Quartz 4

East Anglia, Norfolk

4 min read

Connections

Trains

Interactive map of all train lines in the UK

Good trains: London - Cambridge, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich

London Liverpool Street - Norwich: 1h50min, direct - 12 GBP

London King’s Cross - Cambridge: 50min, direct London Liverpool Street - Cambridge: 1h30min, direct London St Pancras - Cambridge: 1h, direct

London Liverpool Street - Ipswich: 1h, direct - 10 GBP London Liverpool Street - Colchester: 45min, direct - 10 GBP

Norwich - Comer: 45min, direct - 10 GBP

Busses

Coastliner 36 & Coasthopper from King’s Lynn via Wells-next-sea to Cromer https://lovenorfolk.co.uk/norfolk-coastliner-coasthopper/ Every hour, all days. Great way to explore the North Norfolk coast. Many pubs along the route. Several nature reserves on the way. Summer timetable commences from Wednesday 1st May and runs right through to Thursday 31st October, offering more regular buses along the entire Coasthopper route from Wells-next-the-Sea to Cromer.

Destinations

King’s Lynn - Wells-next-sea - Cromer

Train to King’s Lynn, bus along the coast. Get off to see nature reserves

Norfolk & Suffolk

  • Boating on Norfolk Broads. Wroxham is the easiest gateway, a vast area of wetlands created when the rivers flooded peatlands. Numerous companies will rent you a day boat, overnight boat, or kayak to explore 125 miles of winding waterways. E.g. Barnes Brinkercraft, Broad Tours, Mark the Canoe Man.
  • Cromer: Old-fashioned seaside resort, 45 min by train from Norwich. Stay e.g. in the Red Lion.
  • Holkham National Nature Reserve: stunning sweep of dune-backed, seashell-sprinkled sand with salt marshes and pine forests.
  • Lots of bird watching in various nature reserves along the coast, as well as seals e.g. at Scolt Head and Blakeney Point.
  • Two of East Anglia’s most lovely seaside resorts: Aldeburgh and elegant Southwold.
  • Sutton Hoo, the final resting place of an Anglo-Saxon king. Netflix’s The Dig.
  • Heaths AONB: migratory birds, red deer
  • RSB Minsmere - one of the country’s most hallowed bird reserves.
  • Tim Hunkin’s Under The Pier Show in Southwold. Coin-operated inventions.
  • Colchester: England’s oldest town. Half-timbered houses, medieval wool weavers, Roman walls, massive caslte, Firstsite gallery.

Norwich

  • Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
  • Stay at Gothic House for a Tim Burton’s feel. Regency-style B&B.
  • Massive 11th century cathedral with highest spire in England (besides Salisbury).
  • Norwich Castle on the hilltop
  • Bridewell museum: focuses on the city’s history from wool and shoe making to Colman’s mustard.

Cambridge

  • Corpus clock outside Corpus Christi college. 24 carat gold, operated by an “insect timeeater” that turns the cogs with its legs. The clock is only accurate once every 5 minutes.
  • Botanical garden
  • Rialto-style bridges linking the college grounds of both sides of the river.
  • Polar museum: stuffed with explorer’s gear, photographs, maps.
  • Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences: contains a stellar collection of fossils, including items from Darwin’s voyages.
  • Cambridge university press bookstore

Activities

Bird watching on the coast

https://lovenorfolk.co.uk/norfolk-coast-bird-watching/ Birdwatching in Spring If you come to Norfolk in April or May you’ll enjoy the peak months for spring bird migration. Listen to nightingales or watch the sky-dancing display of marsh harriers and nesting avocets on the North Norfolk coast. You may also spot the rare nesting stone curlews in the rabbit-nibbled heaths or Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Lapwing and Sand Martins arriving at Pensthorpe.

Birdwatching in Summer Head for the coast to watch marsh harriers, bearded tits, avocets, terns and maybe a bittern. It’s also a good time to take a boat trip to see the seals or the various wildlife at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen as well as swallowtail butterflies and Norfolk Hawker dragonflies. At Pensthorpe (20 mins) and you will see Raptors, along with Kestrals and Sparrowhawks. Also, keep your eyes peeled for buzzards at Great Ryburgh (15 mins dt) and your ears open for nightjars.

Norfolk’s coastline and countryside are dotted with nature reserves, each offering unique habitats for various wildlife. The Norfolk Broads, a network of rivers and lakes, is particularly renowned for birdwatching. With over 200 species recorded, including the rare bittern and marsh harrier, it’s a haven for both novice and experienced birdwatchers. The Cley Marshes reserve is another top spot, providing stunning views and excellent opportunities for spotting migratory birds.

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