Activities in Norfolk for a ‘Wild’ May Half Term

Business Editorials / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / exhibitions / Holidays / Norfolk Broads / rspb / Tourist Attractions Norfolk and Suffolk / Waveney Valley / Wildlife May 24, 2008

Activities in Norfolk for a ‘Wild’ May Half Term

Norfolk is the UK’s premier birdwatching destination and from 26 May to 12 June, the county’s natural credentials will be showcased on BBC Springwatch.

Pensthorpe Nature Reserve near Fakenham, is the new home for the BBC’s popular wildlife programme, presented by Bill Oddie and Kate Humble.

Spring Bank Holiday and May half term is just the time to explore Norfolk’s countryside. As well as Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, the county has many internationally important nature reserves, notably RSPB Titchwell, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley reserve with its award winning visitor centre and café and The National Trust’s Blakeney Point. Take the Coasthopper bus service from King’s Lynn to Cromer and visit the reserves, or walk a section of the Norfolk Norfolk Coast long distance footpath.

For information on places to visit, accommodation and special events see www.visitnorfolk.co.uk

Here is a selection of Norfolk’s half term offerings.

Visit Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, home of BBC Springwatch 2008, go bug walking, pond dipping or take the Wensum Valley landrover discovery tour; also enjoy the Gardening & Food Fair on Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June, www.pensthorpe.com

Explore the North Norfolk Coast by bus. Take the Coasthopper bus from King’s Lynn to Cromer. For timetables see www.norfolkgreen.co.uk

See the new ‘Seahenge’ exhibition, West Norfolk’s great treasure at King’s Lynn Museum. The 4,000-year-old timbers were discovered on Holme beach on the North Norfolk coast and excavated in 1999. www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Visit ‘Market Shipborough’, fictional home of Stephen Fry’s Kingdom – real location the Georgian market town of Swaffham. Stephen Fry returns to Swaffham this summer to film a third series www.aroundswaffham.co.uk

Chat to a local artist during Norfolk Open Studios from Saturday 17 May to Sunday 1 June. More than 250 artists across the county are opening the doors of their studios www.nnfestival.org.uk/openstudios

Go on the Fen Tigers Trail at WWT Welney www.wwt.org.uk/welney or try the Wacky Wildlife Quiz Trail at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Ranworth Broad www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk Both run from Saturday 24 May to Sunday 1 June

Explore the 5th Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May, Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June and Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June. Sixty-one sculptors are exhibiting in private gardens throughout the village www.berghapton.org.uk

BeWILDerwood, the woodland adventure park in the heart of the Norfolk Broads celebrates its first birthday from Saturday 24 May to Monday 26 May. Magical tree houses and strange characters like Thornyclod, Marsh Boggle and the Crocklebog bring this family attraction alive www.bewilderwood.co.uk

Catch the last week of Cloth & Culture NOW, a major contemporary textiles at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich. The exhibition, which closes on Sunday 1 June, examines the influence of culture and tradition on contemporary textile practice and features exciting and innovative new large-scale work by 35 artists from Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania and the UK www.scva.ac.uk

Fourteen gardens open in aid of the National Gardens Scheme Norfolk at half term, for full details of all garden openings see www.norfolkgardens.org

Norfolk Tourism is the county’s established public and private industry partnership. Funded by its 50 partner organisations and EEDA, the partnership is designed to act as a forum for all Norfolk’s tourism businesses and local authorities.