Today, the Norfolk Explorers found ourselves on the North Norfolk coast line, in a Little village located near the village of Holt. Baconsthorpe Castle is a lasting reminder of the grand Houses and castles that were dotted across the British landscape in centuries gone by. The village of Baconsthorpe is small and if you’d blink you would miss it, much like the tiny signposts leading you down the farm trail to the remains. If searching for this using google maps simply type ‘Baconsthorpe Castle’ or if searching by postcode use NR25 6LL.
When turning into the sign posted ‘road’ you would think you were actually trespassing as the signage is almost hand written, however follow it down and on your right you’ll see the remains of the outer gate house, simply park up and explore ! Parking itself cost’s £2, with the site being ‘unmanned’ therefore will require you to text to pay the fee.
On our arrival another family with a similar idea to us were using the lush green grass in front of the outer gate house to enjoy a picnic. At the edge of the car park before you follow the path to the outer gate house a fixed information board gives an overview of the history of the estate and also a birds eye view of the site. You’ll notice that on its own its not a significantly large area therefore doesn’t constitute a long walk however the area is covered in history and you natural curiosity and that of your kids will keep you all entertained.
The castle grounds offer everything you’d expect from a historic castle from flint castle walls, a surrounding moat and the remains of watch towers. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the site, and the children asked many questions about how those who resided here lived their lives.
We decided to end our exploration with a quick coffee and a pot noodle..however this is where it went wrong. After the Kettle was boiling on our portable burner for 5 or so minutes the oldest noticed that the butane gas can was nearing the end and he took it into his own hands to replace it. Without noticing he’d then grabbed a spare can from the crate and attempted to replace it. At this point he thought he was doing right as I’d shown him how to do it several times yet this time he failed to correctly lock it into place. The result was when he clicked the ignite button the stove burst into flames. Naturally he ran, leaving a 5 foot fire pouring from the stove within arms reach of my car. My initial reaction was to quickly get the stove away from my car out of fear of it exploding, resulting in me toe punting the stove a good 2 meters from my car in a fire ball of glory. The stove continued to leak gas and my input merely ‘fueled the fire’ (excuse the pun). I tried pouring 2 litres of water over the stove, which had little impact. Finally, whilst covering my face I freed the can from the stove and kicked a further 2 meters across the field.
Overall the day out was refreshing , not seeking a several mile walk but an opportunity to take in the history of the site and the scale of what once stood here. The children thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the ruins and nooks and crannys dotted across the site therefore this gets a thumbs up from the Norfolk Explorers. As always, if you enjoyed this post give the blog a thumbs up and click the follow button for a new blog every Sunday, or take the opportunity to look back at all the places we’ve visited in the ‘adventures’ section and things we’ve experienced along our way. Follow us on Instagram too for our day to day adventures and further content!
Cost – £2 parking paid for by text
Distance – Short
Toilets – No
Catering – No
Dog Friendly – Yes
Norfolk explorers - Family Blog 