The Green Man Inn

Fancy some time travel? Head over to Holt (15 minutes’ drive) for heritage steam rides on the Mid-Norfolk Railway, poke around the stately homes of Holkham Hall, Felbrigg Hall and Sandringham, all around half an hour away, or connect with your inner cave man at the flint mines of Grimes Graves (50 minutes). Half an hour away, Cromer has all the right ingredients for the traditional seaside day, from beach, pier and fish and chips to lighthouse and clifftop walks. Great Yarmouth (an hour) has all this too, plus fairgrounds and fishy friends of all sizes in the Sea Life aquarium, and easy access to the cycle paths and waterways of the Norfolk Broads inland. Birdwatchers and walkers flock to this part of the world, as the cliffs, dunes, salt marshes and wetlands make for grand vistas and city-sized gatherings of avian life. The National Nature Reserves of Blakeney, Holkham, Titchwell and Holme are all about half an hour off, as is Morston Quay if you’re after a boat trip out to see the seal colony. If you’re more of an inland woodland wanderer, beetle over to the unbeatable BeWILDerwood (45 minutes) for a leafy combo of high ropes, zipwires, jungle bridges and fantasy-themed boat trips. Or forge a path through Thetford Forest Park (50 minutes), mixing sedate cycling with more challenging mountain bike trails, pony treks and adventure playgrounds.