* That’s Frequently Asked Questions. Every week we get loads of email queries to info@visitnorfolk.co.uk from around the country, and indeed from around the world! They range from ‘what’s the number of the Norwich-Great Yarmouth bus?’ (901 via Acle) to ‘what’s the best way to see the seals in Norfolk?’ (by boat from Morston Quay with Beans Boats).
So we’ve compiled a list of the top ten questions we get asked…
Can you take dogs on Norfolk beaches?
Yes! We’ve got 90 miles of coast, much of which is beautiful, unspoilt beach and dogs are very welcome on most of them. Just check where you can take and can’t take them before you hit the sand. For instance, in Great Yarmouth the main beach is restricted to families, but from the Britannia Pier north it’s doggie delight. Likewise popular beaches at Wells-next-the-Sea, Gorleston-on-Sea and Cromer. At Holkham (with its fabulous hall and estate) dogs must be on leads as you go through the boardwalks and pine forest because of nesting birds.
Dog-friendly beaches in Norfolk
Is Norfolk really flat?
No! We blame Noel Coward who wrote it is in his play Private Lives. In fact, Norfolk has gently undulating countryside, with soaring cliffs at Sheringham where the Cromer Ridge rises to the highest point in the East of England with a sea view. That’s Beacon Hill, otherwise known as Roman Camp, pictured above with the sea in the background. Interestingly, we produce the best barley in the country because it’s grown in salty sea frets and… at height!
Cromer Ridge – a high point of the East of England
Where to get high in ‘flat’ Norfolk
How do you pronounce Happisburgh?
It’s not Happys-berg, put it that way, and it has a lovely stripy lighthouse, pictured. Norfolk has lots of village and town names that can throw a visitor, such as Costessey and Wymondham. Take a look at our blog and all will be explained. Oh, and it’s Haze-bru.
Norfolk dialect – and how to pronounce Wymondham and Happisburgh
Is it true the Broads are man-made?
Yes! The big lakes are actually inundated medieval peat diggings from the days when all the trees were pulled down to create pastureland to rear sheep for the lucrative wool trade. Unfortunately that meant no firewood to keep warm in the Winter. The answer? Dig up peat as turves (bricks), dry them and… hey presto! By the by, did you know the word field comes from the felling of trees – felled!
Peat-digging and climate change – how the Broads were formed
Is Norwich the only city in Norfolk?
It is but when it’s as good as the City of Stories you don’t need anymore. The best-preserved medieval city in the country, Norwich has a fabulous Norman Cathedral and Castle as well as cobbled streets, riverside walks, and Europe’s largest permanent covered market with its flint Guildhall.
Where’s the best place in Norfolk?
Oh come on, that’s like asking a parent who their favourite child is! We’ve got the best seaside resort on the east coast (Great Yarmouth), we’ve got the only man-made National Park (the Broads), medieval and modern City of Stories (Norwich), a unique landscape that’s got the best climate in the country (Breckland), an area of Royal history from King John losing the Crown jewels in The Wash to the Windsor’s rural retreat at Sandringham, pictured, (King’s Lynn and West Norfolk), we’ve got an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (North Norfolk) and we have an area of delightful, chocolate box market towns and villages (South Norfolk). Take your pick… you’ll be very welcome wherever you are in Norfolk.
What’s the best part of Norfolk?
Why is Yarmouth called Great?
Obvious… it’s the greatest seaside resort on the East Coast! Or is it to distinguish it from Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight? Actually, the town was named Magna (Great) in 1272 to distinguish it from Little Yarmouth across the River Yare, a community now known as Southtown. Interestingly, if you go back to Roman times when they had a huge fort at Burgh Castle (the biggest remaining Roman building in the country), Great Yarmouth didn’t exist… it was only over the next few centuries that longshore drift created a sandbank over the Breydon Water Estuary that became our fabulous seaside town, as our photograph demonstrates.
Why Norfolk’s coast is the most dynamic in the UK
Is it true that the village of Little Snoring used to have a newsagent called Mr Gotobed?
It sounds like something from BBC Radio 4’s Unbelievable Truth, but yes, it is true. What are the chances of that? It’s a sleepy village where drivers are asked to maintain the speed limit but there are no calls yet for Sleeping Policemen.
Pictured is St Andrew’s Church at Little Snoring, one of more than 120 round tower churches in Norfolk, more than anywhere else in Europe.
Churches and cathedrals in Norfolk
Is it easy to get to Norfolk?
Not ‘arf. Since the last section of the A11 at Elveden near Thetford was fully-dualled a decade ago, you’ve got two- and three-lane carriageways from anywhere in the country all the way to Norwich. After that, reset your mind and learn to relax on our lovely country B-roads and lanes. And then why not head out on foot – we’ve got brilliant walking trails – or get on a bike.
Fake news! Busting the myths about Norfolk
Who are Visit Norfolk?
Thanks for asking! We’re the official tourist board and website of Norfolk, with a role to promote one of the best and most successful tourist destinations in the UK. It’s our role to support tourism businesses and encourage more people to visit the county throughout the year.
If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to email info@visitnorfolk.co.uk.
