Roudham Heath Picnic Area

The car park fills up fast on sunny weekends, which tells you everything you need to know about Roudham Heath. It's a proper Norfolk spot - open heathland with scattered pines, the kind of place where you can actually breathe without bumping into someone else's picnic blanket.

There's nothing fancy here. You get tables, space to spread out, and walking trails that meander through heather and gorse. The heath itself is the attraction - wide skies, birdsong, the occasional red kite overhead if you're lucky. Families with young kids find it manageable because the terrain's flat and there's enough room for children to run about without disappearing into the undergrowth. Dog walkers love it, obviously.

Allow a couple of hours minimum if you're actually sitting down with a packed lunch. Longer if you fancy a proper walk - the footpaths connect to wider networks across the heath, so you can easily stretch it to half a day. Spring and early summer are best; wildflowers make it worth the visit, and the light's stunning in the late afternoon.

It's free, which is the main selling point. Close enough to Attleborough for a quick trip, but if you're basing yourself at Wild With Nature just down the road, this beats fighting for space at the busier Norfolk beauty spots. Don't expect facilities beyond the basics - bring what you need and leave it as you found it.