All things days out

Delightful natural woodland and water garden with a private Broad. 

The Sensory Garden is the first thing you’ll see as you walk into Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden. It has been designed with our visually and mobility impaired customers in mind.

In spring the garden 'springs' into life again. The primroses come into flower along the Broads Walk and the woodland paths. In May the glorious sight of bluebells will delight you, and our spectacular candelabra primulas, together with azaleas and rhododendrons.

There's lots of activity among the water birds and if you are lucky you may see a flash of vivid blue as the kingfisher dives for its prey.

In Summer there are flowers and shrubs including hydrangeas – in particular along our Hydrangea Walk – foxgloves and many other wild flowers. Several varieties of butterflies can be seen on our butterfly path.

Autumn brings its own special pleasure, the glow of the golds, reds and browns of the trees as they shed their leaves. The stark contrast of bare branches in Winter has a different kind of beauty, and withering birds come to shelter in the broads.

In December you can buy Christmas trees, wreaths and gifts and Father Christmas will visit before Christmas with gifts for children.

Fairhaven has three miles of peaceful walks. Boat trips are available on our Private Broad and South Walsham Broad from Easter to the end of October, including trips to St Benet's Abbey.

There is a plant sales area which specialises in woodland and bog plants, a Gift Shop, small provisions shop and the Kingfisher Tearoom for breakfast (from 9.15am) morning coffees, lunches and afternoon teas, using the best of local produce. Free entry to tearoom, shop and plant sales.

Dogs welcome on leads (small charge for poop scoop).

Situated nearby to Loddon and Beccles our gardens surround Raveningham Hall, home to Sir Nicholas and Lady Bacon (and home to the Bacon family since 1735).

Enjoy the beauty of our varied and ever-changing floral seasons. The Gardens are set out as the Edwardian plans with large herbaceous borders surrounding a Victorian walled kitchen garden. In the 1960s the planting was enhanced by the inspiration of Priscilla, Lady Bacon an energetic plantswoman who collected many rare species from around the world transforming the garden over 50 years. The walled kitchen garden was brought back to full working order in the last 20 years and is now producing fruit and vegetables for the House. There is a fine late 19th century Boulton and Paul range of glasshouses, stocked conservatory and melon pits, all in working order.

A Millennium project by Nicholas Bacon to build a lake on the North side of the House is now firmly established as is an Arboretum that was planted after the destruction of a wood in the 1987 gale; this gave an opportunity to plant a large variety of trees and shrubs under a plan designed by the eminent plantsman Roy Lancaster. New additions to the garden include a Herb Garden, a Stumpery and a garden designed around Francis Bacon’s essays based on the passage of time.

The main specialities of the garden are snowdrops followed by bulbs in early spring, later in the season agapanthus are a main feature. Our Gardens are circa 10 acres all in a glorious 18th Century parkland setting with sculpture by Susan Bacon in and around the gardens. Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

Main Season Opening Times

We are open for both individual visits and Group Tours of 10-30 people.

Our Gardens are open throughout February to celebrate our famous snowdrop season from 11-4pm (closed Saturdays) and on set days May to September. Please see our website www.raveningham.com  for opening days, times & admission costs.

Friends of Raveningham Gardens

Become a Friend of our Gardens and for just £25 per person, per year, you could enjoy unlimited admission during our normal opening times as well as special visiting times all year round.

Please contact sonya@raveningham.com 01508 548480 for all enquiries, individual or group.

We look forward to welcoming you to our living garden.

What is Westacre?  What happens at Westacre and when?  Where is Westacre?  Well, a warm welcome awaits you at Westacre Theatre which has been offering inspiring, inclusive and creative excellence in the heart of West Norfolk for over a quarter of a century.  And Westacre Theatre is probably the only all year-round rural performance venue anywhere in East Anglia.

Why?  You find Theatres in towns and cities – where there are lots of people.  But Westacre is different.  In rolling countryside, Westacre Theatre’s scenic setting comes complete with landscaped lagoon.  In the Summer, the sheltered South-facing terrace hums with audiences eager with anticipation. 

Centrally located just 10 minutes’ drive from Swaffham, 20 minutes from King’s Lynn, and within half an hour of Downham Market, Watton, Dereham, and Fakenham it is easily accessible to most communities in West Norfolk. 

But tucked away in peace and solitude; it remains one of West Norfolk’s best kept secrets.  And once found, everyone always says how lovely it is and ‘Why didn’t we know about Westacre before?’

Westacre attracts all-comers so the volunteers, cast and crew are a happy band performing vital roles in its varied activities.  Many of the team are long-serving troopers; once at Westacre people tend to stay for the friendship and fulfilment. 

West End this is not and nor does it pretend to be.  But The Westacre Theatre Company perform regularly to great acclaim – straight plays of immense integrity and magical musicals too.  As you may expect, Westacre Theatre is more than just a stage.  You can hear every word and see every movement from any of its 80 seats.  The fully-equipped studio theatre is central to its all-inclusive ethos but there are many other parts too.  And the sum of those parts is greater than the converted Chapel where Westacre Theatre was born 25 years ago and is truly a tardis. 

Its own in-house productions are complemented by sourcing the very best Live! and Encore screenings via satellite from the likes of National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare, The Globe and Matthew Bourne.  Fans of mainstream cinema are catered for under the Wednesday Flicks banner showing a carefully selected programme of contemporary films. 

The Riverside Café-Bar serves relaxing drinks, light lunches and simple suppers.  The light and airy Foyer Gallery hosts a continuous back-to-back varied programme of exciting art exhibitions from both up-and-coming and established artists based locally and further afield.  Drama workshops are held weekly and in school holidays for young people from 6 to 18 years old.  Popular art and craft master-classes are all in the repertoire and often over-subscribed.    

There is ample free off-road parking (with surfaced spaces by the door for the less mobile).  A flat floor throughout (including for a universal access loo) goes right to your front row seat in the Studio Theatre.  Give us a look to see what we mean. 

• W = Wednesday Flicks - The best of contemporary cinema
• E = Education – Classes in art, crafts and play reading; Bursaries for fortunate students
• S = Screenings – The satellite link brings world class performances to our full-size screen
• T = Theatre – Take your pick from well-known favourites or more challenging drama
• A = Acting – For ages 6 to 18 to create drama without a crisis in weekly drama classes, half term and summer workshops
• C = Café-Bar – Relaxing drinks at all our performances with light lunches and pre-performance suppers at selected shows – they are very popular so advance booking is wise
• R = Riverside Walk – A short wander from our sheltered terrace takes you to the tranquil River Nar
• E = Exhibitions – Artists of all abilities display their latest work in the three distinct spaces open at performance times

Performances and activities are presented in three seasons each year so there is always something new about to take off. www.westacretheatre.com is constantly updated so a visit there will provide you with the pointers you need about what is in store.  But keep checking because fresh productions are being added all the time.  And the value-for-money ticket prices have to be seen to be believed. 

Westacre Theatre is overseen by a charitable foundation so all the support you give to Westacre (just by enjoying a cup of freshly brewed filter coffee, or acquiring that piece of art which caught the corner of your eye) will all go to the worthwhile cause of keeping Westacre Theatre sustainable and alive for the next generation.  The cast and crew is a tiny team but they certainly make it all happen.  Now they are on your radar, do different and try the Theatre that is different too.      

Good Running Events host events across East Anglia and beyond, with distances from 1 mile fun runs, 5K, 10K, Half Marathons, all the way up to our 24 hour endurance race. We look to provide both traditional road races and multi-terrain scenic races to provide some thing for every type of runner, whether you are a beginner looking for something fun or an experienced runner looking for a fast course and a new PB.

Our 2023 events are as follows:

18th June Run Sandringham Half Marathon, 5km and Community Mile. Our season starts at the Iconic Sandringham Estate, Winter Residence of the Royal Family, where runners are able to enjoy a race through the beautiful walled gardens as well as the wider estate and parkland.

We return to Sandringham Estate on the 19th-20th August for the Run Sandringham 24 hour Race, with runners aiming to run as many 5 mile laps of the estate as they can in 24 hours, including many night laps by headtorch. This event is one of the highlights of our calendar for many as they bring their families to the estate for a weekend of camping, live music and running.

We finish our Run Sandringham series with Run Sandringham 10K on 24th September which once again gives runners a chance to set a PB through the Gardens, Parkland and closed roads in the wider estate.

Run Snetterton 5k and 10k on 2nd August gives runners the chance to run at the famous Snetterton racetrack. This fast race circuit provides runners a unique opportunity to get a PB on this closed racetrack, with a grandstand finish in the pit lane. Runners have the option of running a single lap 5K or two lap 10K distance, finishing as the sun sets over this iconic circuit.

The Great Eastern Run on 15th October in Peterborough gives runners the chance to experience a City Centre half marathon. Runners feel the buzz of a big crowd as they weave their way through the streets of Peterborough past many of the city’s landmarks in this marque event. Joined by athletes from countries around the world, pacers will help runners strive for a PB on this fast course. A fully equipped event village makes this a great event for the family.

The Duxford Dash 5k and 10k on 22nd October marks the completion of our events for the season with us returning to the track (or runway) to run along the famous Duxford airfield, lined with historic planes and landing vehicles this event truly is a one of a kind.

All our races have their own unique medal upon completion, along with other merchandise options to remember your day by.

2023 East Anglia Event Calendar

18th June, Run Sandringham Half Marathon, 5K and Community Mile

19th-20th August, Run Sandringham 24

2nd August, Run Snetterton 5K and 10K

24th September, Run Sandringham 10K

15th October, Great Eastern Run

22nd October, Duxford Dash 5K and 10K

Mattishall Golf Club is home to Mattishall Golf Academy, a new building full of indoor golfing fun! The Academy has the latest Trackman simulators and a 9-hole indoor mini golf course, both of which can be played come rain or shine. It’s perfect for individuals, friends, families, birthday parties, stag and hen parties or just a fun afternoon/evening out..

Our Indoor Mini Golf course includes a variety of interesting and tricky obstacles for players to putt through, over, under and around! This of which can be enjoyed by all ages, from 5yrs+. Just grab a score card and start putting your way around our 9 hole fun and challenging Indoor Mini Golf course it’s sure to entertain you all…and don’t forget to take that all important photo for the gram on our floral photo wall before or after your game.

Our Trackman simulators give you the chance to play the courses you have dreamt of playing from all over the world. The Trackman system collects, measures and provides data to help you to unleash your true golfing potential. Themed games are another option on the Simulators which are great for the little ones or for anyone who is just looking for some golfing fun. We offer custom fittings and expert coaching is available with our PGA professional on our Simulators too. 

We know golf is a social game, so we’ve made the Academy a place to socialise with its own licensed bar and on-site food including pizzas, burgers and loaded fries. We offer lots of different packages therefore you can combine a indoor mini golf round with a session on our simulators plus a few drinks and a bite to eat.

Mattishall Golf Academy also has a well-stocked shop containing all the clothing and equipment to ensure that you look good and play even better. Ranges include Taylor Made, Callaway and Titleist. Our experienced team are always happy to assist if you have any questions or need any advice.

The Bure Valley Railway is Norfolk’s longest Narrow Gauge Steam Railway and operates between the old market town of Aylsham and the bustling Broads towns of Wroxham and is within easy reach of Norwich and the coast.   It was built on the track bed of part of the former Great Eastern Railway and the nine mile line runs through a stretch of lovely, rural Norfolk, following the river Bure through meadowland and ancient pastures, stopping occasionally at small country villages.

Trains operate on a daily basis from the beginning of Easter to the end of October with special events throughout the year, including Santa and Mince Pie Specials.  For those who would like to realise their childhood ambitions to be a train driver, Driver Experience Courses are available during the off-peak periods.

The railway’s facilities include an 80-seater café at Aylsham, which can provide everything from a cup of team to a full meal, a large souvenir and model railway shop.   The railway’s workshops are also based at Aylsham and often open to the public.   At Wroxham Station there is a gift shop and a large second-hand book shop with over 5,000 books run by the Friends of the Bure Valley Railway.  

All trains have special wheelchair accessible coaches and disabled toilet facilities at both Stations.  Free parking is also available at both Stations. We are also Dog Friendly.