Litcham

Litcham brings landscape and local history together in two distinct themes for a holiday. Litcham Common covers 28 hectares of lowland heath and mixed woodland; at the same time, All Saints and several historic buildings tell stories of different periods and uses. The Nar Valley Way crosses the Common. If you are looking for a holiday cottage, you can decide whether nature and walking or cultural discoveries should shape your days more.

All Saints and its chancel screen

All Saints Church was consecrated in 1412. Inside is a 15th-century chancel screen with 22 original painted panels. Here, a precise year of consecration meets a later architectural feature described in detail. The chancel screen offers a tangible point of interest for those interested in architectural and art history, alongside the church’s own long history.

Buildings with different stories

The Priory, at the lower end of Church Street, dates from the 14th century and was probably a chapel or hermitage. Priory Farmhouse tells a different story: the building was a chapel and hermitage from the early 14th century, was converted into a farmhouse and is now a private residence. Significant additions date from the 17th century. This building therefore brings together earlier religious use, later conversion and its current residential function.

Horses were changed at the Bull Inn, a 17th-century coaching inn; until the late 18th century, it also served as the local courthouse. Litcham Hall on Lexham Road is a Grade II listed building. The Litcham War Memorial is also Grade II listed: it dates from the First World War and was later supplemented with additions from the Second World War. These examples highlight different aspects of history—from the former functions of an inn to the two world-war periods reflected in the memorial.

Litcham Common: lowland heath and mixed woodland

Litcham Common is a managed nature reserve covering 28 hectares of lowland heath and mixed woodland. In 1984, Norfolk County Council designated the area a Local Nature Reserve with the consent of the Lexham Hall Estate; ownership of the Common lies with the Lexham Hall Estate. The landscape is shaped by more than heathland alone: mixed woodland is also among the habitats described. If you would like to make nature the focus of your trip, these two landscape types give you a clear picture of what the Common has to offer.

The Nar Valley Way as a nature route

The Nar Valley Way is a 35-mile long-distance walking trail from East Dereham to Kings Lynn and crosses Litcham Common. A suggested walk on the section from Castle Acre to Litcham passes through a local nature reserve and ends in Litcham. The two route descriptions offer different perspectives: the long-distance trail places Litcham within a longer route with named endpoints, while the section describes a walk that ends in Litcham. When planning your holiday, you can therefore choose whether to focus on the wider route or on this section.

Plan your stay around your interests

When choosing a holiday cottage in Litcham, you can start by thinking about how you want to spend your days: would you prefer your stay to focus on the landscape at the Common and the walking trail, or more on the village’s historic buildings? This comparison connects your interests with two different sides of Litcham and gives your search for a holiday cottage a clear starting point.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Castle Acre, Catfield, Hockwold Cum Wilton, Watton, Bircham Newton, Great Witchingham, Sheringham, Beetley.

Return to the main travel guide: Norfolk.