Best county in England?

[Parafox]

21 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

But away from the big resorts, Norfolk is really nice. Similar to Lincolnshire, lovely county capitals and lots of great market towns.

 

I know, I've been several times.

 

Holt, Thornham, Burnham Market among others.

[Foxdiamond]

2 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

I know, I've been several times.

 

Holt, Thornham, Burnham Market among others.

It has been said that because of where it is you don't tend to go through Norfolk on the way to anywhere else which is a plus

[Parafox]

1 minute ago, Foxdiamond said:

It has been said that because of where it is you don't tend to go through Norfolk on the way to anywhere else which is a plus

 

You could say the same about Wales.

 

Unless you're going to Anglesey.

[bovril]

10 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

It has been said that because of where it is you don't tend to go through Norfolk on the way to anywhere else which is a plus

We don't have any motorways running through our county and yes it has quite a remote feel to it, also because of the Fens. In W Norfolk I'm as close to Peterborough as I am to Norwich but the former obviously feels very much further away in accent, culture and landscape because the Fens is such a barrier. After the industrial revolution and colonisation of the New World everything in England shifted north and west leaving Norfolk to fade into obscurity which has meant it still has quite an old world feel to it. I didn't realise quite how sheltered and in many ways old-fashioned it was until in my teens I started going to football in Leicester and then university in Sheffield. Was something of a culture shock.

 

We don't have same kind of noisy regional pride of say a Yorkshireman or a Scouser, and when any surveys about identity are done we tend to be the ones who identify most with England and least with the region. We are very awkward and lack self confidence. There's a great video on youtube of Sean Harris being interviewed in the green room after winning a Bafta and it's the most East Anglian thing I've ever seen. We are very used to jokes about the county and have embraced the associations with Alan Partridge which to be honest is probably the thing most people know about Norfolk now. I hear a lot of comments in London about how backward, racist and stupid people are there which bothers me slightly, but to be honest I would much rather live there long term than in London. Hopefully Norfolk remains 'backward'. 

 

But yeah, avoid Yarmouth. 

[SkidsFox]

Have to admit, when I started this thread, I never thought I'd end up wanting to visit Norfolk. One of the few counties I've never really visited; looks like I missed out on a small gem.

[bovril]

My work here is done

[jgtuk]

5 minutes ago, bovril said:

My work here is done

I used to visit Wymondham for weeks in the summer as a kid, my friends grandparents had a farm there. It was like stepping back 50 years, I absolutely loved it. 
My wife has never visited anywhere east of England and I haven’t been for a few years, it’s now in my plans. 

[bovril]

Just now, jgtuk said:

I used to visit Wymondham for weeks in the summer as a kid, my friends grandparents had a farm there. It was like stepping back 50 years, I absolutely loved it. 
My wife has never visited anywhere east of England and I haven’t been for a few years, it’s now in my plans. 

Go and watch cricket at Ketteringham Hall near Wymondham. It's like being in the Go Between. Then go and see the medieval glass at the church next door. 

[Wolfox]

11 minutes ago, SkidsFox said:

Have to admit, when I started this thread, I never thought I'd end up wanting to visit Norfolk. One of the few counties I've never really visited; looks like I missed out on a small gem.

Do it…. Wells next to the sea is stunning 

 

nod and a wink to sheringham  too…. Even Cromer has a certain charm

 

lovely adjoining county too…. Suffolk is very lovely along the coast…. Aldeburgh and Southwold 

 

 

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, Wolfox said:

Do it…. Wells next to the sea is stunning 

 

nod and a wink to sheringham  too…. Even Cromer has a certain charm

 

lovely adjoining county too…. Suffolk is very lovely along the coast…. Aldeburgh and Southwold 

 

 

Shout out for Sheringham 

[jgtuk]

1 minute ago, Wolfox said:

Do it…. Wells next to the sea is stunning 

 

nod and a wink to sheringham  too…. Even Cromer has a certain charm

 

lovely adjoining county too…. Suffolk is very lovely along the coast…. Aldeburgh and Southwold 

 

 

Used to holiday in Sheringham and Cromer with my family as a kid. When I was 16 I had a girlfriend who’s Dad owned a caravan in Hunstanton so spent many weekends drinking in The Harlequin or the Wash and Tope. Went to Wells in the 80’s to see a rare bird (was a bit of a twitcher then). Will check out Suffolk.
All hold fond memories so will definitely plan a visit early next spring. 

[bovril]

Suffolk is very pretty and also has lots of great historical sites. Norfolk is perhaps a little wilder and imo has the greater concentration medieval art and architecture. Perhaps being further away from the capital meant more survived the reformation. 

[Foxdiamond]

4 minutes ago, bovril said:

Suffolk is very pretty and also has lots of great historical sites. Norfolk is perhaps a little wilder and imo has the greater concentration medieval art and architecture. Perhaps being further away from the capital meant more survived the reformation. 

I associate Norfolk with Flint churches and other buildings 

[bovril]

Just now, Foxdiamond said:

I associate Norfolk with Flint churches and other buildings 

Correct. Might be one of the reasons we have a lot of round tower churches. So many of them dotted around the countryside, often built for villages long gone. 

[LCFCJohn]

Got to agree with the above about Norfolk. Particularly like Wells next the sea, lovely beach and Hunstanton. I really like Searles Holiday Park at Hunstanton, it was great for my daughter. Didn’t have a big corporate feel about it.
 

Northumberland as well. We have just been there for the second time this year the weekend just gone. I love driving up that way on the A1, once you pass Leeds and get into North Yorkshire, you just leave all the chaos behind and it just feels really quiet. There are plenty of interesting places I can go back to such as Alnwich, Holy Island, Bamburgh, Cragside which is a National Trust.

Cornwall as well although it’s a hell of a drive from South Yorkshire where we are whereas Norfolk and Norththumberland can be reached within 3 hours. I also felt we were very busy trying to do loads given how far it was whereas the other places feel much more like a break to go to.

[NAKC20]

14 hours ago, Parafox said:

 

You could say the same about Wales.

 

Unless you're going to Anglesey.

Remember in our touring days going to Anglesey. Cant remember if it was the A5 or not but its the most scenic route i can ever remember taking. Going you go through a tunnel and coming out the other end was like a different world and the views just hit you. Coming back you go around the coast and it was just stunning