Sound Plantation

A proper working forest just inland from Great Yarmouth, Sound Plantation is one of those places where you actually get a sense of what Norfolk's landscape looked like before everything got flattened for farming. The woodland here is dense enough to feel like you've left the coast behind, even though you're barely three miles from the holiday parks at Waxham Sands.

Walking through it - and there are decent tracks if you know where to look - you'll spot everything from Scots pine to broadleaf woodland. It's the kind of place where locals come to stretch their legs rather than families hoping for a theme park experience. That's not a criticism. If you're the sort who actually enjoys being among trees rather than photographing them, this delivers.

The plantation works as a proper escape if you're based at Waxham Sands or Golden Beach for a week. An hour's walk clears your head. Bring decent boots though - Norfolk woodland can be boggy even when it hasn't rained for days. Kids will find it fine if they're the exploring type, but if yours need signposted trails and benches every hundred metres, you might get complaints.

It's free to access and genuinely quiet. Go early or late in the day if you want solitude. The nearest facilities are back in Great Yarmouth, so pack what you need. On a grey Norfolk afternoon when everywhere else feels crowded, this forest actually justifies the detour.