Naturally Norfolk

Partly because it’s so flat – you can see the weather changing, the light and clouds moving across the sky, the tides zooming up the beach – Norfolk gives a real sense of nature at work. Explore at your leisure in Holkham Nature Reserve, or speak to your hotel about organised trips. Seal-spotting and sailing are particularly recommended.

Getting there

Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.

Planes: Gatwick and Heathrow are two or three hours away by train, via London. There’s also an airport at Norwich, with limited but occasionally handy connections (www.norwichairport.co.uk).
Trains: Trains run from London King’s Cross to King’s Lynn twice an hour; the journey takes about 90 minutes. There’s a service from London Liverpool Street to Norwich every half hour or so, and the journey takes a couple of hours.
Automobiles: Driving from London takes two or three hours, via the M11 and A11. Norfolk roads are pretty patchy and unhelpful, though (which at least helps keep the area quiet...). If you want to hire a car once you get to Norwich or King’s Lynn, try www.hertz.co.uk. You get a ten per cent discount if you’re a Smith cardholder; just quote ‘635230’ when you book.

Self-catering