Midsands Cross

The cross itself is modest - a weathered stone marker standing in open Norfolk countryside east of Great Yarmouth, the sort of thing you'd walk straight past if you didn't know what you were looking at. But that's rather the point. Midsands Cross is one of those rare medieval wayside crosses that actually survived the Reformation, when most of its kind were knocked down or destroyed. It marks an old route through the marshes, and standing there you're tracing the same path travellers would have taken centuries ago.

You won't spend hours here - twenty minutes, tops - but it's worth the detour if you're the type who enjoys connecting with actual history rather than interpretive centres. There's something properly moving about touching stone that's genuinely 800 years old. The flat landscape around it gives you a real sense of how isolated and exposed these routes must have felt in medieval times.

It's free, and there's no formal site infrastructure to speak of. Walkers on a Norfolk ramble will find it worth the leg-stretch, particularly those interested in rural history. Families with young children might find it a bit underwhelming on its own - better as part of a larger walk. If you're staying at Haven Seashore or Caister-on-Sea, it's close enough for a morning outing before heading to the beach. Best visited in dry weather, as the surrounding ground can be boggy. Check with Norfolk Heritage beforehand if opening details matter for your plans.