Lakes, Broads & Rivers - Routes for Little Boots

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Barton Broad

A lovely little walk, just a few miles north of Wroxham. It’s about a two mile round trip from the car park, down a (very quiet) country road. The views across the fields on the first stretch before hitting the boardwalk section were beautiful. You then walk around the most magical boardwalk, surrounded by trees […]

Filby Broad

What a little gem! Filby Broad is small but perfectly formed. It’s such a good little walk for toddlers as it’s quite short, so not too far to carry them back if needed. Nice and flat for pushchairs too. It’s a little out and back walk with a lovely view over one of the broads […]

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 […]

Hickling Broad

(Last visited October 2018) Hickling Broad is massive – it’s the biggest broad – so in normal times you could spend a whole day exploring all the paths. It is suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs as a lot of it is boardwalk or compacted surface. In recent times there has been a one-way route of […]

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 […]

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 […]

Sparham Pools

(Last visited August 2020) A beautiful little spot about 20 minutes or so out of Norwich in the pretty little village of Lyng. It’s a Norfolk Wildlife Trust nature reserve which also runs alongside the Norfolk Trails Wensum Way. The reserve itself isn’t large and is approximately one mile route around a former gravel pit […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Lynford Arboretum

I’ve been meaning to go here for ages and I’m so glad we did eventually visit! It’s a great set of managed trails – one of which is an access-tested trail with good surfaces. There are three trails to choose from – we did a mash-up of all three and there are some lovely beauty […]

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 […]

Sculthorpe Moor

(Last visited July 2018) We found Sculthorpe Moor in summer 2018 and it’s very access-friendly. It’s all board-walk apart from a short section at the beginning. Wheelchairs, pushchairs and double pushchairs will be absolutely fine. It has a nice mix of landscapes and features: woodland, rivers, streams, bridges, dykes, benches, information points, scrubland and fields. […]

The UEA Broad

(Last visited August 2020) This is an absolutely stunning walk! So many different routes to explore off it too. In 2020, the UEA created an official set of waymarked trails to follow called ‘Active Campus’ for students and visitors to explore the campus and learn about its history and heritage, with each trail varying in its […]

Upton Broad

(Last visited July 2020) Take the wellies! Yes, even in the summer! I’d say this is a walk for slightly older kids who are okay near water as it has a network of dykes alongside the walks. The ground is low-lying and even in the summer it is very spongy – we were wearing trainers […]

Brandon Country Park

(Last visited June 2019) LOVED IT! This had been recommended to me again and again and I’m so pleased we finally made it there! We tagged it onto a mini break to Center Parcs as it’s only 5 mins down the road and I was in need of a walk away from the crowds. It’s […]

Bowthorpe Southern Park

(Last visited July 2020) I’ve only ever been here in months where the marsh is a bit boggier and it’s been overcast, and it has subsequently seemed a bit ‘bleak’. Well I stand corrected – we had a walk that ended in my daughter saying “Mummy, I love nature” – WINNING! There’s a small car […]

Castle Acre

Castle Acre is a little gem of a place in West Norfolk and I can’t recommend it highly enough! Aside from being really special to me (it’s where my husband proposed and where my distant relatives lived for generations!), it is steeped in history with both castle and priory ruins, but also has some great […]

Ranworth

This is a beautiful place and perfect for a family walk at any time of the year… but it comes alive in the summer! I’ve been coming here since I was a child and I never get bored of it. There is much on offer and I am seeing it with a new set of […]