twoflower

We are planning a self-driving tour of the UK - a slightly odd one in that it misses some obvious and lovely places! That's because we've driven the UK before, so this time we're stringing together places we've missed on previous trips but which we've been told are worthwhile or have some attraction that interests us.

One area we fancy spending a few days in is Norfolk, and we're wondering where good bases might be to explore this area. Big cities, like Norwich itself, don't usually appeal to us - but is it at least worth a visit? For similar reasons (crowds, traffic), Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth may be best avoided as well. One attribute of a "good base" is that it be centrally located, which in Norfolk's case suggests an inland town (Fakenham or Swaffham?). On the other hand, somewhere coastal (Hunstanton, Burnham Market, Sheringham, Cromer?) might be prettier and more geared to tourism - if perhaps also more expensive!

Perhaps someone who knows the region can give us some tips? We enjoy good scenery, history, a bit of walking, and a nice pub to relax in in the evenings.

Dukey1

You don't want "crowds" but you think somewhere "geared to tourism" is better?

I like Cromer, for example but with a car just how "central
does your base really need to be?

Sure, I thin Norwich is worth a visit but what other interests do you have? I think places in The Broads are worth visiting, too.

Sorry, just too vague for me but am certain others will be more directive.

ribeirasacra

I would ask what time of year are you going? and what is attracting you to wonderful Norfolk? Are you also interested in seeing any of the neighbouring counties too?

Morgana

I know Norfolk very well having been born and brought up 'next door' in Suffolk but I also need to know when you are travelling.
North Norfolk is my favourite part with some wonderful stately homes and beautiful beaches. However it is nicknamed 'Chelsea on Sea' and gets very crowded during the peak summer season.

annhig

Blakeney is the place that springs to mind but we were last there over 30 years ago so I'm prepared for its having changed a bit since then. Friends of ours go there every year however and love it so it can't be all bad.

Definitely somewhere for the warmer months though, not the winter.

ESW

It is a refreshing change to find someone who wants to go somewhere different...

You definitely want to avoid great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The lovely coastal towns and villages along the north coast of Norfolk are MUCH nicer. Sherringham and Holt immediately spring to mind. They have managed to avoid the 'kiss me quick' that spoils so many of our seaside resorts.

Swaffham is also nice.

And yes, Norwich is worth a days visit too.

twoflower

Thanks for the tips. It helps focus our efforts to know the North Norfolk coast is nicer than the bigger coastal towns of Great Yarmouth & Lowestoft. Toured Blakeney on Google "Street View" - yes, it looks nice. Smaller, quieter than some, but - like many coastal villages (Sheringham, Burnham Market, Hunstanton) - quite expensive. A possibility though. Surprisingly Cromer seems a little more reasonably priced.

Apologies if my references to crowds and geared for tourism caused confusion. I'll see if I can make it clearer. With obvious exceptions like London (I'm sure I don't need explain that!), we generally avoid big cities. They're not our idea of "relaxing" places to be. We prefer smaller towns and villages. And by "geared to tourism" I'm talking about facilities: places of interest, choices of dining etc. Yes, tourism may also mean crowds at certain times, but often these fade away by mid-afternoon when the day-trippers and coach tours leave; and anyway, there are crowds and crowds: a popular but beautiful beach village is a whole different animal than a big, sprawling and traffic-clogged city!

Yes, we will be visiting other counties, many of them. But as I said, this trip is about filling gaps between places we've already done on previous (quite lengthy) visits to the UK. Someone asked why Norfolk? Well, what we've seen on various TV programmes has whetted our interest. Sure, it may be flat and featureless, but even that can be appealing. Or so it seems to us, anyway. And no, we definitely won't forget the Norfolk Broads.

flanneruk

There are two problems with your plan:

- Norfolk is, by English standards, a big place with poor roads. The North Norfolk coast isn't a terribly good base for exploring anywhere much further south - though it's got a lot going for it as an area to holiday in without slogging off to Norwich or anywhere else

- North Norfolk isn't really Chelsea on Sea: its overpaid domestic tourists are more likely to live in Islington, and they're at their densest in the more inland microtowns like Burnham Market. It's really a Cotswolds for City workers who can't face the Friday night slog along the Euston Rd from Canonbury. Most of North Norfolk shares the Cotswolds' (and its own weekenders') hostility to new building, so accommodation prices reflect the scarcity of hotel rooms. On paper, Wells Next the Sea looks as if it's cheaper: don't be misled. The smell of rancid chip fat permeates the place.

Simply accept that prices in Holt or Cromer are what they are. Whenever I've stopped in Fakenham or Swaffham en route, I've always found them quite handsome, but devoid of any reason for wanting to stay there other than picking up food from their supermarkets. They may have added decent pubs and restaurants without my noticing: there's been an extraordinary improvement in pub and food standards in many of the more affluent bits of rural England over the past 15 years. But affluence is patchy in Norfolk, and I'd check before committing to stay there.

welltraveledbrit

My brother has a cottage in SaltHouse so that's the village I know best up there and it's a nice place for a few days. Much more than that and I'd be bored. The beach at Holkham is lovely and I believe you can visit the Hall too which is one of the great palladium houses in England.
I have to say I visited Norwich last year and it is a delightful place as is Ely, I'd say both are worth visiting in particular for the cathedrals. While I like the Norfolk coast well enough the villages don't have the charm of the Cotswolds - after all it is very flat. Before my brother bought his place I stayed in Swaffham with my mother for a weekend. I don't remember that there was much to do but we had a nice time.You might combine Norfolk with some areas further south like Lavenham.

When I'm looking at a driving trip in the UK I always pull out the National Trust book and look at the properties we could visit or see what might be available on the open garden scheme. It often helps us pick a route or a place to base ourselves.

ESW

I understand just what you mean about crowds and tourism. Don't be put off by flanner's rather negative comments.

From what you are saying, you will love Norfolk and it will be just what you are looking for if you like small towns and villages. It is a place to slow down and enjoy. It has some wonderful country churches and most of them are open. Do stop and have a look.

Daughter and family (who definitely do NOT live in Islington and working for the local council and definitely not overpaid)regularly holiday in Sherringham and love the area.

The roads aren't that poor either. It is a big landscape so you need to allow plenty of time for covering distances. (I was surprised how poor roads were in Kent when I visited earlier this year. They hardly seem to have improved in the 40 years since I lived there....)

Morgana

I didn't mean to put you off by my Chelsea on sea remarks - we often holiday in North Norfolk but never in July or August.
The coast road can get very narrow and clogged up for one thing especially near Cley.
I'm still not sure when you plan to travel?
There's tons to see and do. Felbrigg and Blickling are both under the care of the National Trust but you can also visit Sandringham, Holkham and my personal favourite Houghton (amazing gardens).
We also love the Poppy Line steam train.
Cromer and Sheringham have an old fashioned feel and aren't as trendy as Wells, Burnham etc.
We had a wonderful lunch at Number One in Cromer earlier this year - fabulous seafood. Recommended.
Holt is slightly inland and has a terrific deli called Bakers and Larners.

Heimdall

Twoflower, I am another neighbour of Norfolk, having lived in Suffolk for most of my life.

If by "base" you mean somewhere with good connections to other parts of Norfolk, then none better than Norwich, which is near the centre of the county, with good roads radiating in all directions from it. Norwich itself has much to do and see, including a castle and cathedral. I can't think of any seaside town or village that would be a good base for travelling to other parts of Norfolk.

You still haven't revealed <i>when</i> you are travelling, and that is important. During late July and August when schools are out, all the coastal villages will be crowded, while Norwich will be much the same as at other times of the year. From Norwich it takes only about half an hour to reach most of the coastal villages, but on weekends in the summer the roads to the coast often have long tailbacks.

Heimdall

By the way, now that the A11 is a dual carriageway (divided highway) all the way to Norwich, driving there from the south (M11/A11) is much easier than before.

twoflower

Wow, this is all good stuff. We've been to/stayed in some of Suffolk (Lavenham, Bury St Edmunds), as well as Ely, on earlier trips. (See what I mean about threading between places we've already done?) I guess I'm not surprised to hear Norfolk is no Cotswolds, but sometimes the less "pretty" places have a different appeal that can make a refreshing change from chocolate-box picture-postcard stuff.

From what people are saying here, Norwich is beginning to sound like an attractive option. I must confess to having been influenced by other UK people I know, who make fun of it as a "boring" place - but what's boring to a local may be something entirely different to us who have nothing like it in our own country! (Which is why we travel to the UK in the first place).

It's a worry to hear that August is not a good time. We're from NZ and like to escape the last (often worst) months of our own winter. Plus, we find autumn weather in the UK to be more settled than in summer. In the past we've left it till late August, so holiday crowds are (hopefully) thinning out by the time we've done an initial week in London before we begin driving. I was thinking of early August this time, so as not to run too far into October (cold!), but in view of everyone's remarks we may have to rethink this and revert to our usual late August start.

But anyway, thanks, there's much food for thought here - you have all helped us narrow down our choices.

Heimdall

<i>"It's a worry to hear that August is not a good time."</i>

I wouldn't say that at all! If your plan is to concentrate on the seaside resorts, then yes, they will be busy, one of the reasons I suggested Norwich as a base. Norfolk has much more than the coast however, including nature reserves, the Norfolk Broads, Thetford Forest (great for biking on its flat trails), stately homes, Sandringham (the estate itself and Sandringham House), I could go on...

Having previously live in Aldeburgh, one of the best Suffolk seaside towns, Holkham is the only seaside area in Norfolk I enjoy visiting. Leave your car in the Lady Anne's Drive car park and you can walk to the nature reserve and beach, which is a long stretch of sand dunes. Opposite the car park is a private road to Holkham Hall, also open to the public

The last weekend of August includes a bank holiday Monday, so IMO you should stick to your plan of early August.

anicecupoftea

I live in Norwich. If your interest is in North Norfolk I wouldn't use Norwich as a base, as you'll be spending too much time driving there and back. Half an hour is over optimistic unless you're staying near the airport, and you don't want to stay there. Holt is a good option, although make sure you stay somewhere with private parking, as it can be tricky in high season. Do come to Norwich for a day, though.

It's refreshing to find an overseas visitor moving outside the predictable Cotswolds trip to "see the English countryside" which is entirely unrepresentative of most English countryside. Personally I find the Cotswolds villages twee and the countryside boring, and prefer the flint cottages, salt marshes and wide open landscapes of North Norfolk.

anicecupoftea

PS. Norwich is a small city, much the size of York, with a compact centre and a completely different feel to somewhere like London or Manchester.