Wroxham Barns, Norfolk’s award-winning visitor attraction is 10 minutes from Hoste Barn. There are craftspeople working in their studios, shops to browse in offering everything from unique gifts, clothes, fun toys and delicious foods and a restaurant and coffeeshop. Visit Junior Farm with a daily programme of activities where you can groom, cuddle and bottle-feed the farm animals. Stop by Piggy’s Play Sty for heated indoor soft-play, perfect for little ones. Have fun in the Championship Mini Golf and the traditional funfair will keep the younger visitors entertained.
BeWILDerwood is an imaginative adventure park with magical treehouses and hints of intriguing characters, bringing a curious difference to the Norfolk Broads. It is the setting for the book ‘A Boggle at BeWILDerwood’, by local children’s author Tom Blofeld, it’s a wonderful, mystical place to delve into an adventurous world of make-believe. Parents are encouraged to play alongside their children, which makes for a fabulous and exciting time for the whole family. Children are told the story of Swampy the Marsh Boggle on a lovely little boat trip. This gigantic adventure playground is a welcome antidote to soft play parks: there are no grubby plastic balls here, just epic tree-high mazes, rope bridges, slides and zipwires. With face painting, crafts and interactive storytelling in bell tents and wooden shacks, it feels like a festival that has put down roots. Events run throughout the school holidays.
Bure Valley Railway Experience a nostalgic trip by steam on Norfolk’s longest narrow gauge railway which runs between the historic market town of Aylsham and bustling town of Wroxham, at the heart of the Norfolk Broads. The 18 mile round trip runs through the pretty Bure Valley countryside following the meandering River Bure through meadowland and ancient pasture. Along the line are wayside halts serving the picturesque Broadland villages of Brampton, Buxton and Coltishall where you can hop off and explore by foot. Hop back on and continue your journey by train by waiving down the driver to stop.Enjoy the best of both worlds with a combined train and broads cruise ticket. A purpose built footpath and cycle path runs alongside the entire nine mile length of the track from Aylsham to Wroxham taking cyclists and walkers through some stunningly beautiful English countryside. There are many nice paths which also spur from the our footpath and cycle way. Walkers can join any of the Bure Valley Railway’s scheduled services. There are also intermediate stations at Brampton, Buxton and Coltishall for those walkers not able to walk the full nine miles between Aylsham and Wroxham. Cycles can be carried aboard scheduled Bure Valley Railway services. This means that you now have the option of walking or cycling in one direction and catching the train back. At the Wroxham end of the line you can hire cycles from TheCanoeMan in the centre of Wroxham, and Broadland Cycle Hire located just outside Hoveton. You could combine a train ride with a cruise on the beautiful Norfolk Broads.
In Mundesley Adventure Island Golf is a great 12-hole course, with plenty of tricky obstacles complete with lakes and waterfalls and floodlit evening rounds.
The Wizard Maze is only a short journey away, very close to the National Trust property, Felbrigg Hall. Drive down the Felbrigg/Roughton road (B1436) and the Maze is clearly signposted during it’s open season (which roughly matches the summer holidays). It provides hours of fun, allowing the children to run around in a safe environment with lots for them to see and do. Meanwhile parents can relax with a coffee from the Wizard Cafe. As part of Hall Farm children love getting close to farmyard animals. The bouncing pillows are a firm favourite, along with the straw bale mountain, the go-karts and maze train ride. The star attraction is the 12 acre maize maze to get lost in.
Amazona Zoo in Cromer is a fun day out. It’s home to over 200 animals from tropical South America, including jaguars, monkeys, peccaries, otters, owls, macaws, parrots, capuchins, spiders, snakes, flamingos, rheas, guinea pigs, iguanas, caimans, pumas and tapirs. There are outdoor/indoor play areas.
The fine examples of Victorian boating lakes at Cromer and Sheringham are are a simple but memorable way to spend a couple of hours for children and adults alike! You can take along a yacht, motorboat or rubber boat on a string and use the lake for free. I love Cromer for it’s smaller for little children and has a great little cafe next to the lake in beautifully kept gardens. It lets you borrow boats if you forgot yours or a shop for cheap to very expensive nearby. Or spread a picnic rug on the grass. Simple old fashioned fun.
There is a sports centre with indoor pool and boutique ten pin bowling in North Walsham.
