Norfolk is a beautiful and diverse county, with a long coastline, the unique wetland environment of the Broads, market towns and the city of Norwich. Halcyon sits surrounded by nature reserves, the River Thurne and the Broads, which gives you something new to see every time you visit. We have spent much of our time watching the world go by on the river and seeing the seasons change. That’s not to say that you can only find the quiet of that natural world - there are plenty of different and diverse attractions within reach and here is a list of our favourites!
Days Out with the Kids
There is one standout day out near Halcyon for the kids and that’s BeWilderWood. Based on a series of books by Tom Blofeld (local author related to Henry and the Bond villain), this is a wooden tree house, rope bridge and zip wire playground for children to lead their adults through. It is pricey and can be busy but it’s an enchanting full day out.
Thrigby Wildlife Park is somewhere that we sent the children with Granny when we were doing some serious work on the house. They all had a good day! Thrigby Hall has a fine selection of exotic animals, including the red panda that isn’t panda shaped or coloured and is really quite cute.
Local Commerce
Pubs! So many great pubs in the area that offer a wide range of dining and drinking experiences. The Fisherman’s Rest in Winterton has a newish extension to seat more people and also has its own ale on tap. The Nelson’s Head in Horsey, The Lion at Thurne, or the Lion at Somerton have all provided great meals and surroundings. There are also two pubs in Martham - the Victoria Inn and the King’s Arms. As licenses change hands the offerings do too so have a look round. But don’t cook - you’re on holiday!
If you do cook, then Chapman’s Butchers in Martham has great quality meat. The butchery out the back is where the cuts are made and the sausages stuffed. The smokehouse can be seen in the garden to give the smokiest bacon in existence. The offcuts bag is a mix of smoked and unsmoked bacon pieces to give lovely flavour to dishes and are very reasonably priced. They also sell a selection of seasonal, local vegetables; eggs and spicy pickled onions.
There is no place like Lathams - an emporium of everything. Located in Potter Heigham and with ample parking, no broadland trip is complete without a wander through clothing, food, household, pet, soft furnishings, ironmongery and garden centre. If you didn’t know you needed it then you’ll find it in Lathams! The shop has two halves on either side of the road. The larger multiverse on one side and opposite, the fishing shop, which seems to have a comprehensive and good quality stock including live bait.
On the doorstep
There’s no need to go far. Halcyon comes with its own set of things to do, albeit at the slower pace a holiday deserves..
Go fishing in the Thurne. Go and get some bait and tackle from Lathams then sit on the side to catch the enormous pike that sometimes flop above the surface. Make sure you know how to humanely treat the fish caught and return them to the river for the next hook. The largest we have caught might have been over 7cm long! There are big fish in there but we have never troubled them.
We love games as a family and the reduced amount of technology means that we get to play board games and pub games with incredible competition. Shove ha’penny and Bagatelle are both there to be enjoyed, as well as monopoly and others. The shove ha’penny board was from an old pub and is solid slate.
Wave at the boats outside the sunroom. Either sit on the deck and watch them while the weather is fine, or sit in the sunroom if it’s a bit more English Summer. There are hired boats from the local boatyards either starting or finishing breaks, day boats from all around, and private boats moored at the parish staithe. Everyone loves to exchange waves.
- The very best and very last thing to do at Halcyon is to watch the sunset with a GnT. It doesn’t need to be a GnT, but a moment with a drink and the sunset has undoubted restorative powers. Cheers.
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