Gresham Castle

Grass-covered mounds and fragments of flint walls mark what remains of this 14th-century fortress, though calling it a castle today requires considerable imagination. Gresham Castle sits on private farmland east of Cromer, and while you can glimpse the earthworks from the nearby footpath, there's precious little left to fire the imagination of castle enthusiasts.

Built by Sir Edmund de Gresham around 1319, the castle was already falling into ruin by Tudor times. What survived the centuries didn't fare well against more recent agricultural improvements. History buffs might appreciate the setting - you can make out the original moat and bailey outline if you know what you're looking for.

Families staying at nearby Kelling Heath Holiday Park or West Runton Camping might find this a brief diversion during a coastal walk, but don't expect a proper castle experience. The site takes all of ten minutes to appreciate, and there's no visitor centre or interpretation boards to flesh out the story.

Walkers following the Norfolk Coast Path will pass close by, making this more of a historical footnote than a destination in its own right. The real draw here is the surrounding countryside rather than the castle ruins themselves - pleasant enough for a leg-stretch if you're camping locally, but hardly worth a special journey from Cromer.