The Blakeney Conservation Duck Pond

A shallow pond ringed with reeds and wild grasses, just outside Fakenham - this is where you'll find ducks, geese, and the occasional heron if you're lucky enough and keep still. The Blakeney Conservation Duck Pond isn't some manicured attraction with viewing platforms and gift shops. It's a proper working wetland, managed for wildlife rather than tourists, which makes it all the better.

You can walk right up to the water's edge. Bring binoculars if you've got them - there's genuine birdwatching to be done here, though don't expect anything exotic. What you get are shovelers, teals, and if the season's right, migrating species stopping over. Kids under ten often find twenty minutes enough unless they're seriously into ducks. The path is accessible but muddy after rain, so choose your footwear accordingly.

It won't cost you anything, and there's no time limit. Go early morning or late afternoon when the light's better and the birds more active. Midday tends to be quiet.

If you're based at Kelling Heath Holiday Park or North Norfolk Camping Glamping, this works as a gentle half-hour detour rather than a destination in itself. Pair it with a proper walk along the coast at Blakeney Point itself - that's where the real drama happens. The pond is the warm-up act, worth doing if you're in the area, but don't rearrange your holiday around it.