Bucks Common

Bucks Common is one of those Norfolk spots you'll walk past without realising what you're looking at unless someone tells you. It's a proper stretch of open heathland just east of Norwich, the sort of place that rewards a casual wander if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Deer's Mead or Deer's Glade.

The common itself is fairly modest - rolling heath with gorse and scrubby vegetation, nothing dramatic. But that's rather the point. It's genuinely quiet, which makes it valuable in the way that any genuine Norfolk wilderness becomes. You'll spot the occasional walker, maybe a dog or two, and the land just spreads out without fanfare. Good for getting the legs working if you've been parked up at the caravan site, or if you're after a spot that feels properly removed from the main tourist drag around Norwich.

History buffs might find something to chew on - commons like this were always working land, grazed and managed for centuries before the modern world. There's nothing to "do" in the attractions sense. No visitor centre, no interpretation boards that I'm aware of. You simply turn up, have a look around, breathe the air. Allow half an hour to an hour depending on how much you want to wander.

Glen Farm Norfolk is also within reach if you're basing yourself locally. It's not a destination in itself, but it's exactly what a Norfolk park day should include - a chance to remember that the county has proper open spaces beneath all the tourist infrastructure.