Broome Heath

The heathland around Broome, just east of Bungay, opens up in a way that proper East Anglian landscapes do - all sky and space and the kind of quiet you don't get in most of England. Broome Heath is a nature reserve where the dominant habitat is heather, which turns purple and gold depending on the season. The paths wind through fairly open terrain, low vegetation punctuated by scattered trees. It's the sort of place where you'll actually spot things: gorse, wild flowers, and if you're lucky, birds of prey circling overhead.

Walkers get the most from this one. It's not a riverside stroll or a grand estate walk - it's proper heath walking, with the ground underfoot changing depending on what's been happening weather-wise. The lack of crowds means you can genuinely hear the birds, which is rather the point. Two hours here is comfortable without feeling rushed. Come in late summer when the heather's in bloom; spring is decent too, but winter can be boggy.

Families with young kids should manage fine if everyone's reasonable walkers, though there's no facilities or café to break things up. It works well as a morning before heading to one of the nearby campsites - Wardley Hill is closest at under two miles, or if you want something with more going on, Dawn Chorus Holidays does glamping safari tents on a working farm, which children seem to find endlessly entertaining. Broome Heath won't take all day, but it's exactly the kind of wild space that makes a Norfolk break feel properly restorative rather than just another park visit.