Dog-friendly - Routes for Little Boots

Sloughbottom Park & Wensum Nature Reserve

Sloughbottom Park is along the Marriott’s Way and is a great park for a family walk or play. It also has a BMX park. And we were treated to some cracking, late afternoon, autumn skies. We did a 1.5 mile walk across the park and hopped over the other side of the Marriott’s Way to […]

West Stow Country Park

Dipping our toes over the border into Suffolk! What a great place. We were looking for a cheap afternoon out – this was spot on. We opted for the fab Beowulf and Grendel Trail (1.5km). There are six large themed carved sculptures and information boards that capture the story as well as info about the […]

Gooderstone Water Gardens & Nature Trail

This is a charming, short walk for kids in six acres of beautiful gardens, with ponds, bridges and nature in abundance. Just south of Swaffham, the site also has waterways, bridges connecting the different areas, beautiful trees, shrubs and borders, a nature trail, tea room and facilities. It’s a lovely little place – lush and […]

Holkham Hall Nature Trail

(Last visited May 2021) If we go for a family walk, we usually try to explore lesser-known places. However, although we know Holkham well, a new nature trail was opened around the lake in April 2021 so we thought we’d pay it a visit! The trail is a 2.5 mile loop around the lake with […]

Knettishall Heath

I’m falling in love with the Brecks a bit at the moment and this was somewhere we’ve wanted to visit for a long while! Knettishall Heath is a SSSI and there are six trails to choose from, ranging from 1.5 – 2.5 miles in distance. We opted for the long riverside trail which was 2.5 […]

Buckenham Woods

Absolutely beautiful little spot. Although I’ve seen pushchairs in the main part of the wood, I would suggest a baby carrier for the bluebell wood section. We came here when my little girl was a toddler and had a lovely time – it was stunning. There is a small car park off Wood Lane but […]

Spixworth

We went along this lovely short walk with friends and loved it. It’s a good length for toddlers and, although the path is quite stony in places, it’s nice and flat so most pushchairs should cope with it. The bluebell carpets in the woods were lovely and the woodland walk was gorgeous with the sun […]

Salhouse Broad

I love this spot – one of the first places we discovered when she was a tot and it’s been much improved in recent years. Fabulous trees on the lead up to the Broad, accessible paths and beautiful views over the water. And ducks. The addition of the Hungry Otter van is great. It’s at […]

Swardeston Common

We had a lovely little walk this weekend at Swardeston Common. Daffodils popping up everywhere in March, gorse and my new favourite, goat willow (big plump yellow catkins!). We tried to feed the ducks but they snubbed our peas and went back to sleep! It’s a lovely little spot though. Gorgeous in the summertime. It […]

Dunston Common

(Last visited December 2019) We had a great time adventuring here in winter 2019 – so close to Norwich and I never knew it was there! It starts on a small green with little play area and throne! There is a small woodland walk with a little stream running alongside it (it’s not that clearly […]

Danby Wood

This is a beautiful, yet tiny, wood and is a fantastic short walk for toddlers. It was one of my first discoveries in 2017 when we started exploring. The main path gets muddy in winter, but during dry, summer months a pushchair will be able to handle it (although you’ll have to pull it up […]

Sisland Carr

A short but perfectly formed little woodland near Loddon, just off the A146. Only about half a mile round, but great fun – trees to climb up, logs to walk over, leaves to kick, stumps to jump off and fairy doors! Despite visiting in mid-winter after lots of wet weather, we were surprised at how […]

Buxton Mill

We had the loveliest walk here recently. There are so many paths to explore around here – unfortunately I underestimated the distance and my five-year-old ended up walking nearly four miles! She forgave me for all the “mud fun” we had though. We parked at the village hall (where there is also a great playpark) […]

Mannington Estate

We recently stumbled across this fabulous place. Whilst its official name is Mannington, we thought it was actually Narnia (the chapel ruins anyway). These chapel gardens were magical and a beautiful addition for curious little explorers! Just beware that you’re not allowed to enter the chapel itself but you can open the door to peep […]

Belmore Woods

What a gorgeous little woodland! Muddy as heck and no clearly defined route, so not one of recommend for pushchairs at the moment. But if you’re local to Norwich, a lovely place to explore with a nice pair of wellies! It’s a short walk from Dussindale Recreation Ground, which is where we parked – there’s […]

Bawdeswell Heath

I had the loveliest afternoon traipsing around this route with my girl and dog. The highlights being some fantastic trees that were a small child’s dream for exploring, climbing in, climbing on, hanging off and peering inside! I didn’t have wheels – the small bridge crossing the stream from the car park looked a bit […]

Baconsthorpe Castle

What an amazing place Baconsthorpe Castle is. Really well preserved, and although climbing on the ruins is prohibited, it’s a fascinating placed little people. It also has a beautiful lake to sit down and have a picnic next to. It’s a moated and fortified 15th Century manor house. We loved reading about the history of […]

Horsey

Horsey has a fantastic set of routes for all through the year. On my last visit, I squelched with my dog from the stunning Horsey Windpump to the viewing point at Horsey beach. That might be a tad too far with little ones (about a 3 mile-round trip) but an alternative route would be to […]

Horstead Mill

(Last visited March 2018) This is a great little pub walk and the The Recruiting Sergeant has a link to it on the ‘local walks’ section on their website. Some sections are next to roads so with my live wire I had to be super vigilant when we visited a few years ago, but the […]

Bacton Wood

Bacton Wood is one of my favourite woodlands and we’ve been back a fair few times. There are lots of routes – the yellow route is the shortest and the one we’ve visited. There’s a sessile oak which makes a great perch for kids and dens everywhere! Beautiful autumn colours. It’s peaceful and pretty. Sadly […]

Thornham and Holme

(Last visited June 2019) I absolutely love it here. Both can be found along a really accessible stretch of the Norfolk Coast Path and are fantastic if you’re into your nature. At Holme there is the nature reserve, with a coffee shop, toilets, car park and access to the beach. The coast path here has […]

Ringstead Downs

(Last visited October 2019) A lovely little route. The first part of this walk is perfect for under 5s as it’s only about a mile in total. We followed the sign to the woodland garden which opens up into a lovely picnic space with benches and a chalk pit. The woodland area had lots of […]

Sandringham Estate Country Park

Sandringham Estate Country Park is probably one of my favourite discoveries. I think it might be the one place that has everything – nice café, parking, pushchair friendly, play area, woodland walks of different lengths, sculptures, trees to climb on, baby change, gift shop, free entry (although there are car park charges), dog friendly… I […]

Tyrrel’s Wood

(Last visited August 2018) This has become increasingly popular since we first visited a few years ago – if you can, I’d recommend a visit during the week rather than the weekend. Really close (about half a mile drive) to the fantastic Goodies Food Hall which has a café, farm shop, toilets and play area. […]

Secret Garden, How Hill

We absolutely adored this walk. We parked at the main car park (not the one at the house which is reserved for guests) – the walk starts just behind the house. It starts off as a lovely little woodland walk and tucked away further on is the secret garden – a beautiful little boarded walk […]

Oxburgh Hall

(Last visited July 2021) What a beauty! Beautiful snowdrops in the spring, beautiful place full stop. We had a stunning walk around here. Some gorgeous carpets of snowdrops in My Lady’s Wood and the area by the chapel. And a fantastic ancient oak and other cracking trees along the woodland walk. Lots of accessible paths […]

Holt Country Park

(Last visited January 2020) There are few places that tick all the boxes but this is one of them. I love it here. We have an amazing time every time we visit – it took us forever to walk round the last time as we had about 4000 stoppages for a 4-year-old to engage with […]

Thornham Walks (Suffolk)

This is a new one for me – writing about a walk I haven’t been on! I have been desperate to get down here for ages but haven’t been able to, so my lovely friend Laura has ‘audited’ it for me as it’s bursting with snowdrops in the spring and I wanted to share it […]

Wensum Walk, Norwich

(Last visited February 2020) Norwich is a medieval city that retains cobbled streets, ancient buildings and half-timbered houses. Meandering through its centre is the River Wensum – a tributary to the Rive Yare which has historical significance as a means of transport for goods and trade.This is a short but pretty walk along the River […]

Alby Crafts & Gardens

(Last visited February 2020) I have visited here before but only to the tearoom – in February 2020, I had the chance to visit the four acre garden too. What a little gem! This is a perfect stop along the A140 between Aylsham and Cromer. The Artisan Café is utterly fab, there is a gift […]

Marston Marsh

I love coming here with my little girl – this is a local walk for us and we visit here a lot. There have been huge improvements to the paths and gates over recent years and it’s now an ‘access for all’ route. However, I’ve had feedback that some pushchairs struggle on the stony path […]

The Mystical Woods, Horsford/Felthorpe

(Last visited June 2020) I discovered these after getting a bit accidentally lost here on a run – and I’m so glad I did. We’ve been to the other side of the woods (Horsford side) but, dare I say, this side was even better. Lots of generally accessible paths for buggies (save a few bumpy […]

Roman Camp, West Runton

(Last visited June 2020) What a lovely walk! Beautiful sea views, but about a mile inland. Nice length of walk and the trail was nice and flat and accessible. Lots of the walk was in the shade too which was bliss on a hot day! Lots of paths to explore but we mostly stuck to […]

Smockmill Common

(Last visited July 2020) We had a cracking little walk here in summer 2020 – it’s a beautiful mix of undulating woodland paths with a riverside stretch, with a grassy common tucked in the middle! We could have sat by the river all day. Yet to visit in the winter months to see how it […]

Cary’s Meadow

(Last visited July 2020) A sweet little walk in Thorpe! I never knew this place existed. Most of this walk is a lovely grassy common but with an additional small river trail. It’s tucked away off the Yarmouth Road and it’s only small – about half an hour’s walk (if you don’t have a kid […]

Poringland Wood

(Last visited July 2020) We had a great time adventuring here! It’s about a 1.5 mile woodland walk, many wide paths for pushchairs which opens up into a large basin half-way through the walk. We spent a great deal of time here on an old rope swing and investigating the amazing tree roots! The stream […]

Saxlingham Meadow & Ruins

(Last visited August 2020)I knew there were some ruins somewhere around Saxlingham Nethergate but wasn’t sure where – then I saw them pop up on a post by my friend Neil from Escape Trails UK and he kindly plotted me a short route! Which I tweaked as I spotted that I could incorporate the meadow […]

Poringland Community Woodland

Introducing Penelope! 🐍 When we went to Poringland Woods a few weeks prior to visiting here, quite a few people mentioned the other woodland in Poringland… and Penelope! Penelope is a pebble snake that the community have lovingly created and added to over time – she’s pretty long now. The kids loved looking at all […]

Taverham Mill

(Last visited September 2020) I never tire of this place. Covid has meant the blue route we usually take around the lake is now closed for walkers and just open for fishing, so we had to take the longer red route for the first time… Although it is lovely, it’s not quite as magical as […]

Holkham

(Last visited October 2020) We’re usually off finding lesser-known places, but I love returning to the summer honeypots in the autumn and winter when it’s quieter. So many people know Holkham well, but if you haven’t been for a while, the Lookout is a great addition – my husband has a disability and having some […]

Thetford Priory

Founded in the early 12th century, The Priory of Our Lady of Thetford was one of the largest and most important monasteries in medieval East Anglia. There are extensive remains – you’re not allowed to climb on the walls, but it’s a fantastic site. On the north and east perimeter there is a hardcore path […]

Strawberry Fields – UEA

(Last visited October 2020) On the day we visited here, we needed a short walk for little legs and this one mile loop was perfect – it has a mix of everything… flat surfaces, beautiful lake and river views, ponies and trees to climb (full disclosure… no actual strawberries)! Two very happy little girls who […]

Kelling Heath

(Last visited September 2020) I’ve known of Kelling Heath for years but didn’t realise that a) it had so many walking trails and b) that you didn’t have to be staying there to visit them! I wanted to meet some friends with a 6-month old baby so wanted to find somewhere that had facilities – […]

Chedgrave Staithe

(Last visited August 2020) I’ve had a lot of chats with people recently about wheelchair accessible walks and am determined to find more. I’ve been directing people to the Norfolk Trails Access Tested routes – and this is one of them, as I wanted to give it a go (you can find it under the […]

Burgh Castle

Burgh Castle – one of my favourite finds from winter 2017! It’s been access tested by Norfolk Trails and is therefore accessible for pushchairs and wheelchair users around the perimeter, plus it’s a great place to explore for little legs as you can climb up into the 3rd century ruins! When we went there was a […]

Burlingham Woods

(Last visited August 2020) My happy place! Situated between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, this is a beautiful woodland that extends far and wide, connecting Burlingham to local villages across field paths and therefore making the trails ideal to explore further as your child grows. There is a 1.5 mile loop which is accessible for pushchairs […]

Spout Hills

(Last visited August 2020) This is a magical little place – a beautiful pond, a stream for paddling, hills for scrambling, trees for climbing, wildflowers and bulrushes… it’s beautiful. It’s really close to Holt – if you go past the turning to the high street, there’s a lay-by a little further down the road and […]

Ladybelt Country Park

(Last visited October 2019) Ladybelt Country Park is one of my go-to, favourite local-to-Norwich walks. It is a great location all times of the year – a fabulous mix of woodland and grassland, sculptures and an old icehouse. It’s brilliant for a nice dog walk too. The Park has been carefully nurtured back into a […]

Harrison’s Wood

(Last visited November 2019) We first went to Harrison’s Wood in Sprowston in autumn 2018 and it was bursting with different colours – it’s a really diverse woodland and really close to the city. It has woodland surfaces, but they didn’t seem too bad after the rain and apart from a few rooty patches, pushchairs […]

Trowse Woods

(Last visited August 2020) A lovely little wood off Whitlingham Lane – I must have driven past it on the way to Whitlingham so many times and not noticed it! Just over a mile round but definitely “undulating” to put it gently! Some quite steep climbs. Which, of course, my daughter loved and proceeded to […]

Dog-friendly walks