Parks & Gardens

North Norfolk has an amazing collection of gardens, from higgledy-piggledy cottage gardens to tranquil water gardens and the magnificent manicured stately home gardens. All year-round there is something to see and it's worth going back at different times to discover what each new season brings.

Pensthorpe is home to three wonderful wildlife-rich gardens by award-winning designers. Explore the stunning meadow and lakeside with year-round seasonal growth. Take the day to wander around the Wildlife Habitat Garden, the innovative Wave Line Garden, structural beauty of the acclaimed Millennium Garden and the tranquil Wildflower Meadow. At different times of the year, you will be treated to seasonal colour, so there's always something new to see.

East Ruston Old Vicarage is one of Norfolk's privately owned, best-kept gardens! Open for public viewing, visitors can see the love and attention that has been put into creating a collection of gardens, from exotic to woodland. The beautiful, 32 acre modern garden contains many garden rooms with herbaceous borders, gravel gardens, sub-tropical gardens, a box parterre, sunken rose garden, Mediterranean garden, Desert Wash and a large woodland garden — there really is so much to explore.

Sandringham House, the Royal Family’s country residence, is set in 24 hectares of glorious gardens where every generation of the Royal Family has added something of their own, creating an incredibly fascinating garden. Take a peaceful woodland walk, see the carrstone rockeries and enjoy the splendour of the North Garden with its pleached lime avenues. 

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is tucked away in the heart of the Norfolk Broads. There are wonderful woodland walks, wildlife-rich gardens and an eclectic mix of native and cultivated plantings. There are nearly four miles of woodland pathways to explore around the 130 acres of cultivated, wild and natural plantings; a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. 

Hindringham Hall Gardens is home to one of only a few complete moats in the county! Hindringham has a walled fruit and vegetable garden, a water garden, an iris and delphinium walk, a walkwayed bog area, Victorian nut walk, medieval fishponds and wild garden. And when you're ready for a rest, you'll find a tearoom by the East Lawn.

Mannington. The gardens around the medieval moated manor feature a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs in different settings. Throughout the gardens there are many roses, especially classic varieties. In the Heritage and Modern Rose Gardens are roses in designs reflecting their date and origin. On the South Lawn is a classic temple and the Sensory Garden with water feature and plants selected for touch, sound and taste, scent and colour. Wildflowers are everywhere but especially around the lakes and ruined church. Unusual trees and shrubs are featured throughout.

Wolterton Gardens. Wolterton Hall is embraced by 500 acres of flowing parkland. In this tranquil sanctuary, a refined harmony unfolds between cultivated order and untamed nature — a testament to Charles Bridgeman, visionary architect of the English landscape movement, who meticulously crafted Wolterton’s grounds in the 18th century. As in the glorious royal gardens of Windsor, Kensington, and Hampton Court — also the work of Bridgeman — wanderers here are invited to lose themselves along meandering paths, discovering hidden statues and secret vistas. Ever balancing enchantment with function, his ingenious ha-ha discreetly keeps livestock at bay while preserving Wolterton’s sweeping, unbroken views.

The National Trust’s Blickling Hall has 55 acres of topiary, herbaceous borders, sweeping lawns, temple and lake. All year-round there is something to see, including the fragrant beds of the parterre and inspiring double borders, hellebores and primroses, daffodils and bluebells, azaleas and rhododendron, wisteria and peonies. There are plenty of spots to sit quietly and enjoy the view.

Priory Maze and Gardens, set within 10 acres, there are various themed gardens and diverse plant habitat, creating a perfect habitat for a wide range of mammals, birds, and insects. Planted in the late 80’s, the seven-foot tall maze is based on the adjacent ruins of Beeston Priory. The copper beech copies the footprint of the priory and the hornbeam infills create the maze. As this is not a symmetrical maze, there is no middle, instead there is a viewing platform giving visitors a chance to try and plot their way out. 

Houghton Hall Gardens & Park. There is a  five acre, award-winning walled garden as well as a Sculpture Garden which displays an impressive collection of contemporary sculptures by world renowned artists. The first to be commissioned, in 2000, was a ‘Skyspace’ by the American artist James Turrell. Since then sculptures by many artists including Richard Long, Anya Gallacio, Zhan Wang, Stephen Cox and Phillip King have been added, many specifically created for a particular place in the grounds. 

The National Trust's Sheringham Park has nearly 1000 acres to explore. Choose a short stroll or a long walk, both of which will let you enjoy the variety of habitats the Park has to offer. There are four waymarked routes (between one to five miles), taking you through the varying habitats of the park. Coastal views, many created by landscape gardener Humphry Repton, are a feature of all the trails. Sheringham Park has a nationally important collection of rhododendrons providing a showcase of colour throughout much of the year, with May and June seeing the peak.

The grounds around Walsingham Abbey allow you to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere surrounding the Priory ruins. You will find wildflower meadows, 18 acres of woodland and quiet river walks alongside the Stiffkey. In February, the woodland is carpeted white with an incredible impressive snowdrop display. The Abbey grounds provide a peaceful haven with their sweeping lawns, herbaceous borders, spectacular ruins, and walks near the swift flowing River Stiffkey, through unspoilt woodland into the surrounding parkland.

The Walled Garden at Felbrigg. A decorative and productive gardener's delight - flowers from the garden decorate the Hall, whilst allotments provide fruit and vegetables for the Squire's Pantry tea room. You can enjoy watching the hens pecking wherever they wish, with only the sound of the busy bees in the flowers. Get up close to the double borders and herb beds and breathe in the scent of lavender, sage and mint. Surprises within this traditional garden include one of the few working octagonal dovecotes in the country. This beautiful structure dates back to the early 1750s when figs were trained against the south-facing wall of the herb border where they remain today, making them the only original plants from the garden of that period. You can also discover the unusual 'Headache Tree' or 'Balm of Heaven' (Umbellularia californica), a very rare species in the UK planted at Felbrigg around 1860.

Holkham Walled Garden. The grounds surrounding Holkham Hall are wonderful to explore with each season bringing something new to see. The Walled Garden is also spectacular. Step through the Venetian gates and explore the tranquil and enchanting garden dating back to the late 1700s. Discover a spectacular stand of Georgian and Victorian greenhouses and vineries, a formal ornamental garden, a vineyard, a working kitchen garden that yields a plentiful crop feeding both the Coke family and visitors to The Victoria. The exotic garden with its large lawn and the cutting garden with its beautiful array of blooms are a sight to behold.