WHY?

Centred around a pretty market square dotted with 18th century properties to lust after, Reepham has good schools, numerous independent shops and all your daily needs taken care of, including a butcher, hardware shop, post office, brand-new opticians, pharmacy and community hub hosting local groups and activities. It’s countryside living in a fantastic, vibrant town that’s ideal for families. Plus, it’s only half an hour to the coast and, in the other direction, the fine city of Norwich.

EAT

The Dial House, Reepham — The Dial House

Overlooking the market square for some 400 years, The Dial House has recently acquired a brand-new identity and is now the place to head for artisan carbs in its Bread Source café. It’s also home to a fancy B&B, a hair salon and a beauty clinic (more on that later) so, all in all, destination bliss!

There’s a couple of pubs to pick from. On the opposite side of the market square, family-run Kings Arms (aka ‘The Kinger’) has been serving hearty grub since 1667, the place to mardle over a pint beneath its gnarly beams. Sports fans are covered at The Crown where there’s a pool table, SkySports and, er, popular seafood platters.

Station Café on the Marriott’s Way is a sweet treat for families seeking cake on weekend bike rides (plus Wednesday is pizza night). The home-baked sweet and savoury pastries Diane’s Pantry are divine, and V’s Café serves cream teas by day and fish and chips in the evening – that’s the British diet covered then!

At the edge of town, in a 500-year-old barn is the All Day Brewing Company Taproom and Kitchen serving delicious beer plus weekend pizzas, BBQs and curries. Four miles away in lovely heritage village Heydon you’ll find fabulous Heydon Village Tea Shop and Folks Bakery whose summer Friday night pizzas on the green are a must.

SHOP

Mela Finds lifestyle store in Reepham — Some of the unique gems in Mela Finds

Reepham’s buzzing with lively independents. Mela Finds is like an Aladdin’s cave stocked with gorgeous one of a kind textiles, homewares, jewellery, clothing and art sourced from all over the world. Over at Cushion Cottage, there’s exquisite furnishings in unique fabrics from small indie designers. For total one-offs, head for Reepham Antiques, also home to furniture restorers Butler and Castell, or va vite to Rococo Loco for French brocante finds.

Cottage garden bouquets and cute succulents are available from Flower Folk florist and perfect presents aplenty at Jane Bygraves Studio Ceramics. A stroll away, there’s cool stuff going on at Salle Moor Hall Farm (get creative at Blue Flame Glass Studio) and up the road Park Farm is home of Candi’s Chutney (so good!) and Muddy finalists Mindful Mixology (so naughty!). You’re also a gentle cycle ride through country lanes to Heydon, check out Avocet Antiques for brilliantly curated, fabulously stylish sustainable pieces with stories to tell.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

The Country Salon, the hairdressers at The Dial House in Reepham — The Country Salon

Keeping your preened and looking your best is The Orange Grove Clinic which offers everything from relaxing massages and facials to waxing, pedicures and dermaplaning, and The Country Salon for all your hair needs, both of which can be found within The Dial House and super handy to have on the doorstep. For a full day spa affair or over night break Park Farm Hotel & Leisure and Dunston Hall are roughly half an hour drive away with the award-winning Norfolk Mead reached in under 25 mins.

Additionally there’s an opticians, pharmacy, doctors surgery, chiropractor clinic and a dentists. Exercise wise there’s an established Tennis Club, where pros and those who just fancy a gentle game are both welcome, and a running club called the Reepham Runners who meet regularly to run the cute country lanes and local farm tracks. For gym bunnies your closest are in Norwich with David Lloyd and The Edge Health and Fitness in Barnham Broom leading the charge facilities wise.

COMMUNITY

The people of Reepham love where they live and it shows! There’s an active community hub with loads of local info, fundraisers and events happening all the time. There’s also a weekly country market selling plenty of locally sourced and homemade goodies as well as lots of crafty classes and mum and baby groups in and around the Bircham Centre.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

Roarrr! Dinosaur Adventure Park — Dinosaur Adventure Park

Reepham is on Marriott’s Way, a lovely 26 mile route through woods and fields following disused railway lines, ideal for weekend strolls and cycling to work in the city. Wholesome family pleasures include Field of Joy, a magical social smallholding with an after-school club. Welcoming adults and children, Reepham and Salle Cricket Club have their home ground on the picturesque green at Salle, a village 1.5 miles out of town. Thomas the Tank Engine fans will love heritage steam train events at Whitwell and for creative rainy days, stock up at Scrapbox, a brilliant local charity selling resources reclaimed from landfill for art/craft activities. Creatures great and small are just up the road in Lenwade at Roarr! Dinosaur Park (above) and invertebrate zoo The Bug Parc.

CULTURE

Reepham Festival, rebranded this year as RFestival 2024, rocks out in Rockery Meadow every August. Taking to one of its three stages this year is chart-topper The Hoosiers, but we still can’t get over when Roachford headlined (seriously!). In nearby Aylsham, you can catch top-class touring theatre at Aylsham Town Hall, plus monthly film screenings at its volunteer-run Picture House. In Norwich, you’ll find a thriving arts scene from Norwich Theatre Royal and The Playhouse to Cinema City.

AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES

Not too bad, but there are plenty of show stoppers for those with deeper pockets. On average, terraced properties sold for an average of £228,125, semi-detached properties £242,250 and detached £353,918.

HOT PROPERTY

A cool 4 bed barn conversion in Reepham with countryside views to die for. On the market for £850,000. Norfolk — A cool 4 bed barn conversion in Reepham with countryside views to die for. On the market for £850,000.

NURSERIES

The nursery at Reepham Primary School has access to the large school field with play equipment, allotments, Japanese garden and open-air stage. Nearby Cawston Montessori is rated Ofsted Outstanding as is the entirely outdoors Dandelion Education, in Aylsham, which runs all its classes and play sessions in its open-air woodland setting (with cosy yurt on standby).

SCHOOLS

In town, Reepham offers education all the way to 18 with an Ofsted Good primary school, and a Good High School and sixth form College with results among the top 25% in the country. There’s also plenty of excellent private school options with Langley Prep in Taverham the closest. Within 30 mins drive are Town Close, Norwich High School for Girls and Norwich School in Norwich city centre, and Gresham’s Senior and Prep, Pre-Prep & Nursery, in beautiful Georgian Holt, with boarding too.

BEST KEPT SECRET

Once a Medieval place of pilgrimage, Reepham is one of only two sites in Europe to have three churches, St Mary, St Michael and All Saints – the latter was destroyed by fire in 1543 (you can still see a small part of the wall in the churchyard). Not so much a secret (but definitely worth seeing), in summer, spires of jewelled hollyhocks grow everywhere, turning the whole town into a dreamy cottage garden.

COMMUTE

Norwich is 14 miles away, about 30 mins by car. There’s also a bus route, albeit with limited evening and weekend service. It’s 130 miles and a 2.5 hr drive to London or the train from Norwich is 1 hr 30 mins direct into Liverpool Street.

View the full Top 300 Best Places to Live.

Reepham

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