Blofield is a small village surrounded by the A47 (which bypasses the village) to the north, by the larger village of Brundall to the south, and by green fields to the east and west. Blofield lies five miles east of Norwich, six miles west of Acle and 14 miles west of Great Yarmouth.

The village's main road, which runs from south to north through its centre, is quite unimaginatively called The Street. A while ago, the speed limit here was reduced to 20mph, but this seems to have had little effect on the locals and school buses who believe speed limits to be 'more like guidelines than rules anyway'.

The village boasts a set of traffic lights on Old Yarmouth Road¹ and a small but free² car park sits on The Street just next to the village's public house, The King's Head. The pub is an ordinary village pub which looks out onto the traffic lights, and the general atmosphere is not too bad despite the presence of stuffed animals inside and live ones upon the roof.

Amenities

Apart from the King's Head, nearby public houses include The Yare by the railway station in Brundall, The Two Friends in Blofield Heath, The Huntsman in Strumpshaw and The Fur and Feathers in Woodbastwick, which combines a pub and the Woodfordes Brewery.

On The Street in the centre of the village are a:

• Newsagent
• Combined Post Office and local shop
• Florist's
• Hairdresser's
• 'Trendy' Hairdressers and an Estate Agent's³

None of these places are brilliant, but they're not too bad. There is also a chip shop opposite the school for all your deep-fried needs. There is a library down the hill just north of the centre of the village.

The village has a medical centre, just south of the bridge across the A47, but no pharmacy. There is a pharmacy in Brundall, and also another Medical Centre.

There is also a church, situated on Church lane, which is found by heading south at the traffic lights and taking the first left.

There is a postbox next to the Post Office on The Street and another hidden partway along the road towards Blofield Heath. There is a payphone box next to a layby just west of the traffic lights.

Further along the Old Yarmouth Road, heading east from the traffic lights, is Garden Farm, a gardening centre with fresh produce and a pick-your-own for a lot of fruits and vegetables, though you have to go at the right time of year for any particular item. Recently, the Farm was taken over by a camping superstore chain, with fruits and vegetables still available but secondary to other merchandise.

The road heading off west of the traffic lights reaches a roundabout with the A47. Here, there is a petrol station, and an average-speed Little Chef with only half the employees necessary to run it.

Blofield School

The village also contains Blofield County Primary School, which is a state school (funded and run by the government) like most schools in the area⁴. The children from the school progress to high schools in Norwich and Acle. This generates a thriving school bus run (avoid driving through the village at 8.45am and 3.30pm), with the buses also passing through Brundall (a mile south of Blofield), Blofield Heath (a mile north of Blofield) and Postwick (two miles south of Norwich). The end of the school day at Blofield Primary School also causes congestion as parents swoop in to pick up their kids in pointlessly large off-road vehicles. The school has what is locally referred to as a 'fête worse than death' once a year on the school field, often including both tractor rides and the beer tent 'the juggling ferret'.

The school lies on the outside of an infamous bend in the road, thought to be the reason for the 20mph speed limit. This bend is where North Street joins the main road. Care should be taken here.

Public Transport

You may be better off hitching a lift with a friend, as the bus tends to only once an hour and stops running in the early evening. The number 17 bus from Blofield Heath calls at stops next to the Medical Centre and the King's Head, then runs via Brundall into central Norwich. However, Brundall has a train station served by the Wherry Lines, with trains to Acle, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Norwich.

Clubs and Attractions

Blofield has a Sea-scout group (First Blofield and Brundall), which has full Beaver, Cub and Explorer Scout sections. The group has retained Royal Navy Recognition many times in recent years. The Scouts go on the River Yare (which runs through Norwich and South of Brundall) in canoes, sailing boats and other boats during the summer, and have a water base in Brundall. Their winter base is next to the Margaret Harker Hall.

Blofield also has a:

• Guides group
• Tennis club with four grass courts and one concrete court
• Sunday League football club (Blofield United)
• Nursery School

The Margaret Harker Hall can be found on the Old Yarmouth Road, heading east of the traffic lights in the direction of Great Yarmouth. Next to it are the scout hut, the tennis club (whose members don't like non-members walking on their grass courts), the football club building, and recreation grounds on which there is an adventure playground and a football pitch. Cricket is also played on the grounds - obviously no-one there knows the true origin of the game. There is also the Plantation Park just north of the A47 - among other things, the park has a rugby club (Norwich United) and an annual fireworks display.

Attractions in Nearby Villages

Brundall has a group called TIB (Theatre In Brundall) based at the Brundall Memorial Hall who put on a yearly pantomime and a number of plays and musicals. TIB is an amateur dramatics group, and anyone can become a member.

Blofield is only a couple of miles away from Strumpshaw RSPB bird reserve, where birdwatchers can make use of several hides looking out over the acres of wetlands next to the river Yare. The village is also very close to the Norfolk Broads, with the nearest boat hire being available at Brundall (for the river Yare) and at Wroxham (for the river Bure).

Other Things To Do In Blofield

Live there. Look at the birds sitting in the trees. Relax. Learn to fly (the author removes all personal liability for anything bad happening).

Accommodation

Forget it. Blofield is only a small village, and has no hotels or bed and breakfasts. Neither have Brundall, Blofield Heath or any of the surrounding small villages. However, Norwich has a wide range of hotels, and Acle has at least a Travelodge. However, Blofield does have one holiday cottage on North Street.

A Little History

Blofield's name comes from the Anglo-Saxon for Blossom Bloo or for Blow Blowan, along with the word for Field Feld. The Globe Inn, demolished in the 1990s, was one of very few venues of the lost sport of Norfolk Wrestling, in which competitors were only allowed to make use of six basic holds to subdue opponents. The sport took place annually around the 1700s, and was a forerunner to some modern sports. The Globe had also been a local music venue before it closed. The village lost several local men in each of the two World Wars, with a service taking place at Blofield Church each year on Remembrance Sunday.

Many changes have affected the village over the years - a main road was built through it in 1831 and a bypass in the early 1980s.