We recently spent a few nights away in Norfolk and even though the weather wasn’t great, we had an amazing time. You probably wouldn’t think of Norfolk in November but even though it was cold out – there are loads of things to keep your little ones busy.
We were staying in North Norfolk about 10 mins from Cromer – a lovely coastal town. We parked up and walked down some scary steps to the stone covered beach. Georgia was dressed for the weather with wellies and a warm coat. As we got to the bottom of the steps there was a really lovely climbing frame in the shape of a ship wreck – Georgia’s eyes lit up. A perfectly placed little cafe right next to it meant that she could play while we had a coffee.
After a little play we headed for the beach – there were loads of little puddles that created rock pools and Georgia really enjoyed just walking around admiring all the colours of the different stones, different textures of the seaweed, sand and water
We walked towards the pier and Georgia loved playing in the sand. We met some kids who were crabbing and at one point she was even playing in the waves. I grabbed a take away coffee from North Sea Coffee co and we let her play for a while. After that our tummies started to rumble so we headed to a Fish and Chips place i’d seen online. The queue was crazy but we decided to stick it out because it got such good reviews. No 1 Cromer was worth the wait. It was easily the best fish and chips i’ve ever had. The restaurant was also the most covid secure place i’ve eaten in since we’ve been able to eat out again. The kids portion arrived with chips served in a bucket and a spade. Such a clever idea – once they’ve finished their food they can take the bucket and spade and play on the beach – a very nice touch.
A trip to the seaside would not be complete without a play on the 2p machines – Georgia’s first try – when we walked in she went ‘oooh loads of tipping point machines’ – she loves the show and really enjoyed playing.
We headed back to our accommodation for the afternoon and an early night. The next day we were off to Bewilderwood – an ‘award winning forest of family fun and outdoor adventure.’ I had been recommended this by a few friends and because Georgia loves the outdoors I thought it would be perfect for her. We arrived just as it opened and after a 5 min queue we were in and ready to explore. Social distancing measures are in place and there is hand sanitiser everywhere – before you enter all of the attractions. All of the staff are wearing visors and it felt very clean.
We jumped on a boat at the Long Lagoon, headed along Dismal Dyke into the scary Lake. We did have a bit of a wait before boarding as they are only allowing on family per boat but this was quite nice to have it just the 3 of us. We made our way around the park and Georgia was having the best time – the weather held out for us which was great but one of the staff said the kids have as much fun (if not more) when it it when it rains because of all the puddles that add an extra element of fun. We grabbed a bite to eat at the munch bar – I had a steak slice and my husband had a sausage hot pot – both were really tasty and reasonably priced. Before leaving we stopped in at the Big Hat for a craft activity – Georgia was given a bamboo stick, a lantern made out of cardboard and some string, paper and bits to decorate it with. The finishing touch was a little battery operated light that you attached to create a really cute lantern. During the half term they had a Glorious Glowing Lantern parade from 5pm – we weren’t able to get tickets to it but it sounded and looked amazing. I would highly recommend Bewilderwood for a family friendly day out – we had a lovely time! A few minutes after making her lantern the heavens opened and we decided to call it a day – we were there for 3 hours, but you could easily spend the whole day there.
If you are in the Norfolk area make sure you check out both Cromer and Bewilderwood.
