Over the winter break, in a bid to walk off some mince pies, I decided to take a turn around Fairhaven Woodlands Water Gardens in South Walsham, Norfolk.
I’ve been past the entrance numerous times, but on Boxing Day I decided to bite the bullet and see if it’s worth the £5.50 entrance fee.
Ducks on the ice at Fairhaven
I have to say that it is definitely worth the money, because it was stunningly beautiful that day: the entire park was covered in a layer of snow and ice, which was glistening in the sun like the icing on a Christmas cake (obviously it will look somewhat different in summer). Even the huge broad was covered by thick ice, meaning that people were (somewhat stupidly, in my opinion) skating on it. The ducks all looked a wee bit confused by it all though – tapping away at the surface with their beaks.
A million miles away
Most of the little streams throughout the park were solid too, but it made the whole place have a picturesque wonderland feel. It was amazingly quiet and peaceful too, so you felt like you were a million miles away from Norwich.
There was plenty of wildlife too; I managed to make friends with an inquisitive robin, who decided that he wanted to come right up to see if I had any food. He looked rather disappointed when he found my hands were empty – so make sure you take some seeds when you go!
Overall, I think it was well worth the £5.50 fee, because it looked like a Christmas card and also allowed me to get some much needed exercise!
Direction to Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden
Follow the A47 to Yarmouth and leave at the exit for South Walsham. Follow the signs for South Walsham, and once you are in the village, the Woodland is sign posted.
