Tuck in!

Norfolk’s largest dining experience, Norfolk Restaurant Week, draws closer, offering you the chance to try somewhere new or return to an old favourite. It runs from 3 to 7 November and from 10 to 14 November, so not the weekends. More than 50 restaurants are set to take part, including The Glaven Bistro at Glandford, The Rose and Crown at Harpley, Briarfields at Titchwell, The Lodge, Old Hunstanton, and The Golden Lion in Hunstanton, pictured. Participating eateries offer special fixed price menus during the event of either two courses for £20 and three for £25, or two courses for £27 and three for £33, depending on the venue. Booking is advisable.

www.norfolkrestaurantweek.co.uk

Spy dragons and suitcase towers 

The theme of this year’s Bayfield Sculpture Trail, which runs until 19 October, is Dragons and Mazes, with visitors invited to explore sculptures and sound installations across woodland and wild gardens at Bayfield Hall, near Holt. The circular trail features works created by 40 artists, sculptors, musicians and makers, some site-specific, others on tour from the Raveningham Sculpture Trail. You’ll spy Pylonasaurus, a dragon made from wire, amongst the bushes and Nick Ball’s Suitcase to Heaven, pictured, towering into the treetops. Don’t miss the maze, with a piece by sound artist Sonic Moth at its centre; and keep your ears open for the field recordings by Mike Challis in the ancient chapel. 

www.bayfieldhallsculpture.com

Let nature take its course

RSPB Titchwell Marsh’s Big Weekend promises to be… big. Taking place on 11 and 12 October at the nature reserve, to coincide with the autumn migration and high tides, the two-day event comprises conservation talks, nature walks and birding fun. Special guests include local author Charlie Bingham and Oli Steadman from the indie folk band Stornoway. In addition, the RSPB team will share behind-the-scenes insights, plus there’ll be expert-led guided walks, digiscoping tips and telescope advice, nature-inspired stalls and activities. The weekend will be fundraising to restore Volunteer Marsh, a vital saltmarsh habitat under threat from erosion.

www.rspb.org.uk/titchwell

Reap the rewards of harvest 

Felbrigg Hall, Gardens and Estate is one of North Norfolk’s gems, layered with history from the 15th century stained glass windows in the Great Hall to the objets in the Cabinet Room amassed on a European ‘Grand Tour’. Between 18 October and 2 November, you’ll want to make a beeline for the kitchen for the Hall at Harvest celebrations. Here, colourful displays will showcase what the garden team have been growing this year, from piles of fruit and veg to pretty dried floral arrangements. Inspired? Head outdoors to see the walled garden for yourself, as well as the 520 acres of woods and waymarked trails. 

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Flex your mussels

So here we are in mussel season, with ample opportunity to celebrate the mighty mollusc. First stop: the Brancaster Mussel Festival at The White Horse Marshside, Brancaster Staithe. Taking place from 24 to 26 October (midday to 9pm), feast on Thomas Large’s Brancaster Bay Mussels served five ways at the pop-up mussel kitchen, accompanied by Nelson’s Shantymen and Matty Haynes Music. The Dabbling Duck in Great Massingham is hosting a seafood festival on 21 and 22 November (from 5.30pm on Friday and 12pm on Saturday). There’ll be a specially devised menu celebrating all things from the sea (mussels, oysters…) and live music – booking essential. 

www.whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk; www.thedabblingduck.co.uk

Hop aboard to say happy birthday

This year marks the 50th birthday of North Norfolk Railway (aka the Poppy Line) with the first passenger train running between Sheringham and Holt in 1975. NNR has been celebrating its golden anniversary throughout the year, with more to come. From 25 to 31 October, you can enjoy one return trip behind the renowned steam locomotive 70000 ‘Britannia’, alongside all day travel behind another historic steam engine and aboard the NNR heritage railcar. Or go completely loco at the Fiftieth Finale weekend (1 and 2 November) and explore the line fully with unlimited travel on the four different historic trains running each day.  

www.nnrailway.co.uk

For all opening times and prices, visit individual websites or social media