Summer Norfolk Trip 2022 Day 1 – Norfolk Lavender

My plan for our Summer Norfolk Trip 2022:

Day 1 – Norfolk Lavender

Day 2 – Wells Next The Sea (train ride, walk around the town, beach)

Day 3 – Pensthorpe Nature Park

Day 4 – Burham Market (walk around the village, lunch) & Brancanster Beach

Click on the markers for the name of the place.

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When I was planning where to go, I find this map very useful as it marks out all the attractions near and at the Norfolk coastline on one single map with the relative locations.

Image from Wells Guide – Day Out.

(Click to see a larger map on Wells Guide – Day Out )

On the first day of our Summer Norfolk Trip 2022 we visited Norfolk Lavender.

When did we visit:

We visited on a Monday in early August. It was very warm 29C, sunny with no clouds and rain. Not crowded.

What age is it best for:

I would say under 7-8 years old. Younger toddlers and kids would like to play in the indoor playroom, the outdoor play areas, and the Animal Garden. Older kids might appreciate the flower gardens.

How long we spent at the venue?

We arrived at 11:30am and left at 2pm.

We were a little disappointed when we went to see the lavender gardens because the flowers were not at their best. Most of the flowers (in Areas number 11-15 on the site map, see below) were very dry with not much colours. It was understandable as the weather had been very dry with no rain water. There was not much to see so we spent a relatively short time to take a look at the flowers.

Image from Norfolk Lavender official website.

(Click to see a larger map on Norfolk Lavender official website.)

What else are there to see or do apart from the lavenders?

There are plenty:

• Animal Garden
• Outdoor playground
• Indoor playroom
• Lavender talks
• Garden Centre
• Gift shop
• Farm shop / Deli
• Unique gifts and home deco shop

There are also some gardens on the other side (Areas number 17-22 on the site map) which we visited and was quite pleasant. The gardens are not big.

We crossed a little river from the Garden Centre.

And saw a few flowers and a beautiful scenery.

Things that definitely worth to see:

Originally should be the lavender gardens but not on the day we visited because of the dry weather as mentioned earlier.

Disappointments:

The flowers (as mentioned earlier)

Easy to navigate?

I found it easy to find where things are mostly because it is not a huge place. We took a picture of the site map and used it to locate ourselves.

In case of rain:

Kids can play in the indoor playroom (entrance fees applied)

You can also go to the restaurant, or the shops mentioned above.

How was the toilets?

Male toilet was horrible as described by J. He said there was poo and some “liquid” on the floor and the toilet stunk.

How about the food?

We had lunch at the restaurant. Food was quite expensive for the quality. Over £4 for a pre-packed plain ham sandwiches (like in a supermarket style) without any salad / crisps / garnish. The restaurant has plenty of seats (indoor and outdoor). Acceptable cleanliness. The waitresses were polite.

Any extra charges once I’m there?

• Animal Garden
• Indoor playroom
• Lavender talk

Other things you need to know before you go:

Entry and parking is free except for the Animal Garden and indoor playroom.

Will I recommend it as a family attraction?

Based on the experience I had on the day we visited, I would not recommend it because of the condition of the flowers which supposed to be the main attraction. I might go there again when the flowers are in their better condition, and plus it’s free entry to see the gardens.

We did not pay and visit the Animal Garden. I researched beforehand and it looked quite small and not much to see. So I cannot comment on it because we did not visit it. But looking from the car park (which is a bit far) we could not see any animals around. Perhaps the weather was far too hot for them. Anyway, I would still not pay to visit the Animal Garden and the play areas because I would rather go to some proper farms or zoos if I really want to see some animals.

We also did not pay and play in the indoor playroom and we did not join the lavender talk.

Shopping: Very nice Farm / Deli shop selling a good range of food. The gift shop is large but only around 10% of the products are lavender-related. The home deco shop is far too expensive for us.

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After visiting Norfolk Lavender, we went to Happy Valley to check in. More on this beautiful place on a separate post later on.

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For dinner we went to The Ffolkes. The main reason to go to this restaurant was the outdoor adventure playground. It was also very close (6 minds drive) to where we were staying.

The playground was bigger than I expected, with beautiful wooden play equipment.

J enjoyed it a lot. We played while waiting for our food. And we stayed for longer to play after dinner.

Food was a mixture of good and bad. They have different food menus on different days (see below).

The day we went it was “Guac & Mole”. This was their menu on that day.

I ordered “Fajuti (Chicken) with Nachos”. Very interesting and tasty.

J ordered fish fingers, pasta, and baked beans. But the pasta was just plain pasta without any sauce. Tasteless. Anyway, good thing was the waitresses were polite and always with a smile even though they were super busy (they had to deal with hotel check-ins as well!).

Female toilets were not very clean. Water and tissue paper on the floor.

🍕🥪☕️Meals: