Holt

Georgian shop fronts line the main street where independent boutiques still thrive. Holt defies the usual high street doom - this North Norfolk market town has proper character, with Bakers & Larners department store holding court since 1770 and antique shops that actually sell decent pieces rather than tat.

The railway arrived here in Victorian times, and today the North Norfolk Railway still chugs between Holt and Sheringham, passing through Weybourne station where you can hop off for the coast. It's a lovely journey through countryside that rolls from heathland to sea cliffs in just a few miles.

Military history buffs will find plenty at The Muckleburgh Military Collection near Weybourne, where tanks and artillery sit on bluffs overlooking the Channel. The ZSU-23-4 Shilka Anti-aircraft gun is a proper Cold War relic. Less martial but equally compelling is Weybourne Priory, though only fragments remain of what was once a significant Augustinian house.

Kelling Heath stretches south of town - acres of heather and gorse where you can walk for hours without seeing another soul. The higher ground around Fox Hill and Telegraph Hill offers cracking views across to the coast, particularly on clear days when you can spot ships heading for the Wash.

Getting here is straightforward enough. The A148 runs right through town, connecting Holt to Cromer (8 miles east) and King's Lynn (30 miles west). Norwich is about 25 miles south via the A140.

Staying at one of the holiday parks dotted around the area makes perfect sense. You're close enough to nip into Holt for shopping and dinner, yet surrounded by some of Norfolk's finest countryside and within easy reach of both the coast at Sheringham and the wildlife reserves around Cley.