Norwich guides

Things to do within an hour of Brundall: Broads, coast and Yarmouth

An hour's drive from Brundall opens up the whole of the east Norfolk coast, a proper seaside resort, a seal colony and one of the best family days out in the county. Sitting between Norwich and the sea is the advantage here, and a week at Stone Cottage gives you time to do all of it. Below are the trips worth the drive, with rough times from the house.

Great Yarmouth

About 25 minutes east, Great Yarmouth is the classic Norfolk seaside resort, with miles of sandy beach, a pier, the Pleasure Beach funfair, the Sea Life centre and the traditional Golden Mile of arcades and chip shops. It is cheerful, old-fashioned family fun, and an easy day when the children want rides and candy floss rather than a country garden. Park near the seafront and make a day of it.

The Winterton and Horsey seals

Around 35 minutes north-east, the dunes at Winterton-on-Sea and Horsey Gap are home to one of England's great wildlife spectacles: a large grey seal colony that hauls up on the wide sandy beaches, with hundreds of pups born each winter. Pupping season, roughly late October to January, is the headline, when volunteers marshal viewing areas to keep people at a safe distance, but seals bask here year round. Wrap up warm, keep your distance and never come between a seal and the sea. The beaches themselves, backed by rolling dunes, are glorious in any season.

BeWILDerwood

About 25 minutes north near Horning, BeWILDerwood is a much-loved outdoor adventure park built around treehouses, zip wires, rope bridges, marsh walks and storytelling, themed on a series of children's books. It is imaginative rather than white-knuckle, which makes it a winner with younger children, and most of the fun is outdoors among the trees, so bring boots and waterproofs.

Cromer and Sheringham

Around 50 minutes north, the twin coast towns of Cromer and Sheringham are the traditional, characterful end of the Norfolk seaside. Cromer has its pier, its famous dressed crab and the Deep History Coast beneath the cliffs; Sheringham has a lovely beach and the North Norfolk Railway steam line, the Poppy Line, running along the coast. A proper day out with a bag of chips on the front.

The Broads by boat

You do not have to go far for the county's signature experience. Twenty minutes north at Wroxham you can hire a day boat and spend a whole day on the water, and there are shorter skippered trips too. If you would rather stay closer, the boatyards and staithes around Brundall and the marina put you on the river within minutes. A slow, sunny, very Norfolk sort of day.

A little further

If you want to push the hour, the choices open up further still. Southwold, just over the border in Suffolk, is around an hour and a quarter, with its lighthouse, pier and beach huts. The North Norfolk coast proper, Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham's vast beach, is a similar drive north-west, as is the King's estate at Sandringham. All are comfortable as a full day from Stone Cottage.

Getting around

The one thing worth knowing is that this is country and coast driving, on Broadland lanes and coast roads rather than motorways, so an hour on the map is an hour of gentle but unhurried Norfolk. That is part of the charm, but set off in good time for the coast and Yarmouth on a sunny summer weekend, when the beach car parks fill by late morning. A week here lets you do the seaside one day, the Broads the next and the city the day after, without ever feeling far from anywhere.

We look after Stone Cottage in Brundall, right in the middle of all of this, and booking direct with us is around 10% cheaper than the same dates on Airbnb. You can see it and check dates here. For the closer-in days, our guide to things within 30 minutes covers Norwich, Whitlingham and the Broads on the doorstep.

Where to eat and drink near Brundall: a Norwich and Broads food guide

You are spoilt around Brundall: a proper village pub and a clutch of good local places within walking distance, an award-winning curry house up the road, waterside cafés on the Broads, and the whole of Norwich fifteen minutes away for a night out. Here is where we would actually send guests, with a note on what each does well.

The village pub

Start here, on the first night, because you can walk to it. Brundall's village pub is a thriving local serving proper food, a short stroll from Stone Cottage, which makes it the easy call while the group settles in and nobody wants to drive. A pint and a plate of something good, ten minutes from the door.

Tamarind, Blofield Heath

Five minutes up the road at Blofield Heath, Tamarind is an award-winning Indian restaurant and the one locals book for a special curry night. It is popular and rightly so, so reserve a table, especially at the weekend. An easy drive or taxi from the cottage, and a reliable treat.

The farm shop and café

Brundall has a farm shop and café, both in the village and both worth a visit. The shop is ideal for stocking the Stone Cottage kitchen for a group, local meat, veg, bread and the bits that make a self-catering week feel like a treat, and the café is a good spot for a relaxed breakfast or lunch. Handy, local and easy.

Brundall Marina and the East Hills café

Down at Brundall Marina, the East Hills café does breakfast, brunch and high tea right by the water, which is a lovely way to start or end a day watching the boats. It is the sort of waterside spot that makes you feel properly on the Broads, and an easy walk or short drive from the cottage.

The everyday village line-up

For the nights nobody wants to cook, the village has a fish and chip shop, a Chinese, a pizza place and a kebab shop, all close to hand, the full self-catering safety net. Add pirate-themed crazy golf and a driving range in the village and you have an easy evening sorted without going far.

Norwich

Fifteen minutes west, Norwich is where you go for the full spread. The city has everything from long-established independents to smart modern restaurants, the Lanes are packed with cafés and delis, and the market is one of the largest in the country for a graze at lunchtime. It is the obvious choice for a proper celebration dinner or a bigger night out, and the park and ride makes it stress-free.

Stocking up

If you are self-catering for a group, the practical note is to do one proper shop on the way in, Norwich has the big supermarkets, fifteen minutes away, and then top up at the Brundall farm shop and village stores for the fresh bits. With the L-shaped kitchen at Stone Cottage set up for more than one cook, plenty of guests do a mix: a couple of nights out, a couple of nights in with a big cook-up or a private chef.

A word on booking

The Broads and Norwich are relaxed, and midweek you can often be spontaneous, but the popular places, Tamarind, the better Norwich restaurants, a waterside table on a sunny weekend, do fill, so book ahead for those. Sunday lunch anywhere with a reputation is worth a call. And with Stone Cottage set up for entertaining, from the piano bar to the BBQ terrace, a night in can be as good as a night out.

We look after Stone Cottage in Brundall, a short walk from the village pub and an easy drive to Norwich for dinner, and booking direct with us is around 10% cheaper than the same dates on Airbnb. You can see the house and check dates here. If you would rather walk off the meal, our walker's guide to the Broads has the best routes.

If you have a local favourite we have not mentioned, tell us and we will add it. We keep this guide current so guests are not sent somewhere that shut last year.

Walks from the door: a walker's guide to the Norfolk Broads at Brundall

The Broads are made for gentle walking: flat, green, laced with rivers and reedbeds, and dry underfoot on the marked trails. From Stone Cottage you have a wetland nature reserve almost on the doorstep and some of the best riverside and country-park walking in Norfolk within a short drive. Here are the routes worth lacing up for, with rough distances, terrain and a note on dogs and buggies.

Strumpshaw Fen

2 to 4 miles, easy, flat. Dog friendly on leads. Buggy friendly on main trails.

Right on the doorstep, the RSPB reserve at Strumpshaw Fen is the pick for wildlife. Easy, level trails run through reedbed and along the River Yare between a string of hides, with marsh harriers overhead, kingfishers on the dykes and, in early summer, the rare swallowtail butterfly. You can do a short loop or a longer riverside circuit, and it is quiet even when the coast is heaving. A lovely morning without going near a car park queue.

Whitlingham Country Park

1.5 to 3 miles, easy, flat and surfaced. Dog and buggy friendly.

Fifteen minutes towards Norwich, the circuit around Whitlingham Great Broad is one of the easiest and prettiest walks near the city: a flat, surfaced path around the water with a café at the start and watersports out on the broad. It is genuinely buggy and wheelchair friendly, good for every generation, and easy to fold into a Norwich day.

Riverside from Brundall

As long or short as you like, flat. Dog friendly. Buggy friendly on the surfaced sections.

You can walk straight out along the river and the marina from the village. The staithes and waterside paths around Brundall give you flat, easy strolling with boats, reeds and big Broadland skies, as far as you fancy and back for a coffee at the marina café. The classic gentle Broads walk, and about as easy as walking gets.

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden

1 to 3 miles, easy, mostly boardwalk. Buggy friendly on the main paths.

Fifteen minutes east at South Walsham, the boardwalk paths through Fairhaven's ancient woodland and water gardens make for a beautiful, sheltered walk, especially in spring when the primulas and lilies are out. It is a paid garden rather than open access, but the paths are easy and level, and there is a tearoom for the end. A gentle, all-weather sort of walk.

The Wherryman's Way

Pick your stretch, flat. Dog friendly. Not always buggy friendly.

For something longer, the Wherryman's Way is a long-distance riverside path that follows the Yare between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, passing close to Brundall. You can join it locally and walk as much or as little as you like along the river, past marshes, mills and moorings. Flat throughout, though some stretches are rougher grass rather than surfaced path, so boots beat trainers after rain.

The coast

2 to 4 miles, easy but exposed. Dog friendly (seasonal restrictions).

When you want big skies and sand under your boots, the beaches at Winterton and Horsey, around 35 minutes north-east, give you miles of dune-backed coast to walk, with the seal colony hauled up on the sand. It is flat and easy but exposed to the wind, so take a layer, keep well clear of the seals, and check seasonal dog restrictions during pupping season.

Practical notes

A few things worth knowing. The Broads are flat and the marked trails drain well, so walking here is easy year round, but the riverside grass and the coast can be muddy or windswept, so pack boots and a windproof layer. Keep dogs close on the reserve trails and the river paths, where there is plenty of wildlife, and mind the seal restrictions on the coast in winter.

Stone Cottage makes a comfortable base for a walking week, with Strumpshaw Fen almost on the doorstep and Whitlingham and the coast a short drive away. And after a day on the marshes, the private hot tub and pool are a fine way to warm back up.

We look after the house a few minutes from all of these routes, and booking direct with us is around 10% cheaper than the same dates on Airbnb. You can see it and check dates here. For the days the weather beats you, our guide to Norwich and the Broads when it rains has the indoor options sorted.

Norwich and the Broads when it rains: indoor days out from Brundall

Norfolk gets big weather along with its big skies, but a wet day only spoils the plan if you did not have a second one. From Brundall there is plenty under cover within easy reach, from a proper city to family attractions and, best of all, your own private pool back at the cottage. Here is where to head when the forecast turns.

Norwich

Fifteen minutes west, Norwich is the best full wet-day out in the area. Norwich Castle is a Norman keep housing a large museum; the cathedral is free and magnificent; there are further museums, the independent shops and cafés of the Norwich Lanes, big shopping centres, cinemas and a busy theatre. You can happily fill a rainy day here without going back to the car, and the park and ride keeps it stress-free. If one plan has to survive the forecast, make it this.

Crazy golf and the driving range

You barely need to leave the village. Brundall has pirate-themed indoor-style crazy golf and a driving range, which are a good hour or two of low-effort fun when the sky is grey and nobody fancies a big drive. Cheap, cheerful and five minutes from the door.

BeWILDerwood

About 25 minutes north near Horning, BeWILDerwood is mostly outdoors, but it is built for Norfolk weather: much of the fun is under the trees, there are covered areas and indoor bits, and children in waterproofs barely notice the rain. If the whole week looks wet and you have younger ones, it holds up better than you would expect. Boots and waterproofs essential.

Great Yarmouth indoors

Around 25 minutes east, Great Yarmouth has plenty under cover when the beach is a washout: the Sea Life centre, the indoor attractions along the seafront, the arcades of the Golden Mile and the shopping in town. Not everyone's idea of a holiday, but a warm, busy few hours that keeps children happy, and easy to combine with fish and chips.

Fairhaven Garden

Fifteen minutes east at South Walsham, Fairhaven's woodland and water gardens are surprisingly good in soft rain, when the paths are quiet and the greens are at their richest, and there is a tearoom to duck into. A gentle option that suits a drizzly day better than a downpour.

Back at the cottage

The honest truth is that Stone Cottage itself is one of the best wet-weather options you have. With your own private indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi a short walk away, the covered hot tub on the terrace, a games room, a snug for a film, a roaring fire and a cocktail piano bar in the lounge, a rainy day in can be the highlight of the trip rather than the fallback. Just remember to message us to book your pool slot. Plenty of guests plan a "cottage day" on purpose: a swim, a spa, a games-room afternoon and a big cook-up in the evening.

One last practical note: Brundall's position means even the further options here stay a short, easy drive in bad weather, when country lanes elsewhere would slow you right down. A wet day around Norwich is an inconvenience, not a write-off.

We look after Stone Cottage in Brundall, well placed for all of the above and set up so a rainy day indoors is no hardship at all, and booking direct with us is around 10% cheaper than the same dates on Airbnb. You can see the house and check dates here. When the sun comes back out, our guide to things within 30 minutes has Norwich, the Broads and Whitlingham ready to go.