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A visit to Holkham is hugely rewarding. The hall, a massive Palladian mansion, is complemented by several other attractions – the Bygones Museum, a three-thousand-acre park, a lake and, of course, the expansive sands of Holkham Beach.
The Bygones Museum shows how we used to live and work, with over four thousand objects on display including mechanical toys, vintage vehicles and household tools, most of which date from the Victorian era – and there is an exhibition on the history of farming too. For stately home fans, the hall itself has two must-see rooms – the magnificent Marble Hall and the Library, while green-fingered visitors will find the restoration of the walled garden interesting. Outdoors, there are acres of space for children to run around. The lake is brimming with wildlife, while the park is home to a herd of eight hundred fallow deer. Like the four miles of beach, the park has many walk and cycle routes – the excellent website has detailed directions for every trail, as well as information on where raised boardwalks have been laid, allowing the breathtaking views to be experienced by all. The beach is part of the Holkham National Nature Reserve: in summer you may be lucky enough to see dark green fritillary butterflies whip by, and in winter there are flocks of larks, finches and pipits.
Six disabled parking bays are located outside the estate office, fifty yards away from the pottery yard where the ticket office, museum, shop and café are located. Each of these venues is accessible to wheelchair users. There are further disabled spaces on the gravel driveway outside the hall. A metal ramp is available at the hall entrance. The main rooms are on the first floor, but the excellent and trained staff can operate the Jolly Stairclimber – an inventive piece of equipment that works much like a tank, and is compatible with most manual wheelchairs. Powered scooter users who can transfer are able to borrow manual chairs to make this journey up to the State Rooms, but otherwise wheelchairs aren’t available to rent. Blue Badge holders can park at the Walled Gardens, avoiding a ten- to fifteen-minute walk from the hall, though transport is available to all between the two sites as well. Within the gardens some of the gravel paths are uneven. Large print and Braille transcripts are available. A comprehensive Access Statement containing detailed information on every part of the estate – including door widths, gradients, counter heights and lighting – is available by post, email, online and from the venue.
Food & drink: The Stable café serves homemade food using local produce, a variety of hot and cold dishes, snacks and sandwiches. The cakes are scrumptious, as is the lavender-flavoured Holkham ice cream.
