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!
Great Yarmouth
The nearest significant town is Great Yarmouth. There is plenty for all the family here and we have
The Elizabethan House Museum, mentioned as the starting point for the walk round the town, is a preserved merchant’s house belonging to The National Trust. It shows elements of the social and industrial history of Great Yarmouth and also has the most extraordinary stuffed squirrel tea party.
Also on the quayside, close to the Elizabethan House museum is the Lydia Eva, the last surviving steam powered drifter of the herring fishing fleet. It doesn’t make the list because we have never visited, although it is rising up the places to go to now the museum sector is struggling more.
The walk will take you to the Time and Tide Museum. This is the Norfolk County museum of life in Great Yarmouth, located in an old herring smokehouse. It’s a well laid out and interesting presentation of the herring trade that brought wealth to the town before the tourist trade brought holidaymakers. The onsite cafe served a delicious lunch when we went.
Passing the Britannia Monument, dedicated to Nelson and sited in an industrial estate, head towards the east side of Great Yarmouth to find the Pleasure Beach where there are funfair rides, stalls and arcades. Dominating the place is the steel-clad, wooden roller coaster, or scenic railway, as it should be known. It’s quite rare in the world of coasters so get on board.
We have never spent long in the Pleasure Beach but day tickets are often available on GroupOn. If we did spend longer, bankruptcy from the Grand National game where you roll balls into slots to race horses along the track would be certain. If we do nothing else in Great Yarmouth, we need to beat each other in a horse race.
Family based competition continues in the bowling alley on Wellington Pier. Numerous savings and deals are on offer and it’s a fun afternoon if the weather isn’t fabulous. Bar, cafe and snacks are on sale too.
Following the front up from the Wellington Pier is the Winter Garden, worth looking at externally, and onwards to the Sealife Centre. Often a deal to be found by pre-booking, it’s an interesting encounter with the underwater world. The jellyfish are mesmerising and the giant turtle swims round the tropical ocean display where you can walk through the tunnel as the animals swim around.
If the weather is favourable, the crazy golf course featuring piratical scenes is fun. Luckily, you can choose 9 or 18 holes, depending on your tenacity and the strength of the breeze.
On the other side of the road are the golden lights of the amusement arcades. This isn’t Yar-Vegas by any means but the penny falls are tantalisingly close to paying out whenever you arrive. Little hint, hang around because sometimes the right floorboard will deliver 50p in coppers.
Look behind the cheap facades to see what a Victorian resort town was like. Ornate brick built theatres and show palaces hint at the early wealth of the holiday industry. Yarmouth as a whole has architecture to match its varied history; as a fishing and commercial port, a naval hospital and later psychiatric facility, a holiday destination and now a centre for offshore wind power.
As you keep heading north along the seafront, there is a visitor centre for the Scroby Sands Wind Farm. Eon has opened an information booth about the wind farm off the coast and its investment in renewables. An impressive array of 30 turbines are kept in view of the interactive displays that aim to educate about renewable energy.
Going north again, there are the recently refurbished Venetian Waterways and gardens. Owned by the borough council, these grade II listed canals were dug by the unemployed in the 1920s to fill the space created after the construction of the new sea walls. The channels were dug out of sand then developed into an attraction including gondolas, illuminations and even ice skating in the winter. Only once has it been cold enough for the waters to freeze while we have been here and the risk assessment said no skating then! The gardens and waterways are free to roam around, there is a cafe and a coffee hut, and boats can be hired on the boating lake.
That’s the end of the seafront highlights but continue back towards Caister and you pass the racecourse, with it’s stabling and gates. All very exciting no doubt, but carry on to the Greyhound and Stock Car Race course. Banger racing is seriously exciting and a fantastic evening out. We particularly favour the caravan demolition derby nights, held regularly through the summer. Who knew that there were so many caravans that needed destroying! Get there early, pay the parking charge for the field next door and grab an indoor space near the long bar and the food kiosk. A proper family entertainment. We haven’t been to the greyhound racing but it seems equally popular.
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