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Local area guidesNorfolkNoël Coward may have called it flat, but Norfolk is a county of enormous contrasts. Ithas wonderful huge open spaces, big skies, the watery charm of the Norfolk Broads,the dense forests of Breckland, the vast wilderness of the beaches of Holkham andBrancaster on the north coast, the sheer cliffs at Cromer, little flint villages and a sealcolony at Blakeney Point. Then there is the wonderful cathedral city of Norwich, wellknown for its university, football club and annual arts festival and as a world leader inagri-science.Nelson’s county isn’t on the way to anywhere, doesn’t have a motorway, and is one ofthe few unspoilt counties left in England. People used to buy second homes and enjoyits time-forgot quality but now around two thirds of buyers are incomers who want tolive here, work from home and maybe pop down to London one day a week. Ourhottest spot is Burnham Market, known as Chelsea-on-Sea.Strutt & Parker’s Norwich office covers the whole of Norfolk, which is still veryaffordable compared to any Home County; you can get 20%-50% more house for yourmoney.Key towns in NorfolkNorwichThe cathedral city of Norwich is Norfolk’s county town and, until the start of theindustrial revolution, was England’s second city, meaning it has a rich and fascinatinghistory and some wonderful architecture which has been complemented more recentlywith some stunning modern buildings. It has an enviable location just half an hour fromthe Norfolk Broads and only slightly further from a long expanse of coast, making botheasily accessible by car for a quiet afternoon in the great outdoors.Norwich has the largest intact medieval street pattern in Europe which is home to thecobbled Norwich Lanes and its beautiful historic buildings, housing an impressive arrayof independent businesses. Amongst the unique shops in Norwich is Jarrold, voted oneof the nation’s favourite independent department stores and Howard & sons’fishmongers. Cinema City, an art-house cinema based in a building of great historicinterest, is a cultural highlight of the city.HoltThe extremely pretty Georgian town of Holt, in the countryside of north Norfolk, isrenowned for its independent boutiques and eateries. Back to the Garden, the popular

café and farm shop just a few miles outside the town gets excellent reviews for itscoffee, cakes and fresh produce. Holt is in a fantastic situation; just 10 minutes fromthe North Norfolk Heritage coast, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is wellknown for sailing, walking and birdwatching. It is also home to the highly recommendedGresham’s public school.The attractive village of Salthouse is a few miles north of the town and, due to itslocation on the salt marshes and next to a pebbly beach, is blessed with somemagnificent views, which can be enjoyed from the well-reputed pub, the Dun Cow.Salthouse Heath, 66 hectares of nature reserve managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust,is just one place to which birdwatchers flock to see both common and rare species.DissDiss is a market town on the southerly border with Suffolk, sitting in the Waveney valleysurrounded by beautiful countryside and boasting a lake with a surface area of 6 acres.The town is blessed with a number of historic buildings, including the early 14 th centuryparish church, which is one of at least 9 in the town! Diss became part of the Cittaslow(slow city) project in 2006.The centre of Diss is rather unique, with the shops arranged around four courtyards –Cobbs, Norfolk House, Hales and Wills. Alongside the market place, home to a twiceweekly market, run the Gazes Salesrooms, an auction house selling antiques andcollectables. The Fox and Goose pub, in nearby Fressingfield, serves up excellent localfood (and wine!) and gets top reviews with locals and holidaymakers alike.AylshamAylsham is a picturesque and popular market town which is renowned for its finearchitecture and Medieval half-timbered houses. Aylsham is an active local businesscentre in itself, particularly in agriculture, but is also popular for people working inNorwich. There are many places of interest around Aylsham, enjoyed by both residentsand tourists, including Blickling Estate, the fine Jacobean National Trust property whichwas home to a young Anne Boleyn. The Bure Valley Railway and accompanying Cycleand Foot Path end in Aylsham; the Marriott’s Way long distance footpath runs fromAylsham to Norwich.Aylsham has good ecological credentials, being the first Norfolk town to abandonplastic bags and providing an excellent bus services to the surrounding towns andvillages, and a strong community spirit, both of which meant that it didn’t have to makeany fundamental changes when it joined the Cittaslow movement in 2004.WymondhamWymondham is a beautiful small town, to the South of Norwich. The unspoilt landscapeof the Tiffey Valley forms a striking backdrop to the towers of the imposingWymondham abbey, which dates from 1107. The town is full of fascinating buildings,including the Tourist Information Centre, which is set on stilts to protect the documents

which were traditionally stored there from flood and vermin. Wymondham Arts Centre,situation in Becket’s Chapel, has exhibitions from all sorts of artists and the station,featured as the station for Walmington-on-Sea in Dad’s Army which was largely filmedin nearby Dereham, has a classic building which is now home to a themed restaurant.The oldest inn in Wymondham is the Green Dragon, housed in an amazing late fifteenthcentury building, gets good reviews for its traditional pub grub and The Boars, a localgastro pub, gets excellent reviews for its food as well as its ale.Schools in NorfolkNorfolk is home to some excellent state schools: Blofield Primary, 7 miles east ofNorwich, has been judged very good; St Martin at Shouldham Primary in King’s Lynnand Brisley Primary in Dereham both have lots of outstanding aspects. For secondaryschools, the picture is very similar; Notre Dame High School in Norwich andFramlingham Earl High School in the outskirts are both very good and the RomanCatholic Hobart High School in Loddon is outstanding.In terms of independent schools, Thetford Grammar gets excellent exam results, andWymondham College also gets good reviews. Both Norwich School and Norwich HighSchool for Girls are considered to be very good. Other well recommended schoolsinclude Breckland Park School in Swaffham, Beeston Hall near Cromer and Gresham’sSchool in Holt.For a more comprehensive list of schools in the area we recommend the GoodSchools Guide.Transport linksThere are good train links with London: from Norwich a twice hourly service toLiverpool Street takes just under two hours and a direct service twice hourly takes youfrom Diss in just over 90 minutes. To Cambridge, hourly services take an hour andtwenty minutes from Diss and Norwich and an hour from Wymondham. Trains fromDiss to Norwich are twice hourly, taking 20 minutes and from Wymondham are hourly,taking 15 minutes.There are no motorways in Norfolk but the M11 at Cambridge (an hour and half fromNorwich) connects to London. From Norwich, the rest of Norfolk is generally veryaccessible, with A-roads linking Norwich fairly directly with Aylsham, Wymondham andDiss and a direct B-road to Holt.Norwich airport flies to around 8 national airports, including Aberdeen, Exeter andManchester as well as the channel islands. It also provides flights to 7 internationaldestinations, including Amsterdam, Corfu and Turkey. London Stansted Airport is just 2hours from Norwich.

LeisureThe unspoilt nature of the Norfolk countryside, coupled with its extensive coastline andone of the UK’s 10 national parks, the Broads, Norfolk has an enormous breadth offascinating wildlife to be discovered. Known as the birdwatching capital of Britain, it ishome to the swallowtail butterfly, the Chinese Water Deer and a vast number of sealswhich can be seen basking in the sun at Blakeney Point.Norfolk’s 100 miles of coastline provides a number of popular seaside resorts includingSheringham, Great Yarmouth and Cromer. The beaches that stretch along the coastprovide an ideal spot for horse riding and the coastal path, running from Hunstanton toCromer, through an area of outstanding natural beauty, is just one of many longdistance walking routes in Norfolk. The Norfolk Broads are a series of rivers and broads(lakes) which provide fantastic opportunities for both fishing and boating.Why we love Norfolk• Norfolk has nearly 100 miles of fantastic coastline full of seabirds and big skies.• The abundance of churches (the highest concentration of any county).• The woodland and trees - ancient parkland trees and Thetford Forest, thelargest lowland forest in the country.• It’s one of the driest counties in the UK• The historic cathedral city of Norwich the regional centre of East AngliaNorfolk is ideal for:• Family holidays• Birdwatching• A relaxed way of live• Boating and fishing• Great fresh seafoodOur Norwich office team recommend the following:Best restaurant: The Last Wine Bar, NorwichBest pub/bar: Walpole Arms, ItteringhamBest annual event: Royal Norfolk ShowBest secret spot/country walk: Overstrand to Cromer along the beach on a low tideand back along the cliff tops following a footpath through Cromer golf courseTypical property pricesOur Norwich office sells a wide range of property in Norfolk ranging from charmingthatched cottages to magnificent manor houses.3 bedroom cottage from £250,000

5 bedroom farmhouse from £600,000Georgian manor house from £800,000Arable land from £7000 per acrePasture land from £3500 per acre