The most beautiful places in Norfolk

From the perennially popular north coast to the hidden corners of the more undiscovered south, these are the places worth adding to your list

By Teddy Wolstenholme

21 March 2021

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Norfolk won’t win any prizes for being easy to get to. There’s no motorway, train stations are few and far between, and it’s not really on the road to anywhere – but that’s all part of this big-skies county’s charm. A land of open countryside flecked with rickety windmills, gorgeous flint-clad villages and no shortage of cosy fire-warmed pubs, it’s also one of great natural beauty, with wind-thrashed beaches and epic wildlife-watching.

Getty Images
The Broads
A watery labyrinth of shallow lakes, reed-fringed rivers and peaceful creeks criss-crossing a landscape studded with postcard-like villages, the Norfolk Broads has more miles of waterway than Venice – and it’s the perfect place to go off-grid and slip into a slower pace of life. This patch of the county first found fame as a Victorian holiday destination, and it’s still proper Swallows and Amazons territory, meaning by far the best way to explore is by boat. Moor up at picturesque hamlets – the prettiest are along the Bure and Ant rivers – drift along on a paddleboard (Fritton Lake’s silky water is the best spot) and keep your eyes peeled for wildlife: these lush marshes are home to a myriad of scarcely sighted bird species, plus the staggeringly beautiful swallowtail butterfly, the largest and rarest in the UK.
Alamy
Norwich Cathedral, Norwich
Dominating the skyline of Norfolk’s only city, history-steeped Norwich Cathedral has stood in situ for more than 900 years – and it’s one of the most splendiferous examples of Romanesque architecture anywhere in the UK. Come early in the morning to marvel at the ethereal light peeking through the stained glass; poke around the double-height, Hogwarts-esque cloisters, and make sure to look up: the ceilings here have more than 1,000 painted wood carvings, while a pair of peregrine falcons, who make their home in the spire during the summer months, swoop overhead. With its maze of winding cobbled lanes, immaculate gardens and Dutch-gabled mews houses, the gorgeous cathedral close feels like its own little village within the city – and has provided the backdrop for many a period drama.
Alamy
Happisburgh, near Norwich
It’s the storybook red and white candy-striped lighthouse that lures most visitors to Happisburgh, a gorgeous seaside village on Norfolk’s more overlooked east coast. On occasional Sundays, the lighthouse normally flings open its doors, inviting visitors to clamber up the dizzying spiral staircase to reach the top – and in a flat-as-a-pancake county like this one, there are few better places to snatch cinematic views of the blustery coastline. While you’re here, stop off at St Mary’s, the village’s perfectly preserved 15th-century church, before snaking down the path leading to the secluded beach. It’s a wonderful place for windy walks, but keep well clear of the cliff edges: erosion has been steadily swallowing up this stretch of coastline and the wooden defences positioned along the sand serve as a stark reminder of the fragility of this beautiful landscape.
Gunton Park, near Cromer
To see rural Norfolk at its bucolic best, head to Gunton Park estate, a few miles inland from the seaside town of Cromer. This historic, 1,000-acre deer park – painstakingly restored and repopulated by two local landowners with the help of rock’n’roll art dealer Ivor Braka – is a preposterously pretty walking spot all year round, but visit in winter and you’ll find the land perpetually shrouded in a hypnotic frosty mist. The herds of free-roaming fallow deer munching on pristine grass aren’t the estate’s only delight: head to the edge of the park to find Braka’s pebbledash pub, the Gunton Arms, home to one of the greatest collections of modern art outside the Tate. It’s well worth calling ahead and booking a table in the restaurant – gutsy British menus of Cromer crab, venison sausage rolls and thick-cut steaks are as locavore as the come.

Getty Images
Walsingham
This picturesque Norfolk village has a long history as a site of Christian pilgrimage. It was once up there on the same pedestal as Jerusalem or Rome, and kings and queens regularly stopped by to visit its shrines, holy wells and priory – the majestic remains of which still take centre stage. But you don’t need to be pious to appreciate Walsingham’s beauty: in early spring, the woodlands around here transform into a carpet of dazzling white snowdrops, and they’re well worth a visit alone. Aside from its religious significance, much of Walsingham’s charm lies in its stunning architecture: half-timbered jettied cottages; Georgian façades; thatched-roofed pubs and strings of wonky medieval houses, all anchored around a dinky village green. The River Stiffkey winds its way around the edges – bring your bicycle and spend a peaceful afternoon meandering on the trails along its banks.
Getty Images
Wells-next-the-Sea
With its string of colourful clapboard beach huts, sweep of pine-fringed sand and proper bucket-and-spade seaside ambience, Wells-next-the-Sea tops our list as one of the most scenic beaches in Norfolk. It’s a haven for twitchers – marsh harriers, pied avocets and pink-footed geese often swoop over the surrounding wetlands – and there’s always a chance of spotting a colony of flat seals sprawled on the sandbanks. Once you’re beached out, hop on the miniature train shuffling day-trippers between the coast and town, and head to Wells’s picturesque harbour – deeply rooted in maritime history, it’s still packed with local fishermen hauling in their day’s catch. Don’t leave without having a snoop around the smart independent shops before making a greasy-fingered pit stop dunking into a huge portion of battered cod at French’s Fish Shop.
Alamy
Blakeney
Awash with flint-clad fishermen’s cottages, old-world pubs, hollyhock-filled lanes and gaggles of children crabbing along the quay, the coastal village of Blakeney has oodles of charm. It was once a busy commercial port, but silting reduced it to a series of narrow tidal creeks, leaving in its wake a mesmerising landscape of mud flats, salt marshes and spits of shingle and sand dune. But the real reason to visit is the seals. It's home to England’s largest breeding grey seal colony and more than 3,000 wide-eyed fluffy pups are born on the National Trust-owned Blakeney Point each year. Join one of the many boat trips departing from the quay or try to persuade a friendly fisherman to whizz you out. If you can, time your visit with the winter birthing season – it’s one of Norfolk’s best-loved wildlife wonders.
Alamy
Thompson Common, near Thetford
For all the noise of Norfolk’s north coast, it’s the unsung south that’s home to some of the county’s most soul-stirring scenery. Right in the heart of the Brecks, Thompson Common feels like a forgotten world: a swathe of eerily beautiful, primeval-looking forest speckled with prehistoric ponds left over from the Ice Age which act as a magnet for flora and wildlife. Follow the gentle eight-mile Great Eastern Pingo Trail to reach Thompson Water, a vast, man-made lake swarming with rare breeds of dragonfly, birds and rafts of otters floating in their undisturbed natural habitat – on a good day, you’re unlikely to pass another soul. Once you’ve hung up your walking boots, stay overnight at smart farmhouse B&B College Farm, whose grounds back directly onto the route.

Alamy
Blickling Hall and Estate, near Aylsham
There’s no shortage of stately homes in Norfolk – but for true fantasy romance, head to Blickling Hall. Dripping in history, this Jacobean beauty was once owned by the Boleyn family (Anne’s headless ghost is rumoured to haunt the estate) and lavish rooms house one of the most important collections of historic manuscripts under the National Trust’s care. But it’s the estate’s extensive grounds that are the real star. Little changed over the centuries, they parcel up all the best bits of quintessential Norfolk countryside. Weave your way through pristine parkland and avenues of ancient yew trees; amble around immaculate ornamental gardens and romp through the bluebell-filled woods before stopping to take it all in from the banks of the glossy lake. To do it justice, you’ll need a couple of days to explore, so stay overnight in one of the cottages on the estate: the Rapunzel-style Tower is extra special.
Alamy
Holkham Hall and Estate, near Well-next-the-Sea
Ringed by rolling parkland and ancient pine woods, 25,000-acre Holkham Estate – which is still privately owned by the Earl of Leicester – is a real stunner. Its 18th-century stately hall is one of the country’s finest examples of Palladian architecture. You could easily spend an entire day here, exploring rooms lined with priceless artworks by Van Dyck and Rubens; boating around the silvery lake; cycling through pretty deer-filled meadows and nosing around the mini vineyard and sizeable vegetable gardens which supply the kitchens at The Victoria Inn, the estate’s very own boutique hotel. And it’s just a stone’s throw from wild, unspoilt Holkham Beach – fringed by tussocky dunes, this protected nature reserve was the very spot where Gwyneth Paltrow mooched around the sand in the famous closing scenes of Shakespeare in Love.
Like this? Now read:
10 amazing things to do in Norfolk
Interesting things to do in Norwich
Hotels by the beach in the UK: 15 of the best

TopicsDestinations Europe UK England Norfolk