Exploring Norfolk - "Time to explore"

Norfolk is the perfect place to relax with picture postcard villages and ancient market towns set amongst unspoiled countryside that sweeps down to a magnificent sandy coastline.

In the Middle Ages Norfolk was one of the richest counties in England leaving a legacy of wonderful thatched and flint built houses, huge churches and fine manors. Stately homes and fine parks abound in this county. In more recent times Norfolk has become somewhat of a rural backwater and this has luckily saved it virtually unchanged for visitors to enjoy today. No motorway comes into the county, and the rush of modern life passes it by.

NORWICH

Discover the beautiful city of Norwich, with historic streets, a magnificent cathedral and its 1000 year old castle newly refurbished to house a brand new museum (voted one of the top ten in the U.K) Enjoying a boat trip on the river is where many people get their first taste for the Norfolk Broads.

Norwich is also one of the finest shopping centres in the East of England with many unique individual shops alongside the larger chain stores. The brightly coloured outdoor market is one of the biggest permanent markets in England.

THE BROADS
The area set roughly to the East of Norwich and reaching south to the Suffolk border is Britain's finest wetland, covering some 220 square miles with 120 miles of navigable waterways. It offers not only a quiet and beautiful retreat for visitors but also a refuge for many endangered species and is a stopping off point for migrating birds. The area has many visitor attractions including fantastic gardens, wildlife parks and craft centres.

THE BRECKLANDS
The light sandy soils of the western region were easy to cultivate in ancient times and traces of 4,000-year-old mines and the community that worked them still survive today and can be visited at Cockley Cley Iceni Village. This ancient heath land with "Brecks" for cultivation has 5 market towns including Georgian Swaffham with outstanding church and beautiful Butter Cross. A market is held here twice a week.

SOUTH NORFOLK
South Norfolk is often a reflection of North Suffolk with rolling farmland and unspoilt villages bordered on the south by the lovely Waveney Valley. Much of modern tourism has passed the area by with hardly a dual carriageway to be seen to spoil the countryside. Enjoy the gardens of Blooms at Bressingham and wander round famous Banham Zoo where visitors can see some of the world's rarest creatures.

NORTH NORFOLK
Enjoy its famous wide skies, nature reserves and beautiful beaches and try a seal watching trip from Brancaster out to Blakeny Point. IN the evening, tuck into a tasty Cromer crab and other local seafood after a day enjoying the picturesque flint built fishing villages and breathtaking coastline.

Your hosts in the Break With Tradition Group can provide you with detailed "Insider Knowledge" of this area along with all the latest information on the best restaurants, pubs etc.