Out and About

Things to Do

Kestrel is located in the village of Walcott, which lies on a sandy stretch of the North East Norfolk coastline, between Happisburgh & Bacton.

The Village itself has a church, 2 public houses "Lighthouse Inn" and "Poachers Pocket", restaurants & Mini-mart with a post office.

There is a Fish and chip shop and a Chinese takeaway along the Bacton Coast road.

Stalham is 4 miles away and has a Tescos store and the town of North Walsham is 6 miles away this has a Sainsburys, these are the closest towns with further facilities. Great Yarmouth is 23 miles from Walcott.

Beaches

The sandy beach is close by, a few minutes walk from Kestrel and stretches along the coastline .

Further afield there are lots of beaches to visit. Choose from the wild sand-dunes of Waxham, Eccles, Horsey and Happisburgh with their relative peace and tranquillity, or the more busy resorts of Sea Palling, Hemsby or Mundesley with their shops and amusements

Gardens

Slightly over four miles away is the 18 acre garden the "Old Vicarage" at East Ruston with fine views of Happisburgh church and the lighthouse from it's lawns. This multi-faceted garden has been designed and created by Alan Gray and his partner Graham Robeson. These pictures are in the gardens

Military

For the grown ups who would like to play with tanks etc try the Muckleburgh collection Tanks, guns, aircraft, Armed vehicles, models and thousands of exhibits undercover, with a restaurant serving light refreshments. 16 miles away from Walcott.

Castles

Castle Acre with a ruined castle at one end of the village and the sprawling remains of a priory at the other end, Castle Acre is a natural attraction for anyone who loves delving into the history of Norfolk. And the centre of the village at Stocks green, a leafy rectangle surrounded by attractive shops and cottages, is just the place if you are looking for gift ideas, or maybe somewhere for a good meal or maybe just a bite.

When first established, Castle Acre was one of the finest examples of Norman town planning in the country and much of this can still be seen. The castle was founded by William de Warenne as his most important estate in Norfolk. He fought at the Battle of Hastings alongside William the conqueror in 1066.

The priory at Castle Acre may be in ruins as a result of the efforts of Henry V111 in 1537, but parts that are left still make a powerful statement about the efforts of those who built it in the first place. The Village has two pubs that serve food and tearooms.

Light Houses

If you don't want to go too far from the area you have Happisburgh (pronounced Haisbro) Lighthouse close by

Happisburgh Lighthouse is the oldest working light in East Anglia, and the only independently run lighthouse in Great Britain.

Built in 1790, originally one of a pair, the tower is 85ft tall and the lantern is 134ft above sea level. The 'low light' which was discontinued in 1883 was 20ft lower and the pair formed leading lights marking safe passage around the southern end of the treacherous Haisborough Sands.

Windmills

Sutton Windmill the tallest in Britain, is well worth a visit and only a couple of miles away, plus a few stairs to the splendid views from the top. If you'd rather keep you feet firmly on the ground, then there is plenty to see down below in the Broads Museum, and not far away is a small pottery where visitors are welcome.

Stalham The name is the same as it was in Domesday and the road is where is was when the Romans marched from Caister to Smallburgh. Now people from all over the British Isles and Europe visit our broadland market town. Stalham is easy to find (4 miles away) its on the main A149 coast road, between Great Yarmouth and North Walsham (6 miles away).

Paddle Boat

Horning-Southern Comfort Mississippi paddle boat Horning is a picturesque village, whose origin dates back to Roman times, consists of a mixture of shops, boat yards and thatched cottages. Along the banks of the river are several luxurious riverside properties.

The paddle boat tours usually run 3 times a day there is an information board that states the times and how long the tour is. Dogs are even allowed on the paddle boat.

Towns

Swaffham is a bit further afield but anyone that is interested in history and doesn't mind a bit of a drive will love Swaffham and Castle Acre. Swaffham market place has been going for hundreds of years, it's surrounded by Georgian buildings and has it's centerpiece the domed market cross which was presented to the townsfolk in 1783 by the Earl of Orford.

Just off the market place is the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, one of the finest of many medieval churches in East Anglia, with it's magnificent double hammer beam roof and carvings depicting the legendary Peddler of Swaffham. The church dates back, in part at least to the 15th century.

Pubs

There is also a famous pub in the area called "Hill House" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the Hill House Hotel when on a motoring holiday at the beginning of the 20th century.

The landlord's small son Gilbert Cubitt had developed a way of writing his signature in pin men. This intrigued Conan Doyle, who used the idea in one of his Sherlock Holmes stories, 'The Dancing Men'. It is based in Norfolk and is said to have been written in the Green Room of the old Boarding House which overlooked the bowling green – one of the finest in this district. They do a wonderful beer festival as well..

Trains

Sheringham is about 15 miles away, if you like steam trains then it's well worth a visit as the steam train runs from Sheringham to Holt. As well as being on the coast it also has a park. Sheringham Park, National Trust, off A148 Cromer to Holt road. 770 acres with 90 acres of classical landscaped park, viewing towers for coastal views, a steam powered sawmill, coastal walks, shop and refreshments

Parks

Snettisham Park Children and adults will both love it here, there are safari rides, a red deer herd, cattle, sheep & pigs, also three farm trails to enjoy.

RSPB members will enjoy one of the country's largest wildlife spectacles at snettisham, when especially high tides force thousands of birds to leave mudflat's where they flee, and settle close to the hides over looking the lagoons

For the Kids

If you have children and would like to travel a bit further away there are a great many attractions for you to see. Thrigby Hall has a collection of Asian mammals, birds and reptiles in the pleasantly landscaped grounds and gardens. Attractions for all age groups including snow leopards, rare tigers, gibbons, deers, otters and crocodiles in a swamp house.

Cafe and willow pattern garden, tropical and forest houses, give good all weather cover. This is 19 miles away from Walcott

Pettitts is a bit further away 26 miles, but brilliant for the small children with loads of activities going on, a pets corner for children to feed and cuddle animals. Well worth a day out, take a picnic with you as there are places for you to sit and enjoy.