The Bure Valley Railway runs between the Norfolk Broads' "capital" at Wroxham, to the attractive…read moremarket town of Aylsham, and makes a great day out for families. The railway is built on the trackbed of the East Norfolk Railway, which ran from Wroxham via Aylsham and was closed to passengers in 1952 and to freight in 1982; the decision to open a railway purely for pleasure saw the current 9-mile long 15-inch narrow gauge line opened in 1990. The line starts for many at the station in Wroxham (actually on the outskirts of the neighbouring town of Hoveton), located on the B1354 road to Coltishall. There is also a footpath from Hoveton & Wroxham main line station. There is a large car park, shop, ticket office, and toilets, as well as a secondhand bookshop. There are intermediate halts for the villages of Coltishall, Buxton and Brampton. Aylsham is the HQ of the line, and its station has two platforms and a large overall roof. It feels like a main line station! There is a ticket office, shop and large cafe, as well as ample parking. All the stations offer level access. A nice feature of the line is the cycle/footpath running alongside, which provides the opportunity to mix the train and walking. The relatively low speed means you have plenty of time to enjoy the lovely countryside as you travel. The services vary depending on the time of year: the website has an easy to use calendar to show the service for any given day. In the busiest holiday periods in August, there are up to 8 return trains a day, running hourly. Trains are made up of small coaches with individual 'compartments' seating up to 4 adults; the trains are too small to have toilets, but there are coaches adapted to take wheelchairs. They cannot carry bicycles. Trains can be hauled by either diesel locomotives, but most are steam hauled at peak times. The line has specially built steam locomotives, so, even though they are small, they're the real thing! Overall it makes for a great day out: we found staff welcoming and helpful, and we enjoyed lovely cakes in the cafe at Aylsham, though a fairly extensive lunch menu was available. Thoroughly recommended.

We recently took a trip on a steam train here when my parents-in-law came to stay (my father-in-law…read moreis a bit of a train enthusiast!). We travelled from Wroxham to Aylsham for about 45 minutes passing through a few smaller stations. The journey was picturesque, overlooking the norfolk countryside although at times the embankment was so high you couldn't see much. We stopped for a quick lunch at The Whistlestop Cafe at Aylsham before heading back again. The food here was fine and there were a few toys to keep young children amused and a bric-a-brac stall raising money for charity. My young daughter found several things she wanted! Adjoining the cafe is the gift shop but unfortunately we did not have time to look round here. It was a fun experience but was not overly exciting for me personally. Also, as we went in November it was fairly cold on the train and it's a fairly rattly ride. Not great for someone who likes their creature comforts although I'm sure others will rave about it!

What a charming little place this is. Well worth a visit and like it says on the tin, they sell cat…read morepottery and have railway 'junk' all over the place. You would struggle to make a day of it here and the bulidings are quite old and tired but full of charm. Its just nice to wander around and rumage! You could combine it with a visit to this market town where there are many unusual and independant shops. There is no parking at this place but you can park for free at Lidl which is just across the road.

This is a strange place; contrasts from tacky quay front, slightly run down & cheap looking, a…read morecouple of penny arcades chucked in for good measure, to a beach of outstanding natural beauty (and that's official, it's an AONB!). A real surprise when you climb the steps up from the car park at the end of the mile long sea wall (you can catch a diddy train there too, the Wells Harbour Railway, choo choo!). Glorious view of the salt marshes and the lifeboat station and then up over the path to the beach, wow! Miles of sand and sea and channels and dunes AND beach huts! Old fashioned ones on stilts, all different colours and states of repair. Very photogenic. There are also posher bits of Wells round the back. This is definitely a place worth exploring more; I'll give it a 10! (Oh, sorry, can't, OK a 5 then.) Need to go back and see it for longer.

I was enjoying it before every time we we were here. But first sunny weekend this year and beach…read morecar park closed, really?! Absolutely disgusting. Out of order.

Great place now has a Dart board up , frindly place for a evening out and always made to feel…read morewelcome

Playland is situated on the quayside in Wells, right next door to the slot-machines and amusement…read morearcade. It's a children soft-play area with a range of things to climb, slide down , swing from etc. There's even a pneumatic gun area where you can load a 'gun' up with foam balls and use them to shoot your friends (or enemies) in mock-battles which is great fun. This place is an absolute god-send when it's raining. There's a small coffee and sandwich shop and a 'parents' area with a range of mags and papers where you can relax while your offspring let-off some steam. It's probably most suitable for the sub-10 year old age bracket. Prices are reasonable there's nominally a time-limit of 2 hours but they don't seem very strict on this when it's not busy.

Been every year since 1983!!! Loads to do for all ages, friendly atmosphere. Love it!!!!!read more

This was a truly delightful surprise on our trip to Norfolk. The gardens span 32 acres, all…read morelovingly created by the couple who purchased the old vicarage and later expanded to include additional acreage. There are a wide variety of garden types and styles to explore, all beautifully designed. There is also a small tea room to enjoy a bit of refreshment during your visit. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Made in Cley is primarily a pottery and ceramics gallery on the High Street in the picturesque…read morevillage of Cley-next-the-Sea. Still retaining its solid wooden floors and wooden storage fixtures, the gallery is good mix of the old and the new. The rest of the gallery is in brilliant white to display the vast range of pottery, ceramics, sculpture, prints, jewellery and lighting that are made on site, by a talented group of crafts people. They range from small inexpensive bowls, to large items like vases, and the more expensive products such as the handcrafted jewellery and prints of local beach scenes. An impressive shop to buy that special gift; they have also just celebrated their silver anniversary.

Really nice craftsmen led pottery, good designs, well made and presented. All sorts of different…read moreitems for different uses, functional to purely decorative. The shop is more like an art studio, but don't be put off (there is a slight feeling that you might be intruding somehow; the occupants are not out-flowing with welcoming warmth, but then it's a cold a blustery county is Norfolk and they might just be a bit shy you know what artists are like). Definitely worth the visit, especially if you want some locally crafted memento or gift reflecting the beautiful area of Cley and its surrounds. Recommended