Norfolk 2026

For the third successive Easter period, we booked a holiday in Norfolk. We returned to the small market town of Reepham, which has ample amenities and is handily placed for birdwatching opportunities. Easter Monday probably wasn't the wisest departure date but we battled our way south through the holiday congestion and eventually rolled into Reepham around teatime. En route we had stopped at a lovely farm shop near Scotch Corner and we stashed some tasty produce in the cool bag. Our accommodation this year was very close to the main square and we had a designated parking space outside the ground-floor flat. Everything was clean and comfortable inside.

The weather forecast for the week was glorious and we had a short wander around the middle of Reepham on the first morning. Spring was in full swing down here, whereas Scotland was just in the early stages. The town has a population of 2500 and has an affluent feel. We could access the shops via a community walled garden (pictured). This tranquil public space is an oasis of calm and everything was blooming. The upkeep is funded by hiring out the compound for parties and events. The garden is attached to the Bircham Centre - a large building held in trust for the benefit of the townsfolk. Reepham also has back-to-back active churches, and the remains of a third, all upon the same site. We wandered through the graveyard and read about the history of worship in the town. St Mary's is the regular parish church and hosts regular services. It dates back to the 1200s but extensive rebuilding took place in the 19th century. The adjacent St Michael's is of a similar vintage and sports a fine tower. Still used as a place of worship, it functions primarily as a community hall. A section of porch wall is all that is left standing of All Saints Church. After a fire in 1543, the building fell into ruin and was razed in 1796. A recent archaeology project revealed more of the foundation and allowed the general floor plan to be ascertained. It was time to hit the road and our first mission was a short trip to the garden centre in nearby Bawdeswell. The sprawling complex has an independent art-supply shop tucked away in an arcade at the back. It's one of Nicole's favourite establishments of this type and she naturally spent a bit of time browsing. I took the opportunity to inspect the extensive range of regional ales in the food hall, picking out a few for evening consumption over the week. We then made a beeline for the north Norfolk coast, our destination being the Cley and Salthouse Marshes nature reserve. I could remember bits and pieces of the local road network, which certainly helps in a part of the country where the SatNav connection can drift in and out. Cley Marshes is the flagship reserve of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, an organisation currently celebrating its 100th anniversary. Some of the merchandise in the excellent shop reflected this milestone. Over 60 landscapes are managed and conservation measures are now more vital than ever. The coastal territory covers 300 hectares and over 100,000 people visit each year. Four hides can be easily accessed by boardwalk and and they offer excellent views across the pools and scrapes. We crossed a crystal-clear chalk stream and passed by an area of reedbed before reaching the cluster of hides. Cley is well known for the presence of avocets, a bird that was scarcely breeding in England by the end of the 19th century. Swathes of habitat had been lost to land reclamation. Egg collecting and wildfowl shooting didn't help matters. None were left in this corner of Norfolk by 1825, but four pairs returned in 1997. Numbers grew and the species is now firmly established at Cley & Salthouse. It's always a joy to see these magnificent waders strutting around, foraging for morsels with their unique upturned beaks. The bird also appears on the RSPB crest. A whole assortment of ducks and waders were going about their business in the undisturbed pools. Nothing too rare in evidence today but an unusual spot is a mere bonus. The main selling point of Cley is the atmosphere, for me at least. This extends to the elevated visitor centre across the road from the protected territory. The café serves an excellent range of food and offers views across the reserve towards the North Sea. I enjoyed a marshman's lunch, a variation on the ploughman's theme.

The shop stocks a good selection of books, cards and artwork, along with a large amount of bird-themed merchandise. It's pleasant to sit on the rooftop terrace and the Cley-Spy premises sell top of the range optical equipment. After a leisurely browse, we drove down to the beach that borders the reserve. The two-mile stretch of shingle looks good but is tricky to walk on as your feet continually sink into the slopes of tiny pebbles. I traipsed for a quarter of a mile and back again, passing numerous anglers with elaborate lines set up. On the way back to Reepham we pulled over at a house with duck eggs for sale, dropping a few coins into the honesty box. One birding mission accomplished. The next day saw a change of scenery. Norfolk has several grand National Trust Properties and we headed for Blickling Estate, just outside the nearby town of Aylsham. The grounds were bathed in sunshine and we gained free entry, thanks to our Scottish membership cards.