Closer to nature
Discover a landscape alive with nature
Experience the splendid isolation
of you and 10,000 other species
The Norfolk Coast is home to a wide range of habitats, including saltmarsh, sand dunes, woodland, and chalk rivers. These ecosystems host a range of rare and threatened species including seabirds, wading birds, water voles, otters, and the elusive natterjack toad!
We’ve put together a list of some of the best places to visit to get closer to nature, without disturbing wildlife.
See
Feel
Hear
Sandringham Royal Parkland
Explore this 600-acre royal park with walking and cycling trails winding through woodland and parkland, including a 1.5-mile and a 2.5-mile route and a children’s woodland play area. Spend the day roaming amongst evergreen and deciduous trees including Corsican and Scots Pine, and oak, sweet chestnut and birch.
RSPB Snettisham Nature Reserve
A bird-lovers’ sanctuary on The Wash. From late summer to early winter, tens of thousands of wading birds, including knot, dunlin and oystercatchers gather on the mudflats to roost overnight. During winter, up to 40,000 pink-footed geese make their way from Iceland and Greenland to congregate.
Wild Ken Hill
This coastal farm in West Norfolk is a champion of sustainable farming and nature restoration – you might recognise it from Springwatch! It hosts workshops on rewilding and regenerative farming and is home to 2,500 species including beavers and rare wading birds such as the avocet, redshank, curlew, lapwing and little-ringed plover.
NWT Holme Dunes Nature Reserve
A Norfolk Wildlife Trust site where The Wash meets the North Sea. It attracts large numbers of migrating birds, plus natterjack toads, butterflies and dragonflies. A Bronze Age timber circle known as ‘Seahenge’ was uncovered by strong tides in 1998 after being hidden for 4,000 years and was later removed for preservation.
RSPB Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve
A wild saltmarsh edged by a wide sandy beach offers fabulous views of thousands of birds as they come and go. The reserve’s diverse habitats also include reedbeds, saltmarsh and freshwater lagoons, where avocets, bearded tits and marsh harriers nest. Surrounding wildflowers make for a tranquil setting for visitors.
National Trust Brancaster Estate
This site features a spacious sandy beach and an accessible boardwalk that forms part of Norfolk Coast Path National Trail. The staithe is a popular spot for watching fishing boats and recreational boating. A former Roman army fort, Branodunum, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is now a grassy meadow that is home to skylarks and insects
Barrow Common
Barrow Common sits on top of a hill less than a mile from the sea overlooking Brancaster Staithe. This area of wooded heathland gives panoramic views of the north Norfolk coast. Its patchwork of habitats provides homes for firecrest, marsh harrier and turtle dove, bats, bees, wasps and butterflies and the common lizard. It has recognised ‘Dark Sky’ status, making it a great place to view night skies.
Holkham National Nature Reserve
A vast unspoilt stretch of sand with grazing marshes, saltmarsh and pinewoods. The reserve hosts breeding populations of oystercatchers, ringed plovers, little terns and spoonbills. The tideline attracts sanderlings, while waders feed on the mudflats. Thousands of pink-footed geese, brent geese and wigeon visit in the winter.
National Trust Blakeney National Nature Reserve
This reserve is best known for Blakeney Point, a four-mile shingle ridge with dunes backed by saltmarsh and mudflats. It is home to England’s largest grey seal colony, where more than 4,000 pups are born each winter, and terns that breed there in the summer. Both are best seen by boat, which departs from Morston Quay.
NWT Cley and Salthouse Marshes Nature Reserve
One of the country’s most popular birdwatching sites. Look out for avocets, spoonbills, redshanks, lapwings, sedge and reed warblers in the summer. In the winter you can spot brent geese, pink-footed geese and snow bunting; while bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded tits can be seen all year-round.
Salthouse Heath
This 245-acre heathland rises steeply, offering spectacular coastal views. You can spot adder, common lizard, brown hare, roe deer and less common birds such as the linnet, tree creeper, kestrel, nightjar and turtle dove. It houses 11 scheduled monuments, including one of the most important Bronze Age barrow groups in Norfolk.
Wiveton Downs
Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Wiveton Downs is a 3.5 km winding ridge between Blakeney and Glandford. A wildlife haven of heathland and gorse with spectacular views from the top, its remoteness means light pollution is minimal, and it’s an off-the-beaten-track stargazing spot with recognised ‘Dark Sky’ status.
Kelling Heath
Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Kelling Heath offers walking trails across 300 acres of woodland and open heathland. Look out for wildlife including the rare silver-studded blue butterfuly Board the steam train to the coast, and when the sun goes down, enjoy the night sky, as the park has attained a ‘Dark Sky’ status for stargazing.
National Trust Sheringham Park
1,000 acres of landscaped park and woodland gardens, with miles of walking trails. Climb a viewing tower to the treetops for 360° views of the coastline. Famous for its vast collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, it is also home to ancient oaks, red deer, birds and butterflies.
Broads National Park
The scenic rivers and open water of the Broads are Britain’s largest protected wetland, rich in wildlife and history. Filby, Ormesby and Rollesby Broads are particularly tranquil and ideal to explore on foot. The historic Horsey Wind Pump is a great place to explore and Breydon Water is a spectacular backdrop to a show of migrating birds.
Find your Norfolk experience
Ringstead Downs
A Site of Special Scientific Interest where chalk stone was carved out by glacial meltwaters when the last Ice Age receded. It is incredibly rich in biological diversity and the largest area of chalk downland left in Norfolk.
A storm of birds
Visit to Snettisham RSPB Nature Reserve – see unique natural spectacle of thousands of birds in flight on the highest tide of the year. High tide roosts are a natural spectacle that reach their peak on spring high tides.
Torcs of Gold
On the surface this is a charming circular walk through the woodland of the Ken Hill Estate with sweeping views out to The Wash. These are ancient places, rooted in the lives of ancestors whose stories are unwritten.