I needed at the time. We stayed in a cottage in the middle of absolutely nowhere but in driving distance of gorgeous beaches and cute spots to visit for the day. We were blessed with a couple of really sunny days which was nice, and the rest of the time it rained. Everything we did was outdoors - not just because of covid, because we went to enjoy the scenery! Despite the cold, it was actually a really nice trip and we managed to walk around a fair few villages. The only thing I think that I regret missing out on was talking Ru on the Norfolk railway, but hopefully we'll find chance to do that one day.
The little cottage that I managed to find us for a reasonable price was really cute with nice views from the back end of the house, looking on to farm land. We stayed in a village called Bacton, which really was in the middle of nowhere but the village was by the sea and had a couple of shops, takeaways and local pubs. The shops were handy for grabbing essentials and things for dinner and we ordered a takeaway one night which was delish. If you want a quiet, country break then I would recommend this as a place to stay as it was exactly that. It also was only a half hour drive away from Norwich city centre and ten minutes to big supermarkets.
In the cottage, we had a couple of issues with the shower and the hob but nothing major and the house was constantly hot so no complaints about being kept nice and warm in the cold! I love the huge bath, I had the best bubble bath in that most evenings, lovely and relaxing which is exactly what you want when you go away. The bed was lovely and comfy too, I shared with Ru of course and he slept absolutely fine which was good. We had a gorgeous view from our window which you can have a little peek at above.
There was a couple of bits left for us when we arrived, just some nice crisps and some Norfolk apple juice. I don't know if we can get hold of this up North but that was definitely the nicest apple juice I've ever had!
Cromer, Norfolk
The first place we visited was Cromer which is the most gorgeous seaside! I wish we'd stayed longer or visited it before coming home as we were only there for a couple of hours and it really was beaut. We got so lucky with the weather too as it was so sunny with bright blue skies. I actually took my coat off on the beach as I was so warm in my jumper, so the weather was extremely mild that day for the end of Oct which was lovely. Ru had a blast building sandcastles and throwing pebbles in the sea!
Then we headed to Blakeney which was one of the villages that I was dying to visit as it just looked so cute and photogenic. It was just as dreamy as it looked on Pinterest, and we managed to look round a few shops there too which was lovely. You can't beat a good gift shop when you're somewhere new. We were here quite a while as we had a long walk around in the sun.
Burnham Market, Norfolk
If you can't tell, I got the most photos when we went to Burnham Market... another gorgeous village but with a bit more to do than there was at Blakeney. Very picturesque and dreamy to walk around. The first thing we did when we got there was go into the cutest little sweet shop and get Ru a little bag of pick and mix. He was obsessed with carrying his little pink bag of sweets around. It had the sweetest little pink bench outside and there was flowers everywhere. I can imagine you'd get some gorgeous photos in the summer months outside of here!
There was quite a few little corners full of shops, and we managed to find the most gorgeous little toy shop from just wandering around. We didn't know it was there but it was the kind that was full of beautiful wooden toys so of course I couldn't resist going in to have a little look! I ended up buying two of Reubens Christmas presents here, as when I saw how much he loved the little market stall they had set up in the shop, it gave me the idea to get him a market stall for Christmas.
We went in and out of a few other shops whilst there, and picked up some more Christmas presents so all in all it was a successful little trip. The houses there were so beaut too, definitely a dream place to live.
Norfolk Lavender
We went to Norfolk Lavender as it's one of the places that I thought that I would get some gorgeous photos but I think it was just the wrong time of year for it. Also lots of things were shut due to Covid. We did have a good browse around the gift shop there though and managed to pick up some more Christmas gifts so that was nice. I took these photos with Ru just outside it that I love!
Wroxham, Norfolk
We drove through Wroxham so many times when going out for the day so we decided that we'd like to actually stop and get out one day as it looked lovely. We kept laughing as every building there was a 'Roys' business so we joked that he must own the town. When we got there we just parked up and went for a little walk, Ru really enjoyed watching all of the boats. My mum wanted to hire one and I said no... if you won't drive it, we aren't getting one! I get really sick on boats too so I decided to avoid, and there was no way I was driving one... but they do look good fun if you're into that. The sun was shining and I got this gorgeous photo of Ru as we crossed a bridge, he was loving that all of the boats kept honking their horns at him as they went under. There's a Mcdonalds in Wroxham so we went in there for some breakfast which was handy, and Ru got to enjoy his fave pancakes. Then we just had a mooch around the huge Roys department store, I obviously picked up a new candle... and that was it really. There wasn't massive amounts of things to do there but it was nice to just walk around for an hour or so.
Horning, Norfolk
We had the longest walk through Horning, what a gorgeous place. It's a village along the Norfolk broads and is full of the most gorgeous little houses. It has holiday rentals right on the water that you come with your own little boat that you can take out. I bet staying there in the summer months is dreamy! There was a few shops and pubs so I can imagine it's a busy place when covid isn't hanging about and the sun is out. We stopped to get an ice cream for Ru from a little parlour and just had a slow stroll down the village, passing lots of boats along the way. It's a great place to stretch your legs and let your little ones watch all the boats - and of course enjoy ice cream whilst doing so!
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a gorgeous little market town that I wish we could have spent longer in. We actually got there and it started absolutely pouring it down, and I mean pouring as in the torrential rain kind... so we aborted our plans and drove away with the intention to go back to our cottage. By the time we were about ten minutes away, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out so we ended up making our way back. It was quite late in the day already so it was getting dark shortly after we got there which is why we didn't spend as long as we'd have liked. Because it was later in the day it was also really quite cold so we didn't want to spend too long walking around with little Ru. It was really lovely to have a mooch around a couple of gift shops though, and see the town lit up as it got darker too. The Christmas decor was already out so it was nice seeing all the lights and things.
Sheringham Park, Norfolk
The above photos aren't actually from Sheringham Park which is the last place we visited before coming home. We came across this forest in the middle of nowhere on our way to Holt the day before and it was beautiful but I can't tell you where it was as I have no idea... we jumped out for a few Autumnal photos which is were the above beauts came from.
But anyway, Sheringham Park wasn't actually on our list to visit but we drove past it and my mum thought it would be a nice place to go for a walk and somewhere Ru would enjoy. She was right, it was lovely! It's like a massive woodland area with a path all the way around and you could walk round there forever it's huge. It also had toilet and a place to grab food and drink so perfect for some post-walk refreshments. We had quite a long walk to say we had Ru and his little legs with us, he really enjoyed exploring the forest area as there was lots of different things to look at and a few areas set up for kids with little outdoor activities. If you love woodland walks and have children, I'd definitely recommend.
Overall, despite the cold and rainy weather most days, we had a really lovely week in Norfolk and I would definitely go back. If you love the country and the outdoors, it's a gorgeous place - especially to take kids as there are so many places where they can just run about and let off steam.
Have you been to Norfolk?
