Norfolk Estate Agents
4 Upper King Street
Norwich
NR3 1HA
Noël Coward may have called it flat, but Norfolk is a county of enormous contrasts.
Our Norfolk area guide contains all the important information you’ll need to know about living in the area. From schools and property prices through to transport links and leisure, our local guide will give you the insight into just what the county has to offer.
It has wonderful huge open spaces, big skies, the watery charm of the Norfolk Broads, the dense forests of Breckland, the vast wilderness of the beaches of Holkham and Brancaster on the north coast, the sheer cliffs at Cromer, little flint villages and a seal colony at Blakeney Point. Then there is the wonderful cathedral city of Norwich, well known for its university, football club and annual arts festival and as a world leader in agri-science.
Nelson’s county isn’t on the way to anywhere, doesn’t have a motorway, and is one of the few unspoilt counties left in England. People used to buy second homes and enjoy its time-forgot quality but now around two thirds of buyers are incomers who want to live here, work from home and maybe pop down to London one day a week. Our hottest spot is Burnham Market, known as Chelsea-on-Sea.
Strutt & Parker’s Norwich office covers the whole of Norfolk, which is still very affordable compared to any Home County; you can get 20%-50% more house for your money.
Things to do in Norfolk
The unspoilt nature of the Norfolk countryside, coupled with its extensive coastline and one of the UK’s 10 national parks, the Broads, Norfolk has an enormous breadth of fascinating wildlife to be discovered.
Wonderful wildlife
Known as the birdwatching capital of Britain, it is home to the swallowtail butterfly, the Chinese Water Deer and a vast number of seals which can be seen basking in the sun at Blakeney Point.
Beautiful beaches
Norfolk’s 100 miles of coastline provides a number of popular seaside resorts including Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Cromer. The beaches that stretch along the coast provide an ideal spot for horse riding and the coastal path, running from Hunstanton to Cromer, through an area of outstanding natural beauty, is just one of many long distance walking routes in Norfolk. The Norfolk Broads are a series of rivers and broads (lakes) which provide fantastic opportunities for both fishing and boating.
Food & Drink
From restaurants serving the finest fresh seafood, to rural country pubs pouring locally brewed ale, Norfolk has an array of drinking and dining options to suit almost anyone’s needs. For food fans, the town of Norwich has an excellent selection of restaurants, ranging from formal fine-dining to charming tea rooms, whilst you’ll find plenty of welcoming pubs in nearly any town or village across the county.
Why we love Norfolk
Norfolk has nearly 100 miles of fantastic coastline full of seabirds and big skies.
The abundance of churches (the highest concentration of any county).
The woodland and trees - ancient parkland trees and Thetford Forest, the largest lowland forest in the country.
It’s one of the driest counties in the UK.
The historic cathedral city of Norwich the regional centre of East Anglia.
Norfolk is ideal for:
- Family holidays
- Birdwatching
- A relaxed way of life
- Boating and fishing
- Great fresh seafood
Our Norwich office team recommend the following:
- Best restaurant: The Last Wine Bar, Norwich
- Best pub/bar: Walpole Arms, Itteringham
- Best annual event: Royal Norfolk Show
- A walk from Overstrand to Cromer along the beach on a low tide and back along the cliff tops following a footpath through Cromer golf course
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Key villages & towns in Norfolk
Norwich
The cathedral city of Norwich is Norfolk’s county town and, until the start of the industrial revolution, was England’s second city, meaning it has a rich and fascinating history and some wonderful architecture which has been complemented more recently with some stunning modern buildings. It has an enviable location just half an hour from the Norfolk Broads and only slightly further from a long expanse of coast, making both easily accessible by car for a quiet afternoon in the great outdoors.
Norwich has the largest intact medieval street pattern in Europe which is home to the cobbled Norwich Lanes and its beautiful historic buildings, housing an impressive array of independent businesses. Amongst the unique shops in Norwich is Jarrold, voted one of the nation’s favourite independent department stores and Howard & sons’ fishmongers. Cinema City, an art-house cinema based in a building of great historic interest, is a cultural highlight of the city.
Holt
The extremely pretty Georgian town of Holt, in the countryside of north Norfolk, is renowned for its independent boutiques and eateries. Back to the Garden, the popular café and farm shop just a few miles outside the town gets excellent reviews for its coffee, cakes and fresh produce. Holt is in a fantastic situation; just 10 minutes from the North Norfolk Heritage coast, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is well known for sailing, walking and birdwatching. It is also home to the highly recommended Gresham’s public school.
The attractive village of Salthouse is a few miles north of the town and, due to its location on the salt marshes and next to a pebbly beach, is blessed with some magnificent views, which can be enjoyed from the well-reputed pub, the Dun Cow. Salthouse Heath, 66 hectares of nature reserve managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, is just one place to which birdwatchers flock to see both common and rare species.
Diss
Diss is a market town on the southerly border with Suffolk, sitting in the Waveney valley surrounded by beautiful countryside and boasting a lake with a surface area of 6 acres. The town is blessed with a number of historic buildings, including the early 14th century parish church, which is one of at least 9 in the town! Diss became part of the Cittaslow (slow city) project in 2006.
The centre of Diss is rather unique, with the shops arranged around four courtyards – Cobbs, Norfolk House, Hales and Wills. Alongside the market place, home to a twice weekly market, run the Gazes Salesrooms, an auction house selling antiques and collectables. The Fox and Goose pub, in nearby Fressingfield, serves up excellent local food (and wine!) and gets top reviews with locals and holidaymakers alike.
Aylsham
Aylsham is a picturesque and popular market town which is renowned for its fine architecture and Medieval half-timbered houses. Aylsham is an active local business centre in itself, particularly in agriculture, but is also popular for people working in Norwich. There are many places of interest around Aylsham, enjoyed by both residents and tourists, including Blickling Estate, the fine Jacobean National Trust property which was home to a young Anne Boleyn. The Bure Valley Railway and accompanying Cycle and Foot Path end in Aylsham; the Marriott’s Way long distance footpath runs from Aylsham to Norwich.
Aylsham has good ecological credentials, being the first Norfolk town to abandon plastic bags and providing an excellent bus services to the surrounding towns and villages, and a strong community spirit, both of which meant that it didn’t have to make any fundamental changes when it joined the Cittaslow movement in 2004.
Wymondham
Wymondham is a beautiful small town, to the South of Norwich. The unspoilt landscape of the Tiffey Valley forms a striking backdrop to the towers of the imposing Wymondham abbey, which dates from 1107. The town is full of fascinating buildings, including the Tourist Information Centre, which is set on stilts to protect the documents which were traditionally stored there from flood and vermin. Wymondham Arts Centre, situated in Becket’s Chapel, has exhibitions from all sorts of artists and the station, featured as the station for Walmington-on-Sea in Dad’s Army which was largely filmed in nearby Dereham, has a classic building which is now home to a themed restaurant.
The oldest inn in Wymondham is the Green Dragon, housed in an amazing late fifteenth century building, gets good reviews for its traditional pub grub and The Boars, a local gastro pub, gets excellent reviews for its food as well as its ale.
Schools in the area
There is an array of impressive schools in Norfolk, with a good mixture of highly reputable state and independent educational facilities across the county.
Norfolk is home to some excellent state schools: Blofield Primary, 7 miles east of Norwich, has been judged very good; St Martin at Shouldham Primary in King’s Lynn and Brisley Primary in Dereham both have lots of outstanding aspects. For secondary schools, the picture is very similar; Notre Dame High School in Norwich and Framlingham Earl High School in the outskirts are both very good and the Roman Catholic Hobart High School in Loddon is outstanding.
In terms of independent schools, Thetford Grammar gets excellent exam results, and Wymondham College also gets good reviews. Both Norwich School and Norwich High School for Girls are considered to be very good. Other well recommended schools include Breckland Park School in Swaffham, Beeston Hall near Cromer and Gresham’s School in Holt.
For a more comprehensive list of schools in the area we recommend the Good Schools Guide.
Transport links
By train
There are good train links with London: from Norwich a twice hourly service to Liverpool Street takes just under two hours and a direct service twice hourly takes you from Diss in just over 90 minutes. To Cambridge, hourly services take an hour and twenty minutes from Diss and Norwich and an hour from Wymondham. Trains from Diss to Norwich are twice hourly, taking 20 minutes and from Wymondham are hourly, taking 15 minutes.
By train
There are no motorways in Norfolk but the M11 at Cambridge (an hour and half from Norwich) connects to London. From Norwich, the rest of Norfolk is generally very accessible, with A-roads linking Norwich fairly directly with Aylsham, Wymondham and Diss and a direct B-road to Holt.
With a gorgeous coastline, unique local wildlife and cosy pubs and restaurants you’ll never be short of things to do in Norfolk.