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13th November 2024
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2nd October 2024
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10th July 2024
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16th May 2024
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✨Thursford’s Enchanted Journey of Light is, in

✨Thursford’s Enchanted Journey of Light is, indeed, enchanting. As dusk falls, the indoor/outdoor festive trail (which can be done separately or as an add-on with the Christmas Spectacular) comes to life. Start in the Fantasy Land building, where cuddly animatronic polar bears, penguins and teddy bears star in a series of snowclad adventures, culminating with a peek inside Santa’s bustling toy factory.
✨Follow the path outside and you’re met with otherworldly mise en scènes of illuminated life-size sculptures. You’ll see magnificent beasts from the wilds of Africa (the family of giraffes is a cute-meet), a mystical underwater kingdom and the glacial North Pole to exotic flowers, bright butterflies and the land of sweets, all accompanied by a dramatic soundscape.
✨Think of it as Alice in Wonderland-meets-Tim Burton-meets-Lion King… and you’ll get the idea. A funfair and outside bar selling mulled wine and refreshments add to the magic. Timed slots are still available.
@thursfordchristmasspectacular @enchanted_journey_of_light #pressvisit
#thursford #enchantedjourneyoflight #christmas #christmasinnorthnorfolk

📍Talk of the town: Rachel Bowles visits Reepham

📍Talk of the town: Rachel Bowles visits Reepham 📍Start your day at award-winning artisan bakery @bread_source in @thedialhouse, a magnificent red brick building dating from the 17th century which was once a brewery. Sip your coffee and admire the view across the market square of this historic town. 📍Explore the churches. There are two in one churchyard, but there were once three and there’s only one other place in Europe which can make this claim. St Mary’s and St Michael’s remain, but All Saints burned down in the Great Fire of Reepham in 1543. Myth has it that three sisters were responsible for building a church each, as depicted in the town sign. 📍Peruse the wonderful independent shops around the market square including @reepham_antiques, @mottspharmacy, Norfolk Farm Shop and Robertson’s butchers. 📍Discover the collection of diesel and steam engines @whitwellreepham Railway Station, their small museum and shop. Refreshments are available in The Sidings cafe. 📍Visit @sallemoorhallfarm, with its cycle and footpaths. Here you will find @blazingpadels and businesses including @all day brewing and @norfolkcoffee 📍Walk along Marriott’s Way, a 26-mile footpath, bridleway and cycle route between Aylsham and Norwich, following two disused railway tracks and named after the chief engineer and manager of the Midland and Great Northern Railway, William Marriott. There’s a map on Norfolk County Council’s website. Paths can be muddy. 📍Refuel @thestationcafereepham at the disused Reepham Railway Station, overlooking Marriott’s Way. They serve breakfasts, homemade cakes and lunch dishes. Shop @cushioncottage and Very Nice Things & More. 📍Pick up a bargain @scrapboxnorfolk which promotes sustainability, creativity and accessibility by repurposing discarded materials into resources for art, craft, and technology projects. I guarantee you will find something useful! 📍Enjoy a drink @laid_backbar in The Dial House. Try a cheese or charcuterie plate, or pick up a takeaway wine from their bottle shop. 📍Stay at The Dial House. The boutique bed and breakfast rooms are themed, transporting you to the Georgian era.

📷 @girlaroundnorthnorfolk

🫖Afternoon tea is such a lovely treat, especial

🫖Afternoon tea is such a lovely treat, especially in the run up to Christmas. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed with friends this year (in the name of research!) … tell us in the comments where we should try next 🫖
🫖Served in the restaurant on Chelsea botanical porcelain, a design derived from a collection acquired by the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, @sandringhamestate’s afternoon tea is an elegant affair. We loved the sandwiches on speciality breads and the savouries including a mini coronation chicken brioche roll, of course. Just when you think you’re full, another plate arrives, laden with the prettiest little cakes and desserts. 🫖@blakeneyhotel boasts fantastic views over the quay and glamorous interiors; we enjoyed the selection of sandwiches plus fruit scones with clotted cream and local jam from our individual three-tier cake stands, followed by a selection of patisserie. The mini fruit tarts and Bakewell blondies were particular hits!
🫖@briarfields_hotel_norfolk’s ‘Posh’ afternoon tea was a very social affair, with a shared three-tier stand filled with flavourful sandwiches and scones, plus a yummy selection of savouries and sweet treats; from mini panna cottas and chocolate mousse cake to warm sausage rolls and cheese straws.
🫖@theglavenbistro’s afternoon tea game is strong. As a sandwich fan, I was in my element with fillings including Staithe Smokehouse kiln roasted salmon, Norfolk chicken, and Norfolk Dapple cheese with chutney. The dessert course featured passionfruit cake, freshly baked fruit scones, Eton mess, and Welsh fruit bread - bara brith - with Norfolk Dapple.
🫖@holtgardencentre’s tea menu features an impressive range of sweet and savoury items, with old favourites like an egg and cress finger sandwich and Victoria sponge, alongside, for instance, a goat’s cheese and leek bon bon and sausage pin wheel. We were beaten by the laden cake stand so took doggy bags, much to the delight of our households!
🫖All these teas must be booked at least 24-hours in advance. Tap the image to see which venue is shown.
Photo 1 © @sandringhamestate (previous menu)
Photos 2 and 3 © @girlaroundnorthnorfolk

✨Enjoy a very North Norfolk Christmas with our c

✨Enjoy a very North Norfolk Christmas with our children’s writer, Rachel Bowles✨
✨An enchanting trail? Luminate is a light and immersive show taking you through the woodland @sandringhamestate (21 Nov to 24 Dec). Thursford’s @enchanted_journey_of_light (29 Nov to 24 Dec, select dates) begins in Fantasy Land, filled with animatronic polar bears and giant teddy bears. Outside, you’ll be amazed by the giant lantern installations.
✨A train ride and Father Christmas? @northnorfolkrailway’s Santa Specials run between 23 Nov and 23 Dec select dates; @burevalleyrailway1991’s Festive Express trains will run on weekends from 7 to 22 Dec, plus 23 and 24 Dec. ✨The North Pole in Norfolk? Grab your North Pole passport @roarr_dinosauradventure and follow the trail. This Grotto Experience at their Sparkle event is magical (29 Nov to 23 Dec, select dates). @pensthorpe’s North Norfolk Pole Experience features storytelling magic and Christmas cheer with a festive flamingo, Mrs Claus and Father Christmas (30 Nov to 23 Dec select dates).
✨Festive fireworks? Visit Wells Christmas Tide (29 Nov to 1 Dec) and watch Father Christmas arrive by boat under a sky filled with fireworks on 30 Nov. Another classic is Cromer’s fireworks display on the pier at 5pm on New Year’s Day. Keep up to date via their Facebook pages.
✨Fun on a budget? We enjoy the Christmas lights and window displays in local towns and villages. The crib at Little Walsingham is beautiful (7 Dec to 2 Jan). Burnham Market is transformed into a winter wonderland with its sparkly lights in the trees and on buildings around the greens (16 Nov to Twelfth Night). We love Holt lights, too.
✨A Christmas tree festival? @fakenhamparishchurch’s is always impressive (28 Nov to 5 Dec). Cromer Parish Church also hosts a Christmas tree festival (2 to 7 Dec) and there’s one in Hunstanton Town Hall (6 to 8 Dec), too.
✨Christmas crafting? Join @creativeplanetnorwich @wells_maltings on 24 Nov - children can try wood block printing, create pop out cards and decorations. @bakersandlarnersofholt is hosting Santa’s Activity Workshops on various Saturdays.
✨Check socials for times, prices & booking requirements

✨The 2024 Thursford Christmas Spectacular is thr

✨The 2024 Thursford Christmas Spectacular is three hours of unbridled joy. From the pitch-perfect choir singing traditional carols backed by a 32-piece orchestra (plus bagpipers) to extraordinary contortionists to comedian Lloyd Hollett to the choreography of the flawlessly in-sync dancers, this is a festive show like no other. And that’s before we mention Phil Kelsall, whose fingers literally fly across the keys of the famous Wurlitzer Organ! ✨This is John Cushing’s 47th year as director and producer of the Christmas Spectacular and what a glittering extravaganza of feathers and fairylights, sequins and showstopping talent it is. There are still tickets for this year’s show, which runs until 23 December (with performances at 2pm and 7pm daily) - for added festive fun, why not book Santa’s Magical Journey and the mesmerising Enchanted Journey of Light too? ✨Read our full review online #linkinbio ✨Thank you for inviting us @thursfordchristmasspectacular @enchanted_journey_of_light @thursford_collection #presstickets #Thursford #christmasspectacular #christmas #show #northnorfolk #northnorfolkliving

✨We’re delighted to unwrap our winter issue of

✨We’re delighted to unwrap our winter issue of North Norfolk Living! ✨We’ve a bumper issue for you with some cracking features from the team; think Sarah Hardy’s compendium of festive fun and Rachel Bowles’ seasonal seven for a very North Norfolk Christmas for your little elves, packed with mini adventures galore. ✨ @thursfordchristmasspectacular’s John Cushing shares his guide to North Norfolk with Harriet Cooper; Niobe Wray-Shaw looks at how to have a greener Christmas; learn how to make your garden more sustainable with our columnist and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Nick Bailey. Plus, we celebrate local conservation heroes and winter wildlife with Natalie Douglas and Robin Chittenden. ✨As we round out our 20th anniversary year, we highlight 20 new local businesses for 2024. And speaking of local, our annual gift guide is back, brimming with finds from shops and brands across our area. There’s much more to enjoy besides! ✨Thank you so much to Nigel Wallace @nwfineart of @whiteonesugar for allowing us to feature his magical wintry Wells image on our front cover - a selection of Nigel’s work is available on Etsy and locally at @bakersandlarnersofholt and @pocockstheartmonger and we’ll share more of his work soon. ✨You can pick up a copy of the new issue locally, read it online via our website (link in bio), subscribe to the print issue, or newly, by downloading our sister magazine @stamfordandrutlandliving’s lovely free app (search Stamford & Rutland Living in the App Store). We hope you enjoy the issue, however you read it! #winter #christmas #magazine #northnorfolk #coast #northnorfolkliving #shoplocal #exploremore

Whisper it… ’Tis almost the season! From crab

Whisper it… ’Tis almost the season! From crab pot Christmas trees and twinkling lights, Santa arriving by boat (of course), nativity scenes, illuminated churches and Christmas tree festivals, to candlelight tours, festive trains and trails, markets and shows, it’s time for… Christmas in North Norfolk (and our winter issue of North Norfolk Living, out today, more on that later)! I’ll be sharing a few of my favourites in the coming weeks (amongst other things), but I’d love to know, what’s on your seasonal to-do list?
📷 Note, all of these images are from Christmas 2023: 🌲1 and 2 Wells-next-the-Sea
🌲3 @holkhamestate
🌲4 and 5 @sandringhamestate @luminateuk
🌲6 @fakenhamparishchurch Christmas Tree Festival
🌲7 Snettisham Church
🌲8 @bakersandlarnersofholt #christmas #christmasiscoming #northnorfolk #christmasonthecoast #tistheseason #exploremore

‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning

‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them’ For the Fallen ~ Laurence Binyon

Lest we forget Villagers in Snettisham have come

Lest we forget
Villagers in Snettisham have come together to create this really moving and vivid display of poppies outside the parish church for Remembrance Day. It is incredibly striking to see and really stops you in your tracks. There are cards on the table just inside the church so people can write one and attach it to a poppy or the netting, in memory of a loved one. Any money raised will be donated to The Poppy Appeal. #remembrance #poppy #norfolk