Banningham Village Sign

The village sign at Banningham is one of those lovely Norfolk details that stops you mid-walk and makes you actually look at something. It's a proper piece of local art, the sort of thing that tells you what a place thinks of itself. East of Norwich, this small village has commissioned a sign that works as a small gallery - it captures something about rural Norfolk life and the community here.

You're not talking about a major attraction that'll eat up your afternoon. It's a quick stop, really - five minutes to appreciate the craftsmanship and whatever the sign depicts about Banningham's character. But that's rather the point. It's the kind of thing you stumble upon when you're cycling between villages or taking a proper wander through the Norfolk countryside.

If you're camping at Deer's Mead or Deer's Glade - both within a couple of miles - you could easily incorporate this into a morning constitutional. Same goes for Top Farm Campsite at three and a half miles out. It works as a gentle focal point for a walk rather than a destination in itself. History types might find it interesting as a window into how villages represent themselves; families with young kids won't get much from it unless they're already on a countryside ramble. Go when the light's decent enough to photograph it properly, and don't expect facilities or opening hours - it's a village sign, after all, sitting there year-round in the Norfolk air.