From marshlands to rose gardens, Norwich is home to many peaceful spots for those wanting to escape to nature.
Here are seven places to enjoy the city centre’s green areas:
Whitlingham Country Park
Set around the Great Broad, Whitlingham Country Park is a must-see for nature lovers.
The Park covers 280 acres of stunning countryside, offers walks around the broads, through woodlands and across meadows.
Refreshments can be purchased in the barn café or visitors can bring their own food and have a BBQ in designated areas.
For those wanting to experience some excitement in nature, Whitlingham Adventure offers a variety of land and water based for people of all ages.
The Park is also home to a diverse wildlife from kingfishers to foxes thanks to its range of habitats, making it a must for those wanting to spot some members of Norfolk’s animal kingdom.
Entry to the Country Park is free.
Plantation Garden
Known locally as ‘The Secret Garden’, the Plantation Garden is a lush, nineteenth century garden only a ten-minute walk from Norwich’s city centre, perfect for those looking for a central place to relax in nature.
Established over 100 years ago, the garden is set inside an old chalk quarry, spanning three acres
Amongst a gothic fountain and a variety of terraces, flower beds and mature trees offer year-round colour making for beautiful walks at any time of year.
The main parts of the garden are fully accessible, but there are some steep slopes on the walkways through the wooded areas of the gardens.
Despite being described as ‘secret’, the gardens are easy to find, sitting beside the St John’s Cathedral on Earlham Road.
Entry to the Garden is £2, or free for members, and is open from 9am till 6pm.
Eaton Park
Eaton Park’s 80 acres offers a wide variety of things to do and see, making it just one of Norwich’s perfect places for those wanting to experience a slice of nature.
Open year round, visitors can wander around the circular rose garden, or around the sunken lily pond whilst taking in the beauty of the park’s lawns and tree-lined paths.
A range of activities are available for guests to take part in, including pitch and putt, a miniature railway, and space for tennis, football and cricket.
Those wanting a coffee or slice of cake can head to the café located within one of the four colonnaded pavilions that surrounded the gorgeous domed bandstand.
Entry to the park is free.
Mousehold Heath
The largest local nature reserve in Norwich, Mousehold Heath is the perfect spot for those wanting to stroll through nature.
The unique Heath covers 184 acres of heathland, woodland, and recreational open space, north of Norwich.
The Heath is the ideal spot for walkers all year round, and offers some of the most stunning views of the Norwich skyline.
Both foot golf and pitch and putt are available for visitors during the spring and summer season, with no need to book to take part.
Marston Marsh
South of Norwich sits Marston Marsh, a peaceful area that had been recognised by Natural England as a place with wildlife of special interest.
The marsh is made up of over 26 hectares, consisting of fields split up by a network of dykes.
A path has been built around the marsh with aims to provide access to all, allowing wilder parts of the marsh to be explored.
The marshland is home to many species year-round, including water voles, dragonflies, and geese in the winter.
Earlham Park Woods
Situated on the edge of Earlham Park, this wood is a 20-acre Local Nature Reserve offering beautiful walks through wooded areas.
Visitors can expect a diverse range of scenery as they walk through dense tall marsh, grasslands, and woodlands.
The attached Earlham Park has a café which offers refreshments for walkers every day except Monday and Thursday.
The River Yare flows through one end of the park creating a popular paddling place for families in the summer.
Bowthorpe Marsh
This low-lying area of unimproved grassland and tall-herb fen sits along the banks of the River Yare, to the west of the Norwich.
The green space is crossed by a network of ditches that drain into the river and that provide a home to aquatic species.
Blackthorn scrub inhabits the land, which is often grazed upon by horses.
The offers a peaceful and green escape from the city’s centre.
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