Holkham Hall — Attraction in North Norfolk

While we didn't visit the hall itself, we decided to visit the grounds for the first time. We will certainly make the hours drive to visit again soon. The weather was a beautiful blustery autumn day. We entered via the holkham village entrance and followed sign to the hall parking. It was £5 per car and so similar to the cost of parking at any other local spots. For that price you could visit any of the grounds but not the Hall. You can download a map or pick up a paper one there. We had our two dogs with us and were wanting a walk, rather than food or shopping. The park closes at 5.00pm and as it was already mid afternoon we chose a walk of almost 3 miles. There are numerous walks from a couple of miles up to 6. They are well signposted. Some of the walk was suitable for buggies and wheelchair access but the route back along the hall side of the lake was through woodland and so would not be. There are cycle routes around which might be more suitable. Our walk took us around the lake. It was stunning. There is a large walled garden on the opposite side of the lake, but we will go there next time. While it was busy it didn't feel it as there is so much space. There are a large number of deer who do not seem worried by people. You can enjoy watching them which is especially interesting at this time of the year while the males are in full antler. Majestic! There are numerous toilets, dog bins and signposts to make the walk more friendly. Back towards the hall is a cafe and small shop and a number of food vans which would cater for most tastes. There is an adventure playground for children and a high ropes course. We didn't visit so do not know the cost. You can hire bikes for a couple of hours or the day. I think it was around £12 each and £24 for the day. Should you see all you wanted over the grounds it is easy to head back towards the village to shop at the specialist shops there or head north to the beach. You could very easily spend the entire day there on your own or with family and still run out of time to do everything. Should you head out towards the beach there are toilets and a small café with a very limited selection of food and drink by the beach called the look out. This has amazing views of the marshes for birds and wildlife. You can follow the Norfolk coast path to Wells next the sea from here, about a 40 minute walk at pace. There is another cafe, toilets and a Joules shop there or you can head up to the white soft sands of the beach and admire the sea huts. Alternatively keep walking and you can walk along the harbour into the town of wells for lunch, entertainment or shopping. A perfect day out what ever...

I recently visited Holkam House and estate in Norfolk, and I must say, it exceeded all my expectations. The grounds are truly amazing and incredibly beautiful. The facilities were equally impressive, the entire estate is well maintained and clean, including the facilities like the toilets.

The staff at Holkam House and estate were exceptional - enthusiastic, passionate, and friendly. Their knowledge about the estate and its history was truly impressive.

One highlight was the fantastic little museum, which detailed the estate's rich history spanning 400 years. It provided a fascinating glimpse into the past.

We were pleasantly surprised by the abundance of wildlife, including pheasants, deer, and rare bird sightings, such as kestrels.

During our October visit, we were thrilled to find a plethora of family activities, including creepy crawlies, pumpkin carving, carnivorous plant exhibits, and crafting. These activities kept our 8-year-old thoroughly entertained for a couple of hours.

Dogs are allowed on leads throughout the estate, though not in the house itself.

The parking fee of £5 for the whole day was reasonable, and if you spent £30 in the gift shop, it became free, which was a nice incentive.

The on-site shop offered a great selection of locally produced goods, from country home knick-knacks to dog accessories, art, clothes, and books for both adults and children. While the shop was a bit pricey, the quality and the fact that the products were locally sourced justified the cost.

One of the best things about Holkam House and estate is that while you need to pay to visit the facilities, the 10,000-acre grounds are free to explore. There's even a local bus connection and car charging available for convenience.

The well-maintained ground pathways made it cycle and pushchair-friendly, and you could even hire cycles on-site.

With activities at the hall and the extensive walks, it's easy to fill a full day here. We enjoyed a 14km walk, which was mostly flat and suitable for all levels of walkers. Information boards throughout the estate provided interesting insights into the surroundings and ongoing activities.

In summary, Holkam House and estate is a fantastic day out, and it's undeniably one of the best estates I've visited with my family in years. The beautiful grounds, engaging activities, and friendly staff make it a must-visit...

Liked: We loved our stay at Holkham Hall. It was a nice spacious campsite, well marked out and looked after by a friendly and helpful team. The toilets and showers were great. We didn’t use the EHU, but will next time, and the festoon lights were a great feature too (they switched off at 11pm which was perfect). The site had lots of wildlife, and being next to a deer park was great too. Holkham Hall itself is a grand price of architecture, and the surrounding parkland is fabulous - we wish we’d brought our bikes so we could have explored more of it. There were a variety of food vans at the hall (10 minutes walk from the campsite). They were only open from 11am till 4pm which didn’t allow much flexibility if you wanted to try the food. The prices were fine, given you’d have to drive off site to find similar food, and the portions were fair. The pitches were flat, clean, with short cut grass. The ground was stoney under the top 5 inches of topsoil. I bent about 15 pegs - even a couple made from rebar. Plastic pegs snapped, and military grade pegs bent too - frustrating, but just one of those things. It did mean if you get a peg in, it stayed in! Just remember to take spares. Most of the campers in the tent area were families. Pretty much everyone was quiet by 11:30pm, which was nice, and it was quiet till about 7am, which is great. The camping site was really child friendly, with 2 tennis courts marked out, plus a football pitch, and a trunk full of sport equipment free to use. Brilliant! The price was very fair, and we’d return without hesitation.

Disliked: I didn’t give 5 stars because although the toilets and showers were kept brilliantly clean (and moth free at night somehow!?), there was a few hours where they were unusable - I won’t go into details! This wasn’t neglect on the part of staff, just a system failure. The hard ground was frustrating. The limited opening times for food vendors was understandable, but forced a plan change for...