tried & tested

During our holiday to Norfolk, we were kindly gifted entry to some National Trust attractions to include in my ‘Guide to holidaying in Norfolk’ blog. We love going to Norfolk and have been many times before- it’s clearly popular with the people of Hitchin too as I randomly met a lovely family from Hitchin whilst on the beach in Wells!

As well as visiting Sheringham Park, we also went to Blickling Estate- you can read that review here.

Our first National Trust trip was to Sheringham Park. We went a few years ago when our eldest was around 2. This time we took both boys, plus our bikes and had a great time exploring the vast Park.

If you’re looking for a great value day out, you won’t find much better- at just £6.50 to park, it’s an absolute bargain- we paid more than day for day parking at Wells Beach! Plus it’s open from dawn til dusk, so you really can make a whole day of it, if you wish! Plus it’s dog-friendly, so a great option if you’d got children and dogs to think about.

There’s a welcome kiosk in the car park, with lovely staff who are more than happy to help answer any questions, show you the best routes to take or point out things to see.

Just past the car park is the Courtyard Café which is open daily between 10am and 4:30pm (9am – 4:30pm on Saturdays)- do check the website for any changes before you go. Serving refreshing drinks, a range of light snacks and a delicious selection of cakes, it’s great for a spot of lunch, a mid-cycling re-fuel or perhaps an ice cream. Next to the café you’ll also find the toilets, including baby change facilities.

During the summer holidays, many of the National Trust venues in Norfolk have Summer games out for children, which the boys loved playing with.

It's a good idea to download the Sheringham Park map before you go, so you can get an idea of the size of the park and what route you might want to follow.

As mentioned, we took our bikes, including a bike seat for our toddler, so we could explore further afield, but it’s a suitable place for walking, prams and even scooting. With nearly 1,000 acres to explore, it’s a great place to take bikes if you’ve brought them as you can cycle right down to the sea.

We set off on the red route and headed towards the Gazebo, which is a viewing tower on a hill with spectacular views of the countryside and nearby coastline. Our route took us past Sheringham Hall, a Grade II listed building, which is now privately owned, so not open to the public. We continued on to the top of Oak Wood where you find the steps up to the Gazebo, which was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1988, and has only recently reopened after being closed for some time. We left the bikes at the bottom of the steps and climbed the 175 steps through the woodland and up to the platform. Beware those who are afraid of heights- you might find this a it challenging, but if you can brave the climb, it’s so worth it. From the top, there are beautiful views of the surrounding countryside, right down to the coastline, and if you’re lucky like us, you might even spot a steam train chugging along the Poppy Line of the North Norfolk Railway.

After our climb back down (with a snack stop on the way, of course), we continued cycling along the track which skirts round the woods, heading for the coast, which you can cycle all the way down to. Once we reached the bridge that crosses the train track, we decided we were being a bit ambitious with a nearly-6 year old on his own bike, so decided to head back to the main park, but if you can. It’s well worth a trip down to the sea.

Once we got back near Sheringham Hall, the boys spotted a tree they could clamber around on so we had a little pit stop, then carried on towards the Temple. It’s here I’ll hold my hands up and say, I probably should have listened more to the route that’s best with bikes, so we found ourselves carrying the bikes up the steps back towards the main entrance. It wasn’t too bad actually and we were pretty proud of ourselves for doing the whole route!

We returned to the grassy area with the children’s games for a picnic and then it was time to leave as we wanted the toddler to nap on the way home, so sadly we missed out on seeing the beautiful Bower Garden on this occasion.

Here you’ll see the sensory garden, pond and wildflower meadow- so it’s a perfect haven for families to explore (dogs can’t go in this part).

We had a wonderful time at Sheringham Park and I would highly recommend it if you’re visiting Norfolk, particularly if you’re looking for somewhere that’s child and dog-friendly.

Don't forget to read my review of Blickling Estate here.

You can find out more information on the National Trust website for Sheringham Park, along with member options should you be interested in purchasing a National Trust membership. 

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