A majestic Medieval castle or a marvellous manor house steeped in family history? Join us as we visit Oxburgh Hall and explore the wider estate with our wildly imaginative pre-schooler!
First Impressions
Even though we visited on a drizzly day in February, the sheer grandeur of Oxburgh Hall’s exterior had Teddy (our 4 year old son) mesmerised. The words “Wow – look – a real castle” literally leapt from his mouth the moment we stepped out of the car! Technically Oxburgh Hall is a Medieval Manor House, not a castle, but the towers, turrets and surrounding moat certainly had me fooled, too!
Estate Walks
There are several different walks you can do around the estate, including shorter ones for little legs and longer ones for four legs. In an effort to go green, The National Trust is trying to go paperless where possible, making walking maps available digitally to download in advance or take a picture of upon arrival. This way you can plan your day ahead of time and make note of any facilities which you may need during your visit. Now it is worth noting that many of the pathways are natural, not man made surfaces, and sensible footwear is essential. We tried to do the river walk (pictured below) on a wet day, but wellington boots were most certainly required to complete the circuit, so we had to double back on ourselves!
Park Map
Food & Drink
It wouldn’t be a visit to a National Trust property without a small sampling of something sweet from the café! There are a two spots on site where you can get refreshments, but the main event is the Servants’ Hall inside Oxburgh Hall itself. Small but perfectly well stocked, clean and organised, they operate counter service with seating available both inside and out. The food was delicious as always (we enjoyed hot sausage and bacon rolls & a huge fruit scone with strawberry jam), and all of the staff we encountered were simply delightful. I can imagine when the weather is warm and dry, the wider estate would be perfect for picnics too (just remember to dispose of your litter responsibly).
Fun for Families
On face value, it would appear that Oxburgh Hall is not geared up for families. There isn’t a big play area, no shows or treasure maps. But if you have an open mind and a little imagination, this can be a fantastic and educational day out. Our son is only 4, and whilst he may not know much about history, we did have a great time creating a story about the king that lived in this castle. We looked for him all around the house, even looking to see if he was having a sleep in his bedroom, but he must have been away on holiday as we couldn’t find him anywhere! We talked about the story of Rapunzel and how she let down her hair, looked for ducks swimming around the moat and jumped in some pretty epic muddy puddles. Oxburgh Estate also provides free explorer bags which you can borrow from the main entrance, containing useful things like magnifying glasses to help you spot wildlife. There is also an area on the wider estate designated for den building, plus additional activities in the school holidays. When we visited, there was a giant chalk board to get creative with. They also have activity or colouring sheets in the cafe to keep little ones busy whilst you sample some delights from the menu. All-in-all, we had a fantastic day, and Teddy was suitably tired when we got back in the car! Just be careful in the gift shop – they have some adorable soft toys on offer and we did not escape with all of our money!
Snowdrops & Daffodils
We visited on the 17th of February, and it seems we were literally watching the departure of winter and the arrival of spring before our very eyes! Carpets of whimsical white snowdrops were just beginning to be interrupted by bursts of bright yellow daffodils. I think you could call it perfect timing, and it certainly helped brighten up an otherwise very grey day!
Getting There
As with many of England’s great estates, the extensive parkland surrounding Oxburgh Hall makes it quite tricky to visit without a car. There is a local pre-bookable bus service called Swaffham Flexibus+, however it is essentially a taxi service run by the council and may not be practical for your needs.
The address to enter in to your SatNav is: Oxburgh Hall, Oxborough, Swaffham, Norfolk, PE33 9PS.
Admission
As with most National Trust sites, there is an entrance fee to pay on arrival, though entry is free to National Trust Members. Current prices are available to view here. Parking on site is free. Occasionally you can find a free family day pass to most National Trust properties in national newspapers. This has saved us around £100 over the last year and given us the opportunity to visit places we wouldn’t normally consider. My top tip is to sign up to Money Saving Expert’s weekly emails – this is how I found out about them every time!
In Summary
Overall we made some wonderful memories, spent some quality time together in the great outdoors and had fun making up stories about this magical place. We will definitely be back in the summer with a picnic (or a poncho) to explore even more of the estate, and we recommend you visit for yourselves too.
Gallery
Useful Links
National Trust website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/norfolk/oxburgh-estate
If you like this article, check out some of our other UK posts here.
Have you been to Oxburgh Hall? Where is your favourite National Trust property? Let us know in the comments – we love to hear from you!
If you enjoy this kind of content, don’t forget to subscribe! You’ll receive an email every time a new post goes live on the blog (usually once a week).
Our Whimsical World 