Nearby Locations:
National Trust and English Heritage
North Norfolk is unusually rich in places cared for by the National Trust and English Heritage, from grand halls and gardens to castles, priories and wild stretches of coast. Members of either organisation will find plenty here to repay their membership, and many of the sites are free for everyone.
National Trust Houses and Buildings
The main properties in the area are the Blickling Estate near Aylsham, Felbrigg Hall near Cromer, a fine Jacobean house with a famous walled garden and 520 acres of parkland just a few miles from us, Sheringham Park, Horsey Windpump and the Elizabethan House Museum at Great Yarmouth, a 16th century quayside home with rooms showing domestic life from Tudor to Victorian times.
St George’s Guildhall at King’s Lynn, the largest surviving medieval guildhall in England and Britain’s oldest working theatre, where Shakespeare himself is believed to have performed in 1593, is currently undergoing a major restoration and is due to reopen as a transformed theatre and heritage attraction.
National Trust Coast and Countryside
Areas where there are flora, fauna and sea birds in abundance include Morston Quay, Stiffkey Marshes, the Brancaster Estate and Blakeney Point, home to England’s largest grey seal colony. Closest of all is West Runton and Beeston Regis Heath, the woods and heathland right on our doorstep.
In fact the National Trust’s address for it is simply “Roman Camp, West Runton”, and it is from this ancient hilltop site that our park takes its name. Its trails lead over Beacon Hill, one of the highest points in Norfolk, with wonderful views out over the coast. It is advisable to check opening times before visiting any of the properties; the National Trust website provides these.
English Heritage Properties
The main paid entry sites are in the west and east of the county. Castle Rising Castle near King’s Lynn has one of the finest surviving 12th century keeps in England and was once the residence of Queen Isabella, mother of Edward III. It is privately managed by the Howard family, whose ancestor built it, and English Heritage members enter free. Castle Acre Priory is East Anglia’s biggest and best preserved monastic ruin, with a recreated herb garden and free audio tour. In the east, the Great Yarmouth Row Houses are rare survivors of the town’s crowded old alleyways, open for pre booked guided tours on selected days.
Free English Heritage Sites
Many other sites have free entry and are unstaffed, so you can wander at will. Nearest to the park is Baconsthorpe Castle near Holt, the atmospheric moated ruins of a fortified 15th century manor house and a lovely spot for a picnic.
Others include Creake Abbey, Binham Market Cross, Binham Priory, Blakeney Guildhall, North Elmham Chapel, Cow Tower in Norwich, Caister Roman Fort and Burgh Castle, whose massive 3rd century walls make it one of the best preserved Roman monuments in Britain, with panoramic views over Breydon Water. From the walls you can see Berney Arms Windmill, the tallest drainage mill in Norfolk, standing in glorious isolation across the marshes. The mill itself is currently closed to visitors while English Heritage restores it to full working order, but it remains a magnificent sight from the surrounding footpaths, boats on the River Yare and the tiny Berney Arms railway halt, one of the remotest stations in England.
