Castaways Holiday Park

Further up the coast, Cromer (20 minutes' drive) has seaside attractions in spades: the pier hosts tribute acts and quiz nights and is a fab place to try your hand at crabbing. More family-friendly days out can be had at Amazona Zoo (25 minutes), North Norfolk Steam Railway (35 minutes) and Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach (45 minutes). If you're looking to get out into nature, head to the Norfolk Broads. These marshy waterways (and the wildlife that lives there) are best discovered by boat, which you can hire at Wroxham (25 minutes). The town is also home to a visitor centre, helping newcomers to the national park get their bearings. Norfolk is famous for its wide open skies, so it should come as no surprise that this is a prime spot for astronomers. Stargazers have a range of options hereabouts, but one of the best can be found at Horsey Mere (30 minutes), a secluded spot deep in the Broads. Don't know your Big Dipper from your Orion's Belt? Head to Reepham Observatory (40 minutes), where regular public events are held.