A large west Norfolk conservation village with pretty red brick and flint faced cottages, Castle Acre is set within rural landscape and boasts an historical past. The village retains the ruins of a Norman castle with earthworks, the beautiful church of St James and the ruins of a Cluniac Priory. The main entrance into this attractive village is through Bailey Gate, a 13th Century flint gateway, under which pilgrims have passed for hundreds of years on their way to the shrine at Little Walsingham, a pilgrimage which still takes place today. There is a large village green surrounded by lime trees, cottages, traditional tea rooms, two public houses serving meals and further along the road, a village store. The local market town of Swaffham, five miles away, offers shops, a Saturday market with auction and Eco Tec centre. King’s Lynn, 20 miles away, has a shopping centre, restaurants, a Tuesday market, theatre, cinema, train station and out of town shopping facilities.
