Located in the north-east of Norwich between the suburb of Sprowston and the village of Rackheath is the hidden gem of Harrison’s Wood. We stumbled on this one entirely by accident one afternoon whilst out for the weekly shop and instantly it was a hit with the family, becoming one of the first on our favourites list.
Parking
Harrison’s Wood offers multiple access points many of which we have used however we recommend using the car park located on Blue Boar Lane – simply search ‘Cottage plantation’ for the free public car park or type in NR7 8RZ and keep an eye out for forest car park. Bare in mind that particularly on weekends this is quiet popular and the car park itself has capacity for approx. 10 cars.
The walk
As with most woodland walks the journey you take is flexible and Harrison’s Wood is no exception. The paths themselves are well established and you often see both bicycles and pushchairs navigating there way along the walkways. When we visited in the autumn you are surrounded by the fallen leaves and a variety of brightly coloured mushrooms which was an entirely different walk from the deep green summer walks we experienced earlier in the year.
We’ve always found that when we take our children to any woodlands they quickly occupy themselves with climbing trees, building dens or scavenging sticks off the floor. This is clearly a hot spot for families with children as dotted about the forest you’ll find secret hidden dens of varying sizes which are great to explore. In the centre along one of the ‘main’ paths that runs through the forest there is a large rope swing which the kids love !
The walk is approximately a mile long if you take the full circuit around the outside, however little paths cut a across the walk ways at multiple points allowing you to increase the length if you desire.
The Norfolk Explorers therefore would highly recommend this adventure; it provides something for the whole family, and provides the peace and quiet we parents need from our children as they explore the great outdoors . We hope you enjoyed reading this blog, so go ahead leave a comment, follow the blog and we’ll see you soon!
Cost – Free
Distance – 1 mile lap but plenty to stop and see along the way .
Toilets – No
Catering – No
Dog Friendly – Yes
Norfolk explorers - Family Blog 