Ten Broadland days out checked this week with 2026 prices: Bure Valley Railway £25 all day, Fairhaven £12, BeWILDerwood from £17.95 and Redwings free.
Broadland does days out better than almost any district its size, because it has two entirely different sets of them: the water, from Wroxham round to Reedham, and the country estates and heritage railways inland around Aylsham. You can spend a day on a broad and a day on a steam train fifteen miles apart.
Every price and opening detail below was checked against the venue’s own website on 9 August 2026. Where something is currently closed or suspended, we say so.
What a day out actually costs
On the water
Salhouse Broad
The closest broad to Norwich, and the easiest introduction to the water if you have never been on it. It does canoe and kayak hire for all levels, day and night moorings on the broad and the river, and tents-only, off-grid camping from April to October. Dogs are welcome for walks, day visits and camping.
It is quiet by design: the site describes itself as being for people who want “a slower, quieter Broads experience”, and it is managed with conservation income rather than as a resort. If you want a beach with a kiosk, this is not it. If you want to paddle somewhere sheltered with children, it is close to ideal. (salhousebroad.org.uk)
Broads Tours, Wroxham
The traditional way to see the Bure without steering. Broads Tours runs river trips with live skipper commentary, light refreshments and a licensed bar from Wroxham, on the Belle of the Broads and the Queen of the Broads. You board via steps, which is worth knowing.
Wheelchair users are catered for but the spaces are limited and must be pre-booked: the Belle takes one manual wheelchair, the Queen takes two, and you book those specifically as a Wheelchair User ticket. They also hire out day boats, electric boats and day cruisers if you would rather drive yourself, and small well-behaved dogs come aboard for a small charge. (broadstours.co.uk)
Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, South Walsham
136 acres of protected habitat with nearly four miles of marked woodland trails and a private broad at the centre, open daily 9am to 5pm all year round. Admission is £12 adults, £10 concessions, £6.50 children aged 4 to 16, free under 4, £30 family, all including a 10% voluntary donation, plus 50p for a dog on a lead. The same price online or on the door.
Check before you go if you were planning to swim. Wild swimming and paddleboarding are currently suspended. The garden’s most recent water quality test showed an improvement but levels are still above the required safety standard, and the next test is scheduled for the week beginning 17 August 2026. The garden, trails, boat trips and café are all unaffected. (fairhavengarden.co.uk)
For children
BeWILDerwood, Hoveton
The one everyone in Norfolk knows: treehouses, zip wires, marsh walks and the Twiggles, spread through real woodland on the edge of the Broads. Tickets are priced by height, not age, because the bigger equipment needs longer arms and legs, and everyone entering needs a ticket including adults.
Day tickets start at £17.95. There is also a Twiggle Tots ticket at £12.50 for one adult and one preschooler, valid on selected dates in May, June, July and September 2026 but not in school holidays, at weekends or on bank holidays, so it is a term-time option only. Memberships start at £45. (bewilderwood.co.uk)
Wroxham Barns
Two attractions on one site. The shopping village, studios and café are free to enter, with free parking, so you can spend an afternoon browsing local makers for the price of a coffee. The Adventure Farm is the paid part, from £8.50 per person depending on when you visit, £3 for ages one to two and free under 12 months. Booking online matters: it is £2 more per person to pay on the gate.
Currently open 10am to 5pm, with Summer at Adventure Farm running 18 July to 2 September 2026: a splash zone, foam parties, animal encounters, a maize maze and daily farm activities. There is camping and glamping on site too. (wroxhambarns.co.uk)
Pettitts Adventure Park, Reedham
Animals, rides and live entertainment at the eastern end of the district, near the Reedham ferry and the Wherry line station. The current programme has live shows with Ranger Jake and park mascot Maxi Mouse every weekend and every day of the school holidays at 2pm. (pettittsadventurepark.co.uk)
Heritage and estates
Bure Valley Railway, Aylsham to Wroxham
A 15-inch gauge steam railway running the nine miles from Aylsham down the Bure valley to Wroxham, calling at the Brampton, Buxton and Coltishall halts, which are request stops in peak season. This is the classic pairing with a Broads boat trip: train one way, water the other.
2026 fares: adult £15.00 single, £25.00 return/rover; child aged 4 to 15 £7.50 and £12.50; under-4s free, maximum two per fare-paying adult. Family tickets are £60 for two adults and two children, £50 for 2+1 and £40 for 1+2. Dogs travel for £3 single, £4 return. The return/rover is unlimited travel all day, which is the ticket that makes a full day of it.
Coming up: an August Bank Holiday Saver, 28 to 31 August 2026, with 25% off full-price fares using code AUGBH2526; a free-entry Classics & Steam Evening at Aylsham Station on 2 September 2026, 5.30pm to 9pm, with classic cars, motorcycles and a barbecue; and an Everything Goes Weekend on 26 and 27 September. (burevalleyrailway.co.uk)
Blickling Estate, near Aylsham
The National Trust’s Jacobean mansion and estate at Blickling, Aylsham, NR11 6NF, and the biggest single visitor draw in the district. House, gardens, parkland, cafés, a shop and a second-hand bookshop. Free to National Trust members.
It is one of the Trust’s better places to bring a dog: Blickling is three-pawprint rated, and the parkland is the part they recommend for a walk. Check current prices and opening on the National Trust’s Blickling page, because the house, gardens and park have different seasons.
Redwings Horse Sanctuary, Aylsham
Free entry and free parking, which makes it the best-value day out in the district by a distance. More than 70 residents including donkeys and Redwings’ Shetland herd, known there as “The Gangsters”. The centre has been given a Visit England award for its welcome and voted Norfolk’s best family attraction in the Muddy Stilettos awards.
One current note straight from the sanctuary: adoption star donkeys Timothy and Cain are away at the horse hospital, so their birthday party planned for Sunday 9 August has been cancelled. (redwings.org.uk)
Roys of Wroxham
Not an attraction exactly, but it is why half of Norfolk drives to Wroxham. Roys has been trading since 1895 and the Wroxham operation sprawls across department store, food store, garden centre and more, on both sides of the road. It is a genuinely odd and genuinely local institution, and it is where you go when the weather turns. (roys.co.uk)
Picking a day out
- Under fives: Wroxham Barns Adventure Farm, or BeWILDerwood on a term-time Twiggle Tots ticket.
- Spending nothing: Redwings at Aylsham, or the Wroxham Barns shopping village and café.
- On the water for the first time: a Broads Tours river trip from Wroxham, with the commentary doing the work.
- On the water yourselves: canoe hire at Salhouse Broad, or a day boat from Wroxham.
- A full day, one ticket: the Bure Valley Railway return/rover at £25, unlimited all day.
- Rain: Roys at Wroxham, or the Wroxham Barns shops and café.
- A dog: Blickling parkland, Fairhaven at 50p a dog, or Salhouse Broad.
Getting to most of these without a car means Norwich first: the Wherry and Bittern lines put you within walking distance of Wroxham, Salhouse, Acle and Reedham, and the park and ride sites at Postwick and the airport are the easiest way in from the rest of the district.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Broadland for free?
Redwings Horse Sanctuary at Aylsham is free to enter with free parking, and the Wroxham Barns shopping village, studios and café are free to walk into with free parking. The Bure Valley Railway’s Classics & Steam Evening on 2 September 2026 is also free entry.
How much is the Bure Valley Railway?
£25.00 for an adult return/rover, which is unlimited travel all day, or £15.00 for a single. Children aged 4 to 15 are £12.50 return, under-4s go free, and a family of two adults and two children is £60.
How much does BeWILDerwood cost?
Day tickets start at £17.95 and are priced by height rather than age. Everyone entering needs a ticket, adults included. A Twiggle Tots ticket for one adult and one preschooler is £12.50, but only on selected term-time dates.
Can you swim at Fairhaven Garden?
Not at the moment. Wild swimming and paddleboarding are suspended on water quality grounds. The most recent test showed improvement but was still above the required safety standard, and the next test is due the week beginning 17 August 2026. The garden, trails, boat trips and café are open as normal, daily 9am to 5pm.
What is the cheapest way to take a family to Wroxham Barns?
Book the Adventure Farm online, because paying on the gate costs £2 more per person. Prices start at £8.50 per person, children aged one to two are £3, and under-12-months go free. The shops, café and parking cost nothing.
Where can I hire a canoe in Broadland?
Salhouse Broad does canoe and kayak hire for all levels on sheltered water, and it is the closest broad to Norwich. Broads Tours at Wroxham hires day boats, electric boats and day cruisers if you want something with an engine.
Sources
Every entry was checked against the venue’s own website on 9 August 2026: Salhouse Broad, Broads Tours, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, BeWILDerwood Norfolk, Wroxham Barns, Pettitts Adventure Park, Bure Valley Railway, Blickling Estate, National Trust, Redwings Aylsham and Roys of Wroxham.
Prices and opening times change, and seasonal attractions change most. Confirm with the venue before you set out, especially for anything on the water.
Have your say
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