Norfolk Holidays: Discover Your Wild Side this Summer

Norfolk is one of the richest corners of Britain when it comes to natural heritage, and summer is particularly stunning. Parts of the Broads are transformed by the the flowering of saltmarsh sea lavender, painting the coast purple. It also comes alive with some of the most striking insects you’ll ever see in the UK: dancing dragonflies, and male silver-studded blue butterflies to name a few. There’s no better way to discover your wild side than a summer Norfolk holiday.

Insect Paradise

July sees the year’s second wave of dragonflies reaching its peak in the freshwater marshes of the North Norfolk Broads. These heavy-bodied flying insects are a key part of the local ecosystem, and you can help support biodiversity on your Norfolk holiday by heading out on one of the NWT’s Upton Fen dragonfly walks. There, you’ll learn the difference between ruddy darters and brown hawkers, and be able to help record your findings as part of local efforts to protect local wildlife.

Norfolk is also home to Britain’s largest butterfly: the swallowtail, with its distinctive yellow and black patterning. Keep an eye out for fluttering butterflies while you’re trekking along one of our favorite running routes on your Norfolk holiday.

Seasonal Flowers

Saltmarsh sea lavender is just one shade of a Norfolk holiday in the sun. You can also take a stroll through pretty poppy fields with bright red petals. The flower blooms so strongly in Norfolk, that the poppy was actually voted the county flower!

Pensthorpe is a great choice of Norfolk’s prestigious gardens, with an authentic lakeside ecology and a romantic Wildflower Meadow. If you’re heading out on a Norfolk holiday with the little ones, why not join the Wild Tribe at Pensthorpe? It’s an educational and entertaining experience day where they can explore the natural world by tracking and following nature around the reserve.

Prepare to deal with the mud though, as the Wild Tribe invites them into a mud kitchen and along a barefoot trail, with dens, tunnels, slides, and hand-on pond dipping sessions.

Marine Wildlife

Norfolk holidays aren’t all about the Broads. We also boast an unspoiled, 45-mile coastline that forms a key part of our natural presence in the UK. Blakeney Point is home to the largest seal colony in England, with an estimated 2,700 pups born every year. In the summer months, the Common seals usually give birth, giving you plenty of opportunity to see the mammals at all ages.

On a boat trip from Blakeney Point, you’re also likely to witness some of the avian population of Norfolk too. The Norfolk coast is one of the most popular bird-watching locales in Britain, and you’ll soon see why! Over four different species of Terns arrive in Norfolk during the summer months, some migrating from as far as West Africa.

Make sure you carve out some time on your Norfolk holiday to get in some crabbing, it’s one of our favorite past times at Hall Farm Cottages!

Norfolk Holidays with Hall Farm Cottages

Hall Farm Cottages caters to getaways for groups of all sizes, whether you want an intimate getaway with your partner or a wild weekend away with a larger group. Let us know what you’re after using the contact information, and a member of the Hall Farm team will be happy to help plan your trip.