Sheringham Park
A National Trust site. Wander through Sheringham Park and you'll discover why it became the personal favourite of its designer, Humphry Repton. Famous for its vast collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, the last owner, Tom Upcher, would hold rhododendron champagne parties in the 1950s to show them off. Unfortunately, Rhododendron ponticum has run wild, smothering large areas of the site - and that's where we come in!
Transport Sheringham Park is near Upper Sheringham.
Click here for local bus and train times The site is well signposted from the main A148 road.
Click here to find out more about the site
Howards Hill
Howards Hill , managed by North Norfolk District Council, is a fantastic viewpoint over Cromer and is home to a World War II observation post (see photo). This heathland site, now overgrown with gorse, would once have been covered by a wide range of heathland plants, probably including heather. Our group started by cutting back gorse and scraping away the burnt top soil to help encourage recolonisation of heather and give space for wild flowers to grow - already bluebell shoots were coming through the soil.
We also began clearing out the rubbish from inside the observation post, which ranged from newspapers and beer cans to a house For Sale sign! Since then wee have been battling the dreaded bracken, trying various different methods to get it under control. The jury is still out over whether it is better to pull it or bruise it!
Bird sightings here include red kite - a striking bird of prey with a distinctive forked tail, which was persectuted to the edge of extinction in Britain but is now spreading across the country again. See this website if you want to find out more about them.
Transport Howards Hill is close to the centre of Cromer.
Click here for local bus and train times The site is near the junction of Howards Hill West with Shipden avenue.
Click here to see a map of the area
Links Wood
Cromer boasts an ancient woodland where Elizabeth Fry once walked - as a plaque where an old well used to be makes clear. Links Wood is part of a set of green spaces which includes Warren Wood and Happy Valley with its play areas - all on the edge of the city centre and with wonderful views over the sea and the pier.
We have been planting native tree species to add to the biodiversity at the site, as well as controlling invasive plants such as sycamore and bracken. As spring has sprung we have now been rewarded by the sight of carpets of woodland wildflowers, including bluebells, wild garlic, red campion and herb robert.
The picture above shows one of the site's magnificent Black Poplar trees - one of only 70 left in Norfolk. Next to it is one of the new young trees we have planted, and we must hope that it grows as well as this.
We have also dug a 'French Drain' to help people follow in Elizabeth Fry's footsteps without getting too wet. A trench was dug across the path, and then filled with loose gravel to allow water to soak away under the surface. The gravel layer was covered over with twigs and bracken and then soil on top, so that now you would never know it was there! Thanks to our volunteer Lew for his years of expertise of farm work which really helped us on this task.
Transport Links Wood is close to the centre of Cromer.
Click here for local bus and train times The site is near the Overstrand Road / Ellenhill junction.
Click here to see a map of the area
Pretty Corner
Pretty Corner is an area of woodland on the edge of Sheringham with good diversity of trees - there are also adjacent sites owned by Woodland Trust and Sheringham Town Council. Jobs for the workout project here include opening out a path to left from top car park and helping to maintain the view towards the sea.
Transport Prett Corner is on the southern (inland) edge of Sheringham.
Click here for local bus and train times The site stretches along Holway road (A1082) between Woodland Rise West and Pretty Corner Lane.
Click here to see a map of the area
Felbrigg Hall
It's not all hard work, you know. here to prove it is a picture of us having a picnic at Felbrigg Hall. Because we like picnics!
