BWRT & NORTH NORFOLK - 5 TOP WELLBEING ACTIVITIES MADE FOR EACH OTHER.

Ask anyone to think about North Norfolk and they’ll immediately picture big blue skies, sandy beaches, flint house and quiet villages. Not to mention the amazing restaurants, shops and friendly people. Yes, there’s a few ‘fancy-pants’ villages where the red-trouser brigade have made it their second home but North Norfolk is a special place indeed.

As a BWRT (BrainWorking Recursive Therapy) practictioner, I see many people and help them with their issues such as anxiety, addictions, fears, anger and stress and many more issues besides and although BWRT is really effective at cutting off old emotional responses to issues and getting you to feel back in control having chosen ‘new responses’ to old issues, it always helps to look at other ways of complementing the ‘new you’ and your wellbeing and, luckily, North Norfolk has plenty of activities to get you outside, feeling calm and happy.

Here’s my top five wellbeing top-ups:

BEACH WALKS

North Norfolk has some of the finest beaches and no other district in the country has more Blue Flag beaches than north Norfolk. Six beaches, East and West Runton, Comer, Mundesley, Sea Palling and Sheringham, have Blue Flag status meaning they are clean and safe; they also have sloped paved access and are therefore fully accessible from the promenade.

Two of the sunniest resorts in Norfolk, Heacham and Hunstanton, are west facing so enjoy the most dramatic sunsets. Hunstanton, or Sunny Hunny, is an elegant Victorian resort, and is most famous for its striped cliffs. The large sandy beach is ideal for families with rock pools to explore and is a great spot for kite-surfing. Three miles along the coast is Heacham. Its north and south beaches face west and look out to a huge 20 mile bay. The water here is shallow and sheltered, ideal for children.

Go east along the coast and you'll find Brancaster. The beach is stunning with miles of golden sand and is dog friendly. With the tidal salt marshes of nearby Scolt Head and the fantastically flat sands ideal for kite surfing (in designated areas), Brancaster Beach has something for everyone. And of course, if you have a dog, they’ll thank you for improving their wellbeing too!

SEAL TRIPS

The colony at Blakeney Point, a nature reserve run by the National Trust since 1912, is home to Common and Grey seals, and with over 3,000 pups born each year, it makes Blakeney Point the largest colony in England and a boat trip is always a relaxing treat - on the water, breeze in your face, you can’t beat it!

Blakeney Point, with its distinctive blue Lifeboat House visitor centre, is a four-mile shingle and sand spit, which is also accessible by foot from Cley car park. (The western-most end is fenced off during the breeding season, from October to January, for the safety of seals and nesting birds).

Also recognised as internationally important for its breeding birds, you are likely to see Sandwich and Little Terns in Summer, as well as Common and Arctic Terns as they begin to arrive from West Africa in April. On the sands you might also see Oyster Catchers, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and Turnstones. During the winter, you can often see duck and geese including Teal, Pintail, Pinkfooted Geese, noisily passing overhead.

FOOD & DRINK

In the whole of Norfolk, there are over 1000 pubs, with many in north Norfolk. For centuries, Norfolk produced world-renowned malt from local maltings and had hundreds of brewers. The climate and conditions in the region are ideal; the light, sandy soil over chalk; mild winters and summer sea frets (mist) mellow the crop, creating unique delicate flavours.

There are now over 50 micro-brewers in the county, alongside a superb array of pubs, from traditional thatched country inns, to coastal pubs and bars.

And when you get hungry after sampling some of the above, nothing beats fish and chips on the beach! From the north Norfolk coast, you can look forward to samphire, seabass, mussels, cod and the famous Cromer crab. From the farmlands, you can enjoy a wide variety of vegetable crops, seasonal fruits, award-winning cheesemakers and dairies, local specialist producers, butchers and game dealers, making the north Norfolk food experience unique. There is a vast choice of fantastic places to eat, from the fish and chip restaurants, to fine dining, to award-winning gastro pubs. 

PARKLIFE

The National Trust is an important part of north Norfolk, home to Blickling Hall, Felbrigg Hall and Sheringham park, among others, it provides a rich blend of hisory with its stately homes and amazing walks. Blickling is a superb place to find lots of terrific walks and Felbrigg isn’t far behind. For great walks, superb woodlands, flora and fauna, plus glimpses of the sea, you can’t go wrong with Sheringham park.

DARK SKIES

The Norfolk coast, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, boasts some of the darkest skies in the country. People are attracted to north Norfolk for its peacefulness, and the darkness plays a key part in creating this tranquillity. The lack of artificial light helps the coast retain its rural character, while the darkness creates a closeness to the surrounding natural landscape.

As Norfolk is a rural county, industrial activity is sparse, meaning there are less pollutants pumped into the air which can lead to a serious reduction in the clarity of the night sky. As a result, clear night skies in north Norfolk allow visitors an unrivalled view of the night sky. 

In recognition of the incredible dark skies on the coast, two sites within north Norfolk's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty have been awarded Dark Sky Discovery Site status. Wiveton Downs and Kelling Heath Holiday Park have both met the strict criteria set by the UK Dark Sky Discovery Partnership, meaning these sites are away from local light pollution, have good sightlines of the sky and have good public access, including firm ground for wheelchairs. 

BWRT & Wellbeing in Norfolk

Although the five activities, above, can all help you maintain your wellbeing and keep you healthy and happy, the road to happiness for some begins with addressing the issues that are holding them back; if you want to stop smoking, or be able to let anxiety go or need to address something that happened earlier in your life or just get back to being you again, I can help by using BrainWorking Recursive Therapy and together we’ll unleash the true power of your mind.

Find out for yourself how BWRT can help you.