Discover South Norfolk, land of heroes and rebels

Let's go. Diss Mere

With Let’s go! we’d like to share ideas on simple things you can do for free, local stories to discover and great attractions in South Norfolk. When you live in a place it can be hard to see what’s special about it and, sometimes, you need to just ditch the chores and head out into our beautiful district! Enjoy good times in South Norfolk, where you can mix it up with sparkling experiences, the most delicious local food and drink, and glorious market towns.

“Our tourism economy is worth over £220 million a year for local businesses and is a significant contributor to our economy. We live in a beautiful district with inviting market towns, layers of history, great walks and it’s even sunny enough for award-winning vineyards! Let’s go! is all about inspiring our residents and at the same time supporting our tourism sector.” Cllr Lisa Overton-Neal

Wherever you go in South Norfolk you’ll find a spirit of rebellion.
Book yourself on a tour at cutting-edge car manufacturer Lotus or at an award-winning vineyard.
Feel Boudicca’s spirit of rebellion when you walk along Boudicca Way. About 2000 years ago she set off to give the Romans a fright by burning down Colchester and London.
In Wymondham find out how Robert Kett who stood up for workers’ rights in 1549, leading thousands of peasants from Wymondham into Norwich to battle against the King’s army.
Shop in Harleston, once the scene of a 1570 plot to assassinate Elizabeth I during a royal visit, which failed, which is also the home of two Pilgrim Fathers who set sail on the Mayflower.
At Thorpe Abbotts discover the story of the 100th Bomb Group, also as featured in Apple TV's 'Masters of the Air'.
Walk with alpacas near Wymondham and Loddon.

What’s on, where to stay and what to do in South Norfolk

Explore, experience and enjoy FREE events celebrating South Norfolk’s history and culture from 6 to 15 September.
In South Norfolk, HOD opportunities include behind the scenes of the Corn Hall in Diss, the science of scent at the John Innes Centre, Mayflower events in Harleston, the Romans in Caistor, art at Raveningham Hall and Sir John P Boileau’s ice house.
It’s a chance to have a look around special places and see objects which are often not available to the public. Please check the timings, then make plans to visit your favourite events.
All South Norfolk HOD events
Find out more about Norfolk Heritage Open Days
A historic market town with an impressively turbulent past
Wymondham is an idyllic market town in South Norfolk with a picturesque marketplace, intriguing shops, medieval lanes, ancient meadows, museum, steam train station and the magnificent Wymondham Abbey, all within a few minutes’ walk between each spot.
It also has an impressively turbulent past, mostly thanks to Robert Kett, a truly modern thinker who stood up for the rights of poor workers in the summer of 1549 and dared to challenge the King’s authority. He gathered thousands of peasants in Wymondham and led them into battle in Norwich against the King’s men. As a spoiler, let’s say it didn’t end well for Kett and his story ends gorily at the Abbey.
Today the interior glows peacefully with the awe-inspiring gold altar, overlooked by a flight of life-sized carved angels in the ceiling. Join a tour of the glorious Abbey and take time to sit deep within the medieval-style herb garden sheltered by the Abbey wall, full of scent and bees. Just across the ancient meadow and the River Tiffey there is the Mid Norfolk Railway Station, with a steam train linking to Dereham, giving you a chance to travel in fun, vintage style.
If you ever wondered how brushes of every kind were once made, the Wymondham Heritage Museum has all the answers. It’s packed full of busy market town stories and the objects that bring this history to life. For a different kind of nostalgia, visit Toll’s Meadow, a wonderful nature reserve with many of the plants and wildlife that used to be common everywhere, including the delightful water vole, just like the character in Wind in the Willows.
Make sure to stop for afternoon tea, a coffee or lunch somewhere along the market street or for a pint in the Green Dragon, one of England’s oldest pubs, and imagine that the rebel Robert Kett probably once sat there. It neighbours Becket's Chapel now a fine creative centre where you can enjoy exhibitions, acquire unique pieces of art or try your hand at creating something beautiful. Then dip into the shops to browse or buy something lovely to remind you of your day in a classic market town.
Visit Wymondham and enjoy a wonderful day.
A Georgian market town where you can sit in the sun and watch the world go by
People have shopped and traded in Harleston for centuries, especially since Market Day was granted in 1369, and still going strong every Wednesday. Today it is that rare thing, the market town of your imagination, surrounded by beautiful countryside. The Thoroughfare is lined with tempting independent shops, wonderful pubs and cafés, alongside wide pavements where you can sit with your coffee and take a moment to enjoy the scene.
With about 200 medieval buildings Harleston would look much like Lavenham, if it wasn’t for the heady prosperity of the 1700s, which led to the beautiful Georgian era facades that make it so pretty now. The self-indulgent Georgians would have thought it entirely right that today’s travellers can enjoy magnificent hospitability in sumptuous inns and in a fabulous guest house with a hammam spa.
You’ll find grand history, as local legend says the town’s name comes from Harold's Stone, for the stone in the Thoroughfare by the landmark Clocktower, where King Harold is thought to have stood, to allocate land. A few centuries later the course of history teetered on a knife edge in 1570 thanks to the Midsummer Fair Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, which luckily came to nothing.
There’s also a significant USA connection, as explained along the Mayflower Trail, all about two Harleston men Samuel and Edward Fuller who set sail on the Mayflower in 1620, ready to build a new world in America. Edward’s son, christened in Redenhall close by, went on to have nine children leading to thousands of descendants living in America today, all with a personal link to this lovely market town in the winding Waveney Valley. Discover more on visitharleston.org.uk or at the Harleston Museum next to King George's Hall in Broad Street.
Visit glorious Harleston and indulge yourself just like the Georgians did.
A old-world market town on the River Chet, leading to alpacas, vineyards and the stars
This sunny market town with a winding high street, and the splendid Holy Trinity Church and Loddon Marina at its heart, is surrounded by rolling South Norfolk countryside, which dips gently down towards the River Chet.
It is an ideal anchor point for exploring the South Norfolk Broads by boat or as a base for idyllic walks, such as the Chet River Circular Walk with its weeping willows, which starts at Loddon Staithe. It’s great cycling country too. When you return to base, expect a warm welcome in the pubs and cafés in town, enjoying delicious food and drink. Talking of which, there’s an award-winning vineyard close by if you fancy a tour finding out what’s involved in producing a great English vintage. They’ve got a cottage you can stay in too, but there’s choice all around, including a stylish Loddon inn opposite the Church or fun shepherd’s huts at campsites.
How about taking alpacas for an unforgettable stroll on sunny day? The alpaca farm with its quirky characters and their great hairdos is within a few minutes’ drive. If you could do with some garden inspiration you’ll love wandering through the dreamy Edwardian walled gardens at Raveningham Hall. Around Loddon, the skies are velvety dark at night, so you could plan a your trip around opportunities to contemplate the planets and the stars at the Seething Observatory. For all the info check the Loddon’s Tourist Information Centre and the benorfolk.co.uk websites
Visit Loddon, for days full of distinctive adventures.
An entertaining market town with a mysterious Mere and a cultural heart in the Heritage Triangle
Come to Diss, where the ducks regularly walk from the Mere to the bakery for lunch treats. Then let them guide you back to the park around the Mere, to enjoy the view over the lake and the wildlife gardens, and debate whether this is the crater of a long extinct volcano or a deep pit left behind by a glacier after the last ice age. It’s incredibly deep and full of fish, including monster catfish, which adds to the thrill when you stroll out on the boardwalk, ice cream in hand. Or sit back on a pub or café terrace and watch for unusual ripples.
Famously it’s also the destination in one of Sir John Betjeman’s poems, as described in this extract where he’s urging Mary Wilson to travel with him. Yes, it will be bliss, To go with you by train to Diss, Your walking shoes upon your feet; We'll meet, my sweet, at Liverpool Street.
Browsing and shopping for everything you need is what you do in a market town, so starting at the Mere, follow the High Street all the way to the Heritage Triangle with its historic Yards, such as Cobbs Yard and Hales Yard. It’s all there, from frocks to knitting wool to fabulous baskets to unique artworks to kitchen ironworks, and to gorgeous food and wine. At the foot of the Triangle, is the well-organised Diss Museum in the wonderfully-named building called The Shambles. At the top, is the striking Corn Hall Exchange with its imposing Doric pillars, once a place for farmers to trade gossip and corn, and today a cultural hub with a packed programme of art events, exhibitions and shows. Then a short drive away you’ll find the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum and Bressingham Steam Museum & Gardens.
Visit Diss, for an entertaining time that could last way into the night.
‘Little London’ is the nickname for this charming Norfolk town, with a family connection to Abraham Lincoln
Stand on the Green in Hingham in Norfolk and whichever way you look, you’ll see glorious Georgian townhouses, all different, but all beautiful. In the 1700s many London socialites came here and built these houses which are unusually fine for a small country town, which is why Hingham came by the nickname of Little London.
There are lovely independent shops and places to eat including an atmospheric pub, where you can stay as well, and tearooms for a full-on afternoon tea or brunch. The incredible salvage shop is a treasure trove of one-off pieces and it will inspire you to restyle your home and garden.
The connection with one of America’s most iconic Presidents started with the Lincolns who travelled to America and helped to settle the town of Hingham in Massachusetts. Samuel Lincoln, who sailed as a weaver’s apprentice, is the man who is the direct ancestor of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America. In St Andrew’s Church you’ll find the bust of Lincoln which was gifted by the people of the younger Hingham in 1919.
It’s worth visiting the Church for its fine mediaeval windows and looking out for the regular Paws for Coffee events when dogs are just as welcome as their owners. Then it’s only a short drive down peaceful and mostly empty lanes to Melsop Rare Breeds Farm Park where you can have a fun time meeting a multitude of animals, including Albion cattle and Ouessant sheep, the smallest sheep breed in the world.
Visit Hingham, and you’ll find you’re in Little London.

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