Now’s the best time to plan your 2024 holiday to make sure you get the accommodation of your dreams and to give yourself something to look forward to!
Not only does Norfolk have fabulous coast and countryside, wonderful food and drink, brilliant visitor attractions, Downton Abbeys and castles, but it also has more festivals and events than the children have had Christmas chocolates and sweets.
Norfolk is not only the perfect destination for your 2024 holiday, it’s also got the perfect accommodation, from quaint cottages for two to stunning barn conversions for large groups.
And here’s our list of some of the reasons to visit Norfolk in 2024…
January: This is the best time to enjoy Norfolk’s Winter Wildlife Safari, involving huge bird migrations at RSPB Snettisham and NWT Welney, seal pupping at Blakeney Point, which you can visit by boat, and deer at Holkham.
February: Head out on a super snowdrop walk and enjoy the Norfolk countryside as it begins to wake from Winter. There are walks across the county including at Oxburgh Hall, Bressingham Gardens, Penshtorpe Naturally Park, Walsingham Abbey (try the Light Railway while you’re there), Sheringham Park and Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden.
Oh, and bluebells too! Where to see bluebells in Norfolk
March: Nothing puts a smile on the face like the sight of delightful daffodils and Norfolk is carpeted with them. Some of the highlights are Blickling Hall, Oxburgh Hall, Pensthorpe Natural Park, Gressenhall, the Honing Daffodil Mile between the villages of Honing and Crostwright, Felbrigg Hall and Norwich riverside is great too.
April: Come and feed the lambs at Wroxham Barns, enjoy stunning flowers at Pensthorpe Natural Park and Fairhaven Gardens, and look out for Cromer crabs and asparagus – both back in season. It’s Easter, so all our family-friendly visitor attractions are open again and don’t worry about April showers – most of them have weather-proofed facilities now.
May: You know that warmer weather is coming when the stunt parties of swifts start swooping through village streets, hurtling around buildings, and screaming, ‘We’re back! Summer’s coming!’ Events include Houghton International Horse Trials and the Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival.
June: The longest days let you stay on the beach all day and eat al fresco in the evening. There’s also the two-day Royal Norfolk Show to look forward to, one of the largest county shows in the country. Look out for fields of poppies while you ride the North Norfolk Steam Railway from Sheringham, and listen out for booming bitterns in the Broads, 125 miles of navigable waterways (that’s more than Amsterdam and Venice!).
July: Traditionally it’s the warmest month of the year and don’t forget that Norfolk is the combined sunniest-driest place in the country. Take a boat out on the Broads, and discover St Benet’s Abbey, now over a thousand years old, or go to the southern Broads where it’s quieter and see if you can spot an otter or two! Culture vultures should look out for the King’s Lynn Festival and the poppier Festival Too and the literary and music-oriented Holt Festival.
August: Oh we do like to be beside the seaside, and now’s the time to do it! Norfolk has 90 miles of stunning seashore (93 when the tide’s out) and there’s so much to see and do. We’ve the best east coast resort at Great Yarmouth, with its Golden Mile of fun, and Cromer and Hunstanton are great for families too with lots of attractions and shows including the Cromer Pier Show – the last end of pier show in the world! There are secret beaches where you can be (almost) alone, dog-friendly beaches, nature reserves to spot wildlife and our tidal salt marshes offer some of the best seafood you’re likely to find.
September: The school hols are over and it’s a little quieter – but the weather’s still great! This is the perfect time to get out on your bikes or pull on your walking boots and explore Norfolk. Whether it’s the completed Coastal Path, the old Roman Peddar’s Way or gentle perambulations by Broads and rivers, Norfolk is criss-crossed with hundreds of miles of short and long distance walks and cycle paths. Don’t miss the Out There Festival in Great Yarmouth, the 1940s Weekend at Sheringham and Holt or the North Norfolk Food Festival at Holkham.
October: Autumn’s here, there’s the crunch of leaves underfoot, a nip in the air and the woods and forests are a beautiful orange hew. This is the time to explore the Brecks, see rutting deer and wild horses, explore unique heathland and Thetford Forest, discover Grime’s Graves, Oxburgh Hall and what Pingos are! And it’s not too late to visit Sandringham, the Royal Family’s private home, before it closes to prepare for The King coming home for Christmas.
November: Christmas shows are opening and there’s no greater than the Thursford Spectacular, the largest festive event outside the West End. And all set in a tiny village in north Norfolk. Who’da thunk!
December: There are pantos across the county (oh yes there are!) but why not take a trip to the seaside for the Cromer Pavilion Pier Christmas Show (it’s the last end-of-pier theatre) or the Christmas Water Spectacular at the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, the last whole circus building in the UK and it still has its sunken water pool. Did we say it was spectacular?